Image courtesy of CraftyJoe / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
If you’re a reader of the site, then you know that I’m an ‘expat’ from Bolivia now living in Israel. I’ve come to love both countries and consider them both to be my home, but they are so different from one another in both good and bad ways.
I wanted to figure out for myself what makes living in one so different from the other… so I’ve broken it down into three sections: security, standard of living and the people. These three are only part of what makes these countries so drastically different!
So who wins in each section? Or rather, what makes them so different? Read on to find out!
Security = Israel is far safer
What?! Israel is safer than Bolivia?? But… Israel is in a war-zone!
Yes, it’s true that Israel is smack in the midst of the Middle East and has conflicts, terrorist attacks, missile attacks and suicide bombings. All of this is a given.
But you know what else Israel has? A defense system that focuses on expensive self-defense mechanisms that lower the ability of missile strikes (i.e. Iron Dome) and suicide bombers success (there’s a reason why there hasn’t been a successful one in ages).
They also have a pretty good police system and overall, I feel very safe walking down the street at any hour of the day.
Here’s what concerns me most about walking in the street in Israel: being hit by an absent-minded teenager on an electric bicycle. This, ladies and gentlemen, is my biggest safety concern as of the moment, even as missiles rain down on us.
In Bolivia? Not so. You would never see me walking out in the street at night alone, never see me in certain areas of the city (especially not alone and not even during the daylight), and I would always be looking every which-way at every moment.
In my entire experience in Bolivia, I’ve lived through revolutions, civil war, seen governments be toppled over, experienced the police having a ‘friendly fire’ war with the military (WHAT) effectively leaving the entire city without a police force or military for a week, experienced dynamite explosions to my office building (courtesy of angry miners revolting yet again), attended to a child who was stabbed & robbed walking down the street, seen too many friends and acquaintances be kidnapped and assaulted and I’ve been tear gassed numerous times. I love Bolivia, but they have a lot to work on when it comes to improving security in the city for all civilians.
All that being said, Israel to me, is the safer option.
Standard of living = balances out
This is what it feels like in Bolivia vs Israel.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
There are positives and negatives to living in a third world country vs a first world country. Israel generally has a very good standard of living, even for the ‘lower classes’. We all get health insurance by law, pension, salaries are higher than in Bolivia, streets and cities are clean, developed, have parks, etc.
I happen to live in a very pretty city that has beautiful parks, provides free workout options like my Zumba classes and personal training, and we have a beach! So I can’t complain in that sense… but salaries vs the cost of living are not good here.
I have to live with my dad to be able to save any money whatsoever, and I make a pretty decent salary. I would never be able to buy my own house with Israeli salaries and housing costs, and I’ve been working and saving for years. So I’m sleeping in my dad’s living room…. Not the most comfortable of situations.
On the other hand, La Paz, Bolivia is beautiful but doesn’t quite offer the same level of a developed city in Israel. It’s a poor city in a poor country, and there’s so much that the government can invest in developing it, which isn’t enough… parks are lacking, things to do out of entertainment purposes are lacking and forget about health insurance. The poor live extremely poor lives of starvation and homelessness. It’s not an easy life there at all for the majority of the population.
But third world countries tend to have that small wealthier percentage that lives like royalty because everything is dirt cheap. I lived very comfortably there, in a way that I could never live in Israel and I was willing to give up on: I had my own room there, maids, cars – complete comfort. But even we dealt with third world issues: before I moved to Israel, we didn’t have running water for 4 months because a mountain collapsed and knocked down the water pipe system for 1/3rd of the city.
To give a clear idea of the difference in costs: with the savings, I built up in Israel, I could buy a nice two-story house with a garden and garage in Bolivia. With that amount, I could hardly buy a parking spot in Israel…
The people = each have their own special je ne sai quois
I grew up in Bolivia so I think personality wise, I tend to be more Bolivian… I grew up watching the same television shows as everyone else there, singing the same songs, befriending Bolivians, studying in a Bolivian school, etc. When it comes to humor, as far as I’m concerned, there is no better humor than Bolivian humor. And don’t get me started on the proper accent to speak Spanish – every other accent sounds odd to me but the La Paz accent.
That being said, I quite like Bolivian people. I find them polite, fun, humorous and enjoyable. They are also very quiet and submissive, which is probably connected to the colonial history of the region. But I connect with them and I feel natural speaking with them. There’s a lot of separation between ethnicity in the country, and that is a sad thing which I’m hoping will continue to diminish with time. I would love for the country to a reach a point where everyone is deemed equal regardless of background or skin tone.
Israelis are the opposite of Bolivians. Loud, obnoxious, direct, in your face. But they are amazing people. They are for the most part good-hearted people who like to say whatever they’re thinking. They’re honest (sometimes too much), they’re fun and they are always up for a good time, even when there is difficulty in their lives. There are so many different personalities to discover in Israel because the country has such a mixture of backgrounds, religions, and ethnicity. I love it – it’s part of what makes them special.
So there you have it.
Thank you for sharing both of these countries with us. I love to see how others live. Thank you for your honest opinion.
I think you did a great job of comparing your experiences in both of these countries. Thank you for the insight.
When I was in Italy, I fell in love with the culture and slower pace of life.
My sister-in-law just returned from Israel and she loved it and felt very safe too. We were in Rome once and the big guns the security were toting in the airport was a little unnerving. They had a drug smelling dog in Germany’s airport that an officer sent right over to my (then teen) son. We still laugh about that one, and he still feigns outrage at being profiled because he was a teen. 😉
I haven’t traveled outside the US but want to. I found your comparison very interesting and informative. Thank you.
So interesting to read how others live.
This was very interesting. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you end up in Israel? It must be nice to live near the beach. You have given me a new perspective to your home that isn’t the story shown on the news.
I don’t mind you asking at all! I met and fell in love with an Israeli man. 🙂 So I came to Israel, ended the relationship but decided to stay because the lifestyle seemed better and career prospects were more promising. I don’t know if I’ll stay here for good or find a new adventure…
It’s a pity that the views people have of Israel are based solely on the news. I think it’s exciting for tourists to see it all first hand and experience all the good as well. 😀 Such rich history and beauty far beyond the conflicts.
I think sometimes we get so caught up in what the media portrays of something that we forget how “normal” it is. I guess that is also what I have enjoyed seeing other countries.. how normal they are and the similarities.
I think we all hear the news which makes us think a certain way about somewhere but unless we have lived in the different places we will never know what it is like.I like reading your experiences with both different place. My heritage is a mix of different countries and i have tried living in the places my family comes from but no matter what i love where i was born a lot more and could never give it up.I love the Mediterranean life because it is so slow,relaxed and really lovely people.Then again Life in the UK there is so much more to do and i love the fastness of being able to get things done.
Here where I am, all we ever hear is about the negative aspects of Israel and the way it seems is that there is always fighting – everywhere. I am glad to hear that it’s not actually like that and that you have been able to make a home there.
I’ve been seeing the media frenzy that’s been going on regarding the conflict and it does seem like the focus is on the negative… but there is so much good here as well and I’m really glad I experienced it. 🙂
Well, I feel like that scene from the Matric where you have to choose between the red pill or the blue pill. 🙂 Based on cool article, I was force to choose between Bolivia and Israel. Israel winds because I am a sucker for all sorts of diversity.
I’ve never lived in 2 different countries, but I’ve lived on opposite sides of the USA and at time they felt worlds away from each other. One place I lived was a major city and I was downtown, so everything was very busy and there was always something to do. The other place I lived was a town with a lot more outdoor activities to offer and things were more laid back. Both have their advantages and drawbacks.
What a great post. I completely agree with you that every country has its good and bad. You just have to learn form the different experiences. I lived in Spain when I was very young, so I cannot really comment on what it’s like “living there”, and it was for less than a year. But I do love to travel and learn from all cultures.
It’s always interesting hearing the differences between two cultures. I have only lived in one area, but even through traveling I have seen major cultural differences.
Nice list of differences. In America I guess I like that we are all so different and have the freedom we each need.
Very interesting to hear about other cultures. I suppose every area has its pros and cons.
I love learning about other cultures!
I’ve never been to any of those places and it’s always great to learn first hand from someone who’s been there and experienced it. Thanks for sharing with us.
My husband says those motorbikes are horrible in Taiwan too. He says is it just so chaotic how they all zip around on them there, he is amazed more people don’t get hit by them.
I thought that would be night and day difference but it seems that there are some similarities with both cultures. I have been wanting to visit the Holy Land
I am glad that you shared some of the upsides to living in in those places. Aside from all the conflict, I am sure they have a lot of culture to offer!
I’ve only lived in the US so I don’t have anything to compare, but reading the differences between Bolivia and Israel is really interesting. I’m amazed at the electric bike danger though. Wow!
Thank you, I really have enjoyed reading this and your take on everything. I live in an area with many Israeli immigrants and I understand when you say “Loud, obnoxious, direct, in your face.” But I also agree with you that they are amazing people and I count many of them as some of my best friends.
I have heard of how expensive it is in Israel also. I don’t know much about Bolivia but now I know a little bit more. Thanks for sharing.
Sadly, I haven’t gotten the privilege of traveling abroad…yet. Luckily though, early this upcoming year my husband and I are going on a cruise that will touch points on a few different countries! I can’t wait!