When I was preparing to go to Israel, one of the things I was most nervous about was how to navigate social events once I got there. I came in expecting that I would need to make an effort unlike any other experience, since I didn’t know the language and didn’t tend to be outgoing in the States. In Israel, I pushed myself to talk to those around me, and to my surprise, everyone was very open! I grew close to the very two first people I talked to, and we quickly found common interests and introduced each other to more people in the program.
People in the program were often doing activities together, such as cooking and sharing foods―leading to us staying up late into the night, just talking about how our daily lives are similar and how they differ. These same friends pushed me to further get out of my comfort zone by introducing me to the popular Israeli pastime of hiking. I was constantly surprising myself with the brand new things I discovered and accomplished while in Israel!
I experienced other things in Israel that I hadn't been expecting. One of the big things I needed to adjust to was the weekly format. In America, our typical weekend is Saturday and Sunday. However, in Israel, our school week ran Sunday to Thursday, leaving Friday and Saturday as our weekend.
