The first goal I have is..

The first goal I have is to gain responsibility. To me this goal is important because when I am home I am responsible for my own school work etc., but my parents are always there to push me to get things done, and I feel that being here everything is up to me, so if I don’t do something it is wrong on my part. This is a great opportunity to work on my work ethic and push myself to separate fun and responsibilities which is something I have always had an issue with.

I also believe that this is a great opportunity to work on getting along with my peers because for some people sharing a space is difficult, but I think it is a great way to learn to work with others. I live with 6 girls in my room and we all had a hard time in the beginning because not many people are equipped to live with 6 people, but now we are all closer than ever and we are all able to work together. For example my dorm was very messy in the beginning and today my roommates and I just took time out of our day to work together and clean up and it really brings us as a group closer together.

Another goal of mine that I want to achieve on this trip is to widen my horizons on my knowledge of Judaism. When I was younger I went to synagogue regularly and I went to Hebrew school. Now I am finished Hebrew school and I volunteer at my local Hebrew school, but I was not learning anything new, and I feel like I was losing what kept me close to my religion, so I took my chance and applied to AMHSI to continue my hunger for a connection to my roots. Now my favorite class here is my Jewish studies class. I am learning so much and the best part is that my teacher is the best at keeping us interested and interacted.

I cannot wait to see what more this trip brings!