The Best First Day
It was an extremely successful first day on Bus 221. Waking up at the Kibbutz was an unforgettable experience in itself. We quickly discovered that we shared the space with families, our Israeli peers and to our surprise, tons of cats and dogs. Before we got the chance to see the whole place, we left for our morning hike.
When we arrived at the hike at 9am, most of us were still exhausted from the long day of traveling, but we were excited for the first full day that lay ahead. The first thing we noticed was that the Israelis weren't kidding: it was brutally hot. Thankfully, we reached the Zavitan Fall, a stream that led to a natural pool. We all jumped in this oasis to cool off. That kept us going for the next hour of the hike.
Once we made it back to the bus, we had a short ride to our first real taste of Israeli cuisine. The outdoor food mall offered hummus, shakahuka, and the fluffiest pita bread we've ever seen. This was our first chance to really get to know our new Israeli friends while they shared their stories about the IDF before we headed off to our next adventure.
Our bus dirver, led us up Mount Bental, where we were able to look out over the Israeli/Syrian border. Our Israeli tour educator, Tom, shared a brief history about how the country used to be divided. It was surreal to be in such a beautiful place, but to still be able to see a country where so much conflict still exists
The next destination was definitely our favorite. We went rafting in the Jordan River. We were split up into groups of six, and in ours, we had the two boys do the paddling, while the rest of us relaxed. We passed local families who were swimming and having BBQs around the river, and we even had a couple of boys swim alongside us for a little. It was a great bonding experience and showed us just another example of how beautiful Israel is.
The whole day tied into our Shabbat theme of appreciation, and we definitely appreciated our view of the magnificent sunset over the Sea of Galilee as we talked about what Shabbat meant to us. After our Shabbat dinner, we bonded as a bus over more icebreakers and games, before being able to meet the other Shorashim bus group in the local Kibbutz pub over traditional Goldstar beer and Israeli dance music.
Neither of us have ever been to Israel before, and this perfect first day gave us a glimpse into what the next nine days would hold for us. We can't wait!
