After going through the entire AMHSI program, I realized there are some things I wish I had known before I came. One major thing I discovered in my first week here was how much the town of Hod HaSharon had to offer! I knew about the smoothie stand, Moshikos, but not much more than that. The town actually has almost everything you would need. There are tons of restaurants, from falafel stands, schnitzel sandwiches, pizza places, Italian restaurants, cafes, candy and nut shops, sushi places, ice cream parlors, bakeries and more. There is also a park nearby, which my friends and I went to to workout. There is a school supply store, a convenience store, and currency exchange and ATMs. Also, there is a supermarket which I went to often. I bought plastic silverware and bowls to keep in the dorm, along with cereal for breakfast and some fruit. The dorms are also so nice! They have a refrigerator, freezer, and microwave, so you can buy your own food and keep in in the dorms if you want. There are also two malls right near campus. You do have to take a cab there, but there is plenty of days where we had time to go to the mall. I was not expecting to have that much free time here, but if you use your time wisely, you will be able to explore Hod HaSharon and go to the malls a lot. Most days I ate lunch at Ofers, the little food shop right on campus, and I usually was able to go into town for dinner. Most days we just got fast food (falafel, etc.) but we also had some nice sit-down meals with each other which was really fun.

I also didn’t really pack the right clothes for this trip. We were here from February through March, so the weather ranged from really cold to almost 95°. I brought a lot of sweatpants and sweatshirts which I needed for the first month, but I didn’t really bring any tank tops or nice shorts to wear for the second month when it was really hot out. Also, I brought a lot of jeans which I didn’t end up wearing at all. Definitely bring a few of bathing suits, and some dresses for Shabbat. And remember, if you forget something, there is a good change you will buy able to buy it in town!