By Kelsey Kramer
As I’m woken from the sounds of buses outside our hotel room window my best friend Megan and I know the day is about to begin. We sluggishly crawl out of bed,(keep in mind not only our we still jetlagged, but we’re still on “college” time EEK) head downstairs, and enjoy a breakfast of various fruits, eggs in oil, and custards similar to American yogurt. We pile onto the bus in route to our first destination, the hike to Banyas. I must say, those bus rides are a really good time! Today we even introduced the idea of Laties’s, a Greek tradition at UCF where you sing and rhyme to entertain the bus. Before we reach the Banyas we await the one part of the trip I’m sure every American boy and girl have been waiting for…. picking up the Israeli soldiers. The soldiers were young just like me. Most are anywhere from 20 to 22. They look like us, dress like us, and share most of our interests.
When we reach the Banyas we are completely overwhelmed with natures beauty. As we hiked down the mountain trail, we are met with the scents of nature (some not so pleasant AH), the sounds of the fresh water stream below, and the laughs of enjoyment from our friends around us. After our hike, we head over to a kibbutz. This is by far the most enjoyable aspect of the trip I have experienced so far. No No, I know the “partying”, the shopping, and the adventures are fun as well, but really hearing the natives speak about their passion of Israel made me reflect on why I embarked on birthright or Taglit in Hebrew in the first place. Not only did the speaker of the kibbutz’ s words touch my heart, the view was by far the most wonderful sight I have seen in my life (besides my family of course ☺). You could see for miles. Mountains covered in snow, small villages hopping with people, and rolling trees and grasses covering fields upon fields below.
Next, we stopped for a quick snack at the local mall. Our tour guide informed us that our bags might be searched upon entrance into the shopping area. Isn’t that crazy! We never think in America that something as simple as going out to shop for a new pair of shoes could yield death by some sort of radical terrorist as it does in Israel. We had lunch similar to McDonalds in the states, but boy let me say it was EXPENSIVE! Finally, we jumped back on the bus, and made our way to the Jeep tour. Now if you like roller coasters, and consider yourself a daredevil this was the thing for you! We drove Jeeps similar to four wheelers all throughout the mountaintop. We even drove within arms distance of about 50 or more cows freely roaming the fields.
Lastly, upon arrive back at the hotel we gathered as a group where we participated in several games that Israelis play. One was to find a partner, place a balloon in between the two of you, and without hands try and pop the balloon. First one to pop the balloon wins! Now just take a guess at who won this game…bingo you guessed it, ME!
All and all today was more than I could of ever asked for.
As I’m woken from the sounds of buses outside our hotel room window my best friend Megan and I know the day is about to begin. We sluggishly crawl out of bed,(keep in mind not only our we still jetlagged, but we’re still on “college” time EEK) head downstairs, and enjoy a breakfast of various fruits, eggs in oil, and custards similar to American yogurt. We pile onto the bus in route to our first destination, the hike to Banyas. I must say, those bus rides are a really good time! Today we even introduced the idea of Laties’s, a Greek tradition at UCF where you sing and rhyme to entertain the bus. Before we reach the Banyas we await the one part of the trip I’m sure every American boy and girl have been waiting for…. picking up the Israeli soldiers. The soldiers were young just like me. Most are anywhere from 20 to 22. They look like us, dress like us, and share most of our interests.
When we reach the Banyas we are completely overwhelmed with natures beauty. As we hiked down the mountain trail, we are met with the scents of nature (some not so pleasant AH), the sounds of the fresh water stream below, and the laughs of enjoyment from our friends around us. After our hike, we head over to a kibbutz. This is by far the most enjoyable aspect of the trip I have experienced so far. No No, I know the “partying”, the shopping, and the adventures are fun as well, but really hearing the natives speak about their passion of Israel made me reflect on why I embarked on birthright or Taglit in Hebrew in the first place. Not only did the speaker of the kibbutz’ s words touch my heart, the view was by far the most wonderful sight I have seen in my life (besides my family of course ☺). You could see for miles. Mountains covered in snow, small villages hopping with people, and rolling trees and grasses covering fields upon fields below.
Next, we stopped for a quick snack at the local mall. Our tour guide informed us that our bags might be searched upon entrance into the shopping area. Isn’t that crazy! We never think in America that something as simple as going out to shop for a new pair of shoes could yield death by some sort of radical terrorist as it does in Israel. We had lunch similar to McDonalds in the states, but boy let me say it was EXPENSIVE! Finally, we jumped back on the bus, and made our way to the Jeep tour. Now if you like roller coasters, and consider yourself a daredevil this was the thing for you! We drove Jeeps similar to four wheelers all throughout the mountaintop. We even drove within arms distance of about 50 or more cows freely roaming the fields.
Lastly, upon arrive back at the hotel we gathered as a group where we participated in several games that Israelis play. One was to find a partner, place a balloon in between the two of you, and without hands try and pop the balloon. First one to pop the balloon wins! Now just take a guess at who won this game…bingo you guessed it, ME!
All and all today was more than I could of ever asked for.
RSS Feed