I am sitting at home on a remarkably cold day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the power out, taking a quick study break from midterms. I can only imagine where I will be one week from today. I have never been a fan of cold weather, so I can imagine the sunshine welcoming me into a land of possibility, culture, and history. I am looking forward to trudging throughout the same terrain the Israelites did so many years ago. I look forward to the lasting memories and friendships that I hope will make this experience one I will never forget. I am excited to create the same caliber of memories my brother shared with me the day he got back from his trip. There were a couple of things, mainly extracurricular and academic, that I was a little vigilant of when applying for the fellowship. I did not know and do not know how my academics will be impacted by this experience. I am optimistic that I will come home with a set of time management and refined study skills to name a few, and a new chapter of knowledge, from the Jewish history course. I want to explore my own intellectual curiosity and scour my brain for what I am interested in and take that information and let the learning process take over. I was originally scared that my extracurriculars would take a hit because I would be going on this program. I have worked out a system in which I am able to work on my extracurriculars while in Israel. I chose to apply for this Fellowship because I knew it would give me the inspiration to continue on throughout my academic and Jewish journeys. I am excited to see where this journey takes me, and the information and skills that I obtain because of it. While I do not look forward to the hours of studying I have ahead of me, I do look forward to 1 week from today where I will be sitting on a plane on my way to Israel.