The Most Meaningful Day of My Life

Today was possibly the most meaningful day of my life. First, I woke up in a dorm room at GW in the center of Washington, D.C. As if that wasn't great enough, my dorm room has a kitchen, a balcony, a bathroom, two closets, AND a great roomate (Jeremy, Deerfield Illinois). After breakfast, we had Kavanah, a pluralistic time where you can choose to pray in a variety of ways, or even do cool things like yoga. I chose to be a part of a learner's minyan. Even having gone to a private Jewish day school for 9 years, I found the class interesting and learned a lot.

After that, I had the best experience I've ever had. I am part of a class on poverty, and 3-4 times a week, we are going to go to a day-care center for the children of impoverished families in the area. Today was our first trip. I wasn't sure what to expect, the kids all came from tough situations and I didn't know if they'd be trusting or violent. But I was soon put at ease. The second I walked into the room, two young girls ran up to me. One hugged me, and the second pulled my by the hand and brought me to where she was playing. Every child was smiling, loving, and very happy. After their class was over, everyone went outside for recess. By the end, we all had new best friends that were half our size. We had played ball with them, gone with them on the slides, and even given them piggy-back rides. It was so much fun that I can't wait to go back tomorrow.

-Jacob B, JAM '08
Metuchen, NJ