First days in Israel

So the plane ride was LONG, 10 1/2 hours to be precise. The food was pretty bad, but davening (praying) at the back of the plane with all the chassidim was awesome. I was cramped behind some wall in a space big enough for all five people side to side and I was right near the bathroom. You would think that whatever praying I got accomplished between flushes wouldn't be too great, but there was something about the human experience of that minyan (a quorum of ten people for a prayer service) that brought me kavannah (intention) when I davened. People can really be a great medium for G-dliness to dwell.
I landed in Tel Aviv at 5:15 A.M. Israel time (10:15 P.M. American time). I was incredibly exhausted, but when I looked out the window and saw the sunrise over Israel I was immediately ready for anything. Tel Aviv looked like any other city, but there was something about it that touched me and I couldn't quite place my finger on it. Our group met up outside the airport and we went to a nature reserve that was preserved to look like a biblical agricultural field. Then we went to Cesaria, a 2nd Temple period city built in the style of Roman architecture. The Mediterranean was beautiful, I've never seen a bluer sea! We finished by visiting Mt. Arbel, a REALLY tall mountain with an awesome view.
Today we went to an old army base in the Golan Heights, went jeeping across the Golan Heights, and ended with a nice hike. After showering and getting ready, we went to Tiberius for dinner. Tiberius is one of the four holy cities in Israel; tradition says that went Moshiach (the Messiah) comes to usher in the Messianic age, he will first enter through Tiberius. There's some famous rabbis buried there; unfortunately we didn't get to see them because Tiberius also happens to be a big beach hot spot so our group went out to the bars (yay! except I don't really drink or party....darn) It's ok though, even though everyone was pretty wasted, I'm still enjoying Israel a tremendous amount and get along with a lot of the people. I was so focused on attending Mayanot- the yeshiva that I'm going to next week- that I didn't even think about what the actual birthrite trip would be like. I enjoy how they plan the trip out starting with secular locations so that by the time Shabbat rolls in, we're in Tzfat and then Jerusalem (two other holy cities in Israel). Being on this land is amazing; everytime I look around I think to myself that my ancestors lived here and might have seen the very views that I see.
I'm feeling a lot better about not losing myself, if anything, I think I will grow into who I want to and am supposed to be here. I can't wait, but I'm thrilled to be along for the journey. More to come soon!
Much love,
Zach