By Rachel CaraDonna, Mayyim Hayyim Development Intern
When I started interning at Mayyim Hayyim, I asked myself a couple inevitable questions: “Will I ever immerse? If so, when? For what purpose?”. It didn’t take me long to conclude that I couldn’t possibly imagine a life transition that meant enough to me. Thoughts of “I’m too young!”, “Nothing’s actually changing.”, “Maybe after graduation…?”, circulated in an inconsistent pattern. All I knew is that I wanted it to be meaningful. I settled for an “I’m not sure when, but not now” and that held me off for a while. But as my internship comes to a close, I realize I wrote myself off too soon. Mayyim Hayyim has made me more aware of the changes in my life and in turn has helped me to acknowledge and appreciate them for what they are. To put things into perspective, I created a list of the transitions and life moments that occurred (and will occur) during my time at Mayyim Hayyim.
1. Went to Israel and experienced life more religiously
2. Went from no responsibilities after finals, to two jobs located over 40 miles away from each other
3. Ended one of those summer jobs
4. Moved into my first house with five other girls -Grocery shopping and cooking- all by myself!
5. Experienced the transition from summer to fall
6. Started my junior year of college
7. Had a car for the first time during the school year= Able to keep interning
8. Turned 20
9. Experienced the transition from fall to winter
10. Finished the first semester of my Junior year
11. Will sadly finish interning at Mayyim Hayyim
12. Only to continue my adventure next semester in Italy
With so many transitions to be grateful for, Mayyim Hayyim has inspired me to mark each one with reflection and appreciation. While I still haven’t immersed and currently have no plans to, I have realized that there are so many more important steps to life that I hadn’t considered. Each step shapes ourselves in more ways than we think. All it takes is some reflection and gratitude to understand what’s right in front of us.
Rachel CaraDonna is Mayyim Hayyim’s Development and Events Intern. She is in her third year at Brandeis University as an Economics major with minors in Business and Art History.