Day 9:
Everyone woke up looking like they blacked out last night and were now suffering from the worst hangover ever. The grunts and murmurs were sounding, rambling about the freezing temperature of the tent and the uncomfortable dusty mattresses. The group groggily made their way to breakfast, and was happy to pack up their belongings and get the hell away from this camp. First up was a short but vertically challenging hike, then we visited Ben-Gurion university where we talked to some students about our campus life at Drexel and discussed our involvement in various student groups and clubs.
We then went to Elinor's army base, where we learned about the kind of work she does (teaching others to drive APVs) and even got to look around inside the vehicles. It was really interesting to see firsthand what Israelis our age are doing at this point in our lives. They think that we are crazy for deciding what we want to study/do when we are 18, meanwhile they are endangering their lives for the sake of their country. Something to think about.
When we finally got to the kibbutz that we would be staying at for the night, everyone was eager to shower (some opting to skip dinner for the sake of cleanliness) and we participated in some closing night activities. Rumor has it that there was a fun after-party. I wouldn't know, I was asleep.
Day 10: Our last day.
The first thing I did in the morning was pack. Always tough. We set off for Tel Aviv to spend our last day, starting off by learning about the city's history at City Hall (not gonna lie, most of us slept through it) and then went to Jafa to shop. We walked through the flea market, eating shawarma and taking advantage of our last opportunity to buy gifts. We then took a stop at a nonprofit to help sort food for the impoverished.
We were dropped off at mall and given two hours to shop. My small group decided to explore outside the mall, enjoying our last few hours with our Israeli friends that we would be leaving shortly. Most of that time was spent sitting on a bench and chilling out, but it remains one of my fondest memories of the trip. After that we had dinner and then sadly, went to the airport.
When people asked me if I thought I was going to cry, I answered with what I believed to be an honest answer: no. I'm just not a crying-in-public sort of person, never have been. But I'm not ashamed to say that I shed tears hugging my Israeli friends goodbye. My group? I would see them around campus. The Israelis? I don't know when the next time I will see them will be.
I am so grateful and appreciative that I had the opportunity to go on this trip and explore the Jewish state of Israel. I learned so much about my religion and myself, as well as made long-lasting friends and memories.