Face Jerusalem... oh wait... We're there!

Hello everyone! The group made it safe and sound in Israel after a long two flights. Flying into Madrid took eight hours about and was a great way to get to know each other. While many slept on the plane, others played cards. Egyptian ratskrew and president were favorites. People stood in the aisles grouped around a tiny desk that came out of the seat. Once a flight attendant had to get through the aisle many would stand on this square on the floor marked DO NOT STAND ON. The flight attendants freaked out if we stood on it, and we still do not understand why. We made up a few guees why…maybe it dropped people out of the plane or sent you to the cargo. We will never know. After a few rounds of cards we finally made it to Madrid. Wandering through the airport, we were allowed to look at and purchase duty free items. Some also purchased food at the coffee shops. I personally enjoyed speaking Spanish to the people working behind the counters. After exploring for about an hour, we reconvened and got ready for another plane ride. This plane ride was much shorter! By then everyone was exhausted. While many were advised to stay awake on this plane ride, almost everyone fell asleep. This plane didn’t have a TV like our last plane. Our last plane we watched no strings attached until technical difficulties, but this plane a book, music, or talking was our only option. Many people were speaking Hebrew on this plane. It was our first realization that we were so close to Israel! After about four hours we landed in Israel. We had only a few short hours until we had to be ready for Shabbat. When we got off the plane, Erez said welcome home and to find our luggage. We met our Israeli leader and soldiers. Quickly we exchanged our money and received our phones. The bus ride to our hotel gave us a quick taste of what Israel looks like. At the top of a hill, we were able to see many civilizations for miles. Arrival at the hotel only meant Shabbat was that much closer. We hurried, took showers, and met up in our meeting room to get dressed. In our meeting room the boys brought the girls roses and we started learning a little about Shabbat. We picked our favorite music quote to represent how we felt at that moment. Many picked from OAR, Eminem, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles. We brought in Shabbat taking one big step together. Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious dinner and got to see some friends from the other bus. After dinner we met together in the meeting room and got to know each other better sharing stories about our selves. After a long day, we were given free time to relax. Many sat playing guitar outside while others listened and hung out. Others went to find friends from other buses and heard stories from their trip. After a long day, many eventually made it to sleep. Our wake up time the next day was ten thirty. We met in our meeting room and quickly formed a circle. We each got cards with questions to ask each other about themselves. These questions were a great way to learn more about each other. By now, everyone knew almost all of the forty two members of our group. Lunch time was delish and now everyone is enjoying time outside in the sun. I look forward to what comes next! A shout out to the Beckers, Aileen Goldman, Emily Gordon, and of course Davey. Hope all is well! Jill Becker