As my departure approaches, I find myself constantly thinking about the adventure to come. I have started to say my teary-eyed goodbyes, as I will miss my dear friends and family back home. However, it is definitely a bittersweet goodbye (or as I should really be saying - see you later). I will miss them very much, but I know that it is only temporary and that this experience will be well worth it.

To get over my sadness of leaving everyone, I started looking into things that I would like to do while I'm there. This has sparked an even greater excitement for what's to come. So, I figured I would share the start to my list. This is only the beginning.

· Skydiving

· Paragliding

· Hiking & lots of it (potentially part of the Israel National Trail - maybe with IsraelTrail - another Israel Pathways program, if possible)

· Rock Climbing - indoor and outdoor

· Travel anywhere and everywhere (as far as my wallet will stretch!)

· Learn to cook Israeli dishes (Who am I kidding? Learn to cook. Period.)

· Become conversational in Hebrew

· Immerse myself fully into Israeli culture

· Take online FEMA classes (irrelevant to Israel but it will help with my career goals)

· Apply to AmeriCorps (specifically, FEMA Corps)

· Live life to the fullest each and every day - do not take this experience for granted!

Lastly, I want to take risks and not be afraid to leave my comfort zone. I want to dive right in. I want to learn to laugh at myself - and often - because this will be a challenge. I will make mistakes and I will definitely mess up when trying to speak Hebrew, but that's okay. This experience is a learning process and I intend to make the most of it!

Just a side note - this is a video that one of the fellows found and shared with the rest of us. You should definitely watch it to get a glimpse of the beauty of Israel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoizSL-TEJQ&feature=youtu.be