Today was a great beginning to a wonderful trip, but the discussion reminded me of how fortunate our country is to not have to continue to actively defend its boarders. More importantly how we as a nation, culture, and religion we can continue to help our brothers and sisters in Israel defend theirs.
Shalom! Greetings from Shorashim. Today was our first official day of the Birthright Israel Tour and our first stop was a hike in the Golan Heights. The energy on the bus was electric and filled with excitement. When we got off the bus, we were told to find four unfamiliar faces and set an appointment to walk and talk with them at some point durning our hike. Creating unity between the Americans and the Israeli peers is an important aspect of the Birthright Israel trip and allows for thoughts, experiences, and different perspectives to be shared.
After dinner we played a game, wherein some of us earned lasting nicknames: Ju-Ju Beans Jacob, Sam Salmon and Jordan Jalapeno to name a few!
We loaded the bus for a hike in the mountains and after a "quick 40-minutes*," we arrived. For a bunch of mostly Midwestern kids, the mountains in northern Israel were impressive and beautiful.
Under the shade of a eucalyptus tree, we took the time to meditate. In between deep breaths we were told to think about the present, be appreciative of this trip, and to realize the wonder of being here in the state of Israel. I hope all of us will carry these thoughts with us throughout the rest of the trip.
We rafted the Jordan River, where we enjoyed each other's company and floated in the cool waters of the Jordan River.
The sun was blazing, but we were all hat-ed and sunscreen-ed to protect us from its rays. The hike began down a long dusty road, and continued over a mud pit (through which MOST of us made it out unscathed).
Pictures are worth a thousand words!
Our new family woke up bright and early to hike through the Golan Heights and go swimming in a natural spring, followed by rafting down the Jordan River.
The sights were exquisite. We began to learn more about each other as the sunlight and fresh air recharged us from our long journey the previous two days.