Why study abroad?

Why study abroad? That’s a question I contemplated for a while before finally deciding on a whim to apply for AMHSI. Now that I have truly experienced school in a whole new county, I can’t imagine a single reason not to drop everything and go abroad. 

Being abroad is perhaps the fastest way for a high schooler to mature. While at HSI none of us have our parents to do everything for us. Living in a dorm, and managing a different class schedule helps the process of moving on in life. It is the perfect environment for students to experience living independently, because although we do many things by ourselves, we have a support system to help us if we need it.

Studying abroad is most definitely not just learning to be adults though, because everyday is an adventure, and a whole lot of fun. For four months I get the privilege of living in a country on the opposite side of the world from where I grew up. Everything and everywhere is new to me. Every tiyul is something special that I would never experience at home. Because we have the opportunity to use Israel as a classroom, I am never bored. I have also been immersed in Israeli culture. Many of the people we interact with everyday, especially our amazing madrichim, show us what it is truly like to be Israeli. In addition, it takes ten minutes to walk to the center of town, where we can find delicious Israeli food. I’m not sure how I will survive normal high school, after being spoiled with four months of Muss, which is so much more wonderful than the average school which we will return to in January. 

Lastly, even though I miss my family at home back in the States, I have a new family which I love more than anything, and a new place which I call home. After a long trip there is nothing I want more than to be surrounded by the people who make me happy and to go back to Muss. When we are on the bus and we say “I’m ready to go home,” we don’t mean our houses back in the States, we mean the home in Hod HaSharon, which we have all come to love. 

So why study abroad? Study abroad because I will never forget this crazy, wonderful, exciting adventure of a lifetime, and the people who I have had the privilege of calling my muss family.