We Made It!!!
Sunday morning, the 41 of us (including our amazing North American staff members) began to slowly make our way from Chicago to New York. We met in terminal 3 at JFK airport and promptly proceeded to wait. We waited for hours, until the last of our bus mates arrived and checked in, and then as a group we went through security. After having some time to shop and eat, we reconvened for a brief airport orientation with Marci and Coby, two of our leaders, until the plane was ready for us. We went through secondary screening, and began to find our seats. Aside from some A/V issues, the flight was relatively uneventful. We disembarked 10 hours later at Ben Gurion International Airport. Arriving at the same time as a number of other flights, passport control took a while to navigate, but once through, we found our bags, met back up as a group, received Taglit-Birthright t-shirts, and began to make our way through customs.
Until now the trip was fairly uneventful; what one would typically expect when traveling anywhere. What met us on the other side of the doors through customs was a sight to be remembered. Our Israeli counterparts were waiting there with balloons and flags, and greeted us in song and dance; incidentally, there was a camera crew there from Taglit-Birthright to capture the whole experience on video. They were SOOO excited we had finally arrived.
We changed money, picked up our cell phones, and loaded the buses, headed north to the Golan. On the way we stopped at a kibbutz in Caesaria, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, united for the first time on our 10 day journey. We said the traditional shehechianu blessing, in recognition of how far we came; so many Jews throughout history had longed to make it to Eretz Yisrael, and we have been lucky to live their dream.
After filing back onto the buses we headed to our destination: Kibbutz Afick. We at a lovely dinner, followed by orientation, and only then were we dismissed to shower! Tomorrow morning we're starting bright and early to hike the Jilaboon trail. Check back here periodically for updates. I hope you enjoy experiencing Israel vicariously through our blogging!
Until next time...
