Summer: A time for fun, love, friends, sunshine, beaches, exploration and growth. A time to enjoy yourself without the demands of school and homework. It's the perfect time to relax, swim, tan and enjoy yourself between the toiling school years. Anyone who forfeits their right to a chill summer must be crazy, right? That's what I always thought... until this summer.

Ever heard of a summer trip to Israel? How about a summer school program? Now, tell me, have you ever heard of a mix between the two? I didn't even know it existed until a friend referred me to a program called the Eisendrath International Exchange, or EIE. As a hardcore NFTYite (North American Federation of Temple Youth), I had, of course, heard of EIE, NFTY's High School in Israel program, and knew many friends who had been on the trip. One friend told me that EIE had a new six-week summer semester this year. Two weeks before the registration deadline, I got to work filling out papers, and now I'm here in the Holy Land with renewed faith in my decision.

I began this summer with sky-high hopes. After two summers at Kutz, NFTY's Leadership Academy, I couldn't even imagine how much I'd love traveling to Israel for six weeks with 31 other NFTYites. I was pumped at the airport; I even volunteered to hand out the name tags so that I was the first to meet people. With duffle bag, backpack and guitar in tow, I was ready for an amazing summer.

However, upon arrival in Israel, I got the impression that I was going to be slightly disappointed. I felt no connection to the land. None at all. I was depressed, upset, and quite frankly, shocked. What is this nonsense, I thought. Israel is my homeland, I should feel complete here! But still, nothing. I was less than satisfied with the way my summer had begun, but I figured that I'd better give the other participants a chance. I'd find over the next three weeks that saying I'd “give them a chance” wasn't a promise I had any intention of keeping.

“I thought I could handle it,” I said to my father over the phone on the last night of our five-day trip in the Negev, “but I just can't. All the kids are rude and fake, and I hate it. Isn't there any way I can come home?” You're probably thinking I was just overreacting, but I swear to you, I was ready to hop on a plane back to good ol' Michigan. After being assured that leaving wasn't even close to an option, I decided I was going to suck it up.

The next morning, before we headed back to Kibbutz Tzuba, our home away from home, we hiked to a spot in the desert and were given a few minutes to sit by ourselves—away from everyone else—to reflect. I sat for a while, just looking around, and playing with the sand. After four or five minutes, I began writing in the sand. One after the other, I wrote phrases describing my negative feelings toward the summer, the program and my classmates, and then wiped them away. I realized that you can ruin good things, or you can get rid of bad things. I chose to get rid of the bad feelings; I wrote “I love Israel and EIE” in the sand, and I walked away.

My epiphany has lasted the whole four days since we got back (laughable, I know), but I'm positive it will last through our weekend trip to the north, our Shabbat dinner at the principal's house, and the entire three weeks I have left before I actually go back home. I'm ready to face any rude comment, insult or criticism people throw my way, and I know that no matter what negative feelings I have toward people in the future, I'll be able to wipe it away, like words in the sand.