As this is our last week here, I'm feeling a lot of mixed feelings. Especially this week, we've been focusing on the theme of gratitude. As I write this, we're getting ready to have our final celebration tonight. It'll be a great opportunity to celebrate everyone who helped make this trip possible and … Continue Reading ››

Free Travel Reflections This week was our free travel week- our big group split into several smaller ones, traveling to various different places. I was a part of a group of five that went to Greece! We left very early Monday morning, drove to the airport and were in Athens by Monday morning. Continue Reading ››

On Saturday we were able to visit the Ayalon-Canada Park in what is, under international law, legally the West Bank, but is annexed by Israel. As we traveled to the park, we passed through the Bethlehem checkpoint where an Israeli soldier boarded our bus, checked our passports, and let us pass. That moment … Continue Reading ››

We’ve officially made it to the halfway point of our trip! Our week started off with our 4 days of classes (Arabic and seminar). Although I do enjoy both of those classes, I was definitely more entertained with our travels this week. The first place we went to was Aida Refugee Camp in … Continue Reading ››

We are beginning to find our rhythm, waking up for breakfast at 7:30am, attending Arabic class, and then our seminar class after lunch with potential evening adventures. I have deeply enjoyed building new friendships and learning new things about amazing people in our group and locally in Beit Sahour. The first excitement of the week was … Continue Reading ››

On May 13th, at 10:33 pm we arrived at our guesthouse in Beit Sahour after 30 hours of traveling. We were immediately greeted with open arms by our hosts and a large array of Palestinian foods. The hospitality and welcome towards us has been a common theme during our time here. Our first week in Palestine-Israel … Continue Reading ››