Bus 1295 in the Desert

​Today was the second day of actual activities, and it was definitely the day I was looking forward to the most! After leaving our hotel in Ashkelon ­ which I personally woke up for at the time we were supposed to leave... my apologies everyone ­ we took the bus to our first stop: a garden for us to eat various plants, taste delicious vegetables, and learn about agricultural innovation in the Negev. It was incredible to see plants growing out of mere desert soil, and the experience really did not disappoint.

Our second stop was lunch at a cafe in the desert, followed by a visit to Ben ­Gurion's gravesite and national park. We watched beautiful, horned animals (apparently called the Ibex?) and learned a  brief  history  of the first Prime Minister's life  and  his impact  on the formation  of the state  of Israel. We then headed to the Bedouin tents where we would soon be sleeping, and rode camels! (THEY  WERE  SO  GREAT)  Then  we  ate  a  delicious  dinner  and  learned  about  the  Bedouins, while playing games and hanging out in the spare time between programming. 

The last event of the night was pretty special. We walked away from our tent and into the desert. Underneath the stars, we had a discussion about spirituality and our own beliefs, allowing us to voice  our  own  opinions  and  learn  each  others'.  The  peace  and  quiet  of  the  desert  was  awe-
inspiring, and a fantastic way to end an incredibly exciting day :)

Sammi Rappaport '18
​Bus 1295

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