Thursday, June 20, 2013

That uncomfortable feeling you get when you step out of your comfort zone...

One week ago I was packing up my life in Greensboro while figuring out how to say goodbye to my friends who have come family. At the same time, I was wondering how I accumulated so much crap? A few summers ago when I was a participant at the Brandeis Collegiate Institute, I spent an entire summer being encouraged (and often forced) to step out of my comfort zone. When I was uncomfortable, I knew I was doing it right. I was so willing to do this repeatedly, mostly because I was within a community that made me feel safe and cared for. It was okay to make mistakes and fail.

On Sunday I'll head to Brandeis University to work as a Community Educator for the Genesis program. I've heard such incredible things about this program, and am really excited to spend a summer with teens who want to explore their Judaism. I'm excited to see pluralism in action in a context other than AHA, and to see what I can learn in the process.

At the end of August I'll make the big move to New York City to get my Master's in Educational Leadership in Synagogues and Communal Settings at the Davidson School of the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Being completely overwhelmed by change is normal, right...?

I'm going to attempt to keep up this blog a little more regularly with insights from the summer and what I'm learning about at JTS, along with the ridiculous stories that will come out of me becoming a city girl.

Have you been holding out and hoping I'd write about a particular topic? Let me know what you would like me to be writing about. I'm open to suggestions!