Hey everyone,

For those of you who joined us on this spectacular weekend you know EXACTLY what this blog will be all about and for those who weren’t part of it please join me as we take you down METROFEST MEMORY LANE!!

For starters lets use a few words to sum up the weekend: UNREAL, AWESOME, OVERFED, INSPIRATIONAL, EXHAUSTING, DELICIOUS, LIFE CHANGING (what did I leave out?)

Ok so now for the details. Metrofest all began Fri at 2 PM at the beautiful Sheraton Hotel in Parsippany NJ. You could already feel the energy and excitement as the hotel began to fill up. After a quick shower and change of clothing we all joined together to welcome in Shabbat with candle lighting and a special Kabbalat Shabbat filled with awesome singing and dancing! We then made our way to a delicious dinner and the buzz was unreal! There were students from the London trip, Brussels Amsterdam trip, Costa Rica trip, Prague Israel trip, Killington Ski trip and a few from Aish Cafe! It was truly one big family reunion and you could feel it instantly!

After dinner we got our first dose of Charlie Harary, vice president of a multi-million dollar real estate company who also happens to be dynamic, hysterical, charismatic, and incredibly inspirational. He welcomed us to the weekend and informed us that if we put in all our efforts he would change our lives forever by teaching us how to maximize our minds to reach our goals and help us to understand and attain true happiness. For real!!! The first session felt like it ended even before it began and we had a lot to think about as we made our way to a midnight dessert reception! Thank goodness for our amazing staff and Rabbis who helped us discuss and make sense of our life goals over hot chocolate cookies and ice cream…

Shabbat morning came a little too soon but that was OK because it was time to meet with Charlie for session 2 (of course after a delicious spread of Shabbat morning delights!). Some brave souls got up in front of everyone to talk about their thoughts and commitments from session 1 which led us directly into a discussion of happiness. It’s amazing how much you think you know about being happy until you hear Charlie speak about it!! With some good laughs and amazing new ideas under our belt, we made our way to a scrumptious lunch buffet and continued to discuss all that we had just learnt. After every last morsel of dessert was licked off our plates (what were those chocolate mouse concoctions!?!? They were AWESOME!) we quickly made our way to Session 3 with Charlie, where we were about to learn the secret to amazing relationships! We were given guidelines, tips and exercises to really think about our relationships and learn how to make the most out of them. At the conclusion of the session our minds and bodies were definitely ready for some down time but not before we took part in an array of snacks that were readily available as we left the session. 

After a restful afternoon we were ready for more body and mind work. We enjoyed a light dinner followed by some more entertainment and inspiration from Charlie. You would think after listening to the same speaker over and over again it would get old, but no! We really, truly couldn’t get enough of Charlie! At this session, we were challenged to take what we had learnt up until now and do something with it that very night! Ahhh! It was time for us to preform!! 

We all went off to take action (some to play ball, others to change their lives…) and after freshening up a bit we were off to our Saturday night surprise entertainment and gala dinner! As the troops lined up outside the main ballroom doors, loud drumming began and with that the doors opened to what is called a DRUM CIRCLE! If you don’t know what a drum circle is then I advise you to check out a video of it on facebook on our Aish Connections page. It was awesomenessss!!!

Then it was time to fill our plates with burritos, pasta, pizza, quiche, salad bar, chocolate covered everything, chocolate souffles, ice cream and sing and dance into the wee hours of the night, or morning…

We wrapped up this unbelievable weekend late Sunday morning. Many brave souls got up to tell everyone what changes they made the night before and we all committed to making changes in the very near future! Thank you Charlie for your incredible words of wisdom and inspiration! We can’t thank you enough!

We were all sad to pack up and leave but we know that being part of the Aish Connection’s family means we will be seeing each other again very, very soon!! Thank you Aish Connections for a dream weekend of fun, laughter, knowledge and quite literally, a life changing experience!

Check out Aish Connections on facebook for more on this incredible Metrofest weekend, including photos and videos!

Hey everyone,

So I was thinking that there are only a few ways to make it through the semester:

1) Sleep through it

2) Work your bottom off and get no sleep

3) Plan your summer break OR

4) LET AISH CONNECTIONS PLAN YOUR SUMMER BREAK FOR YOU!! 

Aish Connections is proud to annouce our once of a lifetime trip to SPAIN! Matadors, bull fights, fiestas, palaces, and loads of Spanish and Jewish history await you! We take care of the flight, the accomodations, the food, the itinerary, and all the fun for just $599! Seriously!

Check out the Aish Connections page on Facebook for more info (you can apply there too)! This trip is for the Jewish NY college aged student (18-24) who has never been on one of our trips before. I know its only February, but believe it when I say, we are already flooded with applications!!

So close the chemistry book and check out our Spain trip at www.aishconnections.com or on facebook NOW!

SPAIN HERE WE COME!

Hey everyone!

With the school semester back in full gear it is time for Aish Connections to put our thinking caps back on and come up with the most awesome trips for your upcoming summer break!

After much thought and deliberation, we are super duper excited to announce our next set of trips open to Jewish college aged students (18-25) from all over the country!

O.K. here it goes! First off, we are bringing back the business themed trip this summer, though this time we are calling it ENTERPRIZE, a trip for future Jewish entrepreneurs. You will meet some of the most powerful Jewish executives in NYC, learn their secrets to success and be able to network and create your very own business opportunities! We will have an Enterprize trip for guys, May 17-27 and yes, one for the gals, June 3-15th. If you enjoy the world of business you do NOT want to miss out on this opportunity. Oh the price….$199…could it get any better??

Next is our Xtreme trip for guys July 1-13th. Pushing the limits with extreme sports wasn’t enough JUST for last summer, so we’re bringing it back again! Guys, get ready to sky dive, hang glide, go rappelling, mountain biking and more at a ridiculous price of $249!! I know!!!

And of course, no summer would be complete without our ridiculously awesome Metrotrip…THE NYC Adventure! This is a co-ed trip where you will see all the best the Big Apple has to offer, Aug 2-12 at only $199!!

FOUR awesome trips! Something for everyone! New York City, awesome new friends, Judaism, cool Rabbis, a lifetime of memories…isn’t that what summer is all about?

Be part of the action NOW! Registration opens Thursday, February 26, 2009!

See you this summer!