Adventures from the first days: Bus 1070

We started out our first full day of touring on the bus, en route to the Gaza Strip. Once there, we were in disbelief that we could stand so close to danger in such safety. After walking around for a while, we boarded the bus to Ein Hod, an artist village in the mountains. It was impressive to see that the villagers turned their passion for art into a means of living and survival. We had the opportunity to hear a drummer, originally from New York but now living in the village, show us his passion for music. Afterward, we stopped for our first Israeli lunch, where many of us enjoyed our first falafel/schwarma in Israel, where others tried the pizza and Chinese food. After our meal we had some time to talk to native Israelis and shop at a local mall. We quickly found out that the stereotype about Israelis being unfriendly is not altogether true. The locals engaged us in conversation and seemed genuinely interested in where we were from and our lives. Our last stop for the day was a date farm, where we got to try different types of dates as well as date honey. We also go to try strawberry tea, which was yummy and fresh. We watched a video about the land’s history and how its’ natives transformed it from an uninhabitable dry environment to one of milk and honey. We boarded the bus one last time for the day, where we drove to Degania Bet, the kibbutz that we are staying on. We were impressed by the accommodations and Shabbat dinner at the kibbutz dining hall, or “cheder ochel,” which was a delicious spread of meat, vegetables, and of course, hummus and babaganoosh. We ended the night with a group Oneg and then spent time exploring the kibbutz, where we found many, many cows. On Shabbat morning, we all appreciated the chance to sleep in. Many of us slept until twelve, and then we all spent the afternoon together at the pool. We then took a walking tour of the outskirts of the kibbutz, where we learned about the quality of the Jordan river water and Israel’s water in general. Afterward, we got ready for Havadalah, and did a beautiful ceremony together with Syracuse. We spent Saturday night out in Tiberius, exploring the night life and felt what it was like to be a young person in a popular Israeli city. We got to do a little bit of shopping and a lot of us purchased delicious Nutella crepes, with sprinkles! As our first Shabbat came to a close, we are looking forward to an awesome, action-packed day tomorrow and a great week! - Jackie and Sabrina P.S. Hi families, we love you and miss you and we’re having a great time, can’t wait to see you and tell you more stories!!