When I got to the city I looked around expecting to see many American chains everywhere. Instead, I was greeted with Hebrew and Arabic words everywhere, and I was instantly hit by the real, authentic Israel, which has a much more unique culture and lifestyle than I could ever have imagined.

The fear of anything beyond one's comfort zone. What a perfect phrase to sum up how I am feeling before embarking on my journey to Israel. Growing up in Miami, Florida I was sent to a Jewish private school for over 10 years where I got a thorough Jewish education. Over the years I had learned about all the holidays, major historical events, and even knew how to read and write in Hebrew. Having had the opportunity to learn all of this I was always curious about where it all happened.

Arriving at Ben Gurion, my aspirations for this trip were the last thing on my mind; all I wanted to do was get to my room and go to sleep. However, now that I have finally recovered from the exhaustion of travelling, I am starting to focus on my goals. Making friends is, of course, near the top of my list. Although I have only been in Israel for a few days, I have already found a group of people that I fit in with. Even though it is impossible to befriend everybody, I aim to continue to broaden my horizons and be on good terms with everyone on the semester program.

I have carved out some goals for myself. I know how fortunate I am to be able to spend 4 months in Israel so I am setting a goal to be more mindful of the present moment. I’m so incredibly lucky to be here in Israel and I don't want to waste any more time being involved in pointless drama, worrying about what I’m missing out on at home, or scrolling through my phone for hours on end. I want to cherish and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Regardless of what my goals were when I first got here, I am completely certain on how I want my experience at AMHSI to be. And because of the people I have met and the places I have already gone, I know that they are completely achievable.

Another goal I have is to improve my Hebrew. I have learned Hebrew in varying classes before because I went to Jewish Day School, but I’ve always struggled most with speaking. The opportunity to take a Hebrew class and even better, to be surrounded by Hebrew speakers, is something I have been looking forward to about this program. My goal is that I will be more comfortable speaking in Hebrew while I am here - in shops, restaurants and in class; and that when I return home, I will be able to keep this knowledge.

Hello, my name is Shlomie Assouline, and I am extremely excited to be an Alexander Muss High School in Israel Impact fellow. For months I have been telling people that I will head to Israel to study abroad, receiving massive kudos and some disbelief. I have been buying and trying on clothes, packing for four months, trying to manage a social life, and keeping a day job as a counselor. But for what?

During the four days I have spent here I have learned that I have much to work on as a person and a student. There is always room to improve yourself and there is no better place to do it then here at Alexander Muss High school, where we are in an extremely supportive community.

I have been in Israel for five days, and it has been such an awesome experience so far. At the beginning when I first got there, I have to admit, I was pretty overwhelmed. The jet lag was getting to me and so was the time difference. Now, I am starting to get used to everything little by little. We just started classes so I'm not fully adjusted to them yet, but I'm getting there. I have a lot of goals for this semester that I want to accomplish. I have already accomplished my first goal which is to branch out and meet a bunch of new friends!!

Goals is a big topic considering I have minor ones and slightly more major ones. Some of my minor goals included making friends and keeping up my grades. While I feel like I have already accomplished the first goal, the second goal might take a little longer to achieve. Other minor goals included keeping my dorm neat and organized and making sure to stay hygienic. While these were only small things to focus on, they could be very important.

Over these past few days, I've been asked what I want to achieve from this program, or why I'm here. I've thought about it for a while, and I've realized that I have many goals and reasons. One of the most obvious things that I would like to accomplish is getting good grades and keeping them up the whole semester. I want to make good habits and keep up with them. For example, I don't want to put aside homework and tell myself I’ll do it later, or I don't want to tell myself I cant. I now know that when I want something all I need is dedication and belief in myself.

Hello, my name is Shlomie Assouline, of Miami, Florida, and I am just embarking on this new journey of doing High School in the ancient but modern land of Israel. This experience is incredibly exciting for a multitude of reasons, the first is that this is my first time in the Jewish homeland.

My other goal is to find a way to connect with my Jewish identity better. I already started to by our Israeli/Jewish studies class with my teacher Michael. I like that we have the chance to think for ourselves and what we want to believe in. Growing up, you’re made to believe that everything happens a certain way, you’re parents tell you what they believe in and ultimately, that’s what you follow. However, when you’re not surrounded by your parents and their beliefs, you start believing in your own. In class, Michael relates life issues with the Tanakh, which I found myself doing that as well. I love this class because it’s starting to make me love Judaism even more and connect with it so much better.

Although it has only been a few days at Alexander Muss High School Israel, the feeling of living at home in this new and exciting country with friends from different parts of the United States is unlike any experience I’ve had before. With all the fun I know I will have on the trip; I also want to make this experience a journey of character growth and a way to learn new skills that I could only get out of a program like this.

I have only been at Alexander Muss High School in Israel for 6 days, and I feel that I’m building close bonds to each and every person. While everyone is here, we are going to be learning many meaningful things about ourselves. So far, I have learned that I want to grow be a better person for not only myself, but the people surrounding me.

I have many goals for my time in Israel that I hope to achieve by the end of this semester. Becoming fluent in Hebrew is something that I want to work hard for so that I could interact and socialize with Israelis in town and other people who speak Hebrew. Learning Hebrew would open my opportunities to try new and interesting Israeli foods while visiting plenty of shops around town.

As a Jewish teenager, I feel that all Jewish teenagers should know about this program and also have the opportunity I'm getting. Most of my family lives in Israel which is awesome because I will feel even more connected. Putting aside this excitement, I'm also very nervous. I’m mostly nervous about forgetting something like really big. I think I have everything packed. Well, Sunday is very close, and I am ready. I am ready to get on that flight to Israel and start this new chapter in my life.

Today is the 20th of August; on the 25th, I will endure an early morning ride to the airport and depart on my journey to Israel. My palms are sweating and my heart hangs heavy in my chest, my head spinning in a cyclone of nerves and anticipation. I picture myself as a conquistador about to board some rickety wooden ship and sail off into the great unknown.

Since I’ve been here and even before this trip I always thought “Life is a journey make the most out of it” and I believe this is exactly what I’m doing, I’m coming to Israel to see things I’ve only seen in documentaries or movies with my own eyes. I want to bring everything I learn and experience about the language, the people, and the food home with me. I can’t wait to create new lifelong friendships while exploring the deep meaning behind this land.

I chose to apply for the impact fellowship because I want to become more skilled at conveying my ideas to my community through public speaking and media. The impact fellowship looked like a perfect way to be able to experience an amazing program like Muss and also learn how to be a better leader so that I can bring something back to my community coming home.