I write a sentence, and delete it, write and delete. How can one sum up these 10 days of emotional roller coaster? How can I convey all that I experienced, everything that I tried to teach and everything that I learned myself during this Birthright trip?!
Firsts and lasts
Suddenly everything seems so far away. Meeting everybody at JFK for the first time, giving you the count-off numbers, forgetting my coat on the plane (btw, it is now located in the Alitalia warehouse in Rome. Probably forever..), first and last pictures with LeoLion, the icebreakers..
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I heard that one of the parents was saying that I have bad grammar after the first blog post. (You know who you are!) So I will do a short introduction.
My name is Yaron Fishelson and I was born and raised in Israel. I Work at Hillel at Stanford University and this was the first Birthright trip that I staffed.
Going to your home country with 40 bright students and trying to explain all there is to know about it in 10 days is an impossible mission. But if there is something that we, Israelis, have been taught in the IDF is that “Hard parts there are only in bread, and you eat them as well” (A Hebrew army saying – don’t feel bad if you don’t understand). Or in other words, you don’t give up in the face of a challenge, but face it!I remember Walking with you from the Bedouin camp, passing the sleeping camels on our left, towards the nothingness of the desert. I remember being a bit concerned that you won’t be able to take it seriously. That you will be cynical about it or think it is a childish game.
We slowly walked away from the last traces of light and humanity. Except from the occasional sound of someone bumping into a random bush, everything was utterly silent.
They say that sometimes you have to take a step back, away from the constant white noise and day-to-day distractions, in order to think clearly. That sometimes only when you’re furthest away from home you can see things straight. This is exactly how it was for me: During my first 10 months in the army, all our training occurred in the desert. During these times, I had mainly negative feelings towards the desert. As young soldiers, we weren't treated very politely (to say the least) and all my fear of the unknown and loneliness was portrayed in this deserted place. Only a few years later, when I got to go back as a traveler and as a veteran soldier on reserves, did I really get to appreciate its vastness and spiritual powers.
A few years later, I found myself walking the same desert with a group of students not that much older than when I experienced the desert for the first time. We walked in the same terrain where our Hebrew forefathers walked while looking for a place to become people and that was also the perfect place to do some mid-trip meditation.
The only scenery was the black silhouette of the mountains in the distance and the endless shiny stars above us. The only sound was the frosty wind gently patting my face and making a whooshing sound in my ears.
I left Israel to work as an Israel fellow at Stanford 4 months ago but only on this 8th night back home, did I feel like I've finally got back. Only then did I understand how much I've missed this country.
I have no idea what you guys were thinking about, but this was the first time since we've landed when I saw each and every one of you totally there. Being in the moment. No jokes, no Wi-Fi hunting and no camel searching. Just us sharing an inexplicable feeling..
So what have we been up to? We went south and said goodbye to the 8 amazing Israelis who became a part of our new family.
We went to the desert and rode camels, we played gladiators at the coliseum, reconquered Masada and had a discussion about life in an ancient tomb.
We rubbed mud all over ourselves and floated in the Dead Sea. We drove to Tel Aviv (the best city in the universe) and experienced the nightlife of the flea market in Jaffa. Some of us spent a night at a hospital with pinky issues.
We bought Halva and other gifts in the Carmel Market and walked through Historical Tel Aviv.
We Took a stroll in the old Jaffa port through ancient alleys and ate warm Sahleb on a cool Telavivian night.
We packed our bags and drove back to Ben-Gurion airport on our bus for the last time.
(Photo montage break)
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How do you say goodbye to people that you just learned to love?
Last Camel remark, Last Jerusalem Gold joke. Too many hugs and kisses, too little time to say everythinh that is on your mind and do a proper goodbye.
Everything feels so abrupt – So quick.
I hope you guys will take with you the lessons of the desert:
New experiences and personal reflections can be meaningful even if we are not spiritual people.
Looking for meaning while strolling in an uncertain path is something that applies to us all. No matter where we come from or how old we are.
The next adventure is always out there, lurking behind the next turn..
Last Camel remark, Last Jerusalem Gold joke. Too many hugs and kisses, too little time to say everythinh that is on your mind and do a proper goodbye.
Everything feels so abrupt – So quick.
I hope you guys will take with you the lessons of the desert:
New experiences and personal reflections can be meaningful even if we are not spiritual people.
Looking for meaning while strolling in an uncertain path is something that applies to us all. No matter where we come from or how old we are.
The next adventure is always out there, lurking behind the next turn..
Firsts and lasts.. We've been through so much in such a short amount of time.
I hope that, like me, this trip was a wonderful eye opening experience that you will cherish forever.
Thank you for everything - I've learned so much from you guys!
Yaron Fishelson
The Jewish agency emissary (Israel fellow) at Hillel at Stanford University.
