Sophia Svertlin just graduated high school and is from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Today was a special day. We visited one of the four holy cities in Israel; Tiveria/Tiberias. We began our day waking up at 6 am, eating breakfast and learning in our chaburas. From there, we drove up to the top of Mount Arbel. The view was stunning, and we were able to see the city of Hamam span throughout the valley. From the top, we climbed down on nearly a 180 degree angle, with ropes and hand holds to guide us. A lot of us were scared, but every single person completed the climb down and we all cheered as each person made it down. At the end of our hike, we were excited to get into the air conditioned bus, and off we went to Aquakef, a swimming park on the Sea of Galilee. We ate lunch, got on our life jackets, and proceeded to slip and slide all throughout the water park. The water was extremely refreshing after our long hike. People were jumping, flipping, and somehow we got a watermelon, aptly named Wilson. Afterwards, we went on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, seeing the amazing views of the mountains dotted with cities. Also, there was a dance party. From the dance party, we went shopping along a boulevard, drinking slushees and trying on some funny hats. Dinner was at El Rancho, a delicious steak house. Although we had a long day, every second we were soaking up all that Israel has to offer, from the mountains, to the sea, to the local atmosphere of Tiveria.