I’ve always found it amusing how life constantly weaves and intertwines itself around us into a beautiful tapestry of opportunities, yet sometimes we somehow find a way to remain insensitive to the complete exquisiteness of the world. As a result of this incongruity due to the distractions in our everyday life, we are unable to fully and wholeheartedly accomplish our necessities or aspirations. We are a society of mediocrity; we ride the wave into shore by lying on top of its surface rather than taking the effort and responsibility to dive deeper into the waters to find ourselves in an inescapable world of unrevealed discoveries and experiences. Perhaps it is a defect in human nature to take the easy way out, to not commit fully because of an overwhelming desire to keep us safe from the unknown, to protect ourselves from the risk of a fearful outcome, of getting hurt. However, the great part about life is that we have the opportunity to make a choice of how we will deal with the situation, to either take the easy way out, or to delve a little deeper. This EIE trip has most definitely presented this opportunity to me. On this trip, I desire to dedicate myself to fully exploring the deepest waters, and not just the surface. When I am faced with a situation, good or bad, I am going to embrace it with open arms and an open mind. From the moment I looked outside of the window in the plane onto the land that I would spend the next four months of my life in, I was immediately filled with the desire to explore, to know and learn every inch of the endless ground, the trees, plants, mountains and sky. I am overwhelmed with the absolute purity of Israel, the truth and kindness that each person and thing embodies. The beauty of the expressive language, the fresh food, and the direct access into the simplicity of nature. On the trip and as a rule for my future, I want to have complete entry into my five senses. I want to be able to feel, hear, see, smell, and taste the essence of the land, the people, food, and culture on a deeper, more meaningful level. I want to be passionate about each an every one of my experiences on field trips and in my classes and think about them long after the day has ended. To be able to incorporate love and the essence of love into my studies and adventures, I know for a fact that when I look back on the trip and describe my experiences, life changing will be an understatement. At the core, this trip is my opportunity to submerge myself into the known and unknown waters, the comfortable familiar and the frightening yet exhilarating unfamiliar, and to take the lessons of each moment I breathe in when being surrounded by my own history and to exemplify the quality of my own being.
