We've Arrived!
Hello! We have reached Israel and it is raining… a lot! After two flights, we are so happy to finally be here! As soon as we landed, we went through a passport check and got our passports stamped. Then, we went to pick up our luggage (Thankfully, everyone’s arrived safely!). As we left baggage claim, aour Israeli peers greeted us with singing and dancing (in Hebrew, of course). Another Shorashim group arrived at the airport at the same time as we did and we made a huge circle in the airport and had an opening ceremony. For the opening ceremony, we all gathered in a circle, linked arms, and we were instructed to chant very loudly ACHIM ACHIM SIMCHA SIMCHA. We learned that ‘Achim’ means brothers in Hebrew and ‘Simcha’ means happiness. As we all chanted and hopped around I realized that something of this magnitude would never be allowed in LAX or JFK airports. Yet, onlookers didn’t really react to the loud group of students. They acted like it was normal! It was incredible to look around and see 90 people, all of whom were Jewish, and in Israel for the same reason and with the same purpose. After the opening ceremony, we went and loaded our baggage on the bus (which was very tightly packed!). Then, we got water, and snacks-- three different types of Israeli candies, “fun-sized.” One was like a Kit-Kat, the other was Hazelnut wafers, and the last one was similar to an M&M candy bar). We then exchanged our money and loaded the bus. On the bus, the Israeli peers introduced themselves as well as our Shorashim tour educator (guide). It was interesting to hear about all of their roles within the army. We rode from Tel Aviv to our kibbutz, which is called Kibbutz Moran. The bus ride was very long as we traveled on the only toll road in Israel. Along the way of course, our Lior explained various facts about Israel, and we got to know the soldiers a little bit. After about a two hour bus ride, we finally arrived at the kibbutz. After putting our bags down in our rooms, we went to dinner where we had chicken, rice, mashed potatoes, bread, hummus, cucumber and tomato salad (Israeli salad), tabouli and for desert, babka (although the Israeli peers refer to it as cake). At the orientation afterwards, we played a game “Where the wind blows.” After the game was bedtime.
Today, we woke up and it was raining and very foggy. It isn’t cold like it is at Brown, but it's not warm either! After breakfast, we drove to the Golan Heights and learned about its significance. Unfortunately, because it was so cloudy and foggy, we even couldn’t see the Syrian border! We also got to go inside the bunker at the top which was very crowded. At the top of the mountain, many of us got coffee to warm up! Following this, we took a short drive to Tzfat, which is a holy town where many Jewish customs began. Here, we learned about the roots of Kaballah as well as about how some rabbis changed Judaism forever with his chanting and singing of poems, many of which are still used today. The biggest lesson that we learned here: one man really can change the world! Following a brief tour of the town, we went to get lunch. It seemed like most of us got delicious falafel or shwarma, although there were other small shops available. Since the town is rather religious, many of the stores were closing early today for Shabbat. Following this experience, we drove back to the Kibbutz, and now we are preparing for Shabbat!
Author: Sarah Presant
