New Families - The P2G Mifgash Experience, by Gabs

For 5 days, we were in the north with our friends from Emek Hahula school. It was great to see them again after 6 months and our experience with them in Israel was amazing. The activities we did with them were a lot of fun but that was not what made the Mifgash what it was. 

There is no way to describe our excitement and joy as we ran off the bus and into the welcoming arms, literally and figuratively, of our pen pals and their families. When I got to my host's house, the first thing her mom said to me was, "this is your house too now, make yourself at home."  Of course we often hear this when we go to someone's house for the first time and then feel awkward about it anyway, but I didn't this time. Omer's family made me feel like I was genuinely at home with real family. I know the others felt the same way. All of our host families were super nice and hospitable. And in case any parents are worried about us not eating enough, some recurring comments were  "they always asked if I'm hungry." "They fed me anyway." "They gave me so much food." We're all very appreciative for what these families did for us. 

Each morning, we got on buses to school with our pen pals. We saw what their classes are like (and were surprised by how calm, quiet and organized they were. Just kidding, it was the exact opposite) and how they go about with their everyday lives. Seeing the lifestyles of kids just like us living completely different lives was very interesting. It is one thing to learn about life in Israel but totally new to actually experience it ourselves. We have studied a book called "The Israelis" and heard about ways Judaism is practiced in Israel and now we got to see it with our own eyes. For me, it put emphasis on how all of the Jewish people are one big family, no matter how we practice or where we are. 

Simply bonding further with our friends was the highlight of our trip. Just sitting with them and talking, or floating down the Jordan river, or playing tag in the dark (there weren't too many injuries, just a few run-ins with trees). Saying good bye was very difficult and heartbreaking, not knowing when we'll all be together again, but as Moreh Ari said, it's good that we're sad because it means we had a good time. All in all, we made our tight-knit friendships even stronger, saw and experienced ways of life almost unknown to us, got adopted into knew families, and of course had lots of fun!

-Gabs