By Cara Marantz, NFTY in Israel Participant, Bus 7
It was 6 in the morning and we were all lying on each other’s bags at Ben Gurion Airport. We were so exhausted and a little delirious from traveling all night, but we were also incredibly happy. We had made it to Israel together after years of waiting. The minute we stepped outside into the warm air there was this murmur of appreciation that spread throughout the group. For some people it was their first time in Israel, for some their fifth, but we all were incredibly excited to experience it as Olim 17. However, we couldn’t fully immerse ourselves yet because we were so tired, so we headed to our hotel to nap. Many, many hours later, once we actually felt awake, we headed to Jaffa to get properly introduced to the country and the goals for the rest of the summer. The lookout point where orientation was being held had the most incredible view of downtown Tel Aviv. The sky was so blue and the city lay just beneath it. If you turned a little to your left you saw the ocean. It was so surreal. People kept saying, “we’re in Israel,” as if trying to convince themselves that the beauty surrounding them wasn’t just a figment of their imagination. Pizur (scattering or free time) was in the old side of the city. My friends and I ate some delicious falafel and pita (definitely better than that offered on the plane) and walked around. We hung out on a pier, talked with some Israelis, and watched the sun set. We were amazed by how friendly everyone was. The kids that we met were 18 and are about to go into the IDF. It was so interesting to see how we were all teenagers, yet our lives were so incredibly different. Spending the next month here will definitely teach me so much.
Israel is so beautiful. I’m so excited to experience this amazing country with 53 of my best friends. I already know that this is going to be the time of my life. We’ve only just got here, and I could stay forever.
