Day 4 in Israel- Kennes at Kibbutz Sde Boker

Yesterday, we had so much fun. I'm writing on Monday morning because we were all so tired from the fun activities that we fell right asleep last night. In the morning, we had breakfast in Ramat Rachel and Andrew led an interesting reflective Maagal Boker (morning circle) preparing us for the transition from travel days into Kennes. We then loaded the bus to head to Kibbutz Sde Boker. Halfway through the bus ride, we took a break at a rest stop. We met up with other Diller groups and had the opportunity to buy snacks and drinks. We got back on the bus, and one hour later we arrived at the kibbutz. 

Upon arrival, Nitzan, a member of Tzama gave us a tour of the campus. Tzama is a group of Israel Diller alumni who work on the logistics surrounding Kennes and Congress. With Nitzan we played games and visited David Ben Gurion's grave. We then had lunch and made our way to our rooms. Once settled, all Dillers met up by the auditorium. Each group made a 90 second introduction to present their communities. During our last workshop, Sandra and Hannah adapted the lyrics to Pitbull's song "Timber" which went off without a hitch! It was without a doubt the best 90-second intro and we had a blast. After presentations, we were split into color groups.

After our 90-second intros were all done, we joined our color groups. I am in the red group with Abby, which is a whole lot of fun! In those color groups, we have two junior counselors and one coordinator. Each group did ice breakers and played games until it was dinner time. While waiting for dinner to be ready, all Diller teens had the opportunity to meet and talk to each other. It was great to meet teens my age from so many different communities. After dinner we heard a speaker in the auditorium, Neal Lazarus, who spoke about the current Middle Eastern situation and what led to it. The speech was not only incredibly informative but also lively and full of jokes that everyone appreciated. When the speech ended, we had a few minutes of free time to freshen up before the "white tent". The white tent is a literal white tent with games, music, and snacks on the side. We had the opportunity to hang out with our new friends and keep making some more.  Tired from all the fun, we retired to bed at midnight excited to see our new friends again this morning!