There was a wide spectrum of feelings within the group, and after only three days, it really opened my mind and heart to everyone's story and background. Surprisingly, sharing something so intimate made me very comfortable with these 47 people that I just met, and I continue to get to know them better every day. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be on this trip with every wonderful person here, and bond through not only religion, but stories and life experiences. I wouldn't have it any other way!

We all know the familiar sound of an alarm buzzing awaking us from a few precious hours of sleep. We mumble a few things under our breath, usually profanities. We roll out of bed and force ourselves to throw on whatever we've set out to wear the night before or the first thing we see, whether it's dirty or not, no one will notice. We look ourselves in the mirror—we may or may not regret that. These every-morning rituals are things that everyone is familiar with, but what you may not know is that all of us on Shorashim sometimes does this at the tippity-top of the crack of dawn.