We rafted the Jordan River, where we enjoyed each other's company and floated in the cool waters of the Jordan River.

The sun was blazing, but we were all hat-ed and sunscreen-ed to protect us from its rays. The hike began down a long dusty road, and continued over a mud pit (through which MOST of us made it out unscathed).

Our new family woke up bright and early to hike through the Golan Heights and go swimming in a natural spring, followed by rafting down the Jordan River.

The sights were exquisite. We began to learn more about each other as the sunlight and fresh air recharged us from our long journey the previous two days.

We said the "shehecheyanu" blessing,cheersing to life (with grape juice!) and our existence and being together in Israel. We then had a surreal experience seeing the Syrian-Israeli border from the top of Golan Heights.

We explored the natural beauty of the Golan Heights with a hike at Zavitan. Some brave 874ers took a dip in the pools while others sat together and wrote a lovely first-day haiku

Check out what #Bus530 has been up to so far in Israel:

We ventured to Mt. Arbel, where we went on a beautiful yet challenging hike. While some of the hike consisted of climbing down the side of the mountain, we conquered our fears and saw the beautiful historic sites as well as the city of Tzfat in the distance.

"We went to Mount Bental, where we could see the Israel/Syria border. We learned the history and recent hardships of that area while getting to interact with UN soldiers from Ireland, Switzerland, and Australia."

"The "iced coffee" here is basically coffee ice cream disguised as caffeine. We haven't gained the freshman 15 yet, but after all the falafel and magnum bars, I'm sure we'll be well on our way."