My tips for school are.. - by Halle Schwartzman

Being in Israel is so exciting. There's so much to do, so so so much to see and when you come on AMHSI, there is also work. Yup, I said it. There is work. You have school! There’s Israel Studies and your general studies from home. Israel studies gives loads of information and we have frequent quizzes mostly after trips then a few tests. While these tests and quizzes aren’t easy, I’m much more motivated to study because everyone around me is also studying. Now for general studies, some people have up to five classes but my school at home does block scheduling so I only have two but they are both two hours long. 

My tips for school are 1; just do your homework. It’s a waste of class time especially in your general studies classes because you could be using that time to get stuff done and have more free time. 2; take good notes in Israel studies, don’t lose your source books, and hang on to your maps because it’s actually really cool to be able to know where you are. 

One big thing that I know I was really worried about coming to Israel was how to manage my money. The first week, going into Hod HaSharon is the most exciting thing ever. Walking into a town with endless falafel,ice cream, Moshikos, the grocery store and so so so much more really makes you start throwing money around. The initial excitement never goes away but you still have to learn to be responsible and only buy things you NEED and maybe a few things that you may want. Like for me, I like to get some fruit and some cereal for a balanced breakfast but I also got some chips and nutella. Then, once you get an opportunity to take money out of an ATM, it's kinda scary because about 300 shekels is the same as about 100 dollars. I ended up downloading a converter app so I’m more aware of what I’m spending. That was probably the best apps I’ve ever downloaded. Before, I had a general sense of how much I was spending or I would just look at my card expenses but that didn’t always tell me what I wanted to know because the places are in Hebrew so I have no idea what I spent and where. 

One tip I can give anyone coming abroad is always have your wallet, and I mean always. It takes a few days to get a new card and also it just isn’t a good feeling because you have nothing. Another tip, download a converter app. I have one called Currency and it hasn’t done me wrong. One more tip, just be responsible. Just because everyone is going out every night doesn’t mean you have to also. The food on campus won’t kill you