Yesterday I arrived in Tel Aviv and boarded the bus bound for Kibbutz Tzuba. And am now jet-lagged as anything I've ever felt. But over all, this is worth the 13+ hours of flight time.

The kibbutz is gorgeous, and the food is amazing as well. There's a sense of home here, even though I'm about 5000 miles from my real home. The highlight of the plane ride had to be touching down in Tel Aviv, when everyone on the plane applauded and I realized that after months of waiting, I was finally in Israel.

Even though there are 31 teens (15 male, 16 female) from all over the nation and with completely different backgrounds, we have managed to mix together wonderfully. There's a very strong bond already between all of us, rooted in the experiences we are currently looking forward to.

This morning, for T'fillah, Baruch Kraus, principal of the EIE program, led us in saying the Shema and extracting meaning from the Midrash surrounding that prayer. This was probably the first time that my surroundings and roommates and state of mind have all come together in my head, because only one thought was in my brain:

"I just recited the Shema. In Israel."

The feelings are indescribable, but I promise to try to express my thoughts and feelings as well as I can in future entries.

Now, off for a tour of the kibbutz and our first NFTY-EIE pool party.

PS-I have received a cell phone, and all incoming calls to that phone are free for anyone in the U.S. to call. The number is 052-600-0549. Just add the extension (not sure as of now what that is) to make an international call.


--Aron