First 2 Days!

So here we are on Delta Airlines flight 268 en route to Tel Aviv, Israel. After 12 great hours of bonding with our group mates at the airport and on the plane, we arrive in the birth place of our heritage. As we step off the plane, we are met by our Shorashim Israeli guides for an opening ceremony. The feeling is apprehensive at first but we soon become enthralled with the realization that we are in the land of our ancestors. Walking out of the airport, we are met by Joby, our bus driver, and a man to change our money into sheckels. We are given water and snacks for energy for the rest of the day. Shortly after our snacking and conversation, we load up the bus and head out of Ben Gurion Airport and start heading to the kibbutz that we will be staying at for the next three days. After a 1 hour and 45 minute ride, we arrive at the illustrious kibbutz. Upon our arrival to the kibbutz, we eat dinner and are assigned our rooms. We ended the night with some group bonding activities and hit the hay. Our second day began at 7:30 am with breakfast. We then headed to the Gilabun Hike. After a treacherous first half of rigorous climbing, we arrived at the summit of the hike and swam in a natural waterfall that you could only imagine on a postcard. After a quick dip, we headed back on the trail up to the bus. Joby met us at the top and took us to lunch at a strip mall in Katzerin. Shortly after lunch we were en route to our next destination, Agamon Ahula agricultural center to learn about the migratory birds of Israel. Did you know that there are 500 million birds that migrate through Israel during the autumn on their way to Europe and Africa? Well now you do. After a quick demonstration of how they track the birds, we return to the bus and headed back to the kibbutz. Upon our arrival, many of the guys began to play soccer in our field and then proceeded to eat dinner. After dinner, we had some free time to ourselves to relax after a long day and then we all participated in some group activities which included; a trust circle, an information learning activity, and a game to help us learn each other’s names. The night concluded with some social gatherings throughout the kibbutz. We are keeping a busy schedule, but will keep you updated with our impressions, activities, thoughts (and pictures!) as we continue our travels. Shalom for Israel, Bus 548