Day 1

It was surprising to me how quickly we got to know each other when we all arrived at JFK airport in New York.

At first thought, a trip with New Yorkers and Philadelphians mixed with chicagoans and texans wasn't going to be filled with seamless introductions but it was, because we all share something very strong in common.

The flight went by quickly and before we knew it, we were at our kibbutz. Another pleasant surprise considering my very americanized perspective on kibbutzim consisted of a farm with all its odors, cold showers, etc. but the rooms were air conditioned and the only smells came from the kitchen, which produced a great first dinner for us!

After dinner, many of us gathered in the courtyard to continue getting to know each other, since anyone who had their guard up had no choice but to lower it during our surprisingly fun ice breaker activity.

It was a spectacular feeling waking up in a comfortable bed with fully functional air conditioning blowing strong. That was complimented by a healthy and delicious breakfast with a couple cups of coffee to wake me up. The day before was almost a full day of travel, but we were all equally thrilled to start our day. We hopped on the bus and got to Tzfat in about an hour. I didn't know until we were there, but it is considered one of the holiest cities in the world, so i stood up straight, covered my head, and walked into the synagogue. It was as beautiful and historic as the town itself.

Afterwards, we hit the Golan Heights and enjoyed some history talk and some coffee over some of the most spectacular scenery I've ever seen.

We've been in Israel for 24 hours now and I feel as though I have new lifetime friends and I've learned more in this period of time than any other day of my life.

Photo credit: @thisisyourbrainonjanet (header), @aggiehillel