Objects

During my travels to Europe, I collected memorabilia from every city I visited. Whether it be a magnet, postcard or string bracelet, I have collected a little object from the 11 cities I have been to: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Interlaken, Milan, Florence, Paris, Lisbon, Vienna, Dubrovnik, Split and Nice. I am so grateful and appreciative for my experiences and travels, and when I am home I plan to create a photobook with my souvenirs and pictures from my trip.

These little objects will be catalysts for me to reminisce on my trips in Europe, as traveling and studying abroad is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When I look at my postcards from Amsterdam, I will remember the Disneyland themed architecture, the canals that stretch through the city and my visits to the cheese museum, Heineken museum and the sunset boat ride through the canals. Further, when I look at my memorabilia from Interlaken, I will look back on skiing through the Swiss Alps, which has been on my bucket list since I was a little girl. I can’t wait to get postcards and little objects from Tel Aviv. I plan to go to the Shuk before I leave and buy more than just postcards and magnets. I want to get my family a mezuzah from Tel Aviv, as I believe that this will be a special souvenir and will represent what Judaism means to me after a semester in Tel Aviv. Every time I walk into my house, I will look at the mezuzah and reminisce on my Jewish studies in Israel, and I hope to feel a spiritual connection to my religion and Jewish faith. 

Ultimately, these little objects are more than little objects, they represent the best experiences I have had in my life, and I am so excited to create a photo book when I get home so that I can have something where I can always look back and remember my time abroad.

            The second object I chose to write about is my camera, which is built-in to my phone, and thus almost impossible for me to take a picture of. My camera has captured all of my experiences, both abroad and when I am in the United States. When I am feeling nostalgic, I scroll through my camera roll and remember all of my memories from a certain period of time. Luckily, I have been conscious about snapping random pictures throughout the past four months, so in the near future I can look back on these pictures and remember all of the good times I had in Tel Aviv.

            For instance, I have been looking back at my pictures from the first month of abroad. It seems like forever ago! I cannot believe that it is already May, and I look back at my pictures from my day trip to Jerusalem, my visit to the Shuk with my roommates or the first night out with all of the kids on the study abroad program. My phone organizes my pictures by dates and “memories”; literally, Apple phones have the ability to recognize and organize your pictures by the location and date. This feature is so cool, and although I do not want to be dependent on technology, I have to admit that my phone camera and my camera roll have been vital aspects of my study abroad experience. It is worth it to stop walking for a second to take a snapshot of Gordon beach, or make everyone at the table wait to eat the food so that I can take a picture of it first. Through modern-day technology and my eagerness to snap pictures, I am fortunate enough to have this amazing camera roll filled with random memories and pictures, and when I return to America in a few weeks, I know I will look back on these pictures and reminisince on my time abroad.