Well, here we are. Mayanot 357 has touched down in the land of milk and honey. You wouldn’t be able to tell by our jet-lagged appearances, but excitement is brewing amongst all 40 of us about finally making it to Israel.
That having been said, the 10-hour plane ride from JFK to Ben-Gurion was no Sunday drive. While some of us may have gotten a nice chunk of sleep aboard the flight and are decently coherent, I’m still unsure about what day of the week it is. Wednesday? Thursday? Friday? Your guess is as good as mine.
Regardless, we all made it here on what was a peaceful flight, and we would’ve been unloading in Tiberius, but due to some issues with Rabbi Levi’s computer and my inability to finish this post last night, we are actually eating breakfast at our hotel, ready for our first full day in Israel.
It’s a funny thing about first impressions, because you always seem to get more than one. I thought our meeting back in Binghamton was my first impression of everyone in the group. Then we had another orientation at JFK. And another at our hotel here. But I think I can confidently say that the first impression grace period is over, and I also think I can say with confidence, that Mayanot 357 scored a pretty awesome bunch of students and staff. A bunch of us were hanging out at the outdoor hotel bar last night-don’t worry mom and dad, we were being responsible young adults-and I think we all collectively realized that this is exactly the group of people we want to be with, and that our next 10 days here are going to be some of the best of our lives. Okay, I’m done being cliché. For now.
My fellow bus-mates weren’t the only thing to make a first impression on me. There is of course, the land of Israel itself. While we haven’t gotten too many glimpses of it in the daytime yet, I must say I’m excited to see what the country has in store for me.
Okay, now I’m done being cliché. I promise.
Moments before boarding the flight at JFK