Aardvark: Gap Year Program in Israel

Before I went to college I knew I wanted to do a gap year in Israel. Aardvark Israel appealed to me for many reasons. It offered independence, minimalist structure and would allow me to participate in both Magen David Adom and Marva. I had the best year of my life on my gap year in Israel and it was all thanks to the amazing people I met on Aardvark. The kids from every other gap year program were always jealous of Aardvark because we had the most fun :) Get ready for an amazing adventure!

Coming from South Africa and coming with no friends I was nervous. I was even more nervous because I came in January during spring semester. But on arrival I was welcomed by 3 amazing madrichim in Jerusalem. Then I met my room mates who were there from America. One joined when I did and the other had been there since September. I chose to Jerusalem as coming from a religious background I felt more connected then Tel Aviv.

The next day we went on our first over night trip to Ein Geddi. There we met up with the Tel Aviv students. That night we had a break the ice activities. We learnt about what to expect on the program and what was expected of us.

The next week we started our volunteering. I was at a Gan. It was difficult in the beginning as most of the kids spoke only Hebrew. My Hebrew wasn't up to scratch but as the months went on I learnt both from the Gan and Ulpan. I honestly loved every minute of being there. Sure some days were harder then others but because I enjoyed it so much I didn't mind. (This was 4times a week).

In the afternoons we had classes. I did Ulpan (which was mandatory), film and news around Israel and a midrash class. The ulpan class was interesting because everyone coming from different backgrounds we had different influences and our knowledge was all at different levels. I was in level 2.
The film class was done by our madrichim. The films were informative and relevant to our society and the way we live today. The ones that were in Hebrew you had to concentrate a bit but nothing to serious. News around Israel:the group got given articles from an online magazine or newspaper and we had to read it. After that we had a discussion on our thoughts and if it was something good what we could do to continue it and if it was something bad how we can try change that.
Midrash: it was me and 2 other people. Growing up in a religious environment I loved the class. It was easy enough for all of us to understand but also done in a way that made us think outside the box and not in a simple way.
(These happened 3times a week).

Tuesday trips: every Tuesday we went on a trip around Israel. The ones that were most memorable for me were: Sderot, Haifa, Temple Mount, Chevron. The reason for this is because they were places I hadn't been to before. It was beautiful to see and experience the way in which other people within Israel live. Some areas poorer than others, the natural beauty in the gardens and how it is preserved and how other religions view these places either holy or spiritual.

From Thursday afternoon, after classes, it was the weekend :D. There were plenty of options on what you could do. You could go to friends or family, have people stay at you, if your room mates agreed, if you wanted to party going to Tel Aviv and having accommodation was never a problem. People on the program either have an extra bed or you just used the pull out couches.
Every 2nd month there was a shabbaton. For this you went to different location from Friday till Saturday night. I went on one in the desert. It was peaceful and relaxing and was an opportunity to get a few things off my chest.

In Jerusalem across the street from our apartments there was a pizza and felafel take away place. It was a blessing. Whenever I wasn't in the mood to cook there was somewhere for me to get food (what a Jewish thing to say).
About a 5 minute walk away was a grocery store. There were always specials on products and many things were sold in bulk which for me was a bonus because it meant less money spent on food and more on shopping.

During the week at night there were optional activities which the madrichim put together. We had a poitjie night, pesach masterchief, keriokee, cheese and wine before Shavuot, a trip to Nachlaot and the shuk.

To end off this very long review although it was hard the people I have met from around the world are friendships that will last forever.

I hope this was helpful if not please let me know and I will add things in.

I am really glad that I chose to do Aardvark. We had a schedule which allowed us to have enough free time to explore the cities in which we lived and also on the weekends to explore the rest of the country. We had great volunteering options and we got to go on trips around the cities in which we lived each Tuesday, which was really fun. It was nice to see both sides of Israel- the religious (Jerusalem) and the hip (Tel Aviv.) It was exhilarating to switch from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv midway through the year.

Aardvark really changed my life. It's true beauty is that you are ultimately responsible for you own experience. There is more freedom than any other program of its type and they set you up with apartments in good areas of tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The basic structure is volunteering in the morning, classes in the afternoon and optional activities most evenings. You could choose from a wide range of volunteer positions (I was an intern at a start up company and volunteered on an ambulance) you can even set up volunteering yourself if you have a specific passion that they could set it up yourself. You can also switch volunteer positions, so the experience here is all on yourself.
You can take a light or heavy classload. However, I was somewhat disappointed in the short amount of Hebrew lessons and the selection of classes. I know it is a small amount of students so they can only have so many classes but I think a larger emphasis on Hebrew should be given. It is the language here and you will be living here for at least half a year after all. That being said I worked hard on my Hebrew in class and volunteering and improved my Hebrew a lot.
Activities were a little bit hit or miss but that is on how many people show up and with what attitude.
Field trips were generally once a week and were educational and enjoyable

The true beauty of the aardvark program is its freedom. Most evenings after 6 and nearly all weekends you are free. I had no choice but to learn how to cook, you must feed yourself
There are lots to explore in both cities, more than you can ever do in 4 months. In tel Aviv you are 2 minutes walk from some of the best bars in tel Aviv on Florentine Street.
You must learn how to budget yourself, a true life skill. Every weekend I went on a different adventure, I tried not to be in the apartments on the weekends, tried to really experience the country without breaking the bank. Aardvark allowed me to do that, and based on my year in Israel I decided to stay and make aliyah
Would recommend for the adventurous type.
In short great opportunity that I would recommend to anyone who is looking to spend some time in Israel before college

The only regret that I have is that I only completed one semester. I wish I was there for the whole year. I fell in love with Israel and made life long friendships. A great balance of independence for me and comfort level for my parents. Aardvark was an incredible experience and I feel I really grew as a person.

My gap year in Israel was the best year of my life, hands down. As long as you can handle being somewhat independent in a foreign country, aardvark is the number on program out there. Aardvark is about letting you shape YOUR israel experience, so prepared to have to take initative sometimes in taking your own classes, your own trips around israel, buying your own food etc. This may sound daunting but being in charge of your israel destiny is such a good experience to prepare you for the real world. Don't get me wrong though, aardvark is always there for you in whatever you need.

Aardvark was awesome. Classes were easy, I had a fun internship that looks solid on my resume, and the social scene was unbelievable. Honestly, the main reason I originally came to Israel was because the drinking age was 18, but after 4 months I legitimately can say that I not only met some of the best people and friends I could have ever hoped for, my semester abroad gave me a life long passion to the state of Israel which I think is necessary for every Jewish youth.

Doing a gap year isn't an easy step in life, but I believe that it's one to take. Being on Aardvark Israel I'v learned so much about this beautiful country and even about myself. Going into a new cuture and society helps to educate on many topics. A gap year like such, will forever be the best experience I've ever done. Not only did I fall in love with my fellow Aardvarkians but also this wonderful state of Israel: and now I'v returned to continue my studies here. No matter where I head off too a peice of aardvark is with me everywhere I go.