The magical day when you finally receive your passport, your true new identity and access to real life.

Yes, thats right, I've been in Israel now for just over 1 year and a half, I've been through more life experiences than I ever thought were possible but I am proud to say I am still standing, in Israel, with my israeli passport in hand and I'm not going anywhere, well only a short weekend trips to see my friends and family in England :)

After being here for only a short time I have seen just a glimpse of what it's like to live here but I know that there is still a whole lot more to come, to really be here and truly be Israeli.

I will save the details for my next feature blog but the three lessons I have learnt so far I think are ones worth sharing with you all. For me, it wasn't a hard decision at all to make aliyah, but the encounters that I have experienced along the way lead me to offer this piece of advice to other new immigrants and olim to be:

1. don't be afraid to speak up and fight for what you want - israelis are not rude, they are just assertive, they know what they want, they are very straight forward and they will jump to the moon and back to get it

2. be strong - its ok to have a bad day, its ok to lean on your friends when you need to let it all out, but don't give up, dont let people put you down (unfortunately I have come across a lot of bitterness in Israel, from israelis and also other olim; the israelis don't understand why you made aliyah from such a 'glamourous country' such as England and the Olim who have been here longer than you think they are wiser and have the authority to tell you it only gets worse from here on out) My motto is don't listen to anything that's going to put you down, asking for advise is different than being told its never going to get better!

3. love - remind yourself everyday why you moved here; because you love Israel. Tell yourself what you want to achieve, always look to reach those goals whether it be the language, finding that number one job, finding the one, settling down, starting a family, a home, a life. Don't lose track of yourself or you really can get lost in the bitterness of those around you.

For me, I am still searching for all of those things but I truly believe my future is here in Israel and my journey is only just beginning.