I believe the greatest education is best acquired through experiences and journeys; which was the exact type of education I received last year.  Normally, one goes straight to college after finishing their senior year, but in no means am I nor do I want to adhere to normal.  Instead of going straight to college, I took off for a year and travelled 6,000 miles away from home to a foreign country with foreign people and foreign customs.  I went to study religion and philosophy in Har Nof an extremely orthodox town located in Jerusalem, Israel.  I had no idea what to expect or what would be expected of me.  To say I had an unbelievable year would be a huge understatement; my year exceeded any possible expectations and not only did I experience an entirely new world, I experienced an entirely new me.  Being 6,000 miles away, not speaking the language fluently and not having my parents bail me out of trouble, made the experience and my time being there that much better.  I didn’t realize being thrown into a completely different environment and a different culture would actually make me responsible for my actions.  That’s the thing about being so far away, away from home, away from what you are used to; you are forced to grow up and take responsibility for your actions.

In that one year away, I learnt more and experienced life through actually living.  I learnt about religion, about life , about philosophy.  I travelled from the North of Israel all the way down to the Southern tip of Eilat that borders Jordan.  While being in Eilat, I hiked a mountain that from the top of it you see Egypt, Syria and Jordan.  I lived on a kibbutz and spent some time there.  I spontaneously took a trip to Cyprus and Rhodes.  What i am trying to get at is that when you are thrusted into an unknown world and culture, it forces one to be appreciative of what you have and get by by yourself.  I did not have a car  there I either took a public bus and got lost or hitchhiked with whomever (something i do not suggest unless you are in israel!).  These experiences and journeys are ones that made me grow up and take responsibility for my own actions.  I got into trouble and didn’t have my mom to bail me out, I got lost and didn’t have a phone to reach anyone.  These experiences shaped the person I became and I learnt more about life and about myself then any classroom will ever teach me!