Long two days

The waterfall we stayed and swam at; Josh Landis and I looking over Jerusalem, the Holy City


Its thursday night, the biggest party night of the week in Israel, and Ive decided to stay in. My roommates all just left; I just really didn't feel like partying. I haven't been getting much exercise and almost feel like muscle atrophy is taking hold. I'm not too concerned because this first week was orientation junk and next week we'll be in motion.
The camping trip was a lot of fun. We arrived at a camp/entertainment site near the city of Holon, which is hosting the other half of my section. (Quick explanation, their are three sections of three components and they all have they're different order. Im in section 2 doing Community Volunteering for three months, then Studying at the University of Jerusalem, then doing Israel Experience). We split into groups and did corny team exercises which luckily didn't take up much of our time. This trip was mainly so we could socialize with the rest of our section, considering there was pretty much nothing to do there. I got to meet up with a friend of mine I made at my orientation in May named Gil. He's doing a performing arts specialty track and staying in holon ; I am hoping we will get to room in Jerusalem. He's a really cool guy and I really enjoy hanging out with him , I definately plan on going to holon to visit him sometime in the near future. One of his counselours (madrich) is a friend of mine from eugene, Josh Landis. Josh and I had met up a couple of times in the weeks prior to yearcourse, and seeing him was awesome. He was busy doing his madrich thing early on, but later on in the night after I had been socializing with other YC members we met up and chilled by the bonfire. Talking to him was very easing. We're two eugene boys who are very alike, and it was neat to listen to him talk about an experience that I'm currently on with a viewpoint very similar to my own. After meeting so many new people, a slice of eugene was what I needed. He's definately another motive to travel to Holon, which is really not far. But I digest, whoops I mean digress. After talking to josh I stumbled to bed at around two and awoke at 6:15 to the sound of moans, groans, and the laughter of Israelis pulling pranks on one another ( they're extremely funny people). We ate a bismal breakfast and took an excruciatingly long and hot bus ride to Ein Gedi. We had originally planned to stop at the Dead Sea, but time restraints cut that off. Ein Gedi carries a ton of historical significance, and we had a great guide to follow. Archaeologists say Ein Gedi was first settled in 3000 B.c when tribes out of the Stone age worshipped the moon at a temple there. It is a high profile tourist attraction, and with good reason. It is extraordinarly hot, one of the lowest points in the world. We took a very mild hike, stopping at two different waterfalls, the first of which we swam in. I hung out underneath the waterfall for sometime; it felt like a professional massage. Well I've never had one before, but thats what I would imagine it would feel like. I thoroughly enjoyed the hike as well . The rock face and the vastness of the land really caught my eye. I took pictures, but they really don't show the true beauty of the place. After eating a lunch that was more pathetic then the breakfast, we traveled to Jerusalem. I've been to Jerusalem before when I was six, but we're gunna nullify that experience because I don't remember it. With that being said, this was the most amazing sight I have ever seen. The history behind the city is so extensive, and the look of the city is no doubt like any other. I could go on and on about the city, but this post is already much too long. Jerusalem is a spiritual center, holy to the three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. You can travel to so many places that are involved in the major texts to all of these religions. I asked Ohad, my israeli roommate, about how the three religions get along in this city. He explained most of them were not born here, rather moved here for the same reason: to be closer to god. The city looks like a holy land! Im struggling to put a sentence together here. It's a feeling a can't describe, and I can't wait to live there. We didn't spend much time in the heart of the Old city and traveled elsewhere to eat dinner around 7. Some YC members who were in section 1 and studying in Jerusalem heard of where we were and stopped by. I met up with two more friends I went to camp with 3 years ago. I was ecstatic to see them, and im hoping it wont be long before i see them again, but theres a good chance it will be awhile. All of my roommates were getting excited on the way back about a party in Tel Aviv, but I knew I wouldn't be joining them. I'm too tired and too cheap ( you have to pay to get in). Jeremy, my roommate who was feeling ill and stayed home while we were gone) is feeling better and should be 100% by tomorrow. Hopefully the guys don't have too much fun, because we need to be up by 8 to get our Community volunteer assignments and take a hebrew test ( I might not take it because ill probably be in the beginner class). But it's Shabbat, so after that we have the rest of friday and saturday off! I can't wait. I was tired before i started writing this post, now I'm exhausted. Sorry if I babbled
Jakey G