Here in Ramla the ISC #2 group is settling in and feeling more and more at home and a part of the community. When we first arrived, Erez and Chava, our coordinator and house mom greeted us with friendly Israeli smiles. The seven of us began to unpack, found rooms, but most importantly get to know the people we will be living with for the next five months.

Picking suitable ulpan classes took a couple of weeks because we have different Hebrew experience between us. However, we’re now settling into our niches in the vast and diverse Hebrew-studying community here in Ramla.

After working out chores, errands, and shared costs we are now able to spend our time going out in Ramla and neighboring cities, like Tel Aviv. But we also enjoy just hanging out at our house and inviting over our new Israeli friends who we met here.

Volunteering is also getting underway, as Chava helps us schedule our time between different projects that interest us. On a personal note, Laura and I are starting an a cappella group with middle school and high school kids here. We are hoping to introduce a cappella music to the younger generation living in Ramla, and give them an opportunity to speak and better understand English as we make music together.

We’re definitely starting off on the right foot here in Ramla, getting more familiar with our new friends (American and Israeli) and beginning to see the potential impact we can have in this melting pot of Israel.