Phase 1
The past few weeks have been quite the whirlwind. I arrived in Israel on birthright, which overall was a great time. If you don't know, birthright is an opportunity for Jews outside of Israel to come and spend 10 jam packed days traveling across the entire country. During this trip I met an amazing group of people and saw parts of Israel I've never seen before. We also had a phenomenal tour guide who stayed with us throughout the trip, which made the experience even more valuable because I got learn a lot about Israel and its culture.
After birthright I had three days until the start of my training for MDA. In those three days I settled into my Grandma's house in Holon, caught up with my family, and prepared for my MDA training course in Jerusalem. The course took place in a large hostel in central Jerusalem and was only a little over a week, but the classes went from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM with about an hour or two of break throughout the day. Before the course, I was super nervous at the thought of spending a week in isolation with a group of people I've never met before doing something I've never actually done, but by the end I was beyond excited to get into the ambulance. The days were long and tiring, and I found myself eating copious amounts of rice and meat in between hours of sitting in the same seat listening to information on human anatomy, diseases, and trauma cases. Let's just say my metabolism was not having a great time, but I learned a lot of important information and met a lot of really great people from all over the world. I was genuinly interested in what I was learning which made the long hours tolerable and definitely worthwhile.
By the end of the course, I had found a group of girls that I quickly became very close with. When we had time, we made the effort to leave the hostel and venture into different parts of Jerusalem, mainly in the lively market places that are scattered about the city. However, between classes and studying it was a bit difficult to find enough free time to go out. According to many, I tend to take academics a little too seriously, so I ended up doing an unecessary amount of studying for the exam that took place at the end of the course. While I do regret not enjoying more of the city instead of studying in the hostel, I am glad that I not only aced the test, but now feel prepared to go into the field and make a difference in people's lives.
I've heared from people who went through the same program that the intensity of the shifts at MDA can really be hit or miss. Some volunteers got to work crazy car crashes and do full CPR on people in life threatening situations while others spent all day taking blood pressure and checking pulse. Though I have come to terms with lowering my expectations, I know that in the end I will value this experience no matter what. So far, this has been one of the riskiest but most exciting things I have done in my 18 years of living, and I am beyond grateful just to be able to spend my summer in Israel doing somthing I truly care about.
Attached is a picture of me and my peers in our new MDA shirts on our last day of the course.We look so official, I can't wait to put my new uniform to use!
After birthright I had three days until the start of my training for MDA. In those three days I settled into my Grandma's house in Holon, caught up with my family, and prepared for my MDA training course in Jerusalem. The course took place in a large hostel in central Jerusalem and was only a little over a week, but the classes went from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM with about an hour or two of break throughout the day. Before the course, I was super nervous at the thought of spending a week in isolation with a group of people I've never met before doing something I've never actually done, but by the end I was beyond excited to get into the ambulance. The days were long and tiring, and I found myself eating copious amounts of rice and meat in between hours of sitting in the same seat listening to information on human anatomy, diseases, and trauma cases. Let's just say my metabolism was not having a great time, but I learned a lot of important information and met a lot of really great people from all over the world. I was genuinly interested in what I was learning which made the long hours tolerable and definitely worthwhile.
By the end of the course, I had found a group of girls that I quickly became very close with. When we had time, we made the effort to leave the hostel and venture into different parts of Jerusalem, mainly in the lively market places that are scattered about the city. However, between classes and studying it was a bit difficult to find enough free time to go out. According to many, I tend to take academics a little too seriously, so I ended up doing an unecessary amount of studying for the exam that took place at the end of the course. While I do regret not enjoying more of the city instead of studying in the hostel, I am glad that I not only aced the test, but now feel prepared to go into the field and make a difference in people's lives.
I've heared from people who went through the same program that the intensity of the shifts at MDA can really be hit or miss. Some volunteers got to work crazy car crashes and do full CPR on people in life threatening situations while others spent all day taking blood pressure and checking pulse. Though I have come to terms with lowering my expectations, I know that in the end I will value this experience no matter what. So far, this has been one of the riskiest but most exciting things I have done in my 18 years of living, and I am beyond grateful just to be able to spend my summer in Israel doing somthing I truly care about.
Attached is a picture of me and my peers in our new MDA shirts on our last day of the course.We look so official, I can't wait to put my new uniform to use!
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