Shabbat Shalom
I'm sure you've noticed (or perhaps you haven't) that I have been in Israel for just over a week now and have yet to post one thing. That is because Birthright is a go-go-go experience. We don't have much time to stop. But today is Shabbat, and so I'll share just a few things about my trip thus far. Later in my adventure I'll post some capsule anecdotes about some of the meaningful experiences I've had in the last week.
As I've mentioned many times, I wanted my trip this summer to be a great adventure. Well, so far it has not failed. On the fourth day of the trip there was a bit of an accident. Somehow the luggage compartment of our bus opened and a few bags fell out onto the road. We were unable to access the full consequences of the situation until we reached our destination of the Bedouin tents. When we finally checked things out three bags were missing, and yes, one of them was mine. Luckily I had packed all my electronic valuables and my passport on the bus with me. I just lost a really neat backpack and essentially all of my summer wardrobe (meant to last me until September).
So what does this mean? For those of you who know me pretty well, you probably imagine me crying or yelling and getting extremely upset. But I didn't do any of that! This has been one of several challenging things that I've been presented with in the short (actually very long) week I've been in Israel and I really feel that G-d is challenging me. And so far, even without my precious things (and I do LOVE things), I'm making things work. That's not to say I haven't had bad moments—frustrating moments of anxiety, anger, or sadness—but I just always seem to remember one thing. I AM IN ISRAEL. This is all I've ever wanted and so despite everything I'm going to stay and figure things out. I'm going to have my summer in Israel and I'm even going to love it.
