Rachel+R

Hey! My name is Rachel, I'm in 10th grade and I  live in Efrat, Israel. I have two older brothers, a younger brother and sister. I was born in Montreal, Canada, and I made aliya in 1995 to Beit- Shemesh and in 1997 I moved to Efrat.

I love reading, drawing, hiking and spending time with friends and family.

This summer I flew with my whole family to Turkey- it was so much fun! We rented a private villa with our own outdoor pool over looking the ocean. It was beautiful! We went canoeing, shopping, swimming and just spending time together which was really great, because my oldest brother who is 19 is going into an army program called atuda. In this program the army pays for university, where my brother will be learning mechanical engineering, and with that he contributes to the army behind the scene and doesn't go out to war. This program lasts for 7 years. The army pays you a ton of money while working for them, (Compared to what most soldiers get), and you get a bachelors degree. Back to Turkey… Going to Turkey really makes you appreciate Israel. I really love going to the old city and visiting the Kotel- and it's only a 25- 30 minute drive from Efrat.

When I hang out with friends we usually go to Jerusalem. We go to malls, bowling alleys, movie theaters, the zoo, and then there's downtown where you could go shopping for cheaper prices.

Living in Israel isn't that much different then living in the States (except for the fact that most of the food here is Kosher). It's not like we're living in a war zone or something, we basically have the same things here that you guys have.

Have a nice day, and a great life!