Thoughts...

Things are going great! I’ve learned the buses and have basically figured my way around town. Have been out shopping on Jaffa and Ben Yehuda streets downtown, have gone to the Western Wall, and last Tuesday we took a class trip to the beach in Tel Aviv—so beautiful! Joined a gym nearby also to stay in shape.

I am starting to study the Torah, and I have a tutor who is teaching me Hebrew. Most of my other classes have a heavy emphasis on character traits, self-development, and self-definition. We’ve talked about figuring out our purpose in life based on the skills and traits we possess and the environment we find ourselves in. So many people today simply go through the motions of life, taking a job because they need/want the money, hopping from relationship to relationship, never really creating a meaningful life for themselves. Those people simply can’t be happy. There is just so much more to life than that.

Many of the girls here came straight out of high school. In Israel, like in most of Europe, they have this concept of a “gap year”—pretty much everyone takes a year off before they start college to really figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. This can involve studying, volunteering, travel, or any combination.

I wish America would adopt this concept. Seriously, so many Americans have no idea what they want to do when they start college (like me!), and so they end up switching majors frequently, and often even end up graduating with a degree they don’t plan to use. What a waste of time! If I had known this earlier, I would have without a doubt taken a year off to come study and travel in Israel. It’s just such a liberating experience. I feel like I’m completely on my own in my journey, yet at the same time surrounded by such amazingly wise rabbis and caring girls who have nothing to hide—so many have opened up to me already in my short time here. And really, what difference does it make in the long run if you start college at age 18 or 19?

Life is all about growth, and continuously challenging oneself to become a better person. And my school Neve creates an environment that perfectly fosters that growth. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be here.

A few interesting experiences so far, that come with living in a religious neighborhood:
First, my roommate Tamara needed a power converter for her laptop, so we went into this electronic store and the English-speaking guy behind the counter helped us find the right one. After he found it, Tamara realized she didn’t have enough money on her to pay for her, and so she apologized and told the guy that she would have to come back for it tomorrow. The guy goes, “Don’t worry about it, I know you need this now, just take it. Come back and pay tomorrow. I know you will come back.” She replies, “No, I would feel bad, I’m not sure that I’ll be able to come back this way tomorrow.” He said, “So, come back the next day, or the day after that. I’m not worried, I know you’ll pay.” Never in America… (Post-script: Tamara still felt uncomfortable with it, so she took up my offer to lend her money to pay for it then. But what an amazingly powerful trust.)

Second, Tamara and I were on a crowded bus, and a young woman gets on the bus with a stroller. She says something to me in Hebrew (which I don’t understand at all), and next thing I know she’s handing me her baby to fold up the stroller so it takes up less room. Which is fine, no problem. But then she just doesn’t take the baby back. She eventually goes to the front of the bus to get her card punched, and doesn’t return for a little while. All told, I ended up holding the baby (which was adorable!) for about half an hour, until she had to get off the bus.

Out of all the experiences I’ve had so far here, these two are the ones that most represent the beauty of living life by the Bible. You see someone else religious on the street, and you just know what ethical standards they hold themselves to. Although it would be naïve to just have blind trust, it’s still a whole different mindset.