Beseder

Beseder is the first phrase I learned on my journey to Israel from Dulles for the DC Community young professionals trip. It means "it's all good" or "it's all right". Sometimes things happen that you have no control over, such as missing your connecting flight from Heathow to Tel Aviv. This could have been a situation to feel aggravated. While I do not admire the processing efficiency of the airport staff, I felt an enormous surge of gratitude for the opportunity to travel to Israel with my local community in the first place. It hit me how incredibly lucky we are to hop on a plane and be in Israel a day later.

Today the three of us who had extra time to enjoy the Heathrow airport finally arrived at 5am and were driven up North to meet with the 38 others in our group. It felt so good to be reunited with everyone! We hiked in the Zavitan along rocky terrain, stopping at a swimming hole on our way to cool down. We said the "shehechianu" blessing,cheersing to life (with grape juice!) and our existence and being together in Israel. We then had a surreal experience seeing the Syrian-Israeli border from the top of Golan Heights. We learned the history of this area while receiving candid insight into the complexity of the current sitution with the nextdoor neighbor.

After a falafel lunch, we went rafting down the Jordan River. It was peaceful and relaxing, until our raft was tipped over by our Israeli "friends". No one left the Jordan dry. I'm enjoying getting to know the people around me and this beautiful country so much that it's already easy to forgot that I was stuck in an airport instead of resting in a bed in the quaint kibbutz. The sun is hot, hydration is key, our guide and staff are awesome, and life is good. We are safe and having a great time. Beseder!

Photo credit: @kristenomics (header), @jfelsh88