Aviv Day One!

Goodbye. It’s a word which although applicable to a somewhat saddening circumstance carries unbelievably positive connotations. This is the way I like to think of my farewell to my daily life in Sydney, surrounded by my usual family and friends for what could, in the future, most probably be considered the best 7 months of my life. It was by no means a sad departure as I headed for Israel and Aviv, in the hope that a substantial amount of time away in a land which so many hold dear could help to shape my development as a human being as it has done for so many before me.

The Thai Airways flight to Tel Aviv, which departed Sydney at 5:05PM on 29 January 2014, was empty enough for the usually miserly pleasantries of the economy class of a Boeing 747 to extend to an entire row per passenger and the opportunity for some much needed sleep. An opportunity I spurned however, opting to wait until the second leg of a journey which was to include a travel time of approximately an entire day, the El Al connector from Bangkok to Israel, a choice which I would later reflect to be an exceedingly poor one.

Going through El Al security was an interesting experience. Firstly, their decision to split our travelling Aviv group between Moriah and ‘non-Moriah’ was an odd yet exceedingly efficient one for my liking as I shot to the front of the latter line and was soon questioned by an Israeli gentleman who was in no mood for my small talk. Passports were to be checked a number close enough to six times despite the fact that their contents continued to remain unchanged. Numerous questions were asked and my Judaism and personal aspirations for boarding the flight in question were continually tested. Finally, I was cleared for boarding and after roughly an hour of ‘final call’ we took our seats on a flight which was fuller than Bill Gates’ bank account.

I walked the entire walkway to the very back row, lacking any overhead compartment for luggage in addition to any legroom, to find my seat ‘61F’ against the back wall and in the middle of a row surrounded by complete strangers. The man seated next to me was on his way to Gaza to perform humanitarian aid surgeries upon young Palestinian children, a story which captured my imagination as to what other such interesting people I would come across on my travels.

The flight was in no way fun, and I exited with aches in my back and neck, not in any way pleasant. However, these qualms were short-lived as we moved into the program, gradually meeting new faces from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Everyone’s excitement could not be contained as we hopped on our buses, after of course obtaining our new sim cards and rushing for a Wi-Fi connection like a bunch of schoolgirls lining up for one direction tickets. We were off to Sde Boker, in the South of Israel and after a few quick introductory games and conversations, we admired and paid our respects to the grave of Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion. Following this we quickly consumed our lunches and moved on to our final destination of the day.

Bonding has already begun and I have no doubt that Aviv will be one of the best experiences of my young life. I already look forward to the great experiences I will share with the people who now surround me and the friendships which I hope will be forged strong enough to last for decades.

I’m hoping to write every few days... time permitting

Until next time,

Jake