If this is your first time reading any of my blogs, welcome. For those of you that know me well are already aware of my passion for writing about my travels around the world.
For the next 10 months (or rather 9, since this first post comes when I have already been living in Israel for a month), I will be using this blog to share my thoughts, adventures, people I meet, places I visit, and professional and volunteer work I will be experiencing as I immerse myself in the Israeli way of life.
Why am I in Israel? Good question, so here's my textbook answer:
During the months of August 2013-June 2014, I will be participating in a program called Israel Teaching Fellows. This organization was created three years ago and is funded by MASA and the Israeli Ministry of Education. MASA, meaning "Journey," sends Jewish North American college graduates between the ages of 22-30 to Israel to work directly with Israeli youth. Not only does ITF provide schools in Israel the opportunity to close the achievement gap on English Language acquisition, but ITF also fosters the growth and bond of globalized citizens among the participants and the communities we will be working with all year long.
Why, you still ask, did I specifically come to Israel to teach English? Here's my more heartfelt and personal answer, take with it what you will:
Before I left for Birthright for 10 days in January of 2010, I felt conflicted inside, with questions about my life and my Jewish religion. I thought that going to Israel would perhaps answer these burning questions that were creating an internal battle between my thoughts and emotions, as if what I was thinking or feeling was wrong, despite the positivity that surrounds my life. Once I traveled to Jerusalem and touched the Western Wall for the first time, I felt something strange, yet calming surround me and fill me up inside. It's not a feeling nor an emotion I can ever translate into words, it was just...something.
Once I returned to the States, and was emailed information from MASA every other day, especially about future teaching opportunities, I knew I had to come back. Call it a professional, personal, spiritual, or religious calling, but I call it a sign. Something was drawing me back here, and it was my job to figure out what that something was. So here I am, 3.5 years later, in the middle of the Negev Desert already embarking on my new adventure in life. Now, you may be wondering, Kayla, did you get those questions that you had before Birthright answered? Truthfully? No. That may sound disheartening or disappointing to you, and I'll tell you why: I left Israel not with satisfactory answers, but even MORE burning questions that in some small ways answered parts of my initial questions, but nonetheless brought on more questions.
Welcome to what I like to call Judaism, folks, the religion where the Holy Land's name, "Israel," literally translates to "wrestles with God" in Hebrew. Whatever religion you practice, or don't practice for that matter, you can hopefully allow yourself to understand the fact that life throws us all curveballs, and most of the time, the tough questions are never answered, but in fact are brought on with more questions to wrestle with for days, weeks, months, years, or a lifetime.
With that, I leave you with this answer: I came to Israel to wrestle with God, my religion, my personal values, my professional career path, and the biggest struggle of all, my purpose on this Earth, the ever popular, yet truthful wrestling match we all embark on when we enter this beautiful and chaotic world we call life.
So, whether you're reading this blog because you're my immediate family (for whom I would hope will be my most avid readers of this blog, hint hint), or you're a relative, dear friend, family friend, friend of a friend, mere acquaintance, colleague, former professor, former and/or current mentor, student of mine, dog, cat, lion, tiger, bear (wait a second...), or you're just someone out there who has stumbled upon this blog looking for a quick read (sorry, but you've really picked the wrong blog), or you're looking for some sort of inspiration, to you I say, welcome to the next important chapter of the Book of Kayla (see what I did there?). Now, let's get this show on the road, shall we?
Shalom,
Kayla
