I’m sitting in the basement of the youth center in Ashkelon while our
students use the restroom upstairs just before we board our bus back to
Tel Aviv.

Yesterday morning we woke up early in the Negev and took a beautiful hike
near Kibbutz Sde Boker that involved beautiful scenery–overlooks,
waterfalls, and some serious climbing up steep rocks & cliffs, even
ladders within rocks.

We headed from the Negev to Tel Aviv where we spend a couple of hours in
the Nachalat Binyamin artists’ market and around the very hip Shenkin
Street. We rested in the hotel and, after a short talk from a
Taglit-Birthright Israel representative about supporting the program, had
a longer conversation about our relationship with Israel. In the evening
after dinner we saw the Na La’ga’at players perform NOT BY BREAD ALONE.
They are the world’s only blind-deaf theatre.

This morning we woke up early and headed to Ashkelon, Baltimore’s sister
city, where are soldiers gave us a tour around the city, showing us their
high schools, neighborhoods, places they’ve worked, and places they hang
out. We walked around the marina and our tour educator spoke with us for
a few minutes about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then we headed to
Baltimore Park where we learned more about the partnership between our
cities. There we were joined by a second Baltimore bus (mostly Goucher
and Towson students) and headed to volunteer opportunities in the
community. Half of our bus did some work on a sustainable farming
teaching initiative and half did some work at a store that sells highly
discounted clothing to needy youth. We joined back together for a festive
lunch here in the Youth Center before having a wrap-up conversation
outside.

After ten days together our Baltimore students were so excited to see the
home-town of their (not-so) new (anymore) friends and do some communtiy
service work together. Now we head to Tel Aviv for a trip to Rabin Square
and to Independence Hall before a conluding dinner and trip to the
airport!

I’m hanging out here for a week or so but am looking forward to seeing you all soon Stateside.