Jerusalem Amazing Race: Not All about Winning – One team’s Perspective
Eager to take on the challenge of the the Thrive Amazing Race, my three teammates and I met on campus and awaited our first task. It would be a jigsaw puzzle with its completion resulting in our first clue. We happily got to work. With our puzzles edges still yet to be established I began to take note of the other teams: “Hmm one team is finished already, they must be unnaturally good at puzzles, that’s weird so is a second team, now a third, what our the odds?” My thoughts went on like this until we were hopelessly the last team standing or more aptly put the last team still scratching our heads. We eventually finished (with no small help from the rabbis) but knew we had considerable ground to make up. Eventually we made it to the next destination, Mamilla mall where we received a rather hefty rather intimidating packet of challenges to complete. Along with our arrival came the reminder that we were still squarely in last place. While are hearts were eager and our will strong (that last one admittedly debatable) we knew this wasn’t Mario cart where the right draw from a question box could rocket you to the head of the pack. Unlike the timeless video game, there would be no turbo mushroom boosts in this race.
And so with this, our group decided Jerusalem is not necessarily a city begging to be a explored In only a couple of hours. With the hope of first place falling farther and farther from our grasp the packet of challenges only grew heavier in my hands. Team morale was at a low and disappointment began to set in. We understood we could go home, we could split up, we could call it a day, but are there not multiple ways to explore a city? To experience its culture? We quietly contemplated this and realized that while winning as a team is great, losing as a team, together, isn’t so bad either, key word on together. So rather then pack it in we decided to experience the city from a different perspective: dine with the locals.
Yes this means we went to a cafe and noshed. While other teams may have been running from one exotic location to the next or begging confused, possibly scared locals to take pictures with them, we debated the finer things, such as the pros and cons of Israeli nachos and the importance of proper ketchup texture. While the adversity and adrenaline of a scavenger hunt may bond peers, so too does food (particularly true in the Jewish world!) We may not have first place bragging rights to look forward to but we gained a pleasant, understated new appreciation for this beautiful city and along with it some promising friendships.
