At first, I was hesitant about the idea of International Convention, but signed up regardless of my doubts. However, reflecting on the experience now, I can confidently say that it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The entire weekend turned out to be truly unforgettable.

One of my favorite moments was Friday night Shabbat. The sight of thousands of Jews, regardless of their origins, all dressed in white and united in belief, was truly magical. That night, I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. In awe, I had conversations with people from Germany, Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, and various other countries. Despite some of the language barriers, many of us were able to connect, trying to catch a glimpse into each other's lives. We were all so different, but we had one thing in common, our Judaism. That night, my new and old friends laughed, cried, told countless stories, and learned about one another. I realized that when I first joined BBYO, I was told I would be making “friends for life.” After attending IC, I realized that this was more than true. As International Convention is changing from a current event to a memory, I became even more excited for my chapter's global connections program. 

Global Connections is a Zoom call between two different chapters in entirely different countries. This gives us the opportunity to connect with some of the new friends we made at International Convention and hear their answers to all the questions my friends had about their lives in and out of BBYO.