Months ago, I decided that I wanted to do something meaningful with my summer. With that in mind, I started researching various volunteer opportunities and stumbled across GoEco Volunteering. Immediately, I was drawn to their volunteer programs offered in Israel, and chose their Vegan Bakery Internship in Tel Aviv and the Desert Eco Building project. I study sociology at university so the chance to embark on a journey to a foreign country where the culture was completely different than anything I had experienced was both exciting and terrifying to me. On May 8th, I stepped onto Israeli soil for the first time and immediately knew my life would be very different from then on. I stayed for three weeks living and working in Tel Aviv, the metropolitan heart of Israel.
I spent mornings and afternoons at the Vegan Bakery Internship learning new techniques and practicing my baking skills, while evenings were devoted to exploring the city and walking along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. On my days off, I explored the Holy Land, including tours to Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Dead Sea, and Masada.
After living in Tel Aviv for a few weeks, I joined the Desert Eco Building project in the Arava desert. Along with two workers and four other volunteers, we worked hard to build an eco-cabin constructed from a mixture of earth, sand, and hay.
We enjoyed regular trips to the pool during our breaks and ate family-style meals three times daily. Here, I fully embraced Israeli culture and learned more about the Hebrew language as well as how to prepare traditional Israeli food.
Overall, my experience in Israel was more varied and insightful than I ever could have dreamed. Thinking back to when I first stepped off the plane in the Ben Gurion airport, I had no idea that this would be one of the most challenging and growth-filled opportunities of my entire life and there is no doubt that I will return to Israel in the future, as there is still so much for me to see and learn in the Promised Land.
