6 days ago, I was in Seattle; saying goodbye to all my loved friends and family. Now, I am across the world in Hod Hasharon. Israel is nothing I have seen before. You might think, obviously, you have never been to Israel, but that is not what I mean. The atmosphere of Israel is nothing compared to America. Everyone here is friendly, genuine, and REAL. They don’t care where you are from, what you have, everyone is welcoming. On top of that, everyone here is just like me. Each person is Jewish, and wants to adventure out in Israel; see how real Israelis live their lives! I am not going to lie, the first day was STRESSFUL! A ten hour time difference, unpacking, and the humidity, was quite challenging for a Seattlite. As for my goals in this program, I want to become a positive person. I am not implying that I am a bad person, but there are times when I am in a bad mood and am unable to get myself out of that head-space. So many people have changed their lives for the better throughout this program and I strive to do the same. I also want to learn more Hebrew, it is such an intriguing and ambitious language. I hope I can retain as much as I possibly can. Also, I get EXTREMELY homesick and I cry a lot. The first day I met my roommates, I told them to be prepared for my kooky emotions. I do not know how I thought I could be here for four months, but somehow it is working. I am trying to tell myself that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and spending 4 months in the holy land with other kids just like me could be life changing. Every time I think about what I am missing out on at home, I just remind myself of everything I get to experience and how fortunate I am. The last goal I have is to try something new every day. I am the least adventurous person, and I feel that I will not change until I completely immerse myself into what scares me. That might sound quite stupid, but it has seemed to work in the past. Besides all goals, I really just want to meet people and have an amazing time. I want to have a special connection with my teachers and my Madrichim. I want to take this program seriously and learn as much as my brain can take. All in all, this week has been hard, and definitely not what I expected. I did not expect to move into an entirely different country and have everything be the exact same as my home in Seattle. Overall, I am excited to see what these next four months have in store for me!