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When we landed, I ad mixed feelings of fear, excitement and relief. I was scared because there were men standing all around me with huge guns, excited for the trip and relieved to finally be on solid ground again. After going through customs and getting our baggage, we were sent to our first destination. I was definitely in for a surprise when we arrived in Jerusalem. .
When we arrived at our youth hostile, I though there must have been a mistake. There was no air conditioning, no windows, no sheets, and bars on the doors. We were assigned roommates and we were sent to our rooms, or what I called, our cells. It was a disaster waiting to happen. We had twelve girls fighting for one shower and bathroom and no room for anyone to put their bags. They finally came in and gave everyone a sheet that was folded in half and sewn up the sides as our sleeping bag. I do not think I slept for the first few days of the trip.
The first week went by very slow and I was extremely homesick and already tired of seeing the museums in Israel. The people in my group knew a lot more about Judaism that I did and I felt a little out of place when I was the only one to not know some things about the religion, including the songs and prayers. Our first Friday in Israel completely changed my views on the trip. .
Friday morning, we rode a bus for three hours to the Negev Desert. We had plans to stay in a Bedouin Tent for the night, wake up early and hike up to the top of Massada to see the sunrise. Massada is one of the holiest places in Israel and it symbolizes freedom for the Jews. It is a tall mountain with winding paths and holy sanctuaries. We were woken up at three o"clock in the morning by the singing of the Bedouin's and we were served their traditional tea and crackers. We started our hike up Massada and we were all exhausted after just a few minutes. When we got to the top, we all sat together and watched the sunrise together.