So much to do, make the most of every minute you have in your MASA experience

There's really no other way to put it...Make the most of your time in MASA! There are opportunities left and right to make your experience in Israel productive and incredibly memorable.

Be'er Sheva (B7) gets a bad rap from people elsewhere in the country. While there are problems that are found in most Israeli cities, B7 was a very warm and welcoming place. B7 is home to Ben Gurion University, which means that I lived among thousands of Israeli college students. The University often hosted parties and concerts, which were great for me even though I wasn't a student. Some of the best friends I made in Be'er Sheva were University students that lived in my apartment building.

My Madrichim were amazing enough to make sure that everybody received a free bus pass for the entire year. This made travel to my school in the Ramot neighborhood a breeze.

Rechasim School was a great experience from start to finish. The school was very chaotic but I showed my chutzpah to command the respect of my students. Each and every day, I was surrounded by students giving me hi-fives and hugs. To your students, you're a rock star. They will fight just for the opportunity to work with you for a class period.

Many of the teachers were very accommodating to myself and Anna the other Teaching Fellow. Often times we were unable to work in the library or computer lab, so we would teach our students in the hallways. It's not pretty, but it was up to us to make sure the students were taught properly. Even after months of painful work with struggling students, the evidence became clear that they were starting to grasp the English language. The school year culminated in an English Day, in which about half of the students participated.

While I was not teaching, I traveled the country meeting Israeli friends and family. It's an amazing discovery to find out that you have family in Israel. On my first visit to some relatives in Netanya that I had never met before, I was welcomed to the first of many great Israeli Shabbat dinners.

I made friends from around the world at the Fall Mifgashim, Leadership Summit, and the Makom Fellowship. These events allowed me to see very remote regions of the country such as the Nitzana Youth Village and to meet MASA participants from at least 30 different countries. In addition to the leadership skills that I picked up, I also gained an understanding of Jewish life in other countries which I knew little of before. In the Makom Fellowship I learned much about the history and culture of Israel. I was also privileged to meet prominent Israelis and that are involved in the larger cultural and political conflicts that the country faces.

The motto of MASA is to "live it like a local." After a few months in the country, I experienced the joys of doing so. Participating in ITF Be'er Sheva motivated me to pursue teaching as a career in the US. It was an amazing life-changing experience.