Winding down

I've been so busy keeping this blog full of stories about all of the fun that we're having that I've almost entirely neglected to report on volunteering, which is, in the end, the entire reason why we're all here. With only two more weeks of school (after this one), I'm starting to fully grasp just how crazy and incredible this experience has been. I came to Ashdod having no teaching experience whatsoever and having never worked with kids before (I completely avoided all babysitting opportunities growing up), so I didn't have any expectations. Then once we got here, our program coordinators all but told us that Israeli kids were nightmares and that we were in for a crazy ride. Rolan and I went in expecting the worst, but our kids continue to surprise us. They're the complete opposite of horrible. Yeah, we may be a bit biased because they literally applaud when we walk into the room (some squeal and jump up and down, but that's usually just for Rolan), but even so, these kids are great. I do think that it's a breath of fresh air for the students to have new people in the classroom every once in a while. We come in with interesting and well-thought out lesson plans (props to Rolan, that kid is meant to be a teacher), and it's definitely beneficial for them to have conversations with native English speakers while learning about U.S. culture. While I firmly believe that Makif Vav has the best students in Ashdod (my friend Boris got a chair thrown at him by a student at his school), the teachers definitely deserve some of the credit. I have made such great friends with the teachers at school. They're excited to have us, they appreciate our hard work, and they are incredibly helpful. They have completely taken us under their wing. We've even gone to dinner at two of their houses!

Today at school, Ettie Bar (one of our favorite teachers) and her 11th grade class threw a surprise party for Rolan and me to thank us for our time here. There was a ton of food; pita, hummus, salad, pastries and juices. One of the students even made a cheesecake. It was incredibly heartwarming to see how much planning had gone into this little party; it was one of those amazing moments where I actually felt like I have made an impact here. The students all went around and individually thanked us for coming, thanked us for sharing pictures and stories of our homes, and for giving them a glimpse into American culture. They asked me to speak as well, and I almost teared up! I guess I never expected volunteering at a high school to be so gratifying.

I'm sure there will be much more reflecting as this trip winds down, about school and everything else, so you're all going to have to bear with my occasional sappiness. This experience has been like nothing I've ever done before, and like nothing I'll ever do again. I definitely can't wait to get back to the U.S. and back to work (I desperately miss having a real job, is that weird?), but the friends and family that I've made here have changed my life.