New Years Day!

Hey Everyone!

Happy New Year from Bus 222!  Many stayed up to dance and sing and continue our group activity all the way up until our group countdown at midnight.  And many also woke up to greet 2019 a second time by watching on TV as the ball dropped over Times Square in New York!   Chances are, our weather in the Upper Galilee was actually sunny and warmer than for most of our families in the 18 states our 24 American participants come from.

 We loaded the bus, enjoyed a nice breakfast on Kibbutz Gadot and were greeted by five the Jeep Tours drivers who came to the kibbutz to meet our group.  We saw so many cool things on our 90-minute jeep ride.  The drivers pointed out everything from the snowcapped Mount Hermon, to the rapidly flowing Jordan River on its way to the Kineret, the Sea of Galilee.  We saw cows and gazelles, lush green fields and almond, pecan, apple, orange (2 varieties) and avocado trees.  Sitting in the back of a bump Land Rover is a wonderful bonding experience!  We all stopped for some delicious mint tea after a short hike along the Jordan River.

The drivers dropped us of at the Kvish 90, Highway 90 rest stop and our driver, David, met us there, to begin our 2-1/2-hour drive to Jerusalem.  Our drivers are always fun—split between napping and listening to music, bus interviews with our counselor, Sam, and some participants (and staff) playfully having to sing at the microphone to get back any objects they left behind which were found by others in the group.  In the process, we have discovered just how much singing talent the group has.   The t-shirt committee is actively working on the optional group t-shirt and sweatshirt—we have also discovered that we have some amazing artists as well!

Our next destination was Gazelle Park in Jerusalem, an urban oasis with a great story.  Gazelles have lived in a park in Jerusalem for several generations.  Concerned citizens worked hard to protect this area, even in the face of extreme development in the Bayit Vegan, Katamon neighborhoods, and with the famous Ehud Olmert Holyland housing project.  It is now a place for Jerusalemites and Israelis of all backgrounds to come together to spot gazelles, watch birds, take a nature walk and enjoy quiet moments in the center of a busy major city.

We have returned to the familiar Yearim Hotel outside of Jerusalem.  Tonight we will have an evening activity planned by our three amazing Israelis, Bar, Daniel and Nadav. They have added so much to our trip so far, and our participants have gotten to know them well over the past week.   Some of our group members will have visitors come to the hotel to visit this evening.  Tomorrow, we have another exciting day planned, starting with Leket in the city of Raanana—we will be picking produce of fruits for Israelis in need.  Lots more to come tomorrow!

We are pleased to report that the group is really doing well.  Everyone is in good health, are arriving to activities on time, are adapting to our demanding schedule and perhaps most important—are connecting with peers and forming some meaningful friendships.