I am already in Israel and have been here for about 2 months now. When I first got here it didn’t feel real, like it was all a dream. I came here knowing I was staying here for half a year, 6 months! That's a long time! I didn’t fear it, or at least I was more excited than scared. I was ready for the change, a new culture, a new lifestyle. The beginning of a chapter in my life. Since I’ve been here and even before this trip I always thought “Life is a journey make the most out of it” and I believe this is exactly what I’m doing, I’m coming to Israel to see things I’ve only seen in documentaries or movies with my own eyes. I want to bring everything I learn and experience about the language, the people, and the food home with me. I can’t wait to create new lifelong friendships while exploring the deep meaning behind this land. 

In reality I don’t know exactly what to expect to start school in a different country and being here for 4 months. All of the people that I have talked to have said to me that it’s going to be so amazing for me and a time for me to grow as a Jewish woman, learning about Judaism and what it means to me.

I chose to apply for the AMHSI Impact Fellowship to be able to connect to other Jewish teens from around the US. I want to be able to talk to other Jewish teens around my age who aren’t fully understanding what is happening in Israel and what happened in its history understand it and be able to teach others. My brother also did AMHSI for a quarter awhile ago and I couldn’t let him have all the fun.

I hope this trip will be everything I heard it out to be and much more! I can’t wait to meet everyone for the first time in a couple days!