Arriving at Ben Gurion, my aspirations for this trip were the last thing on my mind; all I wanted to do was get to my room and go to sleep. However, now that I have finally recovered from the exhaustion of travelling, I am starting to focus on my goals. Making friends is, of course, near the top of my list. Although I have only been in Israel for a few days, I have already found a group of people that I fit in with. Even though it is impossible to befriend everybody, I aim to continue to broaden my horizons and be on good terms with everyone on the semester program. A time in which I can easily meet new people is during my general studies. I chose to take a total of seven classes, including Israeli History, Hebrew and four advanced placement classes. Of course, such a rigorous schedule produces a challenging workload; however, I am eager to rise to the occasion. With a lot of persistence and a little luck, I am confident that I will excel  in all of my subjects. Even though all my courses are fascinating, I find two classes in particular especially interesting, the first of which is Hebrew. I attempted to learn a little of the language before I got here; however, I did not get far. Ever since I arrived, I have been frustrated with my inability to speak with the locals or read the signs around town. On Wednesday, I will have my first Hebrew class of the semester; although I will just be taught the basics at first, I anticipate that my slight prior knowledge will let me catch on relatively quickly. Ideally, I will be able to navigate and carry out basic conversations by the end of the program. The other class that caught my attention is Israeli History. The first day, we explored what life was like in Canaan, the area that is now Israel, before the advent of Judaism. In a typical history class, the learning would start and end with words in a textbook; in Israeli History, on the other hand, it was only the beginning. The next day, we ventured out into the summer heat and slept through an hour long bus ride to Gezer, an ancient town. We saw a site that Canaanites actually lived in thousands of years ago. My final goal is to make the most of my opportunity to discover Jewish heritage sites and strengthen my connection to my past. Hopefully, I will accomplish all of these things by the time I head home in December.