Jerusalem for one year, September 2013 to September 2014

In one of the most crazy decisions of my life so far, I decided I would move to Jerusalem for a year. One year. Starting in September 2013. 

The Context

I just graduated MIT and am mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted from working for four years towards my EECS degree. I want to go back for my MEng (Master's in Engineering) but I don't yet have the energy. What I needed is something different. 

I was a summer instructor for MEET this summer and had no plans beyond MEET, my trip to Italy with Robin, and the Camino. Well, truth be told, my original plan was to go back to the US for a while, bum around with Maddie in California on the John Muir Trail, then go back to New York / Boston, get a few jobs, and learn more about the industry track I seemed to have been pursuing my entire career thus far. 

After the MEET summer news that I had no plans for one year spread through the grapevine to Talya, the MEET program manager, who offered me the chance for an opportunity of a lifetime: life in Jerusalem for one year, working for MEET full-time. Teaching, curriculum development, culture shock, and all. 

The Plan

Needless to say I was horribly confused. Do I run away from my home for a year just to do something different? Do I pursue this passion for education and technology so far from home? Do I leave Robin, boyfriend of two years, for an entire year? Do I leave the tech world for a year? Do I go live in a country where I don't know either of the languages? 

After countless debates and arguments with myself, Robin, and my parents (hi mom!) I decided to take the risk. I decided that living in Jerusalem was indeed the experience of a lifetime. I would never get this chance again, and I would enjoy it to the fullest. 

I would live for a year in Jerusalem, then come back to Boston to finish my MEng starting in September 2014. And here I am.