What to expect

I wish to give an insite as to what Israel is about and not what politicians and press want u to think Israel is about. Here there is a big mix of cultures not always living in perfect Harmony but sharing. There is no apartheid but racism often rears its ugly head. This is not only against the muslim population but also against various jewish population such as the ethiopian jews.
One of the things that makes this counry interesting is the very wide culture base. Within half an hour of my house I can go to druse villages (a culture and religion who do not consider themselves as muslims-but there religion is secret) or beduins (nomadic peoples who now live in permenent settlement) christians ,muslims and jews from all over the world. You meet jews who have arrived from african ,european and arab states to mention just a few. Two weeks ago I was in a druse village and satwith friends drinking coffee and discussing all sorts of things. The lives of the people are intertwined.
Life is imperfect but I think it is so in many countries. Life here is very vibrent but yes the army is active because the country believes it has to safegaurd its boarders. However it is not an army state people go around there business every day without fear of police or army. Ofcourse I am not talking about Gaza which is also worth a lot of disscussion but am trying to give u a feel of what Israel is about. Life is lead at a very fast pace and people have a reasonable standard of living (not only jews!!!!!). Most of all life is lead at a fast pace but people are optimistic.
For the record I am Jewish and like living here. I arrived about 20 years ago from England where I also enjoyed living and did not come accross more than minimal antisemitism that did not desturb my good life there. I came to Israel to work on kibbutz for the summer. The kibbutz experience convinced me to come and live here but in the end came to live in a small town.
Being jewish matters to me because i think it is a form of identity and way of life. I am not religious but much can be learned from religious teaching.
This is my first posting and would be most happy to hear any comment to help me move forward with this blog. Bye for now- I am off to teakwando (I enjoy it althogh I am not very good but it helps my body; flexability.
Bye for now Mike