Day 1 - Andrew Says

Andrew says at this rate we’ll run out of food within the week. Some of the larger Birthrighters have been eyeing me for my delicious flesh and I’m not sure I can fight them all off (the Israeli sun has made them stronger, faster, and more vicious than they were before. Not really. Actually, everyone’s pretty tired). The trip was crazy long owing to the fact that we had to wait two hours to get on the plane. It was explained to me that Israelis have their own sense of time, constantly rushing to be late. AWESOME! El-Al was like every other airline. The sleeping was hard and I found myself envying those who can sleep in a cirque-de-soleil contortionist’s box. Lots of Hebrew was flying around the cabin as if to prepare us for our arrival. Stepping off of the plane, adjusting to the brightness, looking for the shirutim (bathrooms) -- the Israeli culture was everywhere: falafel stands, Hebrew signs, and gorgeous Israeli women.

We affirmed to authorities that we weren’t terrorists and we left the plane. We grabbed our outrageously outdated phones and boarded the bus. We had only started to
learn each others’ names and sit in seats that would no doubt be our assigned throne for trip (due in no small part to my incessant calling of ‘same seats’ BOO YAH!) Oh, I nearly forgot to mention the shekels. What a silly currency! Like our northern neighbors, the Canadians, they opted for coins that actually get used. I feel so biblical with this money in pocket.

Our tour guide told us some stuff about Israel, but more importantly the Israeli soldier with us has got this smoldering “I can kill you” aura. This is probably helped by the gun she has slung over her back. The bus took us out to the Mediterranean Ocean where we just barely escaped Jason’s run to the water. We learned all about Israeli geography, but more importantly we learned Israeli beaches have sick sunsets and guys trying to sell us pens with maps inside.

After a long bus ride back where many people napped we made our way to our hotel in Tiberius. The food is good but a little strange and the hotel rooms… are varied. The quality and number of beds is still being fixed and the temperature of the water is pendulumatic: hot to cold, cold to hot, etc.

I’m writing this as we’re all going to bed. Andrew tells me I may have written too much, so until tomorrow, much love and high fives from the Middle East.

- Matt ‘Etrog’ Schiller