It's hard to go to sleep at a reasonable time when you're having great conversations with great people.

A few of the best names we gave the camels were: Donald Hump, Alexander Camelton, and Chewy Bacca.

Reflecting on the new experiences I had today reminded me of how lucky I am to have received this gift. There is no gift like it anywhere.

The group was happy and bonding, and being such helped us realize that although we are guests in this beautiful land, we are already home.

We woke up in the still-dark desert, barely able to make out the shadow of the mountain above us. After a sleepy breakfast, we began to climb the winding Snake Path of Mount Masada. We reached the summit of Masada just in time to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea, which was an absolutely unforgettable sight. 

After an upbeat welcome ceremony with live music, we split off into multiple activities - scorpion hunting, belly dancing, creative movements, drawing, herb and oil tasting, star gazing, capoeira, and more!  Israelli and American music filled the cool, desert night as we watched a drum circle ensue with fire dancers, belly dancers, and a capoeira demonstration.

Shortly after learning about the history, we hiked down deep, dark stairs to a cave. We all circled up as a group and sang Hallelujah. It was a special moment that we will never forget.

The 1-mile walk from Rabin Square to the Sarona Market gave us a good feel of the exciting and bustling city of Tel Aviv. 

The sky by night in this desert is as indescribable as the land by day. I saw more stars than I've ever seen in my life, and a meteor as well.

Holding the pigeons was my favorite part of the day so far because it was something I have never done and was also very meaningful. As our guide, Owen, taught us about these birds and their homing capabilities, it was quite the experience to be able to release them with our whole group. After we released them, the sprinklers turned on and sprayed us all as we laughed and ran out of them. It was a blast!