summer vacation-- goodbye junior year

What an intense few weeks! This is the first few minutes that I've had to actually sit down and breathe. First off, I would like to announce that I am now officially a senior! JUNIOR YEAR IS FINALLY OVER. Not that this semester was challenging as a whole as far as school work goes, but finals week was hell. It's hard enough to buckle down and study, but when you live with screaming teenagers and have no where to go, it gets heated and frustrating. I'm so glad that I can take this last week to kick back, relax, and live up my last moments on TRY. It seems so unreal to say that it's the end. I honestly have never felt time pass so quickly in my life. So much has changed and friendships have grown, but I don't know when these things happened! I would like to emphasize again how absolutely incredible this experience was. I feel so blessed to have been able to spend a whole semester of high school in Israel. I took it for granted a lot, but when I think about it, how crazy was I to pick up and leave everything I knew so early in life!
This is the second to last shabbos I have on the program and I'm spending it here on campus with 34 other kids. Everyone is so stress free now that school is over and it should be a really relaxing shabbat. Sunday is goodbye brunch to all my teachers, an art project thing that they do every year, and final meetings. We leave for the Golan on Monday, return Wednesday, then it's Shavuot. Before I know it, I'll be waving goodbye to my second family and spend the last week in Israel with my best friend. Summer plans have been huge on my list of things to deal with. I thought camp was out of the question, but time went on, I started to think seriously about being a counselor. Unfortunately, it was too late, but they need lifeguards, so if I can, I'll take a YMCA training course for the ten days that I'll be in town, then head off again to Schechter. If I don't do that, then chances are i'll nanny or find a job doing something else. So much has happened that I don't know where to begin. I think I'll wait until I come home so that I can vent and share about all my experiences without annoying my friends too much. I'm sure they'll get sick of hearing about all my stories. But to summarize: I'm incredibly sad about leaving, but also so grateful that I had the opportunity to come and meet some of the most amazing people I have ever met. I know that life goes on and people come in and out of your life, but I couldn't have asked for a better four months. For all of you at home-- I'm looking forward to seeing you in a little over three weeks. XXO