My journey started when I landed in the Tel Aviv airport and met with the group to head to Otzma's office where we were lectured for hours about our week ahead. This week was essentially birthright, part 2. We also discussed important details about the program for which unfortunately most of us were falling asleep the entire time she was talking. We then boarded a bus and began our bonding/get acquainted to Israel and each other part of the program. The best cure for jet lag is apparently to go to the desert and wake up insanely early every morning to try the beat the day’s heat. So we arrived that night a Bedouin tent, the same Bedouin tent I visited during birthright and I still have to say- best meal ever! The next day we went on what they referred to as a hike. I will more properly refer to it as the extreme falling downhill. The entire 3 hours we were going downhill at very sharp angles while some members of the group had panic attacks about falling right off the mountain. The day turned out to be more a test of patience and teamwork than anything else. I think we all did great job and it was a successful and rewarding experience.
The second day we went on a really nice hike, that went both up and down. It had fantastic views, as we journeyed through swamps and waterfalls, we got a chance to swim in the lovely Ein Gedi waterfall- free back massages to anyone who went under the fall. The only problem --algae and the intensifying heat on the way back. Following our hike we made our way to the Dead Sea where we could go in the sea or hang out by a local hotel pool. I, after recently falling off my bike and scraping my knee, opted to skip the sea and hang in the pool. Considering paper cuts can make grown men cry, I felt pretty content with my decision.
As a group, we continued to bond through Shabbat activities at a kibbutz. We had discussions and services on Friday night, prior to sitting down to Shabbat dinner. After dinner the group informally sat outside for a few hours- talking, drinking, and getting to know each other without little games and organization. In the morning, we finally got a chance to sleep in- yay! Saturday was all about relaxing and learning more about the program. They repeated a lot of the information from the first day now that we were actually awake and gave us some new info about what was to come. Shabbat ended with a Havdalah service, inspired by one of the many camps that people worked at.
The next morning, we listened to one of the best speakers I think I’ve ever heard. Neil Lazarus gave us the meat and bones of the Israeli situation, not to mention a creative way to obtain Israeli shopping carts. His speech was filled with well-timed and executed humor, as well as thoughtful and interesting information. We then drove up to Ashkelon, our home for the next 3 months. When we got there we were greeted by the Ethiopian children with a native Ethiopian dance. The kids were so cute and jumping around everywhere. They were crazy, but adorable.
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