New and Nostalgic
New phone- I mean, new city, who dis?
We’re sitting at a coffee shop, thinking about the last time we sat around with our family. How long has it been, three months? Four? What’s the longest you’ve gone without seeing them? This must be it…approaching month six. As all of our MITF+ participants excitedly settle into their new cities, they are all presented with new unforeseen challenges. For many, this program will be the longest they have ever been from home, and with the additional restrictions in place due to COVID, the longest many have gone without seeing their families. Though difficult, our fellows have tackled these problems head on and come up with creative ideas to combat homesickness.
To many of our fellows, family and home is all about sharing food with loved ones. Our new Tel Aviv fellows decided to all host a potluck Friday night dinner together. Everyone cooked a dish that reminded them of home, creating this a bittersweet moment. Bitter- because our fellows are reminded of the food, people, and home they miss. Sweet- because here we are, creating new memories, in a new city, with new people, and bringing a bit of our old home into our new one.
The periphery cities also hosted a Friday night dinner in Beer Sheva. Fellows came all the way from Nazareth and Ramla to hang out for the weekend and explore the south together. This provided a sense of familiarity for some of the old Tel Aviv fellows to be back together, and made exploring Beer Sheva seem less overwhelming. It’s been important to come together and reassure each other in order to preserve the friendships that were made so far on this program. This has greatly contributed to everyone feeling comfortable in their new apartments after the big move. During this time of uncertainty it has been great to have a reason to all get together and celebrate.
This past Sunday an exploration day was held for all of the fellows, in which the coordinators put together a scavenger hunt! Each group was given a list of tasks they had to race to complete first.The change had been overwhelming for many so this provided the perfect opportunity for everyone to explore their new city in an exciting manner. Tasks included talking to local business owners, getting to know their neighbors, taking pictures in front of holy sites as well as locating new places fellows wanted to try like a coffee shop, pizza place and nearby hiking trails! This event made for many fun memories and pictures our fellows will have to look back on.
Our fellows have found that home is no longer simply four walls and a house to them, but the friendships and communities they surround themselves with. Your favorite Tel Aviv Fellows,
// Marielle and Michaela
