Reflecting on the new experiences I had today reminded me of how lucky I am to have received this gift. There is no gift like it anywhere.

The group was happy and bonding, and being such helped us realize that although we are guests in this beautiful land, we are already home.

Shortly after learning about the history, we hiked down deep, dark stairs to a cave. We all circled up as a group and sang Hallelujah. It was a special moment that we will never forget.

The 1-mile walk from Rabin Square to the Sarona Market gave us a good feel of the exciting and bustling city of Tel Aviv. 

Holding the pigeons was my favorite part of the day so far because it was something I have never done and was also very meaningful. As our guide, Owen, taught us about these birds and their homing capabilities, it was quite the experience to be able to release them with our whole group. After we released them, the sprinklers turned on and sprayed us all as we laughed and ran out of them. It was a blast!

 The views were unbelievable. It was as if each stop just kept outdoing the last. To finish off an amazing day, we got to experience what life was like as the Bedouin's, complete with sleeping in tents and getting to ride camels. It was a truly special way to welcome in 2016.