Hey everyone, hope you are all doing well! My name is Emma Segal and I am from San Diego, California. I stumbled upon Aardvark when college didn’t work out in my favor and I had to choose between staying at home doing community college or going to Israel. So, Masa’s handy dandy filters gave me Aardvark and I found it to be the best program for me, and here I am!

I started off in Tel Aviv in the vibrant area of Florentine. With restaurants, the beach, and unique areas such as Neve Tzedek and Rothschild, there was always something to do. My internship was working at a start-up company called Syte.ai where I would write blog posts for their social media side of the company. I absolutely loved working for them and they said I am always welcomed back.

Now, I am living in Katamon in Jerusalem. It is a complete change of pace with its more community-like feel. To switch things up more, I am working at an elementary school teaching English, and it gets better and better day by day. With my nonexistent hebrew (listen, it’s improving), I still feel like I am helping in a huge way. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Israeli children are the best kind of crazy, so it makes volunteering that much more fun.

Aardvark has a lot to offer with its Siyurs, Tiyulims, and mandatory activities that give multiple perspectives on Israel, but I was not expecting to meet all the amazing people who also took a chance on this program. The friends I have made here from both semesters make each and every day an unforgettable adventure. Plus, I now have some incredible friends for life and always have a place to stay if I ever decide to visit Florida, Chicago, New York, or heck even Gibraltar.

So far, this year has been a highly entertaining and whacky but its been the best year of my life. I am so glad I chose Aardvark to experience Israel, experience something new, and experience living like a local in the holy land.