Back from Birthright
It's strange to be back. I think it's because I'm not going back to Eastman. I've grown to be really happy about going to U of R. After meeting all of the great people on Birthright, I can't help thinking that I'm going to love going to school there.
Speaking of Birthright, my 10 days in Israel was the best time of my life. Besides the amazing people on the trip, we had Israeli soldiers our age travelling with us for most of the trip, and they were amazing as well. I was so surprised to find that, despite all of the differences between us - where we live, what we're doing - we have so much in common. The night we spent in the desert, I spent the evening talking to one of the soldiers about his experiences in training and in combat. He's now in change of his own unit and a sargent, as well as playing on the rugby team. Hearing about his experiences was surreal for me, and the fact that he spent the time sitting and talking with me rather than partying with his army buddies was shocking. I never thought that my little life here in America could be interesting to someone like him. Then again, I learned a lot about myself on this trip besides just in the time I spent with him that night. I found a new group of friends who made me feel so wanted and so loved that I could hardly believe it. These are people who would go out and look for me if I left a room, the people who hugged me when I cried in the Holocaust museums, who I sat with on bus trips and at meals and roomed with and hung out with in the evenings after our crazy long days. What's great about this is that they either go to U of R or are close enough to it that I can still see them. I felt so loved while I was there. I felt comfortable being myself. Also, being in Israel, it's hard not to feel welcome if you're Jewish. Never in my life had I seen so many of us all in one place. The whole experience was surreal, and the best trip I have ever been on, not to mention one of, if not the best experience of my life.
So, now I'm back in my lovely apartment in very cold Rochester. After not having a second alone for 2 weeks, I've spent all day by myself, excluding my trip out for groceries to fill my empty kitchen. I do appreciate my privacy, but there's something to be said about being with friends all the time. I will say one thing - I missed pancakes.
I start school on Wedensday. I'm planning to go to the school tomorrow and hopefully finish working out my schedule and have a few Birthright buddies show me around. Mom and Dad are coming up on Friday for the weekend, which gives me something to look forward to. I really think I'm going to love college.
I guess that's it for now. Back to the solitude of my lovely home.
Speaking of Birthright, my 10 days in Israel was the best time of my life. Besides the amazing people on the trip, we had Israeli soldiers our age travelling with us for most of the trip, and they were amazing as well. I was so surprised to find that, despite all of the differences between us - where we live, what we're doing - we have so much in common. The night we spent in the desert, I spent the evening talking to one of the soldiers about his experiences in training and in combat. He's now in change of his own unit and a sargent, as well as playing on the rugby team. Hearing about his experiences was surreal for me, and the fact that he spent the time sitting and talking with me rather than partying with his army buddies was shocking. I never thought that my little life here in America could be interesting to someone like him. Then again, I learned a lot about myself on this trip besides just in the time I spent with him that night. I found a new group of friends who made me feel so wanted and so loved that I could hardly believe it. These are people who would go out and look for me if I left a room, the people who hugged me when I cried in the Holocaust museums, who I sat with on bus trips and at meals and roomed with and hung out with in the evenings after our crazy long days. What's great about this is that they either go to U of R or are close enough to it that I can still see them. I felt so loved while I was there. I felt comfortable being myself. Also, being in Israel, it's hard not to feel welcome if you're Jewish. Never in my life had I seen so many of us all in one place. The whole experience was surreal, and the best trip I have ever been on, not to mention one of, if not the best experience of my life.
So, now I'm back in my lovely apartment in very cold Rochester. After not having a second alone for 2 weeks, I've spent all day by myself, excluding my trip out for groceries to fill my empty kitchen. I do appreciate my privacy, but there's something to be said about being with friends all the time. I will say one thing - I missed pancakes.
I start school on Wedensday. I'm planning to go to the school tomorrow and hopefully finish working out my schedule and have a few Birthright buddies show me around. Mom and Dad are coming up on Friday for the weekend, which gives me something to look forward to. I really think I'm going to love college.
I guess that's it for now. Back to the solitude of my lovely home.