Jordan to Israel

Yesterday evening we returned from our visit to Petra. All is going well and today we will ascend Masada then on to Jerusalem. We are having a hard time posting photos on the blog, so please find Yair Cohen on Facebook to view our adventures. Here are some of the comments on our trip so far. "After four days, three different areas of accommodation, and two countries, I think I've learned more about people, culture and the world than I did all of this past semester in school (sorry if you're reading this mom and dad). Exhibit A) Eilam, our Israeli tour guide, played basketball at such a high level growing up that he played for two years on the under 18 national team. When he turned 18, however, instead of continuing to play and pursuing a possible professional career, he chose to fulfill his duty as an Israeli citizen and went to the army. Given the choice (which he did have), how many Americans do you know who would make the same decision? Exhibit B) Muhammad, our Jordanian tour guide, told us about religion in Jordan being 95% Muslim and 5% Christian. That being said, the question of "what is your religion?" is a rude question in Jordan, because faith is personal. Exhibit C) Our party in camp jabal rum with the Jordanians was no different than how we celebrate in the US or as Jews, with great food, great friends, and fun dancing (and no booze, seriously). Looking forward to what is next." -Victor Kamesar A Jordanian man tried to buy me for 10 Dinar, roughly 13 US dollars... Other than that, this trip has been unbelievable. I can't believe how much we have seen so far and how much I have learned about different cultures and people.  -Jessica Melowsky I could not have asked for a better way to spend my 21st birthday than to be in Israel. Not too many other people have the chance to hike up a mountain with as beautiful of a view as Mt. Tsfachot, go to the underwater observatory, and learn about the innovating agriculture methods used at the Arava Institute at Kibbutz Ketura all in one day to celebrate their birthday. I am very grateful I got to do those with this amazing group of 38 friends I have made. Another amazing experience I have had thus far was our trip to Jordan. It was so cool to see the old city of Petra, a historic site that has been intact for thousands of years.  Also, camping out in the Bedouin village of Jabal Rum was an unbelievable experience, as I got to observe an entirely different culture from my own.  Although I have been to Israel a few times before, I have never had the chance to see such a different, intriguing culture. I loved experiencing various aspects of their culture such as eating incredible food and celebrating with them during their mock wedding ceremony. It really opens up your eyes to the rest of the world when you go out and experience a completely different culture than what you are used to.   -Zach Zakem The scenery is beautiful here.  I've done a lot of hiking and climbing and gotten some great photos out of it.  Ramon Crater, the bike ride to Aricha, Jabal Rum, and Petra were all great sights to see.  And also good ways to work off the great food we've been eating! --Ben Lee