First Week of the Rest Of My Life
One week down a short thirty five more to go. If those weeks are half as amazing as this week was, my experience on Year Course will surpass every expectation I could have imagined.
There is a reason why that one famous says "Reunited and it feels so good". Being reunited with my friends was amazing however being reunited with Israel brings a happiness and feeling of content sweeping over my body. It still "wierds me out" to think that the next nine months of my life will be spent in such an amazing place. Nacsholim, the resort kibbutz we stayed at for our first days of orientation brought together my entire section for the first time and it felt good.
Our hike in the Carmel mountains brought a new appretiation for the beauty within Israel. Hearing about the Masada of the north and bonding with my roommates was a special experience.
Settling into my apartment in Netanya was another realization of independence. Knowing that the kitchen I was staring at was going to be kitchen for the next nine months matured me at least one year. Already my roommates and I have worked together to cook and clean in an almost Brady Bunch sort of fashion. Together, we have meandered around Netanya searching for cool places to hang out and napped together on the beautiful sandy beaches.
Being thrown into a completely different society can be a difficult thing, however, being thrown in with some amazing friends makes getting settled easier then saying " Ani Lo Medaberet Ivrit" ( I cannot speak hebrew)
After just a few short days in Netanya, Section three headed up to Tsfat for a Shabbat B'yachad ( a Sabbath Together). Just minlging with new and old friends about their living situations and bustling cities made me miss my new found family of friends that call Netanya home. However the vibes from the city of mysticism allowed new friendships to bud and old friendships to flower. It was after the beautiful orthodox service on a rooftop that we all walked back for a crowded Shabbat dinner and saw the beauty of this peaceful city. Who could have imagined that a little over a year ago, the day after I toured the city for the first time, Tzfat was hit with its first round of Quetusha rockets in the Lebanon war. Too positive of a place to be placed in the middle of a negative time.
After a peaceful and restful Shabbat we headed back to our respective ciies to begin the real journey. And so it smacked me in the face this morning when I went to visit my volunteer placement. I am one of six people throughout an entire year that has the opportunity to help rehabilitate and save sea turtles and other aquatic animals. Seeing the beauty of the beach was soon down played by the terrible condition some of these turtles were in. You see, the beach is quite a deceiving place. Despite its attraction and serenity it holds inside of it an endangered world. Sea turtles throughout the Mediterranean are being killed by fisherman every day and I have the ability to save even just a few and benefit the population of several species of endangered sea turtles. This job varies in so many ways from cleaning to measuring to sleeping next to unhatched eggs, this volunteer placement is sure to be an experience beyond my wildest dreams. I will be mentioning it a lot over the next two and a half months and the smile I walked in with today will probably never fade despite the hard work and sometimes long days. Who wouldn't want to be blessed with such an opportunity?
For now as I let the whirlwind of this first week sink in, I am trying to process the amazingness of the next nine months and I can't wait to share it with anyone who has even the slightest interest in a small town girl's adventure in the most amazing country in the world.
There is a reason why that one famous says "Reunited and it feels so good". Being reunited with my friends was amazing however being reunited with Israel brings a happiness and feeling of content sweeping over my body. It still "wierds me out" to think that the next nine months of my life will be spent in such an amazing place. Nacsholim, the resort kibbutz we stayed at for our first days of orientation brought together my entire section for the first time and it felt good.
Our hike in the Carmel mountains brought a new appretiation for the beauty within Israel. Hearing about the Masada of the north and bonding with my roommates was a special experience.
Settling into my apartment in Netanya was another realization of independence. Knowing that the kitchen I was staring at was going to be kitchen for the next nine months matured me at least one year. Already my roommates and I have worked together to cook and clean in an almost Brady Bunch sort of fashion. Together, we have meandered around Netanya searching for cool places to hang out and napped together on the beautiful sandy beaches.
Being thrown into a completely different society can be a difficult thing, however, being thrown in with some amazing friends makes getting settled easier then saying " Ani Lo Medaberet Ivrit" ( I cannot speak hebrew)
After just a few short days in Netanya, Section three headed up to Tsfat for a Shabbat B'yachad ( a Sabbath Together). Just minlging with new and old friends about their living situations and bustling cities made me miss my new found family of friends that call Netanya home. However the vibes from the city of mysticism allowed new friendships to bud and old friendships to flower. It was after the beautiful orthodox service on a rooftop that we all walked back for a crowded Shabbat dinner and saw the beauty of this peaceful city. Who could have imagined that a little over a year ago, the day after I toured the city for the first time, Tzfat was hit with its first round of Quetusha rockets in the Lebanon war. Too positive of a place to be placed in the middle of a negative time.
After a peaceful and restful Shabbat we headed back to our respective ciies to begin the real journey. And so it smacked me in the face this morning when I went to visit my volunteer placement. I am one of six people throughout an entire year that has the opportunity to help rehabilitate and save sea turtles and other aquatic animals. Seeing the beauty of the beach was soon down played by the terrible condition some of these turtles were in. You see, the beach is quite a deceiving place. Despite its attraction and serenity it holds inside of it an endangered world. Sea turtles throughout the Mediterranean are being killed by fisherman every day and I have the ability to save even just a few and benefit the population of several species of endangered sea turtles. This job varies in so many ways from cleaning to measuring to sleeping next to unhatched eggs, this volunteer placement is sure to be an experience beyond my wildest dreams. I will be mentioning it a lot over the next two and a half months and the smile I walked in with today will probably never fade despite the hard work and sometimes long days. Who wouldn't want to be blessed with such an opportunity?
For now as I let the whirlwind of this first week sink in, I am trying to process the amazingness of the next nine months and I can't wait to share it with anyone who has even the slightest interest in a small town girl's adventure in the most amazing country in the world.
