One of the most magical parts about being on this trip is the direct accessibility to the culture, tradition, and daily life of the people of Israel. On Friday, our group traveled to a shuk on the outskirts of Jerusalem, which is basically a busy marketplace. The atmosphere of the market was completely different then what I had been exposed to before on the trip. It was my first time actually engulfing and intertwining myself into the true essence of Israel, the daily lifestyles and people. I saw families with mothers caring for their small babies, young boys and girls running around aimlessly, couples kissing, old and young all gathered together in one small area. It's not that I hadn't seen situations like this before, it's that I was seeing these people live their lives doing their day to day activities which I could relate to (mostly shopping). Immediately after entering the shuk, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people buzzing around yelling, walking, biking, and pushing by. The narrow walkway leading straight through the market leaves a shopper little to no space to squeeze past dozens of vendors on either side of the road. It is easy to lose yourself among the colors, smells, touches, tastes, and sounds of the dried fruit, bright candies, silk clothes, and sparkling jewelry that scream out to you from every direction.
Even though we were able to split up into small groups to travel around the shuk leaving the counselors behind, there was never a moment of fear from being safe or uncomfortable. Something about the unity, harmony, and collaboration of the scene transported me into a feeling of excitement to submerge myself into every object, food, cloth, and drink that I set my eyes on. It was my first time that I ate a falafel in Israel, and it was nothing far from incredibly delicious. As I walked around the shuk, falafel in one hand, Aroma iced coffee in the other, and a bag with a new pair of silky flowy paints that I had bought, it finally sunk in that I was in the land of Israel. I was here, in the moment, experiencing what almost every person goes through on a Friday preparing for Shabbat, roaming the market and preparing to celebrate the most heartfelt, richest, and truthful representation of Jewish life and culture.
Even though we were able to split up into small groups to travel around the shuk leaving the counselors behind, there was never a moment of fear from being safe or uncomfortable. Something about the unity, harmony, and collaboration of the scene transported me into a feeling of excitement to submerge myself into every object, food, cloth, and drink that I set my eyes on. It was my first time that I ate a falafel in Israel, and it was nothing far from incredibly delicious. As I walked around the shuk, falafel in one hand, Aroma iced coffee in the other, and a bag with a new pair of silky flowy paints that I had bought, it finally sunk in that I was in the land of Israel. I was here, in the moment, experiencing what almost every person goes through on a Friday preparing for Shabbat, roaming the market and preparing to celebrate the most heartfelt, richest, and truthful representation of Jewish life and culture.
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