Day One

We made it! After our long flight from New York (and action-packed drive from College Park)we finally arrived in Israel! We had a brief orientation to our program and met our Israeli staff;  then we ate lunch, boarded our patriotic blue and white bus, and headed South. Our first stop--Sde Boker, where Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel is buried, alongside his wife.We posed for pictures and admired the stunning views while discussing Ben-Gurion's dream for building the desert.

 We drove through the beautiful countryside to the Bedouin tents, where we were treated to a delicious traditional feast, sitting on colorful mats and displaying excellent table manners. (Who needs utensils anyways?) We then got up close and personal with the night's main attraction, the camels. We rode off into the sunset and explored the desert, and then learned all about the Bedouin culture from one of the locals, complete with tea and music.Now it's off to bed for a jam-packed day tomorrow. Stay tuned for guest posts by our amazing participants in the days to come!