Written by Naomi LeVine
As we pulled away from the kibbutz, the mutual feeling in the bus was one reminiscent of leaving our parents for our first year of college. The adventure ahead would be amazing, but we were leaving the comforts of the Rabbis, a familiar space, and each other. However, as we got nearer to Jerusalem, the bus began to buzz with excitement. My nose was glued to the window, ready to see my favorite city and new home.
We arrived to the campus, and in classic Nachshon style, everyone helped take bags off the bus. We received our rooming assignments, and the realization hit that we really weren't all going to be together, yet people still helped carry each other's bags to the rooms. It was the first time in a week that we hadn't been constantly together. And yet, whatever we built that first week lasted. When we passed other fellows on the tour that first day, we frantically waved at each other. We sat in Nachshon clumps during orientation, rode the bus to buy supplies for our apartments together, and visited each other's new spaces, walking in without feeling the need to knock. On the first day of Ulpan, seeing familiar faces in the halls and in classes gave me and the other fellows a huge sense of comfort in an otherwise overwhelming situation. It made me realize how grateful I am that I have these twenty people with whom to share this crazy journey.
