Hello, my name is Meir, I have been educated in Ben Yakir for the past two years. This year I was in Hadas group.

This year, I had the opportunity to be a part of a choir delegation to Australia. I love to sing. We were told that 4 choir members will be chosen to fly to Australia. We had a screening process, where we were asked to talk about ourselves, and I was chosen to be one of the four. I have been persistent in my activities at the choir ever since last year.

Before the trip, we had a preparation process. Each week we met together and learned about the community in Australia, the Jewish Agency, the country and more. In March, I flew to 8 days in Australia - we traveled the streets of Melbourne, were received beautifully in any place, performed in many venues, and even spent Shabbat with the president of the community.

Over the year I have had many activities - for example, I took part in Pesach camp, we saw a lot of movies, we got to go to soccer games as fans, and more.

This year went by so fast, because I had a great time. At the first year, you learn to get to know the place and connect to the people. This year it already felt like coming home, to a place where everyone knows me. This year I also connected to new friends and people that I haven't spoken to last year.

This year, I feel like I was blessed with the best staff at the village - a counselor and a national service volunteer - that help us, treat us like family, and do not raise their voice. Shlomit, our volunteer, helped me with everything I needed - homework, clothing, talks. It was fun talking to her. She always had time for us, always asked and was interested to know how our stay at home was. Our group, Hadas, is one of the best in the village - everyone sticks together and loves each other.  There are many responsible kids in our group. Now in the summer vacation I know I will miss the staff and friends.

The person that influenced me the most this year is Hila, our donor relations manager. She was our chaperone to Australia. During the trip we began to talk more, before that I didn't know her that well. Hila took care of us in Australia and afterwards. She, together with other staff members, gave me the feeling that there are people I can trust here in Ben Yakir. Hila talks to me all the time, makes us souvenirs and presents, and has helped me a lot throughout the year.

For next year, I hope to have the same staff, and that my good friends will continue, and I hope school will be easy for me. I hope to have a year as good as this one was.