The Best Summer Vacation I Ever Had

When I was 16 I knew exactly how I wanted to spend my summer. The only desire I had was to sleep late, lay out by the pool, and to see friends. My parents had all kinds of ideas for productive things I could do while they were working all day. After months of them nagging me regularly I convinced them to leave me alone. I was excited to have my first summer with no structure. I had my car and friends, I was sure that was all I needed. Everything started out as planned until I came home late for the second time, and my car was taken away for the summer. Suddenly being in my parents house felt like jail.

I had a couple of friends going on teen tours and that was beginning to sound alluring. My parents welcomed the idea of me doing something. When I suggested I go to Israel with the youth group Masada, they were thrilled. Within days my summer of nothing had morphed into an international trip. It seems like only weeks later I was in an airport in New York meeting the other 16 year olds I was going to spend the next 6 weeks with.

After a 12 hour flight on El Al airlines and a lot of my peers sneaking liquor and getting drunk, I knew I was stepping into the adventure of a lifetime. By that time I had become good friends with 2 other girls and picked out a boyfriend for myself, although he didn't know. Our first 2 weeks was spent in Jerusalem, I didn't like the cucumber salad and boiled chicken but sneaking out to the dance clubs was great. We were are thrilled by the drinking age being 18, and no one asked us for identification. After touring ruins, and learning a lot about the holocaust, we were on to the next stop, Tel Aviv. My time there was spent with a host family, and their daughter, Yael. The beach was my favorite part. It was the first time I was ever in the Mediterranean Sea. I also loved Ben Yehuda street. It was a very exciting place. My favorite par of the trip was Eilat. We spent most of our time at the beach, we were all certified in scuba diving. Every night most of us snuck out to the clubs, and partied like rock stars. The next morning we were off to the beach. The best part of all was that I disliked the food so much, as a result I was the skinniest I had ever been. My improved figure and terrific tan was a recipe for success.

I flew back to the states with a new attitude, and a desire to travel foreign places for the rest of my life. I also learned how to pass a football and I was told I had a perfect spiral. That pass was a technique I still use to to this day to meet guys when I'm at the pool or beach.