With week one down, we are all adjusted to the time change and having the time of our lives. This really is the trip of a lifetime. 34 of our closest friends all together plus the most amazing staff. I'm not sure how it could get any better.
We started off our time here in Jerusalem where we toured the old city, caves, and the western wall. After our short time in Jerusalem, we made our way to the Negev desert where we spent the night under the stars. It was so beautiful and an experience that we will never forget.
Our next destination was a kibbutz called kibbutz Kitura. It is just under 45 minutes away from Eliat. There were many activities such as a pool and basketball court. We met both Israeli teens who lived on the kibbutz and American teens who are on similar trips as us. It was very interesting to learn about how people lived on the kibbutz. With the beautiful scenery of the mountains all around, celebrating Shabbat on the kibbutz was breathtaking, and Saturday we had free time to explore and have fun.
For me, and many others on the trip will agree was one of our favorite days so far, even though every day is amazing. And not only because we didn't hike at all... We spent the first part of the day in Eilat banana boating. It was so fun!! The saltwater was a little painful, but it was worth it. Later on the day we went to the sand dunes and jumped and flipped off of them. The sand was so soft! After playing around for a little while we all found our own space and reflected on the week so far then yelled as loudly as we could into the empty desert.
It is amazing how all of our friendships have picked up right where we left off last summer and we are continuing to strengthen our bonds with each other. Every day keeps getting better, and I can't wait to experience what's next on our agenda!
Miranda Weiss
CSL In Israel
