I have spent much of my time here in Israel sitting in or studying for my many classes. However, school is not the only place that I learn; I have found that everyday life here teaches me just as much, if not more, than my academic courses. For example, I have a Hebrew class several times a week that has taught me formal grammatical rules. Although this subject has been helpful, the majority of my knowledge of the language comes from exposure. After about a month here, I find it far easier to understand, pronounce and repeat words and even sentences in Hebrew. Hearing students my age speaking with each other has provided me with an invaluable opportunity to pick up on key phrases and colloquial expressions.

Hello again, this blog I’d like to write about Israel as a living classroom. Israel is a beautiful country with many interesting nuances, stories that bring out every kind of emotion from pride to inspired to grieving. But translating that to our tiyulim?

Many strangers will approach you on the street just to have a conversation about anything with you, while in America people are very close minded to talking to people they don’t know. People are very welcoming and helpful to me because they know I’m a tourist. If I ever can’t figure out where I need to go, what something says, etc., there is always someone there that is happy to help me out.

Hello again, this blog is about the differences between America and Israel. Stepping out of Ben Gurion, I felt a lot of things, amazement, excitement, lucky, anxious, and a lot bit stressed about my luggage. The aura of an airport wasn’t much different from any American one I’ve been to, if at all.

Another big difference is the food! I mean how could I let a blog go by without talking about the food. Being in Israel has been great for me food-wise because I am kosher and I almost never have to worry about finding kosher restaurants. Another difference is that in America if you were dancing on the streets with friends and singing they would look at you wrong but here they will join you. All in all, here in Israel the vibes are different. Wherever I go and whoever I meet I feel instantly connected you because I know that we share our Judaism (for the most part) and our love for the holy land.

So, after being here in Israel for almost 3 weeks now, I have been able to see many differences between Israel and America. Not just the countries, but the people, the food, and the culture.

Another difference I’ve noticed is how important going to the army is here and being responsible and knowing their duties and paying their services. In America, most people, or at least the people I know, are so scared of joining the army. In Israel, people are happy to be loyal to their country, which makes me so happy about Israel being so united. I feel that if more people had that mindset in America, it could solve a lot of issues. Unlike in America, people aren’t really doing anything with some situations, which causes a lot of problems.

In a big country with so much diversity like the US, it's easy to forget that people in other countries have different cultures. For us, maybe there are differences between the coasts or regions, or city vs. rural, but we are all part of the same American culture. I’ve only been in Israel for three weeks, but in this time as a foreigner in another culture, I’ve been able to notice some of the differences between Israelis and Americans.

In terms of school, I am afforded greater freedom at Muss. Much like in college, we are simply expected to find our way to our classes and may return to our dorms at any time. In general, the academic atmosphere here is informal when compared to America. We are allowed to refer to teachers by their first names and the relationship dynamic is, in general, less strict than back home. Overall, Israel is unfamiliar to me; however, I am confident that it will feel like a second home to me soon.

I have been living in Israel for about three weeks and I have encountered so many differences than living in Seattle. I noticed that in Israel everything is faster especially the aggressive driving. The currency is different so knowing the exchange rate is crucial and helpful so you know if you are getting a good deal or not. The service can be on and off where I get my falafel the employees are very nice but sometimes when I go to a place for the first time they’ll try to scam me to make an easy dollar.

I feel the difference in culture because pretty much everyone is Jewish, but Jewish is such a broad term. You can think of it as one religion but inside that religion there are many other, such as how religious you are in the sense of orthodox, or Conservative. They still are both Jewish and believe in the same god just have different ways of showing it.

I’ve been in Israel for three weeks so far on this amazing program and I am having the best time. Being away from home for this long can be very hard. At first I was overwhelmed but I adjusted fairly quickly because I found how connected I am with the land of Israel and the people. In Israel, the people are not afraid to speak their minds.

I left the United States nearly about 3 weeks ago and arrived in Israel. When I first stepped off the plane to get on the bus that brought us to AMHSI everything felt a little different. Obviously the big differences that I noticed first were the amazing architecture, it's so diverse from what I see in America. Another big difference is the people, they have different versions of manners here. Israelis will tell you the truth straight up and definitely don't wait in line.

When I got to the city I looked around expecting to see many American chains everywhere. Instead, I was greeted with Hebrew and Arabic words everywhere, and I was instantly hit by the real, authentic Israel, which has a much more unique culture and lifestyle than I could ever have imagined.

The fear of anything beyond one's comfort zone. What a perfect phrase to sum up how I am feeling before embarking on my journey to Israel. Growing up in Miami, Florida I was sent to a Jewish private school for over 10 years where I got a thorough Jewish education. Over the years I had learned about all the holidays, major historical events, and even knew how to read and write in Hebrew. Having had the opportunity to learn all of this I was always curious about where it all happened.

Arriving at Ben Gurion, my aspirations for this trip were the last thing on my mind; all I wanted to do was get to my room and go to sleep. However, now that I have finally recovered from the exhaustion of travelling, I am starting to focus on my goals. Making friends is, of course, near the top of my list. Although I have only been in Israel for a few days, I have already found a group of people that I fit in with. Even though it is impossible to befriend everybody, I aim to continue to broaden my horizons and be on good terms with everyone on the semester program.

I have carved out some goals for myself. I know how fortunate I am to be able to spend 4 months in Israel so I am setting a goal to be more mindful of the present moment. I’m so incredibly lucky to be here in Israel and I don't want to waste any more time being involved in pointless drama, worrying about what I’m missing out on at home, or scrolling through my phone for hours on end. I want to cherish and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Regardless of what my goals were when I first got here, I am completely certain on how I want my experience at AMHSI to be. And because of the people I have met and the places I have already gone, I know that they are completely achievable.

Another goal I have is to improve my Hebrew. I have learned Hebrew in varying classes before because I went to Jewish Day School, but I’ve always struggled most with speaking. The opportunity to take a Hebrew class and even better, to be surrounded by Hebrew speakers, is something I have been looking forward to about this program. My goal is that I will be more comfortable speaking in Hebrew while I am here - in shops, restaurants and in class; and that when I return home, I will be able to keep this knowledge.

Hello, my name is Shlomie Assouline, and I am extremely excited to be an Alexander Muss High School in Israel Impact fellow. For months I have been telling people that I will head to Israel to study abroad, receiving massive kudos and some disbelief. I have been buying and trying on clothes, packing for four months, trying to manage a social life, and keeping a day job as a counselor. But for what?