Back home, our school routine is to wake up and go to every class at the same time and place everyday. Here in Israel, our class changes on a day-to-day basis. We are in a “living classroom”.

Israel is a very unique place. There is no place on Earth quite like it. The people are unique, the land is unique, and the culture is unique. The things you see and the things you experience are things you can only find in Israel. A moment that I experienced in Israel that could not be experienced anywhere else in the world occurred on Yom Kippur.

These experiences all convey the same message. Israel is a place filled with people who are very direct. Being that I have not been to a place that is similar to this environment, I previously couldn’t relate to how the people around me look at various situations. Israel is special in many ways, and these are only some of the moments I have experienced thus far into my short eight weeks here. I hope to have more of these memories in which I can look back on later in my life and laugh about.

My only in Israel moment was this past Yom Kippur. Traditionally, on Yom Kippur people fast for the entire day as well as not drive their cars. In America, Yom Kippur is celebrated by some people but the limited driving idea is not spread through the country.

There are many things that could and almost will happen to you in Israel that you will not experience in America. Something that really interests me is just how different the two places can be.

I want to start off by saying this, the program and your first few weeks in Israel will be a harder than anything you are used to BUT, it really just adds to the delightful experience that you will have here.

Being in a different country with almost complete independence brings up a lot of new challenges. Being by yourself in Israel can be challenging and you need to really find a routine to follow quickly. Here is my advice/routine.

My parents get more and more excited with each and every phone call. They are counting down the weeks until I come home. I am excited to see them, but am not ready to leave Israel and this experience…There are a few things you need to be sure to do when you are here in order to have the experience I had.

To any student who is interested in coming to Israel, the first step is to build up the nerve to come! Of course, you may be a little unsure of what you will get out of the experience, but you only live once. Get on a plane here with a good attitude. Congratulations, you have taken the biggest step.

There is so much to say about living in Israel and I want to start by saying that studying at AMHSI and living these 8-weeks in Israel has been the greatest thing I have ever done. Coming to Israel for the first time as a student requires a little bit of preparation but don’t worry, this preparation is so worth it.

At Alexander Muss, we have at least two trips a week and, because all of this history happened in the land that I am in we can visit so many different places, I find this way of learning very interesting.

During my time at Muss I have gone on more tiyuls than I can count on two hands. They have all been great in different ways but one that stands out to me was our Bar Kochba tiyul.

The Tiyulim here at Alexander Muss have been great experiences. So far, my favorite trips have been the Hezekiah’s tunnels, Masada, the Dead Sea, Gilboa, the river walk in the Kineret, and the urban day in Tel Aviv.

The tiyulim (trips) at AMSHI have been, by far, the best days of my life. It’s amazing to be able to say that I learned outside of the physical classroom. In a previous blog, I talked about what I living classroom is and what the benefits of one are. The living classroom idea is something that is so great and which really impacted what my favorite and most memorable trips are. My favorite trips were Gilboa and Kehilla day.

While being on Muss, we have been on many amazing tiyulim. My favorite have been the Hezekiah tunnels, the day in Tzfat, the walk in the Kineret, and Masada.

There are many reasons to study abroad. One of the main reasons and one I have stressed before is Experiential Learning - a different and new form of education. AMHSI puts a huge emphasis on learning through experience, in particular with the Jewish history course.

Back home, my biggest impact for my community will be my ability to talk to others and inform them about people’s views on Israel. I plan to speak at my synagogue, the youth group within my synagogue and the youth group outside of my synagogue to explain the importance of tolerance of others and also the importance of Israel. It is important for others to know that what you read is not always reality.

I truly believe that the best way to impact a community is through words as well as actions, especially through the words of a former student.

Studying abroad is a very unique experience that many students take part in. It is something that benefits kids in many different ways.

On September 17th, I wrote in one of my blogs the one main goal that I had for this trip and it was I quote: “I have always wanted to be someone people can look up to and take a leadership role in different things. Here I have an awesome opportunity to learn how to do just that, I know how much I can and will get out of this program.” My goal, to put it into different words was to become a person who is looked at as a leader.