I've always had a tendency towards wanderlust, but felt trapped by the routine of everyday life. They say the best things in life come when you least expect them, and this has been proven to me time and time again. I recently applied and was granted a Birthright Israel trip to explore the country and my Jewish roots for 10 days with nearly all of my expenses paid. I saw incredible beauty in every place and every person along the way and came out a different person than before. I took a leap of faith to go out of my safety zone and really began to experience what the world has to offer. I flew halfway across the country with a group of forty people I had never met, leaving the land of the free for the first time in my life. Was I terrified? Sure. Was it worth it? You bet. I'm fighting with how I am to explain this experience to anybody as it's something that simply cannot be put into words, but the least I can do is attempt to impart some of the wisdom I acquired on the way. Here are some of the most important things I learned during my time abroad.

1. You Are Not Alone

When life gets difficult, it often feels like there's nobody out there that understands us. Regardless of how strong that feeling may be, it's important to remember that we're never alone. There are millions of people in the world and many of them are much more similar to us than we may expect; on my trip, I met an abundance of beautiful souls and was surprised time after time to see how much we had in common. We knew nothing of each other the first day, but come the end of ten days we shared a bond that couldn't be broken. No matter how alone you feel, remember that there are so many people around you who care for you, even if it doesn't seem that way.

2. Don't Be Too Quick to Judge

This applies not only to people, but situations as well. Before visiting Israel, I saw it as a dangerous place full of terror due to what I've been exposed to by the media. Upon arriving, I quickly learned it was the exact opposite; Israel is one of the safest countries in the world. It opened my eyes to the ignorance in the world and how we as humans are quick to believe what we hear and accept it as the truth. I quickly learned to push away any judgement that came to my mind regarding people and places, because when I dug down and got to know the people I was with and the history of the places I was visiting, I easily realized there was so much more than what meets the eye. Prejudices only hurt us and keep us from experiencing something potentially amazing. Keep this in mind next time your brain tries to trick you into judgement.

3. Foreigners Don't Hate Americans

At least not all of them! Perhaps it's different in certain areas of the world, but Israelis were amazed by American culture and our way of life. They see our world from the screen of a TV, as we do theirs, and therefore believe that college in America is like American Pie and that our lives are much different than theirs (which isn't true). Every person I met abroad was very respectful despite my ignorance and lack of abilities to communicate in their language; nearly every foreigner spoke a bit of English and many were excited to learn more about us. The most hate I experienced was from people who wanted to talk politics, and in that case, they have every right to criticize our nation.

4. There's More To Life

I don't know how exactly to word this, but there's more to life than just your life. This realization hit me hard continually on my trip. All my worries, concerns, and problems seemed to dissolve into thin air as I was surrounded by something so much larger than myself. We as humans tend to get stuck in the boxes we create for ourselves and until something pushes us out, it's nearly impossible to break these boxes down. We must remember that there's a whole world out there for us to explore, and that sometimes there's more important things than work or school.

5. The Human Condition Is Universal

This may seem obvious and though we see this in books and movies, it's so much more striking to see it your own eyes. The first five days of my trip, we were joined by seven Israeli soldiers who helped us grow and learn along the way. They ranged from ages 18 to 22 but seemed much older to me. In Israel, it's required to serve in the military as soon as one comes of age. All of the soldiers I talked to said that it helped them grow and mature as people and forced them to grow up very quickly. Despite this and many more cultural variances, I was comforted to see that we all had so much in common. We like to cause trouble, listen to music, and experience new things. It was nice to learn that someone across the world was so similar to me. It opened my eyes to the fact that the human condition is universal; we all suffer the same, love the same, see the same, and so much more.

It's hard for me to put all of my experiences into words as there was just so much going on. It's been nearly a week since I returned to the U.S. and I'm still struggling to wrap my mind around all of the things I saw and felt. These concepts seem large and deep, but they were the overarching themes I kept realizing throughout my trip. I could write about Israel forever and still not understand it, but perhaps that's the beauty of it. There are some things in this world that are out of our reach and maybe they're meant to stay that way. If nothing else, maybe these words will help you on a future trip or just in a time of need, and if that fails, at least there were some nice pictures for you to see!