I'm not alone

I recently discovered a blog written by a women named Maya who made aliyah (moved to Israel) and writes about "How to be Israeli," giving tips and stories and fascinating insights into life in Israel and all its quirks.  (This is the blog that had a post about Israeli pickles which I referenced in my last post.)  She started the blog in 2009 and unfortunately hasn't written since last December, perhaps because she finally feels completely Israeli.  Congratulations to her!

I find her blog hilarious and intriguing because she writes about many of the same things I've either written about or thought.  When I read a post about how to drive like an Israeli entitled "Everyone ELSE on the road is an idiot," I kept mentally pointing at the computer screen while my inner dialogue shouted "That's so true!  That's exactly what they do!"  I may have even legitimately laughed out loud.  Her list of Things *NOT* to do if you want to seem Israeli made me chuckle and then feel a little sheepish as I realized I've actually done some of those things (ignorant American tourist that I am), and her post entitled "How do you pronounce שופרסל?" seemed to read my mind as I, too, have been wondering how to pronounce the name of the giant grocery store chain for five months.

In addition to her sense of humor and fluid, conversational writing style, I love her blog because when I read it I feel like I'm sharing an inside joke, laughing and wondering about all the curiosities of Israeli life from that unique perspective of an outsider spending some time as an insider.  It also gives credence to the things I've been noticing and questioning as if to say "Yeah, I saw that, too.  And I totally know what you're talking about!"

Hers is not the only blog of this sort.  A number of months ago I came across comedian Benji Lovitt's blog that makes a very similar commentary on Israeli life minus the "How to."  His yearly list of things he loves about Israel is especially hilarious to me.

Unfortunately, I realize that many of these things I'm finding hysterical and spot-on are things I may not be able to share with my family and friends who haven't been in Israel, much like how people outside Wisconsin simply don't get what's so important about cheese curds and bubblers (talk about a couple things I definitely can't get in Israel).  In coming here, temporarily living here, and finding my way around this vibrant, hilarious, and confounding culture, I feel as if I have been initiated into a not-so-secret society.  And with that membership comes access to all its inside jokes.

The thing I wonder, though, is if Israelis recognize this or if this is one of those things that only visitors and olim chadashim (new immigrants) talk about.  Do Israelis joke about their own tempers and lack of customer service?  Do they laugh about things that seem inherently funny to me, like English words and names adopted by Hebrew and used in their signs, like the Israeli fast-food chain Burgeranch?  (Never mind the fact that Israelis probably don't know what a "ranch" actually is, and they certainly don't have them here.)  There is no doubt that Israelis have a sense of humor and are constantly making fun of themselves and their lives, but I wonder if, for instance, a native Israeli would read blogs like Maya's and Benji's and find the same humor that I do.

If the blogosphere is any indication then there is a fairly significant community of non-native Israelis who like to comment on Israeli culture.  Apparently I'm not the only one who finds this country fascinating and worth writing about.  Little did I know that when I came here I would not just be joining the community that is Israel, but also the community of non-native Israelis and foreigners who love this country and notice all its faults, foibles, and feats with a loving and accepting eye.

I also wonder if this kind of community exists for new immigrants to other countries.  Are Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. laughing in Spanish about all the funny things in American culture?  Have Americans living in Europe created online communities to discuss and commiserate over those things that are shocking to the American system and psyche?

Or is Israel just that awesome?