There are a few things you need to be sure to do when you are here in order to have the experience I had.

My parents get more and more excited with each and every phone call. They are counting down the weeks until I come home. I am excited to see them, but am not ready to leave Israel and this experience…There are a few things you need to be sure to do when you are here in order to have the experience I had.

You must come with an open mind. There are many differences between home and here, but you have to be open when things aren’t the same. This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit a cousin my family barely knew and stayed in a kibbutz that was very different than what I was used to. With an open mind, I was able to enjoy the experience knowing that it was just a few days. Which leads me to my next piece of advise, you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and push yourself. I am not a fan of tight spaces or tunnels but had a blast when I went through them and pushed myself to do something I wasn’t sure about.

Evenings and free time and extremely important to your learning. The workload with the courses is high. We sit in a classroom only a few days a week and there is a limited amount of time to complete work, but you have to be sure to find balance. It is important to get your work done but there is a lot to see in the town and it is fun to go at night and enjoy each other. A lot of learning happens outside of the classroom and hanging out with new people.

Each one of us has taken a lot of pictures and live feeds on Instagram and I have had to learn not to worry about what I look like in every picture and on every feed. The views that I am seeing aren’t anywhere in the world but where I am now and I have to enjoy them when I see them without thinking about how I will look.

Living at home and being able to shut your door to the outside world does not exist here. You must create a close bond with your roommates. You spend a lot of time with them and don’t find yourself alone very often. Your roommates will be your closest friends and the ones you want to share laughs with. They are important to the experience but you must also create a close bond with your madrichim. They will help you decide how you want to spend your weekends and give you support on anything. They are kind of like your parents at home, but are more fun with less rules. They are people you can depend on.