Paris, France Late July 2016 “My baby girl!!!” My mom caught me in a rib-cracking embrace at the airport baggage claim. “You’re safe now....

Grasse, France I awoke from the first real sleep I’d had in days. The sun was shining in on me through a picture window that overlooked...

Nice, France July, 2016 It was Bastille Day and the beginning of our final week in Nice. I had spent the day meandering by myself. I felt...

Nice, France June 2016 It was everything I’d imagined it would be: impossibly charming architecture, gentle sea air, and endless gelato....

My Apartment, Student Village The time had come and I was finally packing. Tomorrow, I would be on a flight to New York, where my parents...

The Shuk, Jerusalem January 2016 Though I had liked him from the start, Daniel never ceased growing on me. He was just so - normal. I had...

My Apartment, Student Village I swear if you LAZY FUCKS don’t clean up in the kitchen I am going to FUCKING LOSE MY SHIT disrespectful...

Petra, Jordan The ancient city of Petra is hidden in a red rock basin, carved out by extinct ravines and intricately sculpted by the...

Somewhere in the Wadi Rum Desert There are few things as badass as riding a camel through the desert. I had grown up riding horses and...

The Israeli/Jordanian Border It's a surreal thing, crossing a border on foot. After being processed by the Israeli side, we entered into...

Jerusalem Central Bus Station December 2015 Tyrone was a lot street-savvier than me, or at least believed himself to be, so I let him...

Hebrew University, Jerusalem December 2015 Winter was descending over Jerusalem and it was raining in my garden. The trees, soaking in...

Istanbul, Turkey November 2015 My mom offered to pay me not to go to Istanbul. It had recently been described in the news as a major...

Jerusalem, Israel I had thought it would be fun to learn Krav Maga. What better skill to learn in Israel than the renowned IDF martial...

My Apartment, Student Village There were new videos on the Israeli news sites almost every day. I thought it strange that the press would...

Jaffa Street, Jerusalem It was my first date with Stav, a 23-year-old whom I had met at a coffee shop (okay, Tinder). Much to my delight,...

The Student Village, Hebrew University A few days later, Coen came to see me. I was flattered, but also couldn’t help but feel a bit...

Hebrew University Student Village, East Jerusalem My first few days in Jerusalem were a blur. When I finally moved into my dorm, I was so...

JFK International Airport, New York October 2015 Preceding my departure, my mom had given me an immaculately organized manila folder,...

Davidson College, North Carolina January 2015 “You can go anywhere in the world you want to go.” The statement had great potential,...