This week started off with hours of core and general studies, preparing for our upcoming overnight tiyul. During core we have been focusing on king Herod and the impacts he made throughout Israel. Our first tiyul started off in Jerusalem. We went to the Israel museums and got to look at the dead sea scrolls that are older than 2000 years. It was very interesting to how far back the Torah goes and that it isn’t all made up, there is solid evidence of writings. Our next stop was the Wohl museum in Jerusalem. The museum had remains of houses back in Herod’s time, and it was cool to see how similar the layouts of them are to modern times. Once we finished learning about the houses, we had free time to walk around in the Jewish Quarter.

During our free time, I went to Hadiya and customized a ring and bracelet. Many of the girls on this trip got “lech lecha” rings to symbolize the meaning of this trip. I also went to a bagel place for lunch and had the best bagel I have had all trip. It was a really fun hour of free time because I was able to observe all of the different sects of Judaism walking around the Jewish Quarter. because it was so cold outside, almost everyone bought hot drinks to bring to our next stop. Once lunch was over, we all got to learn more about the Old City. It began to rain so we had to find shelter outside, but it was fun to keep moving around the city.

After our tour, we got back on the bus and drove to a hostel in Ein Gedi. I slept the whole ride but when we arrived, the sun was setting and the view we had was breathtaking. as the sun was meeting the horizon, the dead sea was so blue and the weather was so nice outside. Getting to our rooms, we had about an hour until dinner and I got to write in my journal and hang out with my friends. We ate dinner and went straight to bed because the next day was going to be one of the longest ones we would ever encounter.

It was 4am when we woke up and started to hike Masada. Still dark outside, I knew this was going to seem like a very long hike. Starting up the mountain, I felt very challenged but somehow made it all the way to the top and enjoyed the view of the sunrise while looking over the dead sea and seeing part of Jordan. I felt extremely accomplished after this hike, more than the past ones. About 6 hours passed on top of Masada with plenty of learning and we were ready for some fun. Back on the bus we drove to the dead sea, ate lunch and went into the saltiest body of water a in the world. Ignoring the fact that it was about 45 degrees Fahrenheit outside, it was a really fun experience and my skin felt softer than ever once I rinsed all of the salt off my body.

This tiyul was a fun one because it balanced the learning with fun and I am starting to feel more at home here as the days go by. One of the biggest differences between America and Israel is the culture and food here. I love the food here and how fresh everything tastes. I also feel like this country has a very chill vibe to it and the people here don’t really stress out about stupid things like how people do in America. I love the culture here and how everyone is pretty friendly, especially in Hod Hasharon. Everyday I find more reasons why I am so happy to be living and studying in Israel.