Arriving in Israel

When I first landed in Israel after a long ten-and-a-half hour flight I thought, "what have I got myself into"?  I was now in a desert land far away from home and everything that I have ever known.  

Since then, however, Israel has grown on me. Getting used to a different culture is not the easiest thing to do but it is slowly getting easier as time passes. 

So much is different over here. Most of the signs are written in Hebrew which is basically impossible to understand to someone who has never known another language other than English and a little Spanish. The good thing about Israel is that about 80 percent of the people here speak English.  So after all, it turned out to be one of the easiest countries to go to and feel at home.  

After I drove an hour north to Haifa from Tel Aviv I finally got to settle down in my new home. I was given an apartment and a car to use while here. Having your own place is nice but is quite different from living with three other roommates. My whole college career, I had roommates and this is the first time that I have actually lived alone. It is somewhat peaceful and an adjustment to someone who is used to having others always living with him. 

In total, there are seven players from the United States on my team: Brooks, BJ, Tamir, Todd, Doron, Davon and myself. This is nice because it makes me feel more at home with others in the same shoes as me. Also, all of the Israeli players on the team are easy to get along with. All but one speak perfect English as well as the coaches. It basically feels like an American team playing in Israel.  Not too bad for my first job after speaking with some of the other American guys who have played in other countries including some Eastern European countries where nobody speaks any English.  

This experience on the court is going to be different from what I've grown used to. The transition from being the star on the team to a role player has been a little tough so far.  In college, my teammates would pass me the ball on almost every possession--not the case here. I am now forced to learn to play a lot without the ball and to have a "full" defensive responsibility.  I used to be able to just sit in the paint and wait for the rebound. Now I am forced to constantly run out and defend pick and rolls because that is how many of the teams play over here.  It should be a great learning experience gaining tips from all the experienced guys on my team this season.  It will be difficult spending most of the game on the bench but it's what must be done right now. My motivation has kicked up a degree though because watching the game for me just isn't the same. We'll see what happens.

-Ben