The program has now ended and we have been asked to look upon our past blog that listed our goals for the end of the semester. My goals included learning Hebrew, taking lots of photos and staying in touch with friends from HSI.  I believe that I have met my goals.

I may not be fluent in Hebrew but I know way more than what I knew when I arrived here and I can sort of hold conversations. I’m also very proud and happy that I can read Hebrew because I didn’t even know all of the aleph bet at the beginning. I hope to continue my studies in Hebrew by myself and in the future become fluent. AMHSI has brought me so much happiness and also brought so much fun into my life, it was a nice break from everything back home but yet being here in Israel made me feel like I formed a new home.

In Israel I found a love for my Judaism and everything was just so amazing there, it feels extremely weird coming back to the States. It’s a hard transition but I’m lucky I took lots of photos in order to remember this trip by. I’m also very lucky that I have the tools to keep in touch with all of the extraordinary friends I made here. Some of them live sort of close to me and I hope to make plans with them. Even the people who I don’t live close to I hope to see because they have made such a huge impact on my life and I couldn’t imagine living without them. Now that I have returned, missing these people leaves me with such a sadness for missing them but a feeling of happiness that I got to experience along with them and see them soon. There will most definitely be a Fall semester 2019 reunion!