changing countries = changing cultures = changing perceptions
There is so much more to changing countries than just geography. Differences between Ireland to Israel are “dramatic” on multiple levels – the most obvious being the weather: there is nothing like taking off in 15 degree-weather in the afternoon and landing in 35+ at 3 am. 
But that is just the beginning…
From country with no coffee culture (with few exceptional places in Dublin where you can actually drink a decent espresso, that’s true), I am now in coffee-lover’s heaven – there is at least one caffe every 10 steps you take! Which also means I can, after a 2-year break, again indulge one of my favorite passtimes – people-watching! And there really is plenty to see here – I’ve never seen so many different shapes, sizes, colors and shades of people as I do here every single day. The diversity of Tel Aviv is amazing!
Then there is the food… Mmmmmmmm, food… After two years in Ireland of my continuous bitching about quality, taste (or lack thereof) and prices of food and eating Chinese, Korean, Thai or Indian food most of the time, I came to a place where fruits and vegetables have taste and smell great and where I am yet to experience (god forbid that ever happens) bad food…
And then there is a change of perceptions… I went from being considered on the short side and kind of dark to being considered tallish and light. I went from being commonly mistaken for Italian or Spanish (once nearly dragged onto a bus of Spanish tourists by an over-eager tour guide with face-recognition issues) to being mistaken for a local – people of all ages are trying to strike up conversations or simply ask for directions in Hebrew all the time.
One thing is the same though – Ireland or Israel, I just don’t understand taxi drivers when they talk to me
People keep asking me if I’m shocked by all the cultural differences here in Israel.
Differences such as people being loud and very direct, such as having a complete stranger ask you very personal questions being completely normal, such as wherever most people go their families go as well – hence a multitude of kids of all ages everywhere (caffes, restaurants, museums…), such as the fact that going out time on weekends here is after midnight (and even that might be too early in some cases)…
Compared to Ireland? Maybe… Compared to Croatia? Not really… Croatians and Israelis are much more similar than I would have ever thought, which might explain why I hung out with Israelis in Dublin so much
