umkahlil

(thanks Artie)

One holds one's head up high here, if you wear a Kippa or a Magen David no one disturbs you. Corporal Ari Parmesat, transplant from France


Another translation from German to English from Zahal on another Aliyah babe.

Corporal Victoria Ivanenko: 'I imagined a country full of Palms and Bananas.'

How I made Aliyah: I lived with my grandparents in the Ukraine. My mother came to visit and suggsted that I should immigrate to Israel. After I took my last school test, I went with my mother to the Jewish Agency. They saw that my grades were very good and invited me to take a test for the “Sela” program. I took tests in math, English, and Hebrew and also psychological tests. They invited us to show how we imagined ourselves in Israel. I drew myself with an Israeli flag in one hand and a book in the other hand. In a week my sister and I were informed that we had passed the tests.

Why I came to Israel: To experience the people and the society here better and to see if I could live here independently without depending on my parents.

Preconception: I imagined a lot of palm and banana trees and that everything would be green for the whole year, that there was no winter here and that the whole year was hot.

The first impression: Everything was interesting. I was astounded that there were so many different cars here. When I visited for the first time an Israeli city, Kfar Saba, everything appeared to glitter around me with a lot of people running around. I bought a blouse and pants and was worried about getting lost.

Independence: I live alone here, I pay for myself and I take care of my house myself, and I don’t have any parents here to support me. In Israel people think about themselves and attempt to get ahead in life. Now I understand my grandfather and my mother; they worked hard to support their children. I know that life is not easy for many people, each has his problems but everyone survives somehow. One needs time and patience. I don’t bother my family with my problems. I say simply that everything is OK and that they should not worry about me.

It is too bad, that: In Israel we pay rent and it is expensive, to buy apartments and cars. In the Ukraine one can buy an apartment for four thousand dollars. I know that my father and my mother will not buy anything and that I must earn everything myself.

IDF Enlistment: In December my sister and I were enlisted in the Machva Alon Basic Training, together with dozens of other “Sela” girls. In Basic we received our uniforms proudly and tried them on twenty times. At first the girls cried a lot but after living together we became a very tight group and it was a unique time. My commander said that I was very strong and that I was ahead of everyone else and that I propelled the group.

Visit the old homeland: I have been almost here for two years and I have not been back to the Ukraine. I have only contacted my family on the telephone. I would like to visit them in the spring and to hug and kiss them all. I would like to tell them everything about Israel and show them photos of the things that my sister and I always talk about.

Hebrew – Is it hard for you? When I first saw the Hebrew alphabet for the first time I thought that I would never keep these hieroglyphics in my head. The teacher promised me though that I would finally master it. I began slowly to learn to read the vowels with the help of the teacher and friends. The excellent teacher who I had in the IDF uplan, Michal, enormously helped my progress. Here I learned to write a five page composition without help of a dictionary. I made mistakes but not too many. When I speak to my grandfather on the telephone I automatically use Hebrew words and answer him okay.