Berlin, Germany
Happy New Year, Keeping Pace! January was filled with super fun places, plenty of winter sun, snow, new adventures, and new friends. Plus, lots of counting New Year's resolutions. So here is my official list of New Year's realizations and resolutions:
After my Israel trip, I had a very short pit stop at home and got to surprise my lovely sisters. Until that moment, I had never actively surprised anyone, but now I know for sure there is no better feeling than that. My adrenaline on the flight was unmatched; I had never been more excited to go home, and my sister's joy and tears were the cherry on top.
After a 20-hour trip to Chicago, I was finally back in GMR! It was a super fun reunion, and I loved hearing about the progress the regional board had made since I last saw them and supporting them in planning their chapter board training. I even got invited to be a judge at Ometz AZA’s Shark Tank program. I wrapped up my short visit with a meeting with the Perlman Family, where I shared my experience so far, the year’s priorities, and what has been happening in the movement. After that, I headed back to the airport, only to find myself facing a two-hour delay. So, I started wandering through the Chicago airport, found lots of good snacks, had a great açaí bowl, and picked out the perfect postcard. All this to say—traveling so much and always rushing from place to place made me forget how fun airports can be. Once you start exploring, time flies.
Once I finally arrived in NRE, I heard the news that we were shifting NREtreat away from camp. Although that was initially shocking, the NRE presidents and staff team stayed positive and quickly came up with a new plan. That evening, we gathered and got to work. The next morning, we met at the Rockville JCC with all the NRE chapter boards for a fantastic day of training, learning, and preparation. The presidents did an incredible job, and it was so fun to meet so many rising leaders. This weekend could have been canceled or turned into a disaster, but the leaders' positivity made it a fun and memorable experience for everyone.
After some freezing weather, my next stop was warm and sunny: Florida! I loved my week in Boca and Miami, not just for the weather but because I got to see so many of my CLTC teens, attend two fantastic BBG Legacy Nights, and spend time with my wonderful counterparts, Eva and Peyton. In Boca, I went to two evenings of chapter programming in different cities and had so much fun #JumpingAround at their Kickoff. Florida also had the best food so far. From sushi to Peruvian cuisine, Aroma, and of course, spooey—my tummy loved every bite.
Mamma Mia—my 24 hours in Italy were so much fun! After reuniting with the AZA Godol, we met with the Italian IC delegation to talk about what they can expect at IC. It’s going to be such a fun and valuable learning experience for them. I can’t wait to see BBYO Italy thrive with its incredible leaders in Milan and Florence. What made this visit even better was the incredible Italian coffee for basically no money! The 24 hours were perfect, and if I could, I would have stayed forever… but that brings me to my next realization!
Having Dan in Germany was the definition of two worlds colliding. After two days in Frankfurt, where I had the honor of speaking to the council boards of the ZWST, I took Dan to Berlin and showed him around my home. From pretzel to currywurst, and Dan being in my house and him being terrified of my driving—travelling with a buddy is the best and I’m so lucky to have that one that eats EVERYTHING. I am still waiting for the Germany edition of Dine with Dan, but I rate this trip a 10/10
After Dan left, I reset, repacked, got my nails and hair done, and officially embarked on the IC track. But first—Canada! I spent the weekend in the Lake Ontario Region, where their Beau and Sweetheart Dance was one of the best I’ve ever attended. Even though I was stuck on calls for most of AZAA and BBGG, Zumba was so much fun and of course, my team won! Big shoutout to Michelle Tanner, my travel coordinator, shopping buddy, and friend, for making sure I had every piece of clothing I could possibly need for IC and for letting me be part of her Aritzia addiction. And of course, I couldn’t leave without trying the Canadian delicacy, poutine. While I wasn’t a fan of the cheese, I loved everything else about Toronto and hope to go back someday!
My final stop before heading to Denver was DC. I reunited with all my office friends and Dan (he missed me too much over the five days we spent on different continents). Although it was only three days, my time there was perfectly balanced between discovering my love for CorePower, working hard on preparing for IC, and spending time with the awesome DC Council teens. Balance really is key, and it's so important to take care of yourself and others as well.
I hope all these realizations and resolutions lead to a balanced, fun, adventurous, and sunny year filled with shopping, airports, plane buddies, and surprises. I’ll keep you posted!
Joelle Abaew is a BBG from Germany and is serving as the 80th Anita M. Perlman International N'siah.
All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.
