Coming to Israel for two months was the best decision I could have made.

For some, making the decision to come to Israel was hard. How would they deal with missing school? Would they feel comfortable living in a place with a culture that is foreign to them? What would it be like to be so far away from home? Although these questions nipped at the back of my mind, when choosing whether I would come to Israel or not, I knew immediately what my answer would be. Coming to Israel for two months was the best decision I could have made. Yes, there have been some challenges getting my schoolwork from home, but as to feeling comfortable here, I feel right at home. I came to Israel wanting to feel like an Israeli. I wanted to learn more about the culture (which turned out to be much more similar to what I have at home than I expected) and I wanted to have more independence. Since I have been here, I have started to really feel Israeli. Through talking to the people who live here and Israelis from America, I think now I understand what it means to be “Israeli.” Yes, it is where you are from, but it is so much more than that. To me, being an Israeli means that you feel with all your heart that Israel is your home. It means that you are kind and helpful, but also straightforward. It means you have an open, warm and inviting nature. It means being resourceful in every situation and becoming a stronger person. It means taking pride in Israel, but not the type filled with screaming and chest pounding. Rather, a peaceful surge of bliss when someone says the name “Israel.” It means understanding that even though there are problems here (as there are anywhere), the thing to do is strive to fix them, not wait for someone to do it for you. The longer I am living here, I feel myself growing into a person who encompasses all of those traits. I am beginning to feel that my inner self (my mind and my feelings) and my outer self (my actions and my body) are coming together like the pieces of a puzzle that I was trying to solve in America, but was always missing that one crucial centerpiece. I also came to Israel wanting to make memories to last a lifetime, and so far this trip has left me with more than I bargained for. Just today, as I was army-crawling uphill in a 2,000 year old tunnel system, I realized that experiences like the ones I am having are just something that doesn’t happen in America. There is so much history here. My whole life, all I have ever wanted is to go on an adventure. Here, every trip is a new adventure, whether it is climbing Masada or going through an ancient tunnel system. I have already made so many amazing memories that will last me a lifetime, and it is only the beginning of Week three. I know there is so much more to come.