gap year in israel

One of the first adjustments I made to Israel was the differences in shopping. Specifically grocery shopping. I was so used to my entire life going to one specific grocery store and one other store, where we could just buy everything we needed in one place. For example, in America, we have Target, where anything you could think of, you could just get in one place.

I was really overwhelmed at first when I saw that there was nothing like that here. Yet, I now am completely accustomed to it! I love the fact that when I need to produce, I can go to a specific store just for fruits and vegetables. At home, we only have farmers’ markets for that, or else you can just buy from the grocery store. This is something I will definitely miss the most from Israel! The fruits are a lot more fresh here, but my biggest shock was the lack of berries. Blueberries are hard to find here and more expensive. Berries I usually buy in America like raspberries and blackberries, which I cannot find here. I’ll have something to look forward to!

As far as food shopping goes, I was very nervous on my first trip to the grocery store. The most helpful thing I did was download Google translate, as I can just hold my phone up to what I’m trying to translate, and it will show me on my camera. Or, I’ve just asked someone for help. This has forced me out of my comfort zone in a good way because sometimes Google translate doesn’t work, and it’s good to meet new people.

Another big difference shopping-wise is, that I find a big lack of sweets/baking supplies in the grocery stores. In America, we have a big bakery in the store along with two baking aisles. I found this to be really interesting because I wasn’t used to this. While it took me a few weeks to adjust to shopping here, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. It just takes a few brave days of going into new places and then you’ll be great at it in no time!

Cultural differences in shopping