Week #6 was Family Week. Just kidding, it wasn’t really family week but I got to see my mom and brother. Hi Dad, sorry I missed you. 

This week has been amazing!

We boarded a bus and headed north to the Kinerat. This is the most northern Tiyul we’ve been to which is crazy as we were so close to Lebanon. They took us to an old Kibbutz right smack on the Sea of Gallie overlooking Jordan from the distance. We learned about the daily life for both the Jewish and Arab people which was interesting because they’re both living in peace and harmony together. 

After the Kibbutz, we drove even more north, very close to the Golan Heights. I’m going to be honest, I was a bit nervous being that close to Lebanon as there have been news reports about Hezbollah, a Lebanese Terrorist group that have missiles aimed at Israel; however, our teachers reassured all of us that they wouldn’t take us to a sight that was not safe. And btw, we have an armed security guard with us through every Tiyul we go on. 🙂

Anyway, as we pulled up to our next stop, our nostrils started to burn and our eyes began to run. We smelled sulfur. Destination: Hot Springs… and they were so beautiful. We had a blast, the water was oh so warm and I almost forgot I was actually at a school activity.  Something I didn’t know about swimming in hot-springs is that jewelry will rust! Even if it’s real gold/silver! So as I am swimming I hear one of my friends scream that all her jewelry rusted. I quickly looked at my wrist and noticed one of my favorite bracelets rusted as well. I then looked at my rings and saw they were also rusted. I quickly got out of the water and called my mom to see if it could be fixed. Lesson learned, don’t wear jewelry in hot-springs! 

Our next stop was a cemetery on a Kibbutz in the Kinerat. This cemetery was unlike anything I had ever seen before; it was absolutely beautiful. There were plants delicately planted around the headstones, there were flowers, rocks, and stunning views of the water. This cemetery was unique because it focussed on the deceased’s lives, not their deaths. Ironically the cemetery was full of life. There was lots of color which again was not what I  imagined a cemetery to look like. 

Later that night, we had DOT(Dinner on the streets) in Tiberius which is the Sea of Galilee. I love DOTS because it’s free-time to explore the town we are in. I went with 3 of my friends to a Middle Eastern restaurant on the boardwalk. We tried so many different types of food, which is my favorite thing in the world. One of the reasons I love being abroad is experiencing life. Experiencing life that I didn’t know existed. The cultures, foods, smells, tastes, spices, languages; I love all of it. 

The rest of the week we spent on campus attending classes and then my mom and brother came. We had lots of evening sign outs which was really fun because we had free time to shop and eat. We went to the mall again which is always an adventure. Israeli malls are funny because it seems like Disneyland, but of the United States. All of the stores are knock off/similar to all the stores at home. We shopped around, grabbed some dinner, and then went back to campus. 

My mom and brother flew in on Wednesday and I got to see them on Thursday night.  It had been one month since I’d seen any of my family and Thursday night was the first night I could see them. They pulled up to school with my mom’s friend Lisa and when my mom got out of the car I could tell she had tears in her eyes. I was a little emotional too. I was happy, excited, nervous, weird, comfortable – actually I felt all of it together. 🙂 I took them to Herzilya, a town bordering the beach about 20 minutes from my school and we went to a sushi restaurant, walked and shopped along the boardwalk.  I also took my brother to one my favorite ice-cream chains, Golda and my mom bought be the cutest ray ban sunglasses. 

Sitting with them felt like no time had passed. I loved sharing my experiences with them and talking about my favorite parts of life here, and at the same time it was weird telling them about life because I’ve been use to them living with me and being apart of my life. It was totally natural and weird all at the same time. Normally I don’t have to tell them as much, but this time I had to tell a lot as I had to remind myself when my mom would ask lots of questions that they weren’t living here with me. 

I loved bringing them to campus and showing them around. They got to meet some of my friends, see my dorms, where I eat, and attend classes.  When I was giving them the tour it felt like I was a little older now if that makes sense. It was weird. Normally this is something my mom would have done but this time, it was my school and I was showing and telling them. Another night I showed them one of the Italian restaurants that we eat at all time here. It was funny when my mom asked for an english menu and I was able to order in hebrew. Both my brother and my mom did a double take when Hebrew came out of my mouth. It was funny. It was really good catching up and share my life here with them and not to mention having my mom pay. 🙂 I’ve been eating out a lot and I’ve been reminded how much it adds up. 🙂 Anyway,  I defiantly think my brother would love coming here so I tried convincing him to apply when he is old enough. That is a work in progress as of right now. 

Another day my mom ordered me a car to take me to meet them at the beach in Tel Aviv. I met them for lunch and it was so familiar. I had been there with my family this past summer so it felt great. Anyway seeing my family was really refreshing and they also did my laundry for me which is always a bonus. 🙂

Next stop: Poland. We had to begin packing for our 10 day Poland adventure. We were told we would be getting no sleep plus we had a redeye. 

Stay tuned for my Poland adventures next week.

Xoxo,