By Jake Delforte, Bus 9 Participant
For my four day Chavaya program, I chose to do Yam l’Yam, or Sea to Sea. Over the course of the four days, we hiked from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea. Looking back on my Chavaya experience, I have nothing but great things to say.
NFTY in Israel is my second trip to Israel. This was a large factor in actually picking my Chavaya. After my first trip in Israel, I fell in love with the country and I wanted to see and experience more of it. Therefore, Sea to Sea was the perfect option for me.
Throughout the four days, we did water hikes, land hikes, and biked across the country. All of the hikes were fun and challenging. It was a lot of walking of course, yet extremely rewarding.
On the hikes, we learned important survival skills as well, including how to read a map and tell direction without a compass. We also learned how to filter water from a spring and cook our own meals.
At the camp sight each night, we got cooked meals and free time with friends. We also did night time activities which were related to the hikes. My personal favorite was learning how to build a fire, then competing in groups to build the best fire. Afterwards we roasted marshmallows and had a big campfire.
Overall, Sea to Sea was a great Chayava. Hiking across Israel is an experience that I will never forget.
