Finally! After touring, Community Week, and two days of Kenness, we have reached Congress 2013!
We were initially divided up into tribes solely with other North American Dillers for Kenness. I was a member of the Issachar tribe (pronounced is-his-car), in which my JC gave a handy piece of advice to carry on with us for the remainder of Congress: #YOCO - you only congress once.
Okay, so I know this hash tag sounds a little cheesy, but believe it or not, it actually sums up my Congress experience. What are the odds that I will ever again learn and socialize with 400 other motivated teens my age from all over North America and Israel and build connections with so many leaders in my Jewish community? Exactly. The odds are quite slim, so why not make the most of it?
Yes, at first Congress was difficult. I mean, we were finally getting situated as a group of North Americans, making new friends and gaining knowledge about our Jewish identity. And just after two activity-filled days, buses loaded with energetic and loud Israelis changed the whole dynamic.
Our tribes doubled in size, debates and discussions now were held in both English and Hebrew translations, navigating the Dining Hall during lunch was a feat to be proud of, and the various types of personalities to meet and work with were infinite.
And to be honest, it was overwhelming to try to meet so many different people and attempt to learn a handful of names ( I use the term "learn" lightly). But that paled in comparison to the feeling of talking with Israelis in broken English, only to find out that you have a friend in common or that your grandparents are related. And as the week progressed, I became more comfortable speaking with and having meaningful conversations with diverse teens from across the world.
I remember one day during our tribe meetings, I took a trip to the restroom to freshen up a bit after what was an extremely long day. There, I stumbled upon about six other fellows, all in the restroom for the same reason as I. Except rather than sit and complain about how hot it was (a common complaint) or how we only got four hours of sleep, we continued the discussion that we were each having in our respective rooms. So there we were, teens from all different walks of life, initially leaving our tribe meetings to take a break, only to find ourselves holding a completely self-motivated discussion of our own about the significance of North American Jewry on the state of Israel.
Furthermore, not only did I grow as a Jew and leader from the knowledge I gained through meeting others and participating in discussions, but Cohort 6 grew into one big family. It's crazy to think how far we have come as a cohort on this trip and how all twenty of us are finally one tight knit group. Be it the funky juice in the cafeteria or the fact that by spending so much time with other teens we have grown to miss the fellows we have known for almost a year, I can honestly say that Congress has brought each and every one of us closer than we could have ever imagined. It's incredibly fun to socialize with so many different kinds of people and meet teens that you have so much in common with, but sometimes you just want to hang out with a familiar face and talk about anything and everything.
As we conclude Congress 2013 and embark on the next few days of touring, I will make sure not to forget about any of the lessons I learned, experiences I gained, and people I met. For, although this part of my Diller experience may be coming to a close, the memories will last a lifetime and I look forward to seeing the rest that Diller Teen Fellows has to offer!
-Michelle Banayan
