At the beginning of this program we set a few goals for ourselves that we wanted to accomplish, and with only a week remaining, I am proud to say I have met most of my goals. I have been able to keep up with my school work and stay in communication with my teachers from home. I have taken all of the assessments I needed to complete and I have maintained my grade average. I have been much more productive and I made use out of the hour breaks in my schedule during the day - I have not procrastinated nearly as much. I have been productive in class and completed all my homework assignments; however, Chinese class was somewhat of a struggle. Previously, the time difference was a huge challenge, but we found breaks in our schedule and made accommodations. I was able to meet with my teacher a few times and I am not worried about my transition.

A goal that I have not exactly met is going to sleep early; however, it has become more of a choice. Originally, I wanted to go to sleep around 10 PM, and I was going to sleep at 11 every night which did not seem like enough sleep to me, but I am so used to the schedule now that it does not affect me. I enjoy staying up at night talking to my roommates, because after a long day, it is nice to just lay in our beds and share our funny experiences that happened during the day and tell stories. Also, since general studies are coming to an end, my teachers cancelled class as long as I completed my work ahead of time, and they let me sleep in. That was very helpful for the past two weeks and have definitely made up for some sleep I may have lost in the beginning. I have also been taking advantage of Shabbat.

I have also met my goal of eating gluten free. I have found such good restaurants that are gluten free friendly and I am not worried at all about finding things to eat.

After reflecting on my goals, I have definitely met close to all of them and I am so sad that I have to go home in a few days. This trip has truly changed my outlook on the world and I appreciate my surroundings much more. Many people could stand on the historical sites we’ve visited and find no meaning, but after learning about the history, I feel such a connection to the land of Israel. These eight weeks have gone by way too quickly, but I know that I will be back soon!