Remembering to Live: Summer Abroad Edition

By Jamie Ambos

I have been staring at my screen for almost an hour now, finding it impossible to write anything genuine down, and I truly do not know why. I am in my new favorite city in the world, Tel Aviv, a block away from the beach, living with some of my best friends and having the time of my life–I should have endless stories and experiences to write about.

I feel guilty that I feel like I may be in a rut as there is seemingly no reason why I should be. However, I’ve gotten extremely comfortable here, and maybe I shouldn’t be. I’ve begun repeating restaurants, living very similar days and going to the same bars and clubs. I have two weeks left of my summer abroad experience; I have no excuse for lying in bed a little too long in the mornings and watching a few episodes of Love Island UK instead of spending a couple of hours at the beach.

If there is anything in life I’ve had to continuously learn and remind myself of is that it’s okay to take breaks and relax, but it’s inexcusable to let life pass you by as the Netflix notification “Are you still watching?” pops up on your screen. We all have and need those days, but we need them on occasion and not on the regular.

In my 13 days left in this amazing country I’ve been so lucky to call home for the summer, I am going to live. I am going to lie on the beach, even if the sand is driving me crazy. I am going to venture into a new part of the city, even if I get ridiculously lost. I am going to eat a slice of pizza with my friends at 2AM, even if I didn’t workout that day. I’m going to make mistakes, I’m going to make memories to last me a lifetime and I am whole-heartedly going to live.