Hi everyone!
I don’t do public speaking and the last time I spoke, by my bat mitzvah, I started laughing at myself. So ya don’t laugh at me or make me your snapchat story ok thanks.
Some of you might not know, but the summer after tenth grade is usually the summer when people go to Israel…but wait — I’m here on GIVE USA. I couldn’t go to Israel because my brother’s Bar Mitzvah is this Shabbas. So My parents decided that they were going to find me a program, so I would have an amazing summer. They found me GIVE USA. I told them no way. I wasn’t going on this program with only 3 friends. I went to the parlor meeting all by myself and I was forsure that I wasn’t going to come here. It was so scary being at the meeting not knowing anyone there. But my parents told me that I will regret it a lot if I don’t go on an NCSY program. So I decided to listen to them and come on GIVE USA. The first day was so insanely scary because I only knew a few people…even though most girls here go to my school, I still didn’t know them. By the end of the first day I had already met a lot of new people that was going to be my friends…hopefully forever. Every day since then, I kept on meeting new people. Some people were even special enough to get nick names. When Leah told us that we would have to room with strangers I always thought that it would be horrible and awkward but it ended up making me get close with lots of new people…thanks Leah. I also started to meet new people during shuir and when we were sitting on the bus forever. A lot of the places that we went to were interesting but they were experiences that I will never forget. Remember right before we went into midnight mission how scared everyone was? Ok now remember how you felt right after you left midnight mission. It’s insane how much our minds changed. I know, I will never forget the smiles people gave me when I took there plate and they saw us helping out. They were so confused why we were being so nice to them but they loved it soo much. Me and Samantha held were taking peoples plates together and we decided that every time we took someone’s plate we would say have an amazing night instead of have a good night just to change it up a drop. You don’t know how many people smiled when they left because they just felt special that someone was talking to them and acknowledging that they were there. We don’t realize what we do will impact someone else in the future, for the good or for the bad. It can either make someone’s day or ruin it and by midnight mission we made everyone’s day. If we had the choice to stay back on the bus, most of us would have stayed — but then we would have ever never known what was happening in that building. We don’t know how many people left the midnight mission building smiling and feeling good about themselfs. What we say to someone will change them forever. I will never forget what people said to me or what I learnt this summer. Our actions will impact so many people in the future, we don’t even realize. We sometimes got to do things even though we don’t want to. Just like how I was scared to come on GIVE USA and how most of us were scared to go into the midnight mission building. It all ends well…no matter what. I came here with 3 friends and now I’m leaving with 47 friends. Just like I have my real family and my ska-family, you guys are my NCSY family. I love all of you so much. This summer was amazing because of all of you, our 5 amazing counselors, and of course Ayelet and Leah. Every single person made this program so fun and if you weren’t here it wouldn’t be as great. So, if anyone is in the 5 towns you are always invited to my house…you just have to deal with my siblings. Also some of you might not know but I kept a journal with all the amazing memories that I made with you guys so I will be able to remember all the fun we had together forever. I will forusre keep in touch with all of you. I love you guys…this is definitely a summer to remember.
Just remember this isn’t goodbye — it’s a see you later!