Blog post #2

This is an open blog post, therefore I can write whatever my heart desires. I'd like to talk a little bit about my experience going on a trip called birthright, which is a trip that young Jewish people can take to Israel for free. Just like everything else in life there's nothing that is truly free. I heard about this trip from the Jewish organization I was a part of on campus at UCF called Hillel. Once my telephone interview was completed I was in and my trip was set to take place during the summer once classes were over.  I was raised in a religious Jewish family so the phone interview was a breeze. My family was very excited for me to go, especially my father who is a Rabbi. Now the trip itself was a whirlwind of excitement and overall I am glad I went, but my goodness did they pack a lot into this trip. On average we slept about 5 hours a night if we were lucky, and woke up early to hike from one beautiful terrain to the next. Although we were treated similarly to cattle, I had a much easier time than many of the sorority girls that were with our group. Even for myself, a exercise and gym enthusiast, these hikes and sleep schedules were rough. Two of the girls left the trip early because it was too intense for them. We walked everywhere. This trip was two weeks so instead of giving you every detail (I could almost write a book) I will instead give you the highlights. The market squares and shops in Jerusalem were an amazing sight to behold, and I was happy with the items I bought to bring home to my family. The Syrian boarder was probably the scariest part of the trip. We had many Israeli soldiers with us protecting us, but we could hear huge explosions going off in the distance that really rattled me. It wasn't really the sound that shook me, but the feeling in my chest that I got when the sound of the explosion hit you. It felt almost like a physical hit to my chest which told my body to run. Thankfully my mind knew I was safe with the soldiers and was able to take breath taking photos of the landscape of Syria which can only be compared to something from a painting from the renaissance. The dead sea was another highlight of my trip. Feeling how easily you could float in that salty water was truly incredible. Also I found a piece of rock salt that I was able to take home, which made the memory much more tangible, and taste-able! (yuck) Overall this trip was a huge learning experience for me and helped me see the world on a global scale for I had never been so far away from home again. If your not of the faint of heart, and you don't mind hiking, I would certainly recommend going on this trip.

Hello! My name is Aharon Corseri, and I would like to start this blog off by telling you a bit about myself. I am a theatre major and education minor at UCF. I've had a passion for the arts from a young age which led me to my major in theatre, but I also enjoy other forms of the arts including playing guitar, singing and dancing. My major is what I want to do with my life, but my minor should help me get into a more solid career path. Its always the heart versus the head right? No matter what career I end up in I'd be happy as long as it has something to do with the arts, for that is where my heart lives.