Saturday, April 25^th

Final Day

Evan

We went to the beach for some time in the sun.

What a great trip, what great fun.

18 days have passed and it’s time to say goodbye.

In the plane for 16 hours we now need to fly.

Goodbye Israel, we’ll miss you!

 

Trip Summary in Poetic Format

Jerusalem: Jacki, Ariel, Aviv and Noa

Got off the plane at Ben Gurion, drove to Jerusalem.

Weather’s colder than we thought, we all pray to Hashem.

Someone’s iPod fell into a grate.

Maybe being in the city was our fate.

Galil: Matthew and Erich

Travelling to our pen pals, Yay!

Can’t believe we’re finally on our way.

Up here in the Galil

It’s special and we can feel it for real.

Darom (South): Sarah

Hiking in Ein Avdat, by the waterfall was where we sat,

Saw some ibexes, they’re not fat,

From Masada to the Dead Sea

Bedouin tents that’s where we’ll be.

Tel Aviv: Evan, Addi, Josh, Sean

Tel Aviv is a great place

It was amazing to see the change of pace

What a great place to end the trip

We’re sad to leave but we must board our airship

 

 

 

 

Friday April 24^th 2015

Day 16

Josh

Today was our second last day and we had a great day. Our amazing tour guide Hadar took us to the Palmach museum where she used to work and take tours through when she was in the army. It was a very different museum; when you go through all the rooms, you go with a squad through basic training and the war of independence. After that we went to the shook which was crazy! There were so many people you could barely see a foot in front of us which added to the experience. Once we finished shopping and getting lunch in the shook we went to the old city of Jaffa and walked around to all of the historic sites from as far back as the ancient Egyptians to now. After we went to the Jaffa port which was so beautiful. It was still windy like the past days but the wind was not as strong like it was yesterday. Then we walked back to the bus along the sea. At the end of the day we had Shabbat on the roof with the sunset in the background. The teachers got all the boys roses so we could give them to the girls. It was very nice but at the same time super funny because the girls thought we were going to spray them with water pistols.

 

Thursday 23 2015

Day 15

Sean

Today on Yom HaAtzmaut we woke up in the morning ate breakfast and hung out at the hotel until the Yom HaAtzmaut plane show. We went up onto the roof of the hotel to watch it. The show started with four planes flying in uniform doing tricks and flying super close to the ground. After that groups of planes and one group of helicopters started flying by. The plane show lasted for about 20 minutes. After that we went into the basement of the hotel to have an indoor picnic. We were unable to have our picnic outside because of the wind. A bit later we walked to the military museum but we had to stop at a building on the way because it started raining. Eventually we made it to the museum. It was full of military equipment including tanks, artillery and lots and lots of guns. By then the temperature had increased and we wanted to get ice cream. We went to the sight of the first train station in the Middle East where there were lots of shops. Everybody ate ice cream and then we went to a workout park. We did a hardcore workout. After that Evan and Ariel bought a kite which we flew for a bit. Then we went to the beach where we waded into the water and did long jump in the sand. For dinner we went to Tel Aviv port. All the boys went to Aboulafia for dinner and ate pizza and bourekas. On the way back from the port we sang Aviv happy birthday and passed around special Alfajores cookies and Mallaby for Aviv. It was a great day despite the rain and the wind. We had a great Yom HaAtzmaut.

 

 

Wednesday 22, 2015

Day 14

Evan

Following almost three hours in the bus we arrived in the coastal city of Tel Aviv. Israel’s modern city that “never stops” was oddly quiet. Driving through the streets we saw stores close and the flags being flown at half mast. Vibrant street life was replaced with silence for Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s remembrance day. Fallen soldiers defending the state of Israel or those who were killed fight for its establishment are remembered. Our group went to the rooftop of our hotel top to hear the siren. This 2 minute sirens brings the entire country to a halt. We watched as the most energetic streets came to a complete halt. The only noise came from the siren and the sea. After that we watched movies about fallen soldiers. One was about a lone soldier who was killed. Learning about individuals who sacrificed their lives helps us comprehend the large and growing amount of victims in Israel’s forces and those who had been killed in acts of terror. The next morning we all woke up in our real beds. Despite Yom Hazikaron being a sad day we did have reasons to rejoice. We woke up to the knowledge that the Calgary Flames had defeated Vancouver and it was Aviv’s 15^th birthday. After breakfast we walked to Rabin Square, the place Israeli prime minister Yitzhack Rabin was assassinated. Rabin was an advocate for peace and his negotiations with the Palestinian Authority eventually became too much for an Israeli right-wing extremist. We were then given questions to find out what locals had to think of Rabin. Interestingly everyone remembered where they were and what they were doing at the time. Then at 11 we stood for the second siren. Once again people put their daily lives aside to pay respects to Israel’s fallen heroes. We then walked to Rothschild ave to have lunch. After we explored independence hall. The place where Israel was declared a state. We learned how the declaration happened and what it meant for an independent Jewish state. We took the bus back to the hotel and got ready for the transition from sorrow to party. We headed to Mini Israel to celebrate the country’s 76^th birthday. Before this we stopped in Latrun where we learned about Israsel’s armed corps. We also got to see and climb on an array of tanks. We then met up with fellow Canadian march of the living groups. We explored Mini Israel which has models of landmarks in Israel. We then had a presentation about March of the living. After we ate dinner listened to music and watched fireworks. After a great night we drove back to Tel Aviv. Everyone is excited to embrace the last 3 days of our wonderful trip.

 

 

Tuesday April 21 2015

Day 13

Sarah!!!

Hello from the desert! Today was possibly the hottest day so far. In the morning we left the Bedouin tents after eating a nice breakfast. Then we went to Masada. We hiked up using the Roman Ramps trail. Although it was tiring it was not as bad as expected despite the heat. We reached the top and toured the ruins along with hearing the story around Masada about the Jewish Rebels. You had a great view of the Dead Sea and surrounding desert. We hiked down using the snake path which was way longer than the original trail, and much more exhausting as it was mid-day. Near the bottom we saw another Ibex. When we reached the end we all ate ice cream. I think half the food I’ve eaten here has consisted of ice cream. Next we went to the Dead Sea. It was a lot of fun to be able to float in the water with no effort. We also put on some mud on which made our skin feel very nice. Some of us nearly got stuck. We spent some more time in the sea and then went to the pool. Today was a lot of fun and now we are heading to Tel Aviv. I can’t wait to see the city.

 

Monday 20 2015

Day 12

Jacki

Hi everyone! Another fantastic day in Israel! Early this morning we left the kibbutz and went for a hike in the Ein Ovdat Oasis. It was very very hot out. The hike was beautiful and we saw some amazing views. We stopped by this waterfall that looked like a picture from national geographic. It was breathtaking. There we sat down on the rocks, closed our eyes and just listened. The sounds of the waterfall and the desert wildlife were calming and peaceful. We walked up many steep steps and finally got to the top of the canyon. At the top of the canyon we were all overjoyed to see ice cream. After we took the bus to the Mitzpeh Ramon view point, where a scene from the Lion King was filmed. Shortly after we once again got on the bus and went for a well deserved lunch at the Kibbutz. After our lunch we went to visit Ben Gurion’s grave stone in Sde Boker. Then we went on another bus ride to Kfar HaNokdim, which is a Bedouin village. There we went for a camel ride. It was actually so fun, but at the same time pretty frightening. After the camel ride we went to a Bedouin tent and learned first hand about their culture while drinking their cultural tea. Then we had one of the best dinners of my life! We sat on carpets at miniature tables and enjoyed the delicious Bedouin cultural food. Later we went back to our tent and played a game of cards as a class. The game never ended as their were 11 people playing. I think we were laughing for most of the game! When it got dark Hadar (our tour guide) led a yoga class for some of us. Then we sat by the fire, sang songs and made smores! At the Bedouin tent we were given mattresses and sleeping bags for the night. I cannot believe that we have been here in Israel for almost two weeks already. Everything is happening so fast and I don’t want this experience to end. We are all having a blast and can’t wait for more fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday April 19

Day 11

Sarah

Hello all, our day started early with packing up our bags and leaving the nice guest house of Kibbutz Parod. We then drove to Akko, a city on the coast. We toured the crusader halls which were beneath an old prison. These halls were ruins of the crusades which the crusaders built. The ruins were buried underground when the Muslims retook the city during the third crusade. It is very interesting that a large portion of Akko’s history is buried beneath the city. We then experienced Druze hospitality and learnt about their religion and food. We had a great lunch of multiple dishes including rice with cinnamon and chicken, Pita bread with spices, and of course Humus. We then toured their village and were bussed to Caesarea, the roman city built by Herod the Great. The ruins of the old harbour, palace and amphitheater were only a small portion of their original size. I really liked hearing about the history that circulated around this city which I originally knew little of. After, we all bought ice-cream. Now we are on our way to Sde Boker, where we will be staying at a Field School. The trip has been great so far especially now that the weather is finally good. I can’t wait for the week ahead.