Whether it’s a new job, a new relationship or a new home in a new country, we choose how we react to different situations.
By BENITA LEVINGAL GADOT at the May premiere of ‘Wonder Woman,’ in Los Angeles. Does Israel really need hasbara? (photo credit: REUTERS)WONDER WOMAN is a popular celebrity in our home. Gorgeous Israeli actress Gal Gadot and the legendary super-heroine character she plays continue to make headlines around the globe, with talks of a sequel to the hit movie in the cards soon. Between my husband and me, our 11-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, in our home you either want to be Wonder Woman, or you want to meet her – or both.The first time I spotted a live “superhero” in Israel was in the week leading up to the festival of Purim. What are the chances of you spotting a woman dressed as Batwoman sitting in a coffee shop in your hometown? A hairdresser attending to a client while wearing his Superman outfit or the teller at the supermarket donning a clown mask? Not something I’d ever encountered in South Africa. But the festival of Purim is a serious business in Israel, seemingly for people of all ages.I’d joked with a friend at the time that Batwoman was the obvious choice of costume for me, because one does need superhero powers to cope with all the new changes that come with being an ola hadasha (new immigrant). In the past, juggling the roles of a wife, mom, radio news editor and life coach kept me setting regular new goals. Now, one feels a bizarre sense of achievement to coordinate a dishwasher load, washing machine cycle and three meals a day, all before leaving one’s home in the morning. It all comes down to some highly efficient home planning. When I say planning, I mean rostering. Everyone here gets involved. Our children get to pick their favorite music as they finish their chores – including sweeping, throwing out the trash, washing up after meals and folding clothes.(Kelly Clarkson’s “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger” – seems to be a firm favorite, followed closely by a local hit song in Israel, called “Tudu Bom.”) There is no doubt that we’re in the novelty phase of this group family clean-up routine. It is simply going to have to become our new normal.Then there’s the daunting task of taking on the local supermarkets. Who’d ever have dreamt that a routine trip with a trolley could potentially be an ordeal? We’d been warned a debut trip to a local shop – with most branding obviously in Hebrew – would be enough to reduce the toughest of adults to tears. Armed with a Hebrew speaking husband, a host of sympathetic women on speed-dial standby and a sharpened sense of humor, we ventured into unchartered shopping aisles.It bears stating the obvious – as with anything in life, one’s attitude to anything new is most of the battle. Whether it’s a new job, a new relationship or a new home in a new country, we choose how we react to different situations. The same applies to taking on additional household chores when you’d rather be doing anything else at the time. It also applies to something as mundane as buying groceries. Depending on your ability to focus on the positive or the negative, you might end up laughing at the fact that you’ve inadvertently bought giblets instead of raw chicken stir fry. You’ll also soon realize that some of the main brands we know and love are global and are easy to recognize in any language.It’s part of the journey. You can either let the small things get you down, or you can straighten your Batwoman cloak, whip out your Wonder Woman shield, acknowledge that you’re experiencing the highs and lows of life in a new country and be grateful that you can…
Related TagsGal Gadot Wonder WomanTudu Bom
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