The Person I Admire
Oleksandra Tkachenko
The person who had the greatest impact on me is my friend Lilia. I met her during my first year in Israel. I went on a tour to Jerusalem with a group where I didn’t know anyone. I ended up next to Lilia. We started talking about different things, and from that day on, our friendship began. I gradually learned more and more about her. And it so happened that she inspired me to believe in myself and to find my place in the new country.
Lilia emigrated to Israel in 1991. She didn’t have relatives, housing, enough money, or work, and she didn’t know Hebrew. She had only a little daughter. But she was a very strong woman. And in 1995, she already worked as a programmer, and she became a famous blogger. I listened to her stories, admired her and thought about whether I could make my life in Israel more interesting and better.
The first years in Israel were difficult for me. It was a country that was completely incomprehensible to me. I didn’t understand how it was possible to learn Hebrew, a language that has no vowels and you have to write and read from right to left. I didn’t know the laws of the country. Everything seemed strange to me. But in the end, I managed. And I am very grateful for my friend’s help. Lilia told me that I should understand what I can do best and direct all my efforts towards developing this skill. I could write and work with texts well. So, I created accounts on several social networks to acquire readers. And then Lilia introduced me to several advertising agencies. Soon I started working with them. Now I understand how important it is to meet a person who can help you change your life. I was lucky.
Thanks to my friend, whom I respect very much, I completely changed my life. I still worked a few hours a day at simple jobs to have money to live on. I didn’t get paid for my work in advertising. But I had something much more. I could visit all the theaters, concerts, exhibitions, etc. for free. I could go with journalists all over the country on press tours to study new excursion routes. And in return, I had to write about everything in an interesting way, take good photos so that people knew what was happening where and wanted to buy tickets, go on an excursion, go to a theater, etc. I had a very interesting and fulfilling life in Israel.
And all this happened thanks to my friend Lilia. She believed in me, she helped me believe in myself, and she helped me find my place in life in a new country.