During the summer before junior year, many students think about leaving home and where they might want to go off to college. The summer before her junior year, senior Sadie Rosenberg, was packing to move halfway across the world to study abroad in Israel. The start of her junior year was irregular, yet extremely memorable. Rosenberg looks back on her trip to Israel for a semester during her junior year, and how it impacted her social and academic life.
“I missed out on a lot of things that I wish I didn’t, but I had such a good time,” Rosenberg said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Rosenberg went through the program UYJ Heller High, which takes small groups of Jewish kids around the country of Israel. A day on this trip would consist of school, special Jewish education and touring. Rosenberg was gone Aug. 28 through Dec. 28, missing almost a whole semester of school. She took honors and AP classes which made the transition harder to adjust to.
“It was an experience coming back to school, especially when education in Israel wasn’t academically rigorous,” she said.
Not only did she enjoy touring Israel, but she also made fond memories and bonded with a community of people like her.
“It was so nice to get to go on vacation for four months with my friends. It would be awesome to meet more people like them and get to travel to another country or place,” Rosenberg said.
While her trip was exhilarating, Rosenberg felt distant between her friends at school while in Israel.
“It is amazing how close you can get with people in four months and also how much you can drift. My friends changed a bunch in both ways. I made new friends and became distant to others,” Rosenberg said.
While some may be hesitant when given such an opportunity, Rosenberg believes it was worth taking it and recommends the same to others.
“Do it, it’s fun. Jump outside the box and take a risk of trying something new,” Rosenberg said.
After all the ups and downs of the opportunity, Rosenberg reflects on the journey she had and how it has affected her now.
“I think going to a new environment away from where I grew up made me really think about who I am and what I like, and not just what others around me have been liking. I know who I am and what I like, more now than I did before,” Rosenberg said.
