So, it has been a few days since I've last written and there have been a few note-worthy things that have happened. First off, we started our training. So far, we have had two days at Talpiot. Talpiot is a teaching college in Holon and we will be going there a couple days a week from 10-4 for the next few weeks of training. Basically, we listen to speakers and have classes on how to teach. It is tiring but it will be helpful for me since I don't have a backgrou...

In honor of our first Shabbat together in Israel, someone came up with the great idea to have a Shabbatluck! We all dressed nice and brought homemade dishes to the 5th floor of the main building around 8:00pm. A majority of us went and the food consisted of homemade chicken schnitzel, two different quinoa dishes, cheesy mashed potatoes, Israeli salad, fruit salad, rugula, and an apple strudel. It was delicious! There is no better way to bring in Shabbat than wi...

Today has been my favorite day in Israel thus far. I slept in until about 11:00am before heading to the shuk (basically an outdoor market). Marisa, Craig, Eli, and I all walked over without really knowing what to expect. Let me tell you, shopping in the shuk was so exciting for me! I absolutely love talking to the Israelis (or trying to) and buying all the fresh food. Seriously, I intend to go at least twice a week because they have everything you c...

I don't even know where to begin! These past few days have been so crazy. If I learned one thing when I studied in Australia, it was to let go of any expectations that I might have. That has helped me immensely in coping with the culture shock and chaos that has occurred. The flight ride over was long but tolerable. There ended up being eight of us fellows on our connecting flight from Toronto to Canada - so that definitely made it fun. Once we arri...

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 star...