This week we started training at a university in Holon. The training started with some lectures in a huge hall for a few hours. Most of the information was in one ear and out the other but a few things did stick with me. The first is that Masa means journey. Masa is the huge organization that the ITF is a part of. The other is that since we have 10 months here, we need to take it slow. When people travel for a few weeks at a time or when Birthright took me around Israel, they move so fast that you don't get to stop and look around. You get to see a lot but you just see the icing on the cake and do not get to sink your teeth into the many sweet layers that are hidden beneath. 10 months is a long time. At the end I know I will be saying how fast it went but for right now, it is a long time. I love the term "Island Time" and it reminds me to take a step back and look around. When people are always in a rush they miss things, they miss the world around them and I want to take a step back and enjoy the world around me. They also talked about teaching and the Israeli school system but I will experience that on my own rather than letting someone else tell me what to expect.
The rest of the training was a little boring. They had some good advice and for the most part what they told us will be useful, but I think it could have been better. Unfortunately I do not really feel prepared but I know I am a fast learner and I am sure I will be fine. I just really want to start doing what I came here to do and get my school placement and meet the teachers.
Today was the first step in the right direction for me because we actually got to see one of the schools. Our group of 15 teachers split up into 3 groups and got a tour of the schools, and sat in on some classes. Many of the staff members tell us that we are lucky to be a part of the Ramla ITF group. This is because it is different than many of the other groups. First of all, Ramla is one of the most diverse cities in all of Israel so we will get to teach Jewish, Arab, Ethiopian, and immigrants from all over the world in the same class. Many of these children have also never left Ramla and have never met anyone from the United States. The staff says that we have the opportunity to really make an impact on the lives of these students as long as we are motivated to make that impact. From the experience in the school today I can see that we will be making a difference. All of the students were very interested in us and they see us as role models. The lady taking my group on the tour explained how in our first few days the children will come up to us and touch us, talk to us, and poke us as if checking to see that we are indeed real.
I am extremely excited to start this journey, to overcome the challenges, and to achieve my goals no matter how large or small they may be.
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