Since I arrived in Israel, there have been hundreds of memorable and inspiring moments. My friends and I have been making so many memories here in Israel that I would not have made if I never came on this trip. This trip has helped me experience so many new things and gave me so many new experiences. Being an Impact Fellow has helped show me what events are important and which events are not. 

One event that occurred is when we went to Tel Aviv to see the place were Israel’s independence was declared. That experience was very interesting because I got to see the place were Israel was officially born. I got to be in the same room as David Ben Gurion and many other important people involving the independence. I could see what happened there and I could understand how it must have felt to be there. I think that it’s so cool to be in these historical sites. Being there was not really an “Only in Israel” experience because I felt that I could look up the declaration of independence and feel the same as if I had been there. I fell like an “Only in Israel” experience has to have either a connection to someone or the land of Israel. I only could see the history there when I was at the conference room. There wasn’t really a connection between me and something else.

An experience that has been an “Only in Israel” experience was when we were at Masada. I remember it because we watched the sunrise and we had such a great time with each other. This was a memorable moment for me because everyone started to become more of themselves. We all started to get closer with each other and come out of our shells. This moment was only an Israel moment because obviously Masada is in Israel, but I wouldn’t have known who everyone really was unless I went on this trip. I think it is such an amazing feeling to get to know everyone and just to think that you could have never met with these people in your life if you haven’t applied or gotten into AMHSI. I felt connected to the people on this trip and I have felt closer to them than I have ever felt before to them. Now I feel extremely close to them and I am truly myself when I am with my friends here. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to be in Israel with.