My name is Tesha Babka. I am originally from Walnut Creek,California and completed by B.S. in Child Development at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obisipo. I came to Israel with Career Israel because I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do with my life after college, and since I didn’t study abroad this was a great chance to gain international work experience. I wanted to be around Jewish people and see what it would be like to live here in Israelfor a little while, so Career Israel was the right program.
I intern at the Bialik Rogozin School in South Tel Aviv with 1st to 12th graders. One special moment I will never forget was having a conversation with four 3rd grade girls I was tutoring. They asked if I was Jewish, if my father wore a kippa, and other questions of that sort. I ended up explaining to them that different dressing styles are peoples’ choices, and that in America you can’t tell what religion someone is because it doesn’t show in their clothing. These moments are the best and are always very interesting.
While I might not become a teacher until I am older, this experience has taught me many life lessons. In the near future I want to become a dental hygienist, and this exposure to children who are less fortunate makes me grateful for the dental care I have received, and I hope to help people who really need dental care in my future.
My favorite trip on Career Israel has been our North Trip because I am very active and I like being exhausted by the hard hikes. Talking to the Arab high school students was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I loved seeing parts of the Galilee and the Golan Heights where I have never been.