This week was a fun change of events, because we had a Zionist seminar early in the week, and later we celebrated Purim. Our Zionist seminar was fun because we all stayed in one night, and worked on our projects as we listened to music. My group was assigned Ze’ev Jabotinsky, a Russian zionist, who was determined to fight for the Jewish state. We made a poster, which we styled after the movie poster for Rocky, and sang a song about him to the tune of One Day by Matisyahu. We also learned about AD Gordon and Abraham Isaac Kook from the other groups in our class. The seminar was great because it gave us the chance to work on teamwork and have fun teaching each other.

Purim was a really interesting experience for us, because it is a much bigger deal here than it ever was at home. At shul, we always have a small carnival for the kids in school, and a megillah reading that a handful of people go to. I always thought we had a lot of fun, but it doesn’t even begin to compare to Purim here. Purim celebrations here seem to last a week. Last weekend I was in Tel Aviv with family, and they were already setting up banners for the parties and kids were running around dressed as princesses and spiderman. On campus we had different dress up day themes, like Nerd Day and Pajama Day. We had a purim party on Wednesday night, with all the other groups that are at Muss right now. It was a really fun way to get to know people outside of our group. We danced to a mix of American and Israeli music, which really brought to life how it feels to be here.

On Purim, our entire group signed up to volunteer. We took the bus to Sderot with another group, which was also another fun way to meet new people. When we were there we helped deliver Mishloach Manot to families who had been affected by the rockets. They were extremely hospitable, every family gave us food and drinks. It was interesting to see the broad range of people who suffer from the attacks. We visited families and old and young couples, but no matter what, they were always really sweet.

This week was really interesting, because it was different than a normal week with classes and tiyulim. We also volunteered at a place called Leket Israel. This organization takes unwanted, but still edible crops from various farms and distributes it to hungry people across the country. We helped prepare celery and turnips for them. It was really gross work, but it felt really good because we knew we were helping. This week taught us a lot about appreciation, and we saw a whole new side of Israel. Even when we are not in class or on an official tiyul, we are always learning about the country. I am excited for this week, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us!