Tiyul to Arad

Hello - We spent the past weekend with our school on a trip to Arad, a city that isn't far from the Dead Sea (about a 2 hour bus ride southwest of Jerusalem). It was very nice to get away and to spend time with our new fellow students away from school. It was also really nice since Pardes planned the entire weekend, fed us, organized all activites and everything - so it was a really enjoyable, relaxing Shabbat/weekend.

Arad isn't necessary the destination of choice, as it is relatively isolated and isn't really known for anything in particular, so we spent most of the weekend at the hotel - it was basically like a retreat with sessions, classes and meals. But we did wake up at 5am on Friday morning to go on a hike/walk to see the sunrise overlooking a valley and the Dead Sea, which was really gorgeous! And then we had various activities up on the hill/mountain - I got to do Yoga :) - which was really interesting, trying to balance among all the rocks and pebbles and looking out over the desert of Israel! As we were heading back to the hotel, we ran into a heard of camels being lead by a few guides ... so amazing to see so close and so many at once!



Other highlights of the weekend included a pool at the hotel - which also had a pool of Dead Sea water - very fun. And on Saturday night there was a Tisch (literally table) which traditionally includes a lot eating, singing, and speaking, all while sitting and banging on a big long table. It's a bit hard to describe without visual aids, but quite a site and a lot of fun!

Otherwise, we spent the weekend getting to know people better, attending classes that mostly had to do with preparing for the High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur that are starting this weekend, and celebrating Shabbat with lots of food, singing, services, etc.

Our week of classes went well ... we are excited to finish up the holiday season and move on to the subjects we will be studying for the year. Love to you all!