Americans and Israelis have different cultural norms. In America we tend to think bigger is better.

When I arrived at Ben Gurion airport I felt as if I hadn’t left the United States. It looked the same as the Unites States would have looked if we were in a different state like Florida or California. When we got off the airplane I started to realize the differences that Israel has compared to the United States. Some of these differences were noticeable and others were found by looking and learning about the history, culture, and basically everything about Israel. As the weeks passed, I found more and more similarities and differences between the two countries.

After my first month here, I am finally feeling a little bit like a true Israeli. I have now been all over the country and have stayed at two different Israeli households, one conservative and one orthodox. I have noticed so many differences between America and Israel, ranging from the food, language, weather, daily schedule, clothing, and overall mentality.

Now that I have been here in Israel for a month, I have come to realize that there are so many differences between Israel and America, some very small differences such as there are falafel stands all around the country, and some huge differences.

Before I left for Israel, my peers at school had many questions. “Are Israelis very different from Americans?” “What is the culture like there?” “Do you think you’ll fit in?” Since I have been here, I have discovered that there are indeed many differences between Israelis and Americans.

Coming to Israel I was expecting a huge culture shock but to my surprise it’s been a pretty easy transition. Don’t get me wrong there are some pretty big differences in the food, the language, the people but overall it’s not hard to get by.

This past month, living in Israel, has been an amazing and eye-opening experience. The best experience, in fact, that I have ever had. Israel and America could not be more different, and I am in love with this foreign and distinct culture, people, and food. My past trip to Israel had been one of a tourist, feeling like I was watching everything that was happening from the outside, now I feel like I’m truly experiencing Israel, living among Am Yisrael. Living in Israel has made me more independent, opened up my eyes to the contrast between America and Israel.

As I have settled into living in Israel, I have noticed that there were many differences from being back in America. Among the many differences I have noticed, the ones that stick out the most to me are the language, the food, the driving, and the weekends.

It’s 7:00 in the morning and I’ve been hiking up a mountain for about an hour. My breathing is heavy and my chest aches, I’m sweating through my clothes and my water is half full. The group pauses every so often to rest and drink, yet we cannot sit or our muscles will contract. We continue up until finally we hit the plateau of the mountain. All around us are settlements built from clay or stone.

I am in love with this country!! I’m still in awe over the fact that I get to learn about things and visit the exact places where history occurred. It’s incredible.

Even when we are not in class or on an official tiyul, we are always learning about the country. I am excited for this week, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us!

Alexander Muss is very different from my school at home in a variety of ways. The biggest difference between the two is the extreme amounts of travel we experience here in Israel. Instead of learning in a classroom everyday, we learn through nature and historic sights.

The best part about our core class is that we get to use Israel as our classroom. When I read the description of the class online, before I had come, I wasn’t looking forward to it that much because I don’t love learning about things that happened thousands of years ago. But after our first tiyul, I realized this class would be nothing like what I had expected.

One of the most unique things about Alexander Muss High School in Israel are the Tiyulim. After spending many classes learning about an event in history, we get to visit the exact place where that event took place.

This week’s blog is about my “living classroom.” As we learn about events in Jewish history, starting from 2000 BCE up until 1967, we get to travel to the sites all over Israel to have a lesson about it.

Here, Israel acts as my classroom. The grass is my chair, the rocks are my desk and the mountains are my white-board.

Bedouin tents, hiking Masada, walking through the streets of Jerusalem, giving care packages to people in Sderot, and then the people inviting us into their homes and giving us such kind hospitality. Israel is a place of love, but also a place of contrast, and a place of pride. The country is beautiful, and has so many unique experiences that can occur while here. It is amazing how a country surrounded by enemies can be so open to people, and so kind to visitors who come here.

Since I arrived in Israel, there have been hundreds of memorable and inspiring moments. My friends and I have been making so many memories here in Israel that I would not have made if I never came on this trip. This trip has helped me experience so many new things and gave me so many new experiences. Being an Impact Fellow has helped show me what events are important and which events are not.

So many of the crazy moments we have had here could have only happened in Israel.