ONE FOR THE BOOKS

After 2 long days of travel, we finally reached The Holy Land of Israel!  We arrived at the airport in Tel Aviv early Monday morning, exhausted.  But our day was packed with fun activities that motivated us to push through the day and fight the jet lag within us.  We started our day by interacting with the group in some team building exercises.  We broke the ice in one game where we had to play rock paper scissors but with a twist.  We started as an egg, worked our way to a chicken, then to a dinosaur, and the final winners acted as Elvis Presley.  We all felt pretty funny doing it, but I feel that it really started us to connect with one another as a group. 

After, we split up into groups and did a scavenger hunt around Tel Aviv.  Tel Aviv truly opened my eyes to how beautiful Israel is.  With large, intricate trees lining the pathway that we walked through, it really felt like we were living in the moment.  We got to see some powerful graffiti around the city and understood how Israelis could anonomously voice their opinions about issues they felt were important.  After a wonderful lunch, we drove to our exquisite kibbutz.  We split into our rooms for the next two nights and got to experience a complimentary dinner in the dining hall.  Following dinner, we had a debriefing session.  Debriefing sessions are our time as a group to sit down all together and talk about our experience in Israel so far.  It gives everyone a chance to share their thoughts and connect with others.  We shared why we were on this trip and what it meant to us.  People really began to open up to one another and it was a really special time. 

Today was one for the books.  We began our adventure by heading to Tsfat where we got to look around the shops and beautiful architecture that Sefad had to offer.  Many of us enjoyed some of the best Chicken Schwarma around and fell into a food coma.  But we couldn’t be tired yet, because the fun was just beginning!  We then went to go rafting through the Jordan River!  We split up into pairs and entered the Jordan River by being pushed down a conveyer belt.  Entering the water with a splash, we all kayaked down the river together, hitting rapids every once in a while.  Each rapid brought a surprising thrill that we all enjoyed.  Following the river, we got to browse around a Naot factory, an original.  We also enjoyed some great ice cream as well.  We then went to the Mt. Bental overlook.  Walking to the very top of the overlook, we got to see the boardering countries of Israel, including Syria and Lebanon.  With such an amazing view, we were all antsy to take some of the best pictures of the trip yet.  We could all see an Israeli flag marking the boarder between Israel and Syria, and were in awe at everything there was to learn from one of our group leaders Shani, about the history of the boarders.  After a while of exploring, we all headed back to the bus and made our way to the Kibutz once again, where we are all showering and relaxing, awaiting our second dinner of the trip. 

I feel that most of us who have never been to Israel before, we have learned more in these two days of adventure, than we learn in one semester of school.  Learning about the culture and way of life in such a special place, and experiencing everything firsthand, has really impacted our lives and we cannot wait for what else this adventure has to offer!  

- Kelly Giuliani