Ulpan for the five weekers has officially begun. We all arrived at the airport, some nervous, some excited, there were mixed emotions. After saying a sad goodbye to our families and crossing through customs, we made it onto the plane. For the majority of the flight there was turbulence but it provided a source of entertainment for some. For the first few hours no one was able to stay in their seats. During the second flight most of us slept, however a few hours before landing, everyone woke up full of excitement.

As we landed, shouts were heard and everyone was clapping. We were given food but no one was allowed to eat on the bus, so we were delayed because we all ate before boarding. We were on the bus to Jerusalem for 45 minutes. Everyone was extremely excited to have wi-fi  and were all beginning to use their Israel phones.

The people who had not been to Israel before were blindfolded for the Kotel. Many thought it was a lot smaller than they expected but that it was spiritually uplifting. We formed a circle and all kissed the floor, sung the hatikva then placed notes within the rocks. We then boarded the buses and waited for the 11 weekers to meet up with us. We were sitting in the bus and then we saw another drive past us. Only after a few seconds did we realise that it was the 11 weekers. We were all so excited to see them, we were jumping out of our seats and banging on the windows.

After another long bus ride, we arrived at Atlit, were we all properly reunited with the 11 weekers. We ate lunch together and shared stories. Our first activities then began, and after a short while it began to pour. We all got soaking wet but it added the experience. We then visited a ship used by illegal immigrants after the holocaust. It was very interesting but we were all freezing and exhausted. Upon arriving at Naharia, our home for the next few days, we all sprinted to our rooms, trying to fit in a quick shower before dinner. Not many succeeded. Dinner was served, followed by a quick night activity, then everybody went straight to their rooms and to bed.

This morning we were woken by a very excited and loud Ms Haber. We ate breakfast, prayed then boarded the buses, and each group began to visit different destinations. The four places we all went to today were an old synagogue in Ako, a jail in Acer, the Lebanon and Israel border and a hike. The synagogue was fully decorated with mosaics. They were on the wall, the floor, the stairs and the roof. It was beautiful. We were all fascinated by the story behind the jail. We all took funny photos behind the bars. After taking a cable car down to sea level, we entered caves formed by the water. We watched a quick movie then went into caves where water is still found today. Waves were splashing on the sides of the rocks and towards us. The hike was a lot easier than expected. The girls were all dressed in exercise gear, ready to climb, but our hike consisted of 45 minutes of walking down a hill. It was calm and enjoyable. All groups then stopped at a supermarket. It was as if people had never seen food. Much money was spent and many bags were filled with food. We all returned back to Naharia, ate dinner and then had a night activity.

By Natalie Hayman and Ashleigh Lincoln