Written by Lauren Kerner (Far West)
Pilgrimage was perfect! I wish I could tell you how many
times I almost peed in my pants from laughing so hard (final count: 3 ½.) There
was a moment for me to feel every single feeling under the sun: I felt
overwhelmingly blessed when I landed in Tel Aviv for the very first time, I
felt extremely connected to God at the Kotel on my first full day in Israel, I
felt so loved by my amazing group (L’ Takayn Olam G3 2012! 15 strong! And the
best 3 staff a USYer could ever hope for), I felt so infectiously happy when I
was running around the Rambam Medical Center with my new 5 year old best
friend, Shir, I felt empowered after accomplishing the remarkable feat of
repainting an entire gymnasium in four hours, I felt like anything was possible
in Israel and even though I was in hysterics in Ben-Gurion after saying goodbye
to my staff and felt like the entire world ended when I boarded my flight back
to California, I knew I had just experienced the greatest summer of my life and
I would never trade it for the world.
This
is one of my all time favorite pilgrimage stories- the scene is set: Haifa,
Israel. Group 3 had moved into two well-sized dormitory styled homes on the
Beit Rutenberg campus. Us girls definitely knew how to party and each night for
a week, the communal showers in our house were filled with a Disney’s greatest
hits song session. Each morning we would wake up at the crack of dawn, get
ready for our volunteer placements (The Ofakim School for children with
Cerebral Palsy, the Haifa Zoo, and the Meyer Children’s Hospital), eat a hearty
breakfast, get some words of wisdom from our sainted host, Barry, and head out
for the day in taxi busses. With four of
some of my closest friends, we drove down the humungous hill into Haifa
and walked into the children’s hospital. We were given a brief tour on the
first day and that was it! We were free to roam as we pleased and give our
friendship and love to anyone we could find. I found Shir.
Let
me tell you about Shir. She is the cutest, spunkiest, and silliest 5 year-old
on the planet! I met Shir in the classroom of the Internal Medicine ward and we
became instant buddies. On the first day, we had a blast getting to know each
other by coloring and making jewelry and laughing at funny noises we could
make. I don’t speak a single word of Hebrew and she didn’t speak a single word
of English but that didn’t matter to us- we were soul sisters! On the next day,
I returned and found Shir back in the classroom. We made more jewelry and spent
more time singing En-Den-Dino and laughing with each other. Then, a nurse
rushed in and told Shir and her mother that they needed to see the doctor
immediately. Shir refused! She would not go unless I went with her. Her mother
asked me if I could “please, please, please,” come with them. I thought for a
few seconds, “Oh my gosh! That’s in the huge medical center… what if my rosh
can’t find me? What if this? What if that?” and then I realized that those were
stupid questions. This is what I came here to do; I came to make a difference
in someone’s life and this was my chance. So hand in hand with my little
friend, I went to all of Shir’s doctor’s appointments and infusions with all
kinds of different doctors, but honestly, we had such a blast! Put two
energetic girls in a big room with slippery floors and you’ve got two very loud
singers doing the chicken dance in the middle of the Rambam Medical Center. It
didn’t matter how old I was or where I was from, Shir and I were best friends.
That
whole week was amazing. After volunteering, we would come back, have lunch, go
on an afternoon adventure (those were so cool! Haifa has the Baha’i holy
grounds, the Technion, an awesome Arab community, and the Grand Canyon Mall!
It’s an awesome city.), return for drink and cake, a late afternoon program,
dinner, an evening program, and then we’d do it all again the next day.
Haifa
changed my life. The days I spent with Shir have become some of my most
cherished memories. This little girl was an inspiration to me for the entire
trip. When I said my goodbye to Shir, we were both in tears. She was crying
because the bracelet we had just made broke and all of the beads were scattered
across the floor of her hospital room. I was crying because of how much this
little girl meant to me and how much she taught me about being happy and being
strong. She gave me the biggest hug and kiss and she said in English, “I love
you, Lauren!” and I walked out of the Meyer Children’s Hospital thinking that
maybe I made a difference to her, but I knew the real difference was made in
me. She changed my heart and taught me that you don’t need to have anything in
common with a person to love them and that no matter where you are or what
circumstances you find yourself in, you can always be happy. The day our group
left Haifa, Shir was able to go home. Nothing made me happier knowing that my
little friend was back to mischief and being a little girl again. I think about
Shir all the time and I am constantly in contact with her family via Facebook.
Shir calls me her sister, and it’s true- I now have this beautiful, amazing
family to call my own in Haifa and I know that I will back to visit them soon.
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