Monday Meditation
Monday was another action packed day! We started off the day with a morning hike, where we followed a path next to a beautiful river. Midway, we took a couple of minutes for a rare moment of silence and meditation. It truly was a gorgeous atmosphere. Though sometimes it is hard to pause our group's constant talking and laughing, it was well worth it to focus on the picturesque scenery and natural sounds that for most of us are all too foreign.
After a photo op/ ice cream break, We were off to our next stop for lunch in the town of Sderot. The schwarma was a strong contender for best of the trip (I would know since I averaged one a day) and the town provided an interesting atmosphere while our streak of great weather continued.
Next up, we continued to the only armored indoor playground in the world, provided for the children of Sderot who were unable to have the normalcies of playing outside because of random rocket fire. This was eye opening to the Americans of the group to realize just another part of life that we take for granted.
After a quick basketball and ping-pong session (which was awesome) we headed to the farm closest to Gaza strip. We started off with a conversation facilitated by the experience and knowledge of our guide as well as our very own Coral. The unbelievable view from about a football field away of the divider between Gaza and Israel was indescribable, and something most of us had only seen on the news.
We then proceeded to the on-site farm where we learned about how they genetically engineer fruits and vegetables, which we were lucky to try because they were delicious.
The last stop of the day was definitely not the least, a Bedouin tent. We were treated to a dinner where we ate Bedouin cuisine while kneeling on cushions at the table. Following the dinner we were greeted by a man who taught us about the culture and introduced us to their coffee and customs regarding guests. The best part of the night followed, when our group hiked out into the desert. We all broke from our group formation and wandered in different directions to gain a little perspective of the endlessness of the desert of southern Israel. It was a perfect way to reflect on the day and week under the same sky that has been witness to so much history.
We finished the day off as a group around a fire, introducing some of our Israelis to their first s'mores as we all wound down and prepared for an early end of the night with alarms set for 5 am.
