So since I missed like two classes of FYS due to being in Israel I’m just going to write a bit about my time in Israel over the course of about 8 days. When we first got to Israel it was right before the start of the Jewish holiday Sukkot, we immediately got settled into our hotel which we have gone to for the past 7 years (without missing a year) for this exact same holiday. After we got settled my extended family who live in Israel came to join us for a big dinner in order to celebrate the first night of the holiday. The next day we decided to just relax in the area around our hotel (Herzliya) due to us just going through about 20 hours of travel. We walked around the pier, went into the mall and bought some groceries, then we walked around the beach-side area. Overall it was a pretty relaxing day, we had some good food as well which was always nice. The next day we decided we would travel to Jerusalem and spend 2 days there, so we drove about 3(?) hours and checked into our temporary (even more temporary than the first) hotel. Afterwards we went to the old city and walked around, of course I recognize it pretty well at this point since I go to Israel every year, but still I always enjoy seeing the old city- especially the Western Wall (sometimes called the Crying Wall or the Kotel). After this we had dinner and slept through the night (as normal people do). The next day was the first time I ever actually split up from my dad in Israel, he went to visit his long-time friend while I visited my friends from High-School and this one organization (not gonna get into details it’s complicated). It was really awesome seeing them, especially since they were experiencing something totally different from me and from what they said, they were having a really good time there so I am happy for them. We spent basically the whole day just hanging out and walking around parts of Jerusalem I’d never even seen before. After this I met back up with my dad and we drove back up to Herzliya. Once back in Herzliya we mostly had a routine, we would hang out with my cousins, usually around Tel-Aviv, for most of the day. Being in Israel was a really awesome experience and I’m glad I was able to go again, it’s always been a special place to me and I look forward to the next time I go there. If anyone ever has a doubt in their mind about going there- go! It’s one of the most amazing places in the world in my opinion and definitely worth seeing with your own eyes at least once.