Don't Be Blind

I've never really had a blog before, although I have kept journals my entire life. I love being able to look back and remember all the lovely (and maybe not-so-lovely) details of my past. I never want to forget any of those details, because all of them put together have made me into the person I am today. As a have become the person I am now, I have come to accept that I am who I am, and I am so happy with that. I grow and change everyday, and I work to make sure my changes are positive. My dreams are to travel the world and learn as much about everything as I possibly can and to always be surrounded by people that I love and who love me in return. I don't think that learning is something that ever stops in life. I also believe the best way to learn is through first-hand experience, not sitting within the walls of a classroom.

I know that I am very blessed to have family and friends that love me, and the means with which I can purchase necessities, as well as items that I just simply want to have. I am so thankful for that, and I don't think I express by gratitude nearly enough. When I look around me and see that people are living in horrific conditions, I just know that I need to help. If I could make a true difference in just one person's life, I think I would feel as if my life were complete. If I could make a difference in many lives, in entire families or communities, I would be beyond ecstatic.

I find it funny that at this moment when I am preparing for my journeys abroad, I feel as if I am the closest with my family and friends at home. I have been looking forward to these explorations for so long, and now that the time has almost arrived, I can't even imagine leaving. I know that I will have such an amazing time and that I am so very blessed to have people here that mean so much to me that I don't want to leave them behind.

In 4 days, I will be leaving for Israel. I am participating in Hillel's National Leaders Assembly. The itinerary looks incredible, and I can't wait to return to my home. I feel as though I am not actually going to be back, like perhaps I am kidding with myself. It is too good to be true. This will be my second trip to the Holy Land. I traveled there in the summer of 2006, right after I graduated from highschool, and it changed my life completely. Everything I had once found to be of utmost importance suddenly seemed not worthy of so much attention. I learned the true ideals of friendship as I met some of the most incredible people I have had the pleasure of meeting in my entire life. I also learned the harsh realities of hate, which are still impossible for me to truly understand. After 4 weeks of hiking, visiting museums, meeting Israelis, making friends, and learning the culture, my group traveled to Poland to visit the remnants of Jewish communities and death camps. In 5 days we visited 6 death camps, and it was the most overwhelming, indescribable experience. The day before we had left for Poland, Israel went to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon because IDF soldiers were kidnapped and missing. I really learned the importance of the Jewish community and realized how much I had fallen in love with Israel, how much it is truly my home where I belong, when we were told that we could not return to Israel as planned because of the war. We pleaded with the madrichim and our parents. We didn't care if we were going to be putting ourselves in danger; we felt that more than ever we needed to be in Israel with our brothers and sisters to support them and be with them. I have never felt such heartbreak in my entire life as in the moment in which we were told we were returning to the United States, nor have I felt so much joy and excitement as when we were told that we would be allowed to return to Israel as long as we had parental consent. Being able to return to Israel is the greatest gift I have ever received, and now, in 4 short days, I will be receiving this gift again. I can only hope that one day I will be able to wake up morning after morning in Israel in my own home with people that I love.

I am not really sure why I love traveling so much, but I can safely say that it is my favorite thing to do. I love the unknown, and I love change. Learning of different cultures and different ways of life from my own is intriguing and allows me to reflect on my own values, morals, and beliefs. Before my trip to Israel in 2006 I had gone to Europe in the Spring of 2005 and Japan in the Summer of 2005. I went to Europe with a class in highschool, and we traveled in Italy, France, and England. It was a great experience, and my first adventure abroad. I went to Japan through Youth for Understanding and stayed with a host family for 6 weeks. I learned so much while I was there, and my Japanese improved tremendously because my family did not speak any English. That was probably one the biggest challenges I have ever had to face, but I really learned that you can communicate in so many other ways besides language. Even with the language barrier (because my Japanese wasn't THAT good) and such enormous differences in culture, we were able to communicate and become very close, and I think about them very often. I can't wait to see them again. My host mother promised me they would come to America for my wedding, whenever that happens to be. It is going to be so weird to see my siblings Mikoto, Yukina, and Kentarou all grown up. It's funny how quickly that happens.

After my trip to Israel next week, I will be returning to Wittenberg for another semester of learning, growing, and making good friends, and I can't wait! I will also be traveling to Nicaragua to build a house for a family currently living in one made of scrap metal and cardboard. At the beginning of May I will be traveling to Lesotho in Africa to help build houses and work with orphans living in an AIDS orphanage. I am sure these journeys will be tough ones, and I will experience and see things and conditions that I never imagined possible. I know it will be eye-opening, and I can't wait to make a difference and learn more about the world that we live in.

Through everything I have experienced, I have come to see that no matter what is going on in the immediate context of your life, there is always something good. There is always love. Friends. Hope. As Ziggy Marley so nicely puts it, "There's a rainbow in the sky all the time, don't be blind."



It truly is a beautiful day, and I intend to make the most of it.