So how do you feel Zac?

A mere three days into our experience in Israel, and already our class trip has been proving  to be a huge success.  From the stunning scenery of Haifa to the mystifying underground secrets of Jerusalem, this first stretch of our journey has already been packed with experiencing history and culture of this amazing land, and it's quite clear that our teachers and guide aim to give us as much action as possible in little time, each day being full of new wonders. 

From the time our guide, Yoel, gave us his inspiration opening ceremony to our experience at a beautiful green spot overlooking parts of Jerusalem, the Old City included, we all were aware of the treat which we were in for, and think it would be unanimously agreed that the trip truly has been filled with this excitement.  Yoel is an amazing tour guide, a British oleh, and seems knowledgeable on matters as old as the design of the Second Temple and the format of ancient Roman performances, to topics as recent as the security wall on the border of the West Bank and the reason for route six across the country.  At every landmark and site he has been filling us with information and insights, and has really been enhancing how we experience the heritage of this land. 

The days are tiring and action packed, as our energy is spent truly experiencing what it would have been like to build Hezekiah's tunnel, saving  the Jewish population of Jerusalem, or taking in the beautiful tranquility of the neighbourhood Yemin  Moshe.  The great quantity of activities, besides giving us a huge range of knowledge on Israel, both present but more past, also adds the twist that our trains of thoughts are consistently changing, as we go from learning of the history of the Old City, to the horse races in Caesarea,  and  then to the Druze culture and religion somewhat quickly, another aspect that adds intensity to our experience.  It is hard to imagine that we have only slept two nights so far, as our walk in the City of David Tuesday morning already feels like several weeks past,  so I can only imagine the ideas we will have gained after another couple weeks of such. 

In conclusion, I think it could be said without doubt that our trip in Israel so far has been an outstanding experience already, and that everybody is going to sleep very tired each night from a day packed with education and excitement, and wakes up each morning to another one.  I cannot wait to extend my knowledge on other Israeli minorities beyond the Druze and Bahai religions, to meet our friends in the Galilee, and experience Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom Ha'Atzmaut in the spectacular Jewish state.  The trip so far has been truly great, and I am eager as ever to take in all the experience yet to be gained.