After hopping off a 13 hour plane right, we took a much needed stretch and met up with the Israeli soldiers that would be joining us on our trip. We hopped on a bus and drove two hours north to a Kibbutz, arriving at a beautiful hotel on the Sea of Gailee.
That night we settled in and rested from our long travel day. Idan, one of the Israelis, took me and a few others down to the waterfront at night to look at the sea and the stars. I may or may not have made a promise to watch a 2am meteor shower with him that I did not keep. I finished off the night chatting with Emily and the soldiers, surprising her by singing happy birthday in Hebrew when the clock stroke midnight.
The next day we all woke up feeling more energized and excited for the first day in this new country. We spent the morning touring Zippori National Park and staring in awe at the beautiful mosaics and stories behind them.
For lunch I ordered shawarma like a classic Israeli, although I probably sounded very American when I asked if they had gluten free pita (they didn't). I talked with Idan over lamb and hummus, and was interested on his views of the enlistment in Israel. He told me that he didn't agree with the enlistment requirement, for reasons relating to the physical and mental toll that it takes on the people, many of whom cannot handle it. He told me that there are frequent suicides in the army, however it is covered up extensively. While he had some negative views regarding enlistment, he assured me that he would have enlisted with or without the requirement, for he sees Israel as a land worth fighting for.
Our next stop was the city Tsfat, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years. I experienced the spiritual draw firsthand and got to tour a synagogue, where the owner corrected our tour guide on the subject of Jesus's circumcision, swearing that he was circumcised twice (once with a knife, the second time with his zipper).
After an afternoon of sightseeing and shopping, our bus raced against the setting sun to catch it setting over Mitzpe Shalom. Although we missed it, we still got an incredible view.
Day 3 was adventure packed, ranging from a hike of the Arbel Cliffs to a jeep tour of the Golan Heights. The cliffs were a bit of a challenge, but the thrill of scaling rocks and seeing the ground from the top was amazing.
The jeep tour came next, and equipped with a quirky Israeli driver, we took on the rugged terrain with few reservations (I said a few, not none). At the top, we arrived at a bomb shelter where we learned about the battles of the IDF soldiers in the Six Day War and looked into the distance at the border of Syria (surrounded by armed guards none the less).
After suffering through "Chinese food" for lunch (nope, Israel is definitely not
known for that) I proceeded to nap, only to rejoin the group for an activity regarding some controversial current events and topics.
I'm going to end this post with something that Shir said to me tonight: "It is not normal to grow up in a bomb shelter, or to be required to enlist in the army. But above everything, Israel is my home, and it means everything to me."