The science research facility was incredibly impressive, the work they are doing is extremely important for the future of science and the birthday party for Holocaust Survivors was heartwarming. Our group had the honor of spending time with the families of our Israeli participants on our trip at their homes. It was an amazing afternoon that opened our eyes to the life of our new Israeli friends. 

Never in my life have I been more speechless or honored to call myself a member of the Jewish community. 

Our Shabbat service this evening was very pretty. It was nice to sing prayers I hadn't sang in years and to find that I still remembered them. After the service and the lovely kibbutz dinner, we split into groups and learned about each other's backgrounds, then played a game based on remembering people's names that had me paralyzed with laughter. 

Such a creative outlet led to an afternoon of volleyball and watermelon at the beach. After splashing around we listened to Eshkol Nevo, the famous Israeli author. We discussed his renowned novels, writing process, and even got to share some of our own creative writings. He works closely with local university students by conducting writing workshops, so it was a brief but insightful afteroon.

This morning we did a nature hike through some really pretty forest. The rocky path was challenging, so we were all careful to watch our step, instead of looking at the beautiful trees, but picking our footing was fun on its own. Then we drove to Tel Aviv and had (a very fancy, very quick) lunch in our hotel for tonight. I have now had falafel as part of my lunch for three days in a row and that's awesome.