As summer comes to a close and the school year approaches, I have to start preparing for my journey ahead. Just thinking about what I’m going to do without my family for four months is still tough to believe and hard to get my head around. I have never been to Israel so going will hopefully be the first of many other trips to Israel. I’m usually ok with leaving my family so I don’t think I’ll miss them but I am definitely nervous about the things that are unknown to me. Like, how hot is it in Israel? Is Hod HaSharon a big city?  Or small like my hometown of Maynard. Do people speak English?  Did I pack everything I need? 

Having never been to Israel, I only know what I’ve heard about it from friends. At my summer camp we had kids who came from Israel through the Camp USA program and the majority of the kids live around Hod HaSharon and Tel Aviv so they gave me some insight into what the area is like. They told me how the Hod HaSharon community is nice and how downtown has a lot of good food places, how far it is from the big cities, and they told me how nice Israel is and how lucky I am to be on the trip.  I’m hoping I will be able to get around without knowing Hebrew.  My parents have urged me to get a hebrew learning app so I can learn some key words when I am there,  like the words bathroom, where’s the nearest restaurant, and many other common words. My goals for this semester are I would like to have a better understanding of myself and what I’m capable of without my parents, a deeper knowledge of Israel and what the country is all about and not just hearing it from the news, and trying new foods like falafel, shawarma, and real pita and not the kind you buy from a store.  My love of Jewish history began in Hebrew school with my teacher Ezra.  He taught us about Kings and Prophets and modern day Israel.  I can’t wait to walk through historical sites like Masada, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv.  As the time ticks by - 4 days! - and I am getting closer the the adventure ahead, I am getting excited and nervous about what the upcoming months have in store for me.