I do not remember the exact day, but it was about 4 or 5 days before Rosh Chodesh Elul.

I was never one to be overly sentimental and make scrapbooks and save airplane tickets for memories or stuff like that, so I have no way of looking up the exact date.

18 years ago, just about to the day (about 4 or 5 days before Rosh Chodesh Elul so I am choosing today), I stepped off the airplane in the Holy Land for the very first time. I was coming, on a spur of the moment decision, to learn for the year in Eretz Yisrael.

Little did I know, that would be one of the most monumental decisions of my life. And typical of me, I made it with almost no forethought and preparation. Just decided one day, after not even having considered it previously.

After my first year in Israel, I was planning on returning to the US to learn and go to college. Little did I know that over the summer vacation I would realize I wanted to go back to Israel. So I did. Another spur of the moment decision.

That year, I began keep the halachic fiction of "a day and a half of yom tov". Because I was pretty sure I wanted to stay, but my Rosh Yeshiva was not convinced at that point that I was sure enough to switch to one day.

After my second year I once again waited until the summer to decide to stay a third year. But I decided I was coming back, and I came back. By now, the fourth year was not even a question. and at some point during the year my Rosh Yeshiva knew I was staying and told me I could keep "one day yom tov".

I stayed in Israel and have never looked back. I am now turning 36. I first came when I was turning 18. Chai (18) years in Israel. Life in Israel.

I have now spent more than half my life living in Israel. I think I qualify for status of "Oleh Vatik" or "Toshav Vatik" by now.