#relrelgoestoisrael itsover ITFNetanya

[relrelgoestoisrael]

A life changing chapter comes to a close...

The month of June was my last month in Israel. It was the 10th month that I had been living in Israel and making my last few ways through adventures.

June was a pretty chill and care free month. The other months were full of trips and school and other things to be responsible for, for example an amazing English Day my teaching partner and other fellows and I put on for our kids at school.

Tel Aviv Pride 2015 kicked off the second weekend (June 12) and it was definitely a highlight of my year in Israel.  It warmed my heart to see so many people there celebrating and seeing so much support for the Israeli LGBT community. I enjoyed the day marching in the parade with some friends and having an overall blast with my family.

The following days were filled with beach days and falafel. My friend Jen’s parents came to Israel and enjoyed two weeks as Netanyans and we went rafting on the Jordan River. I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard at so many schenanigans and just had a relaxing great time.

I had a few friends from other cities that came to visit the famous Netanya beach and enjoy the sunsets. They loved it and finally saw what all the fuss was about when we would say that Netanya was the best city.

June 17th -The Netanya group had a end of the year party at a pool at a local country club in the city (which is nothing like a country club in the states…) We enjoyed some Falafel Moosa, which we had to put together ourselves so it was fun to feel like Shmulik when he would make my pita of falafel at full speed. We had a small ceremony to give out superlatives and presents for everyone and even a cute slide show our coordinator, Raoul, put together for us. We finally made it into the pool and of course…there was a waterslide! There was great anticipation for the water slide and I was so excited about going fast. But it didn’t end that well for me, I stubbed my toe when I tried to get some momentum and I ended up breaking my toe pretty bad, but that didn’t stop me from having a great time. Of course, it did turn a few different colors over those next few days. It still acts up a little bit even now, but it helps me remember those amazing memories.

June 18th- My teaching partner Dan and I held a small going away party for each class that we taught and the kids showed bittersweet smiles as we celebrated the time we had together. We took pictures and I made a book for all of them to sign so I could remember my students. They wrote very kind words and even included their contact information so that we could stay in touch. If I had a dollar for every time they asked me if I had instagram…hahah. The kids asked if we would be back next year, and the heart break on their face when we said we wouldn’t be really showed how much we impacted those kids. They began telling about their favorite parts of our class and we celebrated a great year together. I really miss walking into that school and being greeted by all the students. They showed so much excitement about me showing up to school because they knew that they would get to learn with me. I really miss all their excitement and positive attitudes toward learning.

After the last day of school, we had a little over a week to do whatever we wanted before the end of the program and we all headed home. I spent most of my time soaking up the sun and enjoying my last few beach days and sunsets. I passed some time with friends in Tel Aviv and even worked in a few more travel days to explore the country as much as I could. I took advantage of the time I had left in this amazing country that I had called home for those past ten months.

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This post is a little late, but I think it was needed. I’ve been living back at home for about a month now and I have definitely seen how Israel has changed me [for the better]. I have learned so much and I feel like I have been shaped by this experience to being the person I want to be.

At the beginning of the year our coordinator Raoul sat us down and asked us what we wanted from this year. I rolled my eyes and wiped the sweat from my forehead wondering when we were going to finish the discussion and go find some air conditioning. At that moment, I didn’t know what I wanted from the year. I wasn’t sure what I was or where I stood before I was even there. So I thought about it, and I went for the original “I want to be happy.” I didn’t think that I would be anything more than that, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Raoul gave us a piece of paper and a pen and said “visualize yourself 10 months from now, what do you see? What do you want to know? What would you ask yourself?” We had out last program together as a group at a community pool and Raoul handed back our letters that we wrote for ourselves, and I can’t believe that I’ve changed so much since then. I’ll share with you the letter I wrote to myself the third day I got to Israel….10 months later…it changed me for the better.     “Hi,             Do you remember when you first started here and your anxieties and fears were more than you wanted? You cut your hair and let everything else go with it. You put yourself out there and made 24+ new friends that let you in to the circle. What are you worried about now? You wanted to grow from this and learn about yourself….have you? Did you find out whatever it is that makes you tick? Did you laugh? Did you cry? 

               You are really amazing. I can’t tell you how much I am proud of you and how you really have gotten through so much and proved so many people wrong. You amaze everyone, especially me. I hope that you found what it was you wanted after this year. You are the most important person to me and I can’t think of what would happen if you were gone. You have so many more things going for you and even though you are leaving Israel and this experience, you are never leaving the adventure and the memories and love will never leave you.                Remember to be thankful every day. Remember to love and live everyday like it’s your last. Remember that it is easier to smile and laugh than it is to be upset and angry. Try a new thing every day and do more things for yourself. Continue to learn and grow and think about yourself and that self confidence that has finally found you. You deserve more than you can give to other people. Remember that you are the one who matters most and most often. Reflect on yourself and keep things positive. After this amazing year in this amazing country, I hope you learned to love and do for yourself. Who knows if you will find another opportunity like this, so use it to be the best you that you can be and do the best that you can do.

                                               All my love,                                                                Ari.

 So what have I learned? What was I looking for?

Don’t let fear get in the way—so what if you break your big toe? It heals with time, wishing you did something that you didn’t because you’re too scared…life is too short to be a wuss.

Be yourself, it’s so much easier—don’t try to impress anyone on purpose. If you do you, they’ll be impressed enough. Genuine is something everyone can use a little of.

Everything Will Be Okay (Hakhol yee-he-ye beseder)—In Israel, there is a saying in Hebrew, and even if it feels like the world is ending….everything will be okay.

You are the most important person to keep happy.

Patience is hard, but when you find it, keep it. – things are really going to tick you off or push your buttons, but it is all in the reaction that it gets. Patience can have karma.

Let it go—frozen got it all figured out….just let it go.

In the end, you always have nothing to lose.

There are plenty of things I have learned and experienced that I cannot put into words. It was all things that needed to be experienced first hand, it wouldn’t be the same to try and explain it. Sure the pictures gave you some what of an idea, but it was definitely the best experience of my life.

And so that’s it… I’ve finished this chapter and it is on to the next. I will miss so many things and so many people. The connections and relationships I have made on this journey will forever be cherished in my heart along with the memories. I’ll miss the kids I taught and they’re eagerness to learn and participate every day. I’ll miss Falafel Moosa. I’ll miss Netanya Beach sunsets in my favorite spot, I’ll miss fresh fruits and veggies from the market, I’ll miss the free spirits and loud yelling everywhere, I’ll miss the loud Israelis, I’ll miss promenade street parties, I’ll miss impromptu Tel Aviv adventures. I’ll miss celebrating the holidays. I’ll miss The Wall. I’ll miss family porch potlucks. I’ll miss my new Netanya family. I’ll miss hearing Hebrew everywhere. I’ll miss long bus rides. I’ll miss Ronen’s good mornings. I’ll miss everything that made my smile. But most of all, I will miss my home. Here’s to next year in Jerusalem, and hopefully a lifetime of more memories.

Thanks for everything Israel, and thank you to those who were with me and by my side through the whole thing.

On to the next adventure….