Sorry this has taken awhile to get up, but I've had issues with what and how to say some things, which I'll get to in a minute:
I left Israel on the 6th very early in the morning after a really good weekend with my family, whom I never met before. I heard stories and names but finally seeing faces was good because now I know who these people are. My cousin waited with me in line for baggage security and we said good-bye after that. While waiting in line for regular security, I met up with someone on my program and we waited together for the flight home. The 12-hour flight wasn't too bad. There was someone next to me who went to Tufts so I had to ask him if he knew my brother and we ended up playing Jewish Geography, my favorite game ever, and we ended up talking for a bit at the beginning and the end of the flight.
I have seen a few of my friends this week and talked to family and family friends. Everyone asks the same question: How was Israel. There is no way to answer that. How does "good" or "awesome" or "amazing" or even "once in a lifetime experience that I would never give up" begin to capture my experience. Sure, it was all those things, but it was also so much more. There is no way to describe being abroad. I can say how much I had fun and how I had a great time, but it doesn't explain the feeling of connection that I felt to Israel. It doesn't explain my view. It doesn't explain feelings for Israel. It doesn't explain my experience at all. I can tell you all these things, but in order for you to get a feeling of what I experienced, you yourself have to go abroad.
Traveling in a foreign country is so much different than actually living there. Besides the fact that as a traveler you go to tourist places so people speak English, you know you don't belong there. You know that you will be leaving in a few days. You know that you don't have to assimilate there. Living there, even as a tourist, you need to learn the language a little bit. You need to know the culture and accept the practices. You need to try to assimilate into the culture. You can't live in Israel and keep American culture. You'll be miserable. You need to accept that there is no time and that everything is just so much more relaxed. You have to accept that it normalcy is getting your bag checked just to go food shopping. Or being scanned just to see a movie. When you do realize that these are all aspects of Israeli culture, it becomes normal to you and you are partly assimilated. The other part is becoming fluent in Hebrew.
Although I did not become fluent, I learned a lot more than I realized. In September, I could understand about half of the Hebrew that I heard. When I went to my cousin's house, they speak very little English so I had to use Hebrew and I realized that I could understand most of what they were saying. I wish that my Hebrew class had smarter people and that we did more speaking instead of only grammar. Now that I'm home, I forget that I can speak English to people. I can say "go ahead" instead of mumbling weird noises and gestures. But I still forget that I can do that. When I got to the airport it was a bit overwhelming to hear so much English. I mean sure all the international students spoke English, but there were only a few conversations going on at a time. In the airport while waiting for baggage, almost everyone was speaking English. But there were so many conversations going on at once that it was overwhelming. It felt like I was in a bubble for four months and within my bubble there were my friends who spoke with and there were a few air holes, the Hebrew that I understood. Leaving the plane, though, my bubble popped and I could hear and understand everyone again. I didn't have to put all my focus and attention into understanding the passport controller. He had no foreign accent when speaking to me.
Israel has at last became a place that I can relate with. After birthright, Israel was just a place that I finally been to after much hype, but it was still a lande that was far away and hard to feel connection with. But, I think after being there for four months and meeting people who live there and becoming friends, I have made a connection with Israel. It doesn't seem like a country that is across an ocean and half. I care about what is happening in Gaza and other issues. It's not like I didn't care, but it was this tiny country that you couldn't even find on a map. How are you supposed to feel patriotic about a place that you barely know? That's like being best friends with the President(-elect). Sure I know his name and heard all these things about him, but I've never met the guy. I feel that I need to be his best friend, though, because everyone says that he's such a nice guy. That's how I felt with Israel. I had to support Israel, not because I didn't believe in Her, but because, well, and I'm afraid to admit this, but because everyone else did. It was what I learned to be "the right thing". However, by studying and living in Israel I have become more passionate about Israel as a whole. I can defend Israel, I hope.
On a different note: I think going abroad gives you a chance to grow up. Sure college does the same thing, it's kind of the purpose, but I think that going to a different country and living on your own, not being able to rely on your familiars to help you makes you depend on yourself makes you grow up. With no one on my program that I knew, I had to step outside my comfort zone and take the chance at embarrassing myself and doing stupid things. I think that it was good that I didn't know anyone. There was no one to fall back on and I could be who I wanted. I think that as a result of all these things, I have changed since going abroad, I don't know if it's "more grown-up" change or "different" change. Either way, I did and I am proud of myself that I went to Israel for four months away from everything that I knew. I honestly thought I would get more homesick more often than I did, but I had so much fun that by the time I realized how much fun I was having, it was almost time to go home.
I hate that time passes so quickly when you're having fun...
I don't know if I will continue with this blog or not, but if I do, then I won't be writing as often. But stay posted!
I left Israel on the 6th very early in the morning after a really good weekend with my family, whom I never met before. I heard stories and names but finally seeing faces was good because now I know who these people are. My cousin waited with me in line for baggage security and we said good-bye after that. While waiting in line for regular security, I met up with someone on my program and we waited together for the flight home. The 12-hour flight wasn't too bad. There was someone next to me who went to Tufts so I had to ask him if he knew my brother and we ended up playing Jewish Geography, my favorite game ever, and we ended up talking for a bit at the beginning and the end of the flight.
I have seen a few of my friends this week and talked to family and family friends. Everyone asks the same question: How was Israel. There is no way to answer that. How does "good" or "awesome" or "amazing" or even "once in a lifetime experience that I would never give up" begin to capture my experience. Sure, it was all those things, but it was also so much more. There is no way to describe being abroad. I can say how much I had fun and how I had a great time, but it doesn't explain the feeling of connection that I felt to Israel. It doesn't explain my view. It doesn't explain feelings for Israel. It doesn't explain my experience at all. I can tell you all these things, but in order for you to get a feeling of what I experienced, you yourself have to go abroad.
Traveling in a foreign country is so much different than actually living there. Besides the fact that as a traveler you go to tourist places so people speak English, you know you don't belong there. You know that you will be leaving in a few days. You know that you don't have to assimilate there. Living there, even as a tourist, you need to learn the language a little bit. You need to know the culture and accept the practices. You need to try to assimilate into the culture. You can't live in Israel and keep American culture. You'll be miserable. You need to accept that there is no time and that everything is just so much more relaxed. You have to accept that it normalcy is getting your bag checked just to go food shopping. Or being scanned just to see a movie. When you do realize that these are all aspects of Israeli culture, it becomes normal to you and you are partly assimilated. The other part is becoming fluent in Hebrew.
Although I did not become fluent, I learned a lot more than I realized. In September, I could understand about half of the Hebrew that I heard. When I went to my cousin's house, they speak very little English so I had to use Hebrew and I realized that I could understand most of what they were saying. I wish that my Hebrew class had smarter people and that we did more speaking instead of only grammar. Now that I'm home, I forget that I can speak English to people. I can say "go ahead" instead of mumbling weird noises and gestures. But I still forget that I can do that. When I got to the airport it was a bit overwhelming to hear so much English. I mean sure all the international students spoke English, but there were only a few conversations going on at a time. In the airport while waiting for baggage, almost everyone was speaking English. But there were so many conversations going on at once that it was overwhelming. It felt like I was in a bubble for four months and within my bubble there were my friends who spoke with and there were a few air holes, the Hebrew that I understood. Leaving the plane, though, my bubble popped and I could hear and understand everyone again. I didn't have to put all my focus and attention into understanding the passport controller. He had no foreign accent when speaking to me.
Israel has at last became a place that I can relate with. After birthright, Israel was just a place that I finally been to after much hype, but it was still a lande that was far away and hard to feel connection with. But, I think after being there for four months and meeting people who live there and becoming friends, I have made a connection with Israel. It doesn't seem like a country that is across an ocean and half. I care about what is happening in Gaza and other issues. It's not like I didn't care, but it was this tiny country that you couldn't even find on a map. How are you supposed to feel patriotic about a place that you barely know? That's like being best friends with the President(-elect). Sure I know his name and heard all these things about him, but I've never met the guy. I feel that I need to be his best friend, though, because everyone says that he's such a nice guy. That's how I felt with Israel. I had to support Israel, not because I didn't believe in Her, but because, well, and I'm afraid to admit this, but because everyone else did. It was what I learned to be "the right thing". However, by studying and living in Israel I have become more passionate about Israel as a whole. I can defend Israel, I hope.
On a different note: I think going abroad gives you a chance to grow up. Sure college does the same thing, it's kind of the purpose, but I think that going to a different country and living on your own, not being able to rely on your familiars to help you makes you depend on yourself makes you grow up. With no one on my program that I knew, I had to step outside my comfort zone and take the chance at embarrassing myself and doing stupid things. I think that it was good that I didn't know anyone. There was no one to fall back on and I could be who I wanted. I think that as a result of all these things, I have changed since going abroad, I don't know if it's "more grown-up" change or "different" change. Either way, I did and I am proud of myself that I went to Israel for four months away from everything that I knew. I honestly thought I would get more homesick more often than I did, but I had so much fun that by the time I realized how much fun I was having, it was almost time to go home.
I hate that time passes so quickly when you're having fun...
I don't know if I will continue with this blog or not, but if I do, then I won't be writing as often. But stay posted!
