Hey everyone! I just arrived in my new house, and it's beautiful. We have fig, orange, lemon, date, and clementine trees in the yard, and a kitchen with big windows. Our program director is silly and kind. His parents have a fluffy little puppy that spends a lot of time in our house. I am living with 5 other wonderful Americans, we click well as a group. We were hand-picked to represent our program in its debut in a new city, and so we have a bigger budget for things like bikes, trips, and everyone in my group is outgoing, passionate about teaching, and a natural leader. Also everyone loves to dance as much as myself. I feel too lucky for words. 

The first week was adventure-packed. We hiked through a river, took a moonlight swim in the Kineret, had a dance party on a boat, and spelunked through a tunnel underneath Jerusalem. There has been little time to sleep or think, and I eat hummus at every meal. Pedagogy classes start next week, and we will spend the holidays with host families. The more I learn about the upcoming year, the more excited I get.

Today is our first day in Beit She'an. The population is less than 20,000, and it is the first time the program has sent American teachers to such a remote town. It is so small, in fact, that we are famous- they have written about our arrival in the papers, and today we will toast in the Jewish new year with the mayor!