Traveling back from Israel, I found myself seeking out Israelis in the airport, so I could use my Hebrew a little bit longer. "Can I help you with the English?" "Where are you headed?" Anything I could do to keep speaking the language. That's what a month in Israel will do to you. I'm also captivated by the pouring rain outside the terminal window, after seeing nothing but clear blue skies and 100 degree weather.

My second time in Israel was a not a tour like my first time, and I couldn't be happier. Sure, I toured the Golan Heights, Haifa, and all sorts of other places with the other two American volunteers, but we went there to work. By being a part of the community of Beit Shean, and working alongside Israelis, I learned just as much, if not more, about the way of life there than I did in the three weeks I went there first.

I was the youngest of the three volunteers. It was a significant age difference; Marianne already graduated college, and Becky is in the middle of a master's program, and I only just completed my first year of college. As the three Americans, we worked well together, and the age difference was a non-issue. We also happened to get along great, which was excellent.

Being a 19-year-old American volunteer also had other implications. The only time I'd see people my age in Beit Shean were when they were standing at the bus stop in their army uniforms either going back to their base or en route back home. Right after high school, Israeli teens enter the Israeli Defense Force, and don't get out until their early twenties. After their service, many spend a year out of the country, before either getting a job or starting college. This makes them 22 or 23 when they start college. In contrast, I plan on having a couple university degrees by the time I'm 23. I met many Israeli people slightly younger or slightly older than me, and many talked with me about that difference between growing up in America or Israel.

There's kind of a feeling toward Americans that I think a lot of Israeli youth share regarding Army service. In most cases, we don't go to the Army if we can afford college. We're most or all of the way to our degrees by the time Israelis can even start college, we're in much different places in our early twenties.

Working in the camps was a great way to learn more about Israeli culture. Being around children familiarizes you with the differences between growing up American and growing up Israeli. I learned so much from the campers, as well as the four boys in the family I stayed with. For instance:

• In Israel, counselors and campers are much more physical with one another. In America, if a counselor so much as picks a piece of lint off a kid's T-shirt, the parents could sue him. In Israel, counselors play with the kids very physically, and, if necessary, restrain them physically. Israeli kids want to be physical with adults. At the same time, they are very affectionate, and they show their affection physically, by hugging you or holding your hand.

• Most of the kids I worked with could go from terrorizing the classroom to being your best friend. There were no "problem children" in the camp, just some that were rambunctious more often than others. Kids there possess the ability to drive you up the wall and to be really warm and affectionate - all in the space of ten minutes. We Americans might see their affection as kids being sneaky, but that's really how they feel.

• Israeli children are given more independence. Many of our campers walked home by themselves, even if they were no older than nine or ten yeas old. In a small city like Beit Shean, it's okay for kids to walk a few blocks back to their homes in the afternoon. As dire as we may think the security situation in Israel is from over here, the truth is, it doesn't make them scared to lead their lives. It may be cliche by now to hear this from people returning from Israel, but it's true: I did feel safer there than I do in the States. There's no other way to put it.

My month in Beit Shean also opened the door for me in terms of returning to Israel, perhaps to work, or maybe to study for a semester. This trip was a healthy dose of experience, Hebrew, Israeli culture, and falafel, one that I will remember and cherish for a long time. I don't know when or in what capacity, but I can't wait to go back to Israel, and see all my new friends again.

  Av 5764 - August 2004