College Essay 1- Nesiya Final Project- Draft

Even though I knew that I would have to complete a final project by the end of the Nesiya Institute’s Summer Kehilla Experience in Israel, I was still dreading it as the last week of the program approached. When I thought of the final project, people doing interpretive dance routines, playing guitar, or showing off a piece of art came to my mind. Throughout the six-week program I learned that digital media and photography was also an option, but I was still clueless as to what I was going to present in front of my group and how I was going to create something all by myself. When the projects were officially introduced, the staff emphasized the fact that although a finished project is important, it is the process that matters. My friends and I looked upon this with skepticism, but by the end, after undergoing a process of my own, I knew that this was truly the case.
To start off the process, I met with the Digital Media artist, because that was what I was most comfortable with, and we decided upon the word “change”, which came from a brainstorming activity the day before. She then suggested that I go sit somewhere and write about change. I went back to my room, but I did not use any of the techniques suggested. Instead, I took out a notebook and began writing the words “memory” and “change”–in Hebrew and English­–until they completely filled the page. Although there was not much substance, this exercise provided me with time to think about the words I was writing down.
The next day, I met again with the artists (this time the Drama artist was also advising) and we tried to solidify a subject by having me recall a specific memory from the summer to focus on. I chose the Noded, or the three-day desert-survival hike that was the start to the program. However, the word noded also means wandering, so this became the main focus of my project. The artists then sent me on a mission to collect anything I could that related to noded.
When I was finished, my collection included the sketch from the first day, a photograph from the desert hike, more photographs that I took in Ein Gedi, sand and rocks, a poem about the desert by a famous Israeli actor, and an essay that I wrote on the subject of wandering. On the third day of the planning, the artists gave me some final advice–to create a kind of three-dimensional display–then left me to complete the project by myself. I got right to work, partly because time was running also but also because there was no other option. I took some materials from the art room and began creating the display–with help from a few friends. As I began to think about the presentation of the project, I realized that something was missing. Because the trip consisted of both Israelis and Americans, everything was said in both languages. Although I used some Hebrew during the program, I did not speak as much as I would have liked to. Due to this, I decided to translate my essay (with some help) into Hebrew and to read it in both languages during my presentation. This act was greatly appreciated, and I was complemented on “bringing out the Hebrew” by a fellow participant.
I did not use music; I did not use dance or painting. I did use my skills of photography, layout, and writing to produce a project that was visually appealing, yet full of substance. It was difficult to describe to people when they asked, “What was your project?”, but I was okay with that because it reflected the complexity of the project that started from a simple word–change. It also did not bother me if people did not completely understand the project, because at its heart, the project was about the process. Although I was extremely satisfied with my end result, it is the long process, technically only three days but in reality six weeks, that I will remember for time to come.