My time quarantined in Israel is coming to an end and surprisingly, it is bittersweet.

My time quarantined in Israel is coming to an end and surprisingly, it is bittersweet. Going into the two-week quarantine, I was excited, but honestly a little bit frustrated. I didn't want to sit in my capsule all day on zoom classes, I wanted to go out exploring Israel, trying new foods, and meeting new people. I am happy to report that my actual, real-life quarantine experience was completely the opposite, filled with lots of great memories.

Even though I have been stuck in my dorm for the past two weeks, I have been very impressed with the strong sense of community and connection here at AMHSI. This is all thanks to the incredible madrichim and faculty here at AMHSI. Over these past two weeks, I have become close with my roommates, bonding through our quarantine experience. The Friday night programs are always the highlight of my week. After the zoom Shabbat, we all head downstairs to compete in capsule versus capsule games. The first Shabbat we did an energetic singing competition and even through sheets of plastic, there was team building, new relationships built, and lots of spirit.  

Since we cannot go out exploring on our tiyulim, the creative AMHSI staff and madrichim have been doing an awesome job at bringing Israel to us. One time, the madrichim surprised at dinner by bringing back an assortment of food from the shook. Another example of creative Israel programming was Israeli art night. We were given a variety of Israeli art pieces and tasked with finding the meaning. I found a piece by Adi Nes very interesting and thought-provoking. It was a depiction of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, but instead of Jesus and the apostles, Adi Nes used Israeli soldiers. 

 Even though our first two weeks in Israel have been very different than if there was no world-wide pandemic, it has still been a great experience. The art museums and Masada will come in time, but thanks to the incredible AMHSI staff and madrichim, our quarantine experience has been anything but boring.