By Matt McCoy,
*Alarm rings* It's only 6 am and time for breakfast. Good thing we all made it after all we are college students waking up early is not our strong point!
The bus was filled with glee when we discovered the free bus WiFi, which was appropriately named "default."
Jokes aside, in the morning we went to an Air Force base, the First Wing of Ramah David. We experienced a brilliant and memorable ceremony for Yom Haatzmeut (Israel's Memorial Day), for those who have fallen since Israel gained its independence.
Jokes are back. We drove for what seemed like an eternity to Mount Gilboa. On the bus, many of us were given the opportunity to put on Tefilin. It was lit. On the mountain, we heard an analogy comparing foam in a beer glass to perspectives on Israel. It made me crave a cold one... To be continued.
We're back! We just just visited an olive press and got to see various ways to use olives. They had everything from bread and flavored olive oils to cosmetic products. We also all got to try an exfoliating olive based soap that made our hands softer than a baby's bottom. Olive-it was great. (See what I did there?) Okay I can't lie, I didn't come up with that pun... I'm not that funny. Lunch was delicious, we had some solid Israeli food (falafel, schnitzel, shawarma) and coffee.
Now for the highlight of the day.... we climbed what seemed like four Grand Canyons mixed with the Rocky Mountains in a matter of a couple hours. Some fell, some hurt their ankles, others (well, really just myself) went completely off course to take pictures in a cave. Luckily, we all survived...
At nightfall, there was a very unique moment as we drove back to our hotel. I'll explain in a moment, but first let me give some background. Unlike America's Memorial Day, which is celebrated with sales and shopping sprees, Israel's Memorial Day is a very serious and somber time. Since almost all Israeli citizens serve in the IDF, unfortunately most everyone has some personal experience with losing loved ones in the fight for Israel's safety, be it friends or family. In commemoration for those who have fallen, people wear a sticker with a symbolic flower over their shirt pockets all day, and sirens are simultaneously blared throughout the state at 11 am and 8 pm. On our way back that night to our hotel in Tiverias, the sirens went off. At this moment everything in the country froze. People stopped their cars where they were, got out, and stood in silence. Likewise, our bus pulled over and we all got out and stood in silence. It was a chilling moment. The siren at night was one minute, and the siren the following morning was two minutes, as holidays in Israel progress from sundown to sundown just as Jewish holidays.
Once we got to our hotel, we took long needed showers and had a phenomenal buffet style dinner with an incredible desert selection. After dinner we did a few activities and then had some time to schmooze at the hotel bar.
What a day! On our way to day 3.
*Alarm rings* It's only 6 am and time for breakfast. Good thing we all made it after all we are college students waking up early is not our strong point!
The bus was filled with glee when we discovered the free bus WiFi, which was appropriately named "default."
Jokes aside, in the morning we went to an Air Force base, the First Wing of Ramah David. We experienced a brilliant and memorable ceremony for Yom Haatzmeut (Israel's Memorial Day), for those who have fallen since Israel gained its independence.
Jokes are back. We drove for what seemed like an eternity to Mount Gilboa. On the bus, many of us were given the opportunity to put on Tefilin. It was lit. On the mountain, we heard an analogy comparing foam in a beer glass to perspectives on Israel. It made me crave a cold one... To be continued.
We're back! We just just visited an olive press and got to see various ways to use olives. They had everything from bread and flavored olive oils to cosmetic products. We also all got to try an exfoliating olive based soap that made our hands softer than a baby's bottom. Olive-it was great. (See what I did there?) Okay I can't lie, I didn't come up with that pun... I'm not that funny. Lunch was delicious, we had some solid Israeli food (falafel, schnitzel, shawarma) and coffee.
Now for the highlight of the day.... we climbed what seemed like four Grand Canyons mixed with the Rocky Mountains in a matter of a couple hours. Some fell, some hurt their ankles, others (well, really just myself) went completely off course to take pictures in a cave. Luckily, we all survived...
At nightfall, there was a very unique moment as we drove back to our hotel. I'll explain in a moment, but first let me give some background. Unlike America's Memorial Day, which is celebrated with sales and shopping sprees, Israel's Memorial Day is a very serious and somber time. Since almost all Israeli citizens serve in the IDF, unfortunately most everyone has some personal experience with losing loved ones in the fight for Israel's safety, be it friends or family. In commemoration for those who have fallen, people wear a sticker with a symbolic flower over their shirt pockets all day, and sirens are simultaneously blared throughout the state at 11 am and 8 pm. On our way back that night to our hotel in Tiverias, the sirens went off. At this moment everything in the country froze. People stopped their cars where they were, got out, and stood in silence. Likewise, our bus pulled over and we all got out and stood in silence. It was a chilling moment. The siren at night was one minute, and the siren the following morning was two minutes, as holidays in Israel progress from sundown to sundown just as Jewish holidays.
Once we got to our hotel, we took long needed showers and had a phenomenal buffet style dinner with an incredible desert selection. After dinner we did a few activities and then had some time to schmooze at the hotel bar.
What a day! On our way to day 3.
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