Greetings from the Holy Land!

I’ve finally arrived in the place I’ve heard about for literally my entire life. Even though I haven’t seen much yet I’ve felt a great sense of warmth upon my arrival. Not to get too emotional so early in my blog, but I feel like my grandma is here with me. The first thing I understood coming off the plane  was Yofi! And it put such a smile on my face.

We left America from Philadelphia and arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. The entire Birthright group traveled together. There are 40 of us ranging from about 19-23 years in age, and our group leaders are Tal and Eyal. So far they seem very nice as well as many of the other group members.

We are starting our journey in Jerusalem where we will be staying for the next 3 days. I’m rooming with a girl named Jenna while we are here and we luckily have a double, while everyone else is in a triple.  The hostel we’re staying in is called “The United Synagogue Alan Tichnor Residence Hall,” and lucky for all of you, it has wifi! The bus we’re traveling around in also has wifi, which I’m psyched about.

While we didn’t see much, the drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was truly a sight. We drove up the Jerusalem Mountains to get to the center of the city, and the views were beautiful. We got to stop on the way to the hotel to take my first sight shots. On the bus we met our tour guide named Ori who is very outgoing and will be with us for the entire trip. On the bus he taught us about the Traveler’s Prayer, Tefilat HaDerech (תרגם דף זה). It is recited at the beginning of a long journey, so Ori stood up and recited it in hebrew to the group. I’ve already decided I want to find a hamsa that has the prayer written on it to hang in the rear view mirror of my car if I come across one!

When we stopped to take pictures, Ori lead us in saying the Shehecheyanu, שהחינו‎, which is always recited at the beginning of a celebration. He said it is often tradition that people recite it when they come to Jerusalem for the first time, and for majority of people on this trip that was indeed the case. These prayers were a great beginning to what I know is going to be a great trip to remember!

Tomorrow we’re going to the Old City of Jerusalem where we will visit the Western Wall. Tomorrow is also Friday in Israel, Yohm Shee-Shee, and we’ve been warned that the country is frantic shopping for Shabbat Dinner. Can’t wait to see some great shots and hopefully take some great pictures.