My name is Oleg, I am a developer from Israel. My family immigrated here from Ukraine, where the war is going, closer to their relatives. Here we found a new home. Not only because we have found peace, but also because all Israelis are a big family who are ready to help anyone who has a problem.
Hebrew, you are beautiful! I love you, but this love was not at first sight. …or first problems in Holy Land.
At the beginning we didn’t know Hebrew, and we had a lot of problems with this … Outside, we faced with such strange language at any step. Even in Google Maps, the descriptions were in Hebrew, and very few in English.
We used auto- translation, and sometimes it covered our needs. But this can not replace a human or community yet.
Over time I decided to solve this gap and began to enrich and add descriptions in English and not only … For example, my most popular post about the bank. Israel has “centers of integration”, where lives all new citizens who come to Israel. First thing they have to do is to solve many (standart at home but difficuly in new land) problems like opening an account in a bank, send post, pay bills, choose kindergarden, etc.
I wrote in Russian (also still popular in Ukraine) about the first steps in the Bank, what to look for and gave a few recommendations. Looks like I helped many people resolve issues more quickly, which means that they could quickly integrate to the Big Family.
Also in Israel there are a lot of beautiful places for tourists. How about them?
Of course, sometimes I see descriptions in English, but very few of them. Now I am writing in English about the colorful and fun places I have visited. I am sure this helps a lot.
New life, new generation, new emotions.
Now that everything is fine with Hebrew, there is work, car and prosperity, I don’t want to stop writing in English. I still remember how hard it was for my family several years ago, and how pieces of information in familiar languages could charge my mood for the whole day.
The younger son was born in Israel, and I am glad that he will not have such problems. I love to go out with my family and, finally, tell you about the favorite places of my heart.
Did you know that in Netanya we have a big muddy puddle in the summer (hello, Peppa Pig) - nothing interesting, but in winter it is a very beautiful LAKE with ducks, storks, herons and even peacocks? And this is not a zoo, its an ordinary park, where everything is in touch. Peacocks in the yard, sounds good! My children are happy!
Or did you know about Iris Preserve, where only a few weeks a year you can see the rarest black royal irises and some of his retinues. And the rest of the time, only grass and wild flowers: beautiful, but without goosebumps. Who do you think will help to tell when it is better to come? Of course, local experts.
I recently received a local expert level 5-th and received a letter from Google with information about #localguidesconnect. Only now I realized that I am not alone, we are millions, we are a huge army of seekers who love to share emotions, transform hem into descriptions, photos, ratings. What if we are like beacons for ships at sea — we are helping on rainy foggy days? I realized that I have something to learn from the Community. Discover, explore, learn, tell, share, help. I was inspired. I am ready to go on.
