I first set foot on Israeli soil mid-March 2012, during my birthright trip (taglit). It shocked me before I left for Israel how I could possibly love a place I'd never experienced in actuality, but I managed to surprise myself further when I stepped off that plane: it was a homecoming. The sense of belonging struck me again and again with each location visited. But I feared the feeling was somehow tied up into the magic of birthright and would vanish with the jet fuel.
Six months later, I was exhausted beyond anything I've ever felt in memory from the long trip from Phoenix to New York, then New York to Tel Aviv five days later. But that fatigue couldn't hold back my smile as I walked through Ben Gurion Airport, looking for the rest of my group. That feeling of belonging was just as strong as before, and I was more than ready to take on the newest challenges on my list:
- Learn to read and speak Hebrew - as fluently as possible!!!
- Get my bearings in a town I've never experienced - that largely doesn't speak English
- Teach Israeli children to speak and read English as a Foreign Language
My first experience of Israel was that of a tourist: we hiked a lot (and I do mean A LOT) and we troured much of the country by bus. I happily surrendered my American money for tchochkes for myself and others - not to mention the delicious 8 shekel falafel. This time around, though, I'm living in Israel as a foreign resident, a member of the community, and a volunteer in the educational system. I look forward to giving back to the people, the country I love in a meaningful way - and I'm eager to continually test my comfort zones while living in a culture very different from my own.
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