Day number two!

Hello friends and family!

Right now we’re on the bus after visiting an overlook of the Syrian border. We learned about the conflicts in the region and some of us shared our opinions about them. It’s incredibly difficult to talk about such a sensitive issue. I know that in America we encounter opinions on both sides of the issue, and usually people’s opinions are already set in stone, so it’s even harder to have objective discussions. We will be visiting a cemetery next. Today is the anniversary of the assassination of Itzhak Rabin, so we are having a day of somber, serious thinking.

We’ve been having a lot of fun, too, though! We have only spent one night in Israel so far, but we’ve had a ton of amazing experiences.

We had a clash of generations - literally - when we were bombarded by a group of 10-12 year old boys on a water hike. Those of us who hoped not to get completely soaked were sorely mistaken!

I can’t speak for everyone, but I realized I am not in good as shape as I thought I was. Today we went on a 3 hour hike in the Jilaboon. I don’t know how many feet we descended, but it was grueling. It was all worth it, however, when we finally reached a waterfall and pool at the bottom of the mountain and enjoyed a refreshing, ice-cold swim (and by “enjoyed” I mean that we shrieked and winced as we bravely tiptoed into the water, unsuspecting of the pointy rocks waiting for our tired feet on the bottom). I think about half of us braved the water, and maybe a third immersed themselves completely. I saw Amanda perform a perfect cannonball off the rocks by the waterfall. She will never forget that! Yotam said he was impressed with our time on the hike, and I have to say, we were definitely impressive (Especially Nora!).

Looking forward to the rest of our time here, and we all send love and kisses to you!

Alison