The highlight of my last month was my trip to Barcelona with my brother. When I knew I was coming back to Israel I didn't think that I would leave the country for 10 months. The main reason was that I didn't think I could afford it. I have also traveled in Europe and I wanted to experience a lot of Israel. Anyway, my brother and I planned a trip to Barcelona and everything worked out fairly well.
We rented an apartment in the old city, near the Jaume I Metro stop. This is one of my favorite areas in the city. Our apartment had a rooftop panoramic view and you could see just about everything. The sun rose over the Mediterranean over the Santa Maria del Mar, and set through the Steeple of the Cathedral. I will not explain the entire trip in detail but I took him around the city, we biked, drank, ate great food, did a lot of walking and saw a classical guitarist Manuel Gonzalez perform in a different church, the Santa Maria del Pi. That was my second time watching him live, the first was in the Palau de la Musica Catalana with my aunt and uncle. We also went on a tour of the Palau de la Musica, which remains to be my favorite place in Barcelona.
My last day in Barcelona was December 21, 2012. THE END OF THE WORLD. So everyone knows the story. It was the end of the 13th Baktun of the Mayan calendar which lasts for over 5000 years. First of all, the Mayans don't have any recordings of what will after the end of the 13th Baktun because their civilization didn't last long enough. But it is more of a beginning than an ending, and that is what I like to focus on. December 21st, obviously, is very close to the new year of the Gregorian calendar.
This idea of a new beginning has always resonated with me. If you know me well, you know that I am a very optimistic person. I like to focus on the good, and learn from the bad. 2013 will have a major impact on my life. My birthday is also on December 28th so I am 23, this will be my first full year out of college and more or less independent. How will I grow? What will I learn? How can I make the most of my experience here in Israel? I will have many experiences this year that I have never had to think about, but I am excited and ready to take charge.
I had a post about the Rosh Hashonna, the Jewish New Year, a few months ago. I made a challenging new years resolution about how I was going to be more open about what I want and if people are bothering me. Today my friend, who I have not seen in a few months, asked me how that was going. I said it was going well. In some parts of my life it is going well, but in others I think I can still improve. I am doing a great job at my school. If anything is bothering me, or if I have a problem with a student, I don't hesitate to take action. I am a peacemaker and I do not like to cause drama, but I need to keep this idea close to me. I take on a leadership position in what I am a part of and this is a major part of being a leader.
The first Monday of every month, we have a training seminar. This month it was in Jerusalem and included all of ITF in Israel. The training was about interpersonal relationships. The lecture was mostly about how a messenger can most successfully convey their message to their audience. It kind of goes hand in hand with my previous paragraph, which I am just realizing now. But I learned a lot from the lecture and I want to implement some of the strategies into my teaching. This is a very positive first step in making the most of my time in Israel. I feel that I am doing a good job teaching but I know I can do more. I know I have a lot of potential to make an impact on my students lives. I need to start planning my classes more and finding different, fun ways to fully engage my students.
I have a trait that sets me apart from many of my peers. I truly care. We get 1000 shekels a month (~$300). The mindset of many people in the Israel Teaching Fellows is that "I am getting paid X and I am going to put X amount of effort into my work." This is extremely frustrating for me. My mindset is that it is a learning experience and I am a volunteer. I need to make the most out of this experience and there is no reason to attach a dollar amount to the effort I put in. I only have 10 months here. At school, I can also do whatever I want. At the end of the year a full time teacher needs to show that their students improved that year. I don't have to prove anything. Of course I want my students to improve but the fact that I don't need to show results means that I can try things that are different and not be afraid to fail. The people training me keep saying that "you are not teachers." We are educators but we are here for different reasons. I am a resource to help my teachers and I want to be the best resource that I can be. I know that the more effort I put into this experience, the more I will take from it, and the more it will shape my future. Now the question is, how do I get my peers to have a similar mindset?
