Welcome Home!!!

Shalom from Israel

I have finally arrived in Israel. It is crazy to think that I will be in Israel for a year studying, traveling, eating and taking in the amazing homeland of the Jewish people. This year I will be participating in a gap year program called Nativ, which in Hebrew means the path. I am one of 80 post graduates from high school who will be spending the year in Israel on this program learning Judaic Studies intensively, learning Hebrew intensively, taking courses at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and working in a communities in the south of Israel during the second semester. I am going to be a student at the Conservative Yeshiva, which is located on our home base and during the second semester I will be volunteering hopefully as a volunteer paramedic for the Israeli Red Cross in the south of Israel in a city called Yerucham.

I arrived on Monday morning at 7:30. By the time I got my bags and met one of my Madrichimg(staff) and got on a sheirut(shuttle) to our home at Beit Nativ in Jerusalem it was already 10am. Time flew very quickly for the day. I was over exhausted and nervous at the same time. I was coming about a week late to meet the 79 other people on my trip.

Once I arrived at our base and got settled it was time for me to go and eat lunch. I was overwhelmed with unpacking that I just sat on my bed and looked out my window to see the amazing views of Jerusalem, and slowly came to the realization that I would be doing this for an entire year. As I finally unpacked and got all situated it was about 4:45. My friends who are on my program and studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem were supposed to be back to base at around 5ish and I was trying so very hard to stay awake but I couldn't do it. I feel asleep for about 25 minutes and was woken up by a dog pile of people welcoming me to the group and to Israel. What a great way to wake up from a snooze.

At night I went with a few friends out to dinner off of Ben Yehudah Street for Schwarma and Falafal, and of course a Coke in a glass bottle, the only way to drink Coke in a non-American country. After dinner we walked up and down Ben Yehudah Street for about an hour and a half and I was begged by a few people to take them Kippah shopping cause they trusted me with this task. We went to one of my favorite Kippah places and I introduced them to my friend who is the owner of the place. Everytime I take people to this guy I always get an enormous break in price on a Kippah for myself. He picked out a Kippah style that I have never tried before. I am now the proud owner of a muliti-colored sqaure kippah with four rainbow clips. We then went to a bookstore cause they wanted to get siddurim for themselves. I suggested that we all take a walk to pray Ma'ariv, and where better to go then the Kotel. So we walked to the Kotel to pray and walked back in the heart of Jerusalem on an amazing night which even included random fireworks. Don't worry they weren't rockets.

My night concluded back at base with meeting some new friends that I will be spending the year with. I went to bed around midnight and was able to sleep through the night. I can't wait for what is in store for me tomorrow.