Adventures in Greece, Part 1

IBEX has its own version of spring break where the students are allowed to leave the country and explore the world (but mostly just Europe heh). Me, Sarah G, Lexi, Sarah S, Elizabeth, Bryant, Taylor, and Jaden decided to go to Greece for our travel break... aaaand it was the best decision ever :) We spent 9 days traveling around the country and fell in love.

My Dad Visited Israel :)

Let me start off by saying I would not be in Israel right now if it wasn't for my dad. There was absolutely no way I could have afforded a semester abroad on my own, but with his generous help, I was able to come. I can't thank him enough for his support and his sacrifice. I love you dad!!

Negev Days 3 & 4

At 8:14am (Bill loves his precise times haha), we loaded back onto the bus for day 3 of our desert adventure. Continuing in the Negev Highlands from the day before, we made our way to the Timnah Valley and spent a good part of our day there. Our first stop was at what's known as Solomon's Pillars.. which is an impressive rock formation named after Solomon himself.

Negev Day 2

We stayed the night at Mitzpeh Ramon in a youth hostel. It was my first experience in a hostel! I stayed with five other girls and we had a great time :) The hostel was right next to Machtesh Ramon. Machtesh means "crater". It was quite a sight to behold.. I've never seen anything like it. Many times photos don't do something justice, and this is the epitome of that. This giant 3000 ft high crater was formed by a large body of water literally scooping out its insides (come on world, that's evidence of the flood). Close to the edge, you can see it's a looooonngg way down.

Negev Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of our four day trip to the Negev region of Israel! Negev means south and dry.. keyword: dry. It is a huge barren desert with very little rain and fresh water resources. In order to live in this part of the country, you have to totally and completely depend on God due to this climatic instability (if there's no rain.. yooouu'rree toast!) Oddly enough, this lil section of land was highly coveted by surrounding peoples because it connects the coast to Transjordan (other side of the Jordan River) with its routes.. so it's not just a good for nothin chunk of dirt and sand :)