First Steps in Israel
After over 10 hours on the plane, Shorashim Bus 84 made it to Israel! Although some of us were able to sleep soundly on the flight and some of us were not, we were all feeling fatigued as we picked up our luggage and waited to get through customs. Our energy levels quickly improved as we made our way through the airport and were greeted by the songs of Israelis and invited to join a circle and dance and sing. We proceeded to our bus, exchanged our dollars for shekels, and got on board. By the time we made it to the Chukuk Kibbutz, it was as dark as it had been when our flight departed from New York the evening before.
Upon our arrival at the Kibbutz, we were assigned our roommates and rooms and instructed to drop off our belongings and head directly to the dining hall for dinner. We were hungrier than we were exhausted -although we were quite exhausted - so we filled up our plates and enjoyed our first Israeli meal. The beet salad was my personal favorite from the spread.
After dinner it was time for the inevitable flashback to summer camp and freshman year of high school - group icebreakers. Most of us had the opportunity to meet each other and interact at the airport, on the plane and on the long bus ride north but it wound up being fun to learn more about our trip mates from the US and Israel, even though some of us (namely myself) were not very good at the game that we played. After the game, many of us chose to hang out at the picnic tables outside of our rooms and sing along as our musically adept cohorts accompanied us on the guitar.
We woke up early this morning, had a quick breakfast and headed out to the Golan Heights for a hike along the Gilabun River. The scenery was incredible - we were surrounded by nothing but hills, streams and vegetation. I don’t think that any of us were prepared for what was in store for us - this was not a leisurely beginner’s hike. We were scaling steep trails up the hills, crossing streams by balancing on slippery rocks and climbing into hillside caves. Our hike culminated in descending downhill and following the stream to an incredible towering waterfall. Some of the boys were brave enough to jump into the freezing cold waters and swim to the waterfall - their limbs may have been numb for a time afterward, but I think the consensus was that the swim was well worth it. The hike was tremendously rewarding, albeit grueling, but our day was not nearly over.
Upon boarding the bus, we proceeded to Mt. Bental where we were able to see a 360 degree panorama of the Golan Heights and surrounding area, including the Syrian border. We had the opportunity to learn about the history of Syrian-Israeli relations while looking with our own eyes at historically signification locations in the distance and exploring a bunker used by Israeli troops in the Yom Kippur War. We then traveled through the area surrounding the beautiful Sea of Galilee to the Kinneret Cemetery The cemetery itself was beautiful, and we could all feel something spiritual and serene in the air. At the cemetery we learned about two of Israel’s most famous poets and songwriters and our Israeli trip mates performed some of their more famous songs on guitar. I’m sure I am not the only one who will be reading these women’s works once I return home!
It is astonishing how much we were able to experience in just one day. What everyone told me before I left for this trip is officially confirmed - this is going to be the experience of a lifetime.
-Sarah Novosad
