What’s your favorite part of the holidays? Is it being free from all responsibilities for a few weeks, being surrounded by family, the good food, or all of the above? Personally, I’ll take them all, but this year will be a little different.

As an only child, I’ve always been extremely family-oriented. With that being said, I’ve never been away from my family for the holidays. Either we stay home and host a party, go to a friend’s, or go on vacation together, but we’ve never been apart. I knew eventually that I would one day be away for the holidays, but I never knew under what circumstances. This year, I’ll have the break, good food, but not my family. Instead, I’ll be fulfilling my dream of going to visit Israel.

Through the Birthright Israel Foundation, I will be taking a free 10 day trip to Israel. Birthright's vision has been to provide Jewish adults the privilege to become one with the land and the people of Israel and strengthen the Jewish identity by going on the trip of a lifetime. So, to say I'm excited would be an understatement.

Being an out-of-state student makes it extremely difficult (and expensive) to find time to go home besides for breaks, which makes the holidays such a valuable time. Typically I would go home and spend time with friends and family, catching up on what has gone on in our lives the past semester. I’d be cuddling with my dog, watching movies on my couch, and sleeping until the cows come home. My mom, dad, and I would go see a movie, argue about where to go for dinner, and decorate the Christmas tree while drinking copious amounts of wine.

With all of the emotion aside, it has always been my dream to travel around the world. As I get older, traveling gets harder, and this trip to Israel is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I then realized, my home will always be there for me when I get back, and missing one holiday season out of the hundred I have left wouldn’t be so bad. I know it will be difficult celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years away from my family, but I know the experiences I will have while in Israel will be insurmountable. Instead of laying on my couch and sleeping for days upon end, I’ll be riding camels, learning more about who I am as a person, making friendships that will last a lifetime, and making memories I will never forget.

I will always be grateful to my parents for pushing me to step outside of my comfort zone while allowing me to follow my dreams, even if it means traveling across the world to do so. Keep an eye out for pictures and stories about my trip!