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.

We talked about what it's like to actually live in this country that we've all grown to love and face the issues that they do. Many of these issues have to do with serving in the army, which is a part of most Israelis' lives in ways that we can't really imagine, even though we've gotten a pretty good idea of the experience through our new Israeli friends' perspectives.

Shortly after learning about the history, we hiked down deep, dark stairs to a cave. We all circled up as a group and sang Hallelujah. It was a special moment that we will never forget.

We got up before 4 AM this morning to climb Masada and see the Roman-era fortress and other ruins. The hike to the top was pretty intense, but the view and the exceedingly well-preserved ruins were worth it. 

My day began by waking up at 3:50am in order to watch the beautiful morning sunrise at the top of Mt. Masada. At the top of this amazing mountain, our group explored Masada and learned about the history from this site. We watched as a few of my friends had their bar/bat mitzvah, which was very touching and inspriational! I then went to the Dead Sea where I floated alongside everyone and enjoyed the beautiful salty water.

Hiking and seeing the beautiful scenery was my favorite part of today. I can't wait for the beach tomorrow!

After an hour drive from sunrise on Masada, we arrived at our Dead Sea destination. We all ran off the bus in excitement to finally be a part of this classic birthright stop. When we first stepped into the sea, many of us immediately sunk into the famous Dead Sea mud on the shore. It was way too fun to describe! We freed ourselves only to find that we could float without any effort at all in the water itself. It was an incredible feeling that we can never forget. After soaking in the water for a short time, we got out and lathered up in the mud, let it dry on our skin, took lots of pictures, and then got right back in the water to wash off all that famous mud. It was amazing how instantly our skin felt smooth and fresh from this mud! The Dead Sea was definitely another highlight of the trip so far!