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So, at 3:00pm on January 1st, we finally got to Israel (after a long journey, thanks to a 2 1/2 hour delay due to "memorial day traffic" on the run way). Though we were all tired and frustrated at the long plane ride, everybody was extremely excited and more importantly felt privileged to have made it to Israel on this special trip! After gathering our luggage (and 20 attendance & passport checks), exchanging money and receiving our cell phones, we had a real quick ice breaker and then were off to Neot Kdumim.
At Neot Kdumim, a biblical landscape reserve in Israel, we saw lots of cool things including ancient and reconstructed olive and wine presses, threshing floors and cisterns, as well as some neat "Sukkot" built there.
From there, we travelled north to Tiberias, where we will be based out of for the next couple of days. At 8:00pm we got to the hotel, checked into our rooms, had dinner and then a quick orientation, ice breaker and overview of tomorrows schedule.
We are all tired and it's been a long day (or two...) but, we all had fun and this was definitely a great start to this special birthright trip of summer 2010.
And now, off to bed for a few hours of sleep before "wake up time" at 6:45am, moving onto our next stops, including jeeping, a hike, visit to a Kibbutz and a special "night out" in Tiberias.
Please Note: Blog will be updated by student participants throught the trip. Check back for continues updates and new photos.
In the airport, about to board the plane
Posing for a picture at Neot Kdumim
Checking out how the cistern works
Listening to the presentation at Neot Kdumim
Planting trees.