Our group was comprised of students from Towson and Silicon Valley.
It was an all-expense-paid trip. After a 12-hour direct flight our plane landed in Israel where we spent 10 long but amazing days on a trip that I will never forget.
Our tour guide constantly used the phrase “walk with a purpose” to keep us focused, so many sites and so much to see and only 10 days to see as much as possible. Our groups even designed a t-shirt with this message.
So, when you spot someone in this shirt you’ll know they were on our trip.
I learned a lot of history that dates all the way back to the Ottoman Empire and I saw so many amazing sites that I can not even list all of them.
Some of the best sights were visiting the Western Wall, hiking Masada, going into the Dead Sea, riding a camel and going on an archeological dig where we found history dating all the way back to the time of the holiday Hanukkah.
We also traveled through underground tunnels and visited Jerusalem, the most populated part of Israel.
We saw Tel Aviv, which is the symbol for the state of Israel. We went rafting and for fun the soldiers flipped over our rafts as we flowed down the Jordan River.
We camped out in a Bedouin tent for two nights and stayed in two very nice hotels.
It is hard to believe that a country that is only the size of New Jersey has so much history packed into it.
We constantly had soldiers and guards with our group to keep us safe. However, at no point did I not feel safe.
In America, we go to the gym to stay fit, and in Israel it is mandatory that they serve in the military to stay fit.
We had a taste of their boot camp and it was hard work. I had the luxury of getting to know one of the soldiers personally by the name of Yogev. I was surprised by how much we had in common because we watched the same TV shows and listened to the same music.
Technology is huge in Israel, from agriculture to medical science.
Being a technology fan, much to my chagrin, I found that Wi-Fi is readily available while the iPhone is not!
I also found it interesting that it is common for Israelis to video chat with each other through their cell phone.
My purpose was met: I got to see the contrast between the new and old cities, hear the history, feel a connection with the people, taste the salty sea and touch and smell hundreds of years of continuing development.
Overall, getting to see Israel up close was an amazing experience and it made all of the difference in my life.
I can’t express in words enough how meaningful this trip was to me after bonding with 45 amazing people in such a short time and memories of a country I will never forget.
I also would like to express that if you have the chance to visit Israel, whether through Taglit or through another group of organization, you must go!
Of course, being a Towerlight photographer, I “focused” my camera on about 2,000 photos as well as videos to capture my time in Israel.
So for what words can’t express, you can check out a slideshow of some of my photos from the trip on the TheTowerlight.com.
Check it out in the Towerlight at: http://www.thetowerlight.com/walking-with-a-purpose-1.1820941
