"A Mountain of New Knowledge"

A meaningful moment can come at any time and through anything. Sometimes things that would seem the most mundane create the most meaningful moments. This was the case for me in my NAS experience. This moment for me was the hike up the mountain. The hike gave me the opportunity to discuss with multiple people from the Israeli group their daily lives contrary to our daily lives.

I began the hike with a goal; to talk and have a nice conversation with as many of the Israelis that I could. This goal was accomplished, and the outcome was definitely more meaningful than I excepted. The first person I talked to, told me about his school and what he described as his ‘major’, meaning what he is specializing in with his studies. This ‘major’ will eventually propel him into what he wants to do in the IDF and that is to be in the Intelligence Department. After this I moved on to another Israeli, we discussed food and dietary habits with one another. I found it interesting to see how he felt about American foods and habits that I would think are totally normal, but he had to take a second look because it was out of the ordinary for him. The next Israeli I spoke to told me how in Israel he can ‘feel’ the Shabbat, but in America it’s just another day. He really didn’t like this feeling of Shabbat just being another ordinary day and his appreciation for his life in Israel and grew immensely. The last Israeli that I had a nice conversation with told me about her aspirations to be in a combat unit during her time in the IDF. This was important to her as her brother is in it now and she felt as if she wanted to do this also. I was amazed that she was almost excited to go and risk her life for Israel and I am thinking about which SAT II I and the benefits of ACTs vs. SATs. 

These conversations were meaningful to me because they made me think, not just on the surface level but really think about life and other things. It really opened me up and allowed me to go through the rest of NAS with a little different perspective. The perspective that I have an incredible opportunity and I really need to make the most of it, “And if not now, when?” I’m happy to say that I accomplished this goal of mine and had an unforgettable experience.

-Greg Artman