When I first made my decision to spend ten months in Israel, many of my friends and family members at home asked why I would possibly want to come to Israel at a time like this. At times I even questioned whether or not I wanted to travel across the world to live with 11 other Americans and to spend almost a year in Israel at such a seemingly volatile time in history. However, the moment I stepped off the plane, heard Hebrew and saw kippot all around me, I knew that there was no place I would rather be than in Eretz Yisrael.

I must admit that when I first arrived in Israel and walked the streets of Jerusalem I looked at everyone who crossed my path with suspicion and I wondered if I should just hide in my room at the youth hostel. I was taken aback by the presence of guards that stood at the entrance of every bar, store, and restaurant. I was shocked to realize how young the soldiers in uniform appeared. Despite my apprehensions, I continued to explore. How naive I felt walking the streets of Israel at the beginning of my time here. To me, there seemed to be such a contrast between daily life and an underlying understanding of potential danger. 

A turning point in my understanding of the juxtaposition between taking precautions yet living life was the Aviv Geffen concert, which I attended with several other Otzma participants. During our first few days in Israel, our stay at Gesher Youth Hostel coincided with a festival on Ben Yehuda Street, which featured Aviv Geffen as a performer. There were guards and bag checks at every entrance. Once inside, I was able to see that Ben Yehuda Street was absolutely bursting at the seams and I was able to feel tangible excitement in the air.

Israel has suffered many losses, yet people put on their dancing shoes and went out to celebrate life. I was amazed by the enthusiasm and vivacity displayed by the crowd despite current difficulties. I have subsequently found this concert to epitomize the irrepressible nature of the people of Israel. At first, I was surprised to see teenagers dancing in clubs, children playing in parks, and families enjoying picnics on the beach. However, I soon realized that the footage of tanks and soldiers that I had seen on CNN is only a tiny fraction of what Israel is. Despite the current situation, and, perhaps, because of it, Israelis are determined to live life to its fullest.

Now that I have begun to settle into my schedule, my initial, unromanticized reasons for choosing to participate in Project Otzma are clearer than ever before. Living in Beit Canada, a merkaz klita (absorption center) in Ashkalon, and interacting with olim hadashim (new immigrants) on a daily basis has afforded me the opportunity to begin to understand an aspect of Israel that I would never have encountered in any other setting.

Spending time and participating in activities with Ethiopian children at Beit Canada has been an eye opening experience for me. The casual encounters and planned activities in which I have engaged with Ethiopian children have brought me so much happiness -- seeing the smiles on the children's faces makes it even better. Attending Ulpan with olim hadashim in their twenties at Kalanit, another merkaz klita in Ashkalon, has given me the opportunity to interact with people that I would never have met and to hear stories that I would never have heard in any other setting. I feel truly blessed to have been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In addition to interacting with fascinating people, learning an incredible amount about immigration to Israel, and studying Hebrew, I have begun to understand why I initially made my decision to come to Israel this year. It never occurred to me before, but now I know that I want to be in Israel at this particular time, not in spite of the political situation, rather, but because of it. I want to show my friends, family, myself and my fellow Jews that I support Israel wholeheartedly. I believe that the only way for me to demonstrate my support for Israel is to take an active role in benefiting the country in any way that I can. After being here for almost a month and a half, I am 100% positive that I made the right decision to spend this year in Israel; I simply could not fathom being anywhere else at this point in my life.