Day 2

Jamie Wollberg
Today was sbaba! That's our word of the day today, which means awesome. It was a great day for learning and bonding. We started out at the Lebanon border, which was pretty, but not as beautiful as the Syrian and Israeli border in my opinion. After a few pictures and moments to take in the scenery we were invited into a kabutz on the mountain where we heard the opinion of an Israeli man that stays works and stays there. He was very intense and opinionated while he spoke about how Israel is viewed in the news and Arabs, and what is means for him to live in Israel. He moved here when he was 21 and although what he had to say may not be agreeable with everyone, you had to respect him because he was so incredibly passionate about being Jewish and our land.


After giving our thanks we headed back on the bus and went to the location where we were to go jeeping. EVERYONE was so incredibly excited and it was clear that this would be one of the most enjoyable and favorite parts of the trip for everyone. As soon as we got there we watched another tour group bring in the different vehicles, which were either three seaters, five seaters, or six seaters. After a brief explanation on how to drive them we took the wheel. In a matter of seconds we were having a blast driving through the bumpy and mud filled trails of beautiful cow country, which was surrounded by gorgeous mountains. Along the drive we passed tons of cows and new born calfs, which of course got some awes. There were beautiful little rivers, bridges, and more to see. Everyone got a chance to drive who wanted to and we rotated turns at several points, including stopping at the river for some herbal tea, which was so incredibly sweet. I don't remember the last time that I had so much fun and I have many pictures and videos to prove it. Next was lunch time and we had it at the same place. They made home made mini pizzas that were delicious. Our options were corn, mushroom, olive, and plain. It started to rain and it was time to head out after awhile, so we hopped back on the bus for our next stop.

The last location for the day was the incredible Banyas waterfalls. They were literally breath taking. We had a short hike to take a look as we took a minute to breathe in the fresh spring water air and energy. Of course we had to stop for a group picture. Even though it was pouring rain that didn't stop Bus 303 from having a good time and appreciating the 200 year old springs.

At this point it was time to head back to the hotel and I have to say the majority of us passed out on the hour ride home. We had two hours of down time, where most people continued to nap, or chatted in the lobby until dinner. Dinner was buffet style, no surprise. At 8:30 sharp everyone gathered to have evening activities. We started out marking our big map of Israel with stickers so that we actually had an understanding geographically as to where we have been and where we are going tomorrow. Then, we made posters of what we felt our soldiers would look like and what they thought we would look like. It was really interesting to see the same patterns. This was to prepare us for their big arrival tomorrow and to make us  realize that this is an opportunity to change any sterotypes and break all of the myths. The only way to know Israel is to get to know the Israeli's and the soldiers are a very important part of that. I can't wait for tomorrow when we visit one of the holy cities and continue on our unique and life changing experience.