This past week has been the most mellow week in a long time. Although our days have been very, very long, we have remained on campus for a full five days!! Trust me, that is a very rare occurrence. School has been very tiring, but for the first time in a while, I had some time to think. Of course, I thought about typical things such as my family, home, schoolwork, and friends. I also spent some time thinking about my experience so far on this program, and how little time I have left. I know that when I go home I am going to be so happy to see my family, but it is going to be so strange not being around my friends all the time. We only have about four weeks left in Israel, and although those weeks are packed to the brim with activities, I know that they are going to go by so fast. Honestly, I am a bit scared to be home and so far away from everybody, but thinking about home led my brain to other things, such as what my impact is going to be on my community when I get back.

As I am a Fellow, I have already begun to think of different things I can do to spread the word about my experience here. For instance, the other Fellows in my area and I are going to host parlor meetings, where we will speak to potential AMHSI students about our experience at the school, answering any questions they have, and giving them tips for their trip. I also want to have an impact on my community outside of parlor meetings and speeches. I want to be hands-on. I am already pretty involved in my Jewish community back home, but I think I can use my experience at AMHSI to leave a mark. I want to delve deeper into Judaism and participate in more community events. I can start volunteering at my synagogue more regularly and going to more Yeshiva classes.

All in all, I think that this program has really helped show me how to be a leader, and has given me more confidence when it comes to interacting with people. Although I am going to miss my friends so much when I get back home, I know that I can make a positive impact on my community when I get back.