David Ben Gurion | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

It's hard to go to sleep at a reasonable time when you're having great conversations with great people.

We woke up in the still-dark desert, barely able to make out the shadow of the mountain above us. After a sleepy breakfast, we began to climb the winding Snake Path of Mount Masada. We reached the summit of Masada just in time to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea, which was an absolutely unforgettable sight. 

After an upbeat welcome ceremony with live music, we split off into multiple activities - scorpion hunting, belly dancing, creative movements, drawing, herb and oil tasting, star gazing, capoeira, and more!  Israelli and American music filled the cool, desert night as we watched a drum circle ensue with fire dancers, belly dancers, and a capoeira demonstration.

The sky by night in this desert is as indescribable as the land by day. I saw more stars than I've ever seen in my life, and a meteor as well.

We continued the day by going on a hike in his favorite place, the Negev. This hike was challenging yet rewarding, filled with beautiful scenery. It was a great morning filled with history and adventure. continued the day by going on a hike in his favorite place, the Negev. This hike was challenging yet rewarding, filled with beautiful scenery. It was a great morning filled with history and adventure.

Our hike was called Ein Ovdat and we were not the only group who had the same idea. At the waterfall we were lined up with a few other groups but we are pretty sure we got the best pictures of the day. We could've stayed there for hours trying to capture the beauty and by the time we got back, there were definitely a few of us Floridians who had fallen in love with hiking in general! 

Today was a very busy day for all of us on bus 818! Not only did we have a lot to see, but we traveled through Israel's two largest and most iconic cities, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem!
 

There was much to learn about his relentless work to build a home country for the Jewish people, but we will probably remember most the more personal facts; his headstand habit, the humble life he led, how his wedding was wedged between important meetings.

Bus 109 and I visited Yad Vashem (The Holocaust Museum) as well as David Ben Gurion's tomb (first prime minister of Israel) today. Although this was not my first time at the endlessly powerful Yad Vashem, experiencing it with my newfound best friends (both American and Israeli) weighed me down in a way I never thought was possible.