hi everyone! i moved to israel!

For those of you who don't already know, about a month ago I moved to Israel for the year to help teach English!

Moving halfway around the world in the middle of a global pandemic was never something I thought I'd do in my life but then again, the whole notion of a global pandemic still feels fairly foreign to me despite how much all of our lives have changed these past few months. But, pandemic or not, I never imagined that at 21 years old, I'd be living in a country I hadn't visited in over 8 years or spent more than a cumulative 12 days in.

Ever since I moved here, I've had this constant need to pinch myself to confirm my life is real. Every Mediterranean sunset feels like I'm living in a movie. Coming to Isreal felt like the manifestation of everything I've ever aspired to do with my life and I still can't get used to the fact that I'm not on vacation; this is just my reality now! For as long as I can remember, all I've ever wanted was to travel the world and do good for others, and that's exactly what this year is all about. That, and getting outside my comfort zone as much as humanly possible, (which pretty much began the second I waved goodbye to my parents in the security line at the airport).

I'm a firm believer that we become the best versions of ourselves when we're challenged to get uncomfortable and do scary things. And whether it's learning to be a little more independent by exploring my new city alone or practicing my rusty Hebrew at the produce store downstairs, I've been practically shoved out of my comfort zone more times in the past 4 weeks than in the past 4 months combined. As cheesy as it sounds, I know I'm better for every blister, lockdown, miscalculation of shekels, google translate mishap, and delayed bus I experience.

So, in the spirit of the Jewish new year tonight, fresh beginnings, and personal growth, I'm challenging myself to document my experience here on this blog! I hope you'll follow along as I attempt to make the most of this crazy year and embark on an exciting adventure! Please enjoy some photos from an amazing beach day yesterday and so you'll believe me when I say there really is nothing like an Israeli sunset :)