Hump Day
Something I promised myself at the beginning of this trip was that I was not going to hide my enthusiasm. This isn't just because one of the only phrases in Hebrew I remember how to say is I am excited. It's because I have found after over seven years of New York City living, it is easy for people (especially us twenty somethings) to default to indifference. It's easy to make fun of the person who is too excited, we've probably all been on both sides - but in these ten days I wanted to be enthused to the max.
Of the many things I look forwarded to this trip, camels was one of them. Growing up, camels were always an essential identifier of the Middle East. Please note - this observation is largely from Aladdin. I wanted to say I rode a camel. I wanted that iconic photo for various social media. Also, I really like sitting, something I was almost positive I would be doing on a camel.
Today was hump day. It's also a Wednesday. This is Alex's joke and she told it better. Don't worry, this was only the start to some truly spectacular camel themed word play. When we grabbed our helmets, I didn't kid myself with the smalls and mediums because I have a super big head. There is like an extra part in the back. Whatever it's cool. Cool cool cool.
My partner Doris* and I hopped upon our camel effortlessly. I know this seems sarcastic given my tendency to fall (most bruised on the trip - woot woot), but it was super genuine. As it got up and we started along the path many birthright-ers have traveled on before, it became apparent that we were the leaders of the pack. While some might stutter at this type of leadership being thrust upon them, we were born for it. Plus, this was sarcasm and we didn't have to do anything because the camels were tied together.
The essential photos were taken, My Humps was sung, and best of all we named our camels. Some had simpler names like Paula, others really rocked the camel puns hard (etc. Humplstilskin and Alexander Camelton). Sitting on the camel and looking back - literally at the beautiful desert and figuratively at the trip so far - I found something that made the first camel a huge advantage. We've always had an enthusiastic group - but it's a remarkable to look behind and see a huge group of overtired, dirty, didn't have coffee yet, have a smelly animal under and in front of them and going on a full week with non stop interaction and they are all choosing to still be excited. Don't underestimate the power of enthusiasm nor the difficulty to regain it once it's lost. I saw my group, my bBrthright family, and I saw a camel parade of adults who have chosen enthusiasm to be able to have an incredibly amazing experience. It's a choice to do bBrthright just as it is to be excited. Birthright was a choice we made for different reasons - mine was largely because I haven't traveled and this was free. However, if I had any idea what this trip would mean to me before, I would have paid any amount for this experience (but I'm still really glad I didn't have to).
*name changed
