This week, my time at Mamsheet Camel Ranch is coming to a close. The last time I serve dinner to a tour group will be either tonight or tomorrow; I’ve probably led my last camel ride because of the pouring rain, and hopefully I will not be raking sand or picking up cigarette butts again for a while. Since my roommate left for the Year Course Poland trip, I won’t be watching another episode of Scrubs in our trailer during our free time.

I’m halfway through the “Israel Experience” portion of Year Course, in which all of the chanichim (participants) in my section are spread out throughout the country, living in various environments and working in different jobs to get a grasp of what an Israeli’s daily life is like.

As the weather here got colder, my life went through several drastic changes as well.

I spent my first three months on Year Course in Jerusalem, staying in a multi-million-dollar hostel with 150 other Year Coursers, taking classes during the day and going out at night. There was so much excitement and so many things to do that I could rarely even find time to sleep, and my body and wallet were both about to burst.