sababa

FIRST BLOGGER!! You can call me Tisha Esra (this translates to the number Nineteen is Hebrew). As we settle into our new homeland for the next ten days, our tour guides have given us a roll call, military style from 1 through 44. Everyone has been wonderful so far and it is one of those moments where you pinch yourself in disbelief…am I REALLY FINALLY here? In Israel? Gladly, it is a reality. The cold rainy weather is past and everything is lush and green. We are becoming fast friends, sharing stories, and histories. It is lucky that we have the chance to interact with Israeli peers the entire trip and our guide, Ori, is quite entertaining….he walks very fast though (I am five feet, not so fast) To start our first day we traveled past Tel Aviv out to the ocean. Once there, It is fascinating the dichotomy of history; you have a 500 year old city to your right, the ocean in front of you, and a power generator from the 1950s. We now travel two hours to Golan Heights where we will have dinner and orientation in the Afik Kibbutz. Given the excitement in really a half a day thus far, I know I will have a journal filled, camera memory maxed to capacity, and most importantly, lasting memories. Enthusiastically, Barbara and Briel