As I am writing this there are 14 days, 0 hours, 6 minutes, and 27 seconds until we leave for Israel. I am so excited to go and see all of my Israeli friends, as well as to explore my Jewish heritage with my fellow 10th graders. Today we learned which Haifa students will be hosting us. I can't wait to see what their daily lives are like. I am dreading the packing and worried that we will get snowed out of Jerusalem like they did last year. But, I know that whatever happens we

With 19 days to go until we leave for Israel, everyone is starting to get excited. Of course, as with any big trip away from home, nerves are in the air, but after our first meeting with the 10th graders and their parents, it's obvious the kids are ready to go. They've been in touch with their Israeli friends almost nonstop since they left and getting to see them again is a huge deal. We covered a lot in our initial meeting: safety, expectations, flights and itinerary and mos