No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late

Five years in Israel - a milestone worthy of nostalgia. Hard to imagine I've been here so long but yet I came without any intention of leaving. This was never an experiment or a toe dipped in the water. My aliyah was a commitment to make my life in Israel, to do what I can to succeed here. I've made many friends and had plenty of experiences. Five years is enough time for the novelty to wear off. Its hard to "fake it" for this long. And, indeed, in the last year I have done much to change my daily life from "what I think I should be doing" to "what I want to do."

Several friends have fallen by the waist-side. The initial compromises people make to be friends in a strange land slipped away and I was able to focus on honesty. "Is this person really a friend and do I really enjoy our time together?" These questions forced me to be honest with myself and, quite literally, grow up. Other friendships were refined and strengthened. Sadly, its not always easy to nurture the friendships I sincerely do want strengthened. Work, family and circumstance sometimes get in the way, unfortunately.

Another unfortunate part of life here is that people come for brief periods of time, which makes it even harder to build strong friendships. On average I attend a going away party at least once a month. This causes obvious cynicism when I welcome newcomers. I can only hope they survive... if that's what they want. Sometimes people make aliyah but don't even intend to stay long.

Happily, my career has continued to evolve since leaving the US. I know more than ever before how to describe what I do and to where I want to get. I've faced several challenges trying to advance my career in such a small marketplace (compared to America). But luck has been with me, giving me opportunities to work from Israel but toward the largest targets possible. I hope this focus continues.

Personal life has solidified in a way I could have only dreamed. A committed, long-term relationship has made me happier than I ever thought possible. This relationship has taught me much and helped me evolve as a person. One example is cooking. I've taken to cooking as a wonderful new hobby and really enjoy the pursuit of good food. Its just too bad I don't have the financing to travel the world, eating the best food it has to offer. At the very least I've finally perfected a buffalo wing recipe (my favorite food). This small pleasure makes life that much more enjoyable.

All in all I'm looking forward to the next 5 years, not only hoping I make it but also working hard to insure I do. At least I still get to do silly, fun things every now and then... like this Christmas video for NextOrNot.com that features Katy Perry: