Tuesday May 6 by Evan

Today was a day of celebration in Israel. Across the whole country people were celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut. In the morning we slept in which was nice because I think everybody was pretty tired. After breakfast there were family visits or relaxing for those who didn't have a visit. When the visits were over our group got back together to go for a BBQ lunch which is a tradition for Yom Ha'atzmaut. We went to the Lone Soldier Centre in memory of Michael Levin, a fallen soldier from the IDF. A lone soldier is someone who joins the army without having family or friends that they can visit. We got to hear from a lone soldier from the UK. She talked to us about her dream to join the IDF and that she had just became a captain. She also told us that we should all follow our dreams whether it be something like joining the army or becoming a doctor.  Going to the Lone Soldier Centre was very powerful, especially after watching all the documentaries and hearing the stories of fallen soldiers from Yom Hazikaron. Next we went to the beach for a few hours. It was extremely windy to a point that the waves weren't even going towards the shore but instead they were flowing sideways. We still had a good time though. After the beach we did a program with different versions of the map of Israel made out of objects or in certain shapes. We each chose a map to interpret and I really enjoyed it because some people saw completely different things than I did and it was interesting to see how other people saw them. For dinner we went to a mall. Most of the stores were closed which was unfortunate but it was still fun. It is hard to believe that our trip is almost over. We have been waiting for it from when we were in grade one and these three weeks went by so fast. I have learned so much and I don't want to leave the country. Hopefully I will be able to come back soon.

The pictures: shopping for treats at am:pm, picnic BBQ with the Lone Soldier Centre, One of the Azrieli towers where the mall is located, sculpture in front of Azrieli mall.