Israel

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. ”  (Lin Yutang)

Going from Bali to Israel was a very long process. First and foremost you have to pay a fee to leave Bali. Ok so I paid for a visa to come in and now I have to pay to leave after I spent a ton of money there? Seems incredibly stupid to me. Anyway the plane was delayed for about 30 minutes (which was fine with me considering the length of my layover awaiting me) but once we boarded we were off. I had two seats to myself and was asleep for the entire 6 and a half hour flight! I got into Seoul around 8:30 in the morning and found some food. The airport is enormous! If I had had more money it would have been the best layover ever! However everything awesome was obviously very expensive. Therefore I could not go to the lounge, get a pedicure, or take a shower. Oh well. Finally I decided it was time to head to my gate and I was greeted with a very strange site: a choir of Asian people signing Israeli songs. It made me smile none the less and made me excited to finally get to Israel. The flight was about 11 hours (if one of my favorite shows had not been an option I would have been screwed!) but surely enough I made it!  I wandered off the plane and got my bag and somehow managed to make it through immigration and finally found my driver. I fell asleep for most of the way but finally I was in Hosha Ya and T and Y (my cousin and her husband) where there to meet me! They had a nice little room with had an air conditioner and I was asleep in no time!

I had a most epic sleep! When I finally woke up I still felt groggy but so much better! I got to take a hot shower in which the showerhead did not make the entire bathroom wet! I had time to myself to take a breath and look at my surroundings. I walked their dog around their neighborhood and smiled at how incredibly beautiful Israel is. T came back from work and we hung out and talked which was really nice because we never really have before. When Y got home we went to dinner at Aroma and then I got shoes for the wedding and a gift. It was a really nice night. We were all happy and talkative and the weather was beautiful (not unbearably hot!) and I just felt really happy.

The next 4 days (Thursday through Sunday) were all about the wedding! The wedding was in Jerusalem (right across from where E and Y were married) and it was beautiful. I was the cleanest I had been in almost 9 months and it felt good and weird at the same time. I got to see all my cousins and E and Y’s girls, which was amazing. The ceremony was outside while the sun was setting and I still couldn’t believe that I was actually there. That 8 and a half months ago I was invited to this wedding and that I was not only there but it had gone the way I had planned it. For an Israeli wedding it was small (300-400 people) but there was a ton of food and dancing and an overall wonderful night!

On Friday I had breakfast with T and then we went shopping for a bit and then I got on a bus to Jerusalem because I was going to spend Shabbat with Y and E. I immediately went and played with the girls until it was time to go to dinner (at E’s aunts). I got to talk to S (E’s cousin) and her boyfriend J and I really like them both. They made the evening fun and we all ate and talked and relaxed.

Saturday was pretty laid back, I physically went to shul but I was outside playing with T the whole time! Then there was a luncheon after (which wasn’t really my thing but it was fine). Then in the tradition of Shabbat I went back to Y and E’s and had a nap! That night we (me, Y, S, J, and other friends and cousins) went to the Old City to see the light show! It was so cool! There were all different decorations and things all playing with light in a different way. I thought it was really beautiful and I felt happy because I hadn’t been to the Old City in a long time and it is a place I really love. There was one thing that was really bothering me though. I hadn’t seen any of my friends. I understood that they all have their own lives, families, and friends, but I had just thought after months of some of them telling me how much fun we were going to have when I came to visit that it would actually happen. I am trying not to get upset but it’s frustrating. Everyone here has children or is married and I just wanted some “young person time” with my friends.

Sunday was the last of the wedding festivities. There was a brunch with absolutely amazing food (spring rolls and pad Thai)! Then I babysat for both of the girls! It was really fun! We colored and played and they were so sweet and good…I just want to put them in my bag and take them with me! We had dinner in and just hung out and talked for a while. Then I finally found a website which allowed me to watch Game of Throne…. clearly that was what I did the rest of the night!

Monday was awesome! I went to the Israel Museum with E and M where we met S and J and T (E’s aunt). We saw the Herod exhibit which was really interesting and then went outside and saw all the sculptures and took lots of pictures. E and M left and then the rest of us went back inside and saw some amazing exhibits (Seven Winters, Displaced Visions, and Shadowplay). I was really happy because I love art and going to museums and although I have been to many temples lately, I have not gone anywhere like this in so long. I remembered how passionate I am about art and it made me happy that although so much about me has changed, some things remain constant. After the museum I went to the shook with S and J. We walked around and got falafel and then made our way back to Y and E’s neighborhood. We met with everyone for dinner to say goodbye (S and J are going back to the states tomorrow). I was sad to say goodbye but I am so happy I met them and S and I already planned a date in NYC this summer! Nighttime was obviously all about Game of Thrones!

Tuesday was also really amazing! I spent the day with O! It was so great to see her and all my frustration went out the window in a heartbeat. We went to Machne Yuddah for breakfast (too good to describe) and then walked all over the Center of Jerusalem. She took me to some amazing little stores and then we met her friend (who is going back packing for 6 months next week) and the 3 of us got food and sat forever talking about traveling. It was so enjoyable talking like that because O obviously understood everything I felt, and her friend was interested in everything because she was doing the same thing. I think another reason it was good to come to Israel before going back to the States is because it has allowed me to talk a lot about my experiences without any negativity or backlash. I have come to understand that when I go on and on talking about places my friends have never been and how amazing it was that they may feel jealous and annoyed instead of interested and excited. Not everyone loves what I do as much as me and I can’t blame them if they don’t want to hear about it all the time or why they might feel annoyed or even offended when I say how much better other places are then the States. In Israel so many people have traveled that they understand and enjoy hearing and talking about it. So maybe since I talked so much about things I won’t need to as much when I get back.

On Wednesday afternoon I went to the pool with E and M and the girls! WOW! The three of them LOVE to swim and go in the water! It was so adorable. They all were splashing and playing and having the time of their lives! I personally see no reason why anyone would not want his or her kid to be in the water (pool or ocean) as soon as possible. When I was playing with T and mother started talking to me and asked how old T was. She told me her daughter was a little older and was scared to go in. I mean yes, some kids just have a fear of swimming, but I say try your best to get them to love it! Swimming is such a joy and so much fun. After they swam they played in the park (right next to the pool) and they didn’t want to leave! Bottom line, it was a great afternoon!

Thursday was the beginning of the formula 1 race for peace. We took the girls to the train station and got food and let the girls run around for a while. We tried to go see the cars but there were so many people we couldn’t see a thing! I thought it was just fun to be out and walking around (it was gorgeous out). The girls got to run around all afternoon and we let them have rebar smoothies and the sun was starting to set by the time we headed back. For dinner I went out with E and M! We got amazing sushi and talked for such a long time.  They told me that since I didn’t have any siblings they would be by stand in sisters. I don’t think they knew how happy that made me. Recently (in the past 4-5 years) I have come to really understand what being an only child means and have been a little sad that I didn’t have anyone. I do have step-siblings but we aren’t close. Maybe that will change one day but we are all really different. Anyway it means so much that E and M really like me, I hope they can really be there for me (they have children which I know is more than a full time job) and we can still be close even when I’m not around.

On Friday I went to a birthday party with Y and R. It was dessert heaven! Cupcakes, cookies, and lollypops everywhere! There was even an Aldo stand (delicious ice cream)! What was even better was that it was in the beautiful park full of trees and flower and big open spaces of grass. We weren’t there for very long but I enjoyed myself thoroughly! Then I took a bus from Jerusalem to Haifa to stay with E! She picked me up on her motorcycle which was awesome…except that I had all my stuff with me! When I leaned forward my back would hurt and when I would lean back my stomach would hurt. It felt like a very long ride to her place but we made it…then I got off and was so eager to be off the bike that I got off on the right side and obviously burned my leg on the muffler. Lovely. I took a much needed shower and then we (me, E, and her boyfriend I) took bikes and went to the mall (a much more enjoyable ride). We met up with N (a friends of theirs) for dinner and then went to a movie! I hadn’t been out to a movie since Nepal so I was really excited! We saw “Now You See Me,” a cute and fun movie that I would never have paid money for back home but since I was away and with friends I enjoyed it. After the movie it was time for bed and I was very grateful!

Since E had worked a night shift at the hospital (she is a nurse) we didn’t go out until the afternoon on Saturday. We took the bikes (beautiful ride) and I am not completely sure where we were (near the Japanese Museum) but there was the most amazing view of Haifa! I also kind of forget about Haifa (I was here once about 3 and a half years ago for T and Y’s wedding) because I am always thinking about Jerusalem, which is such a shame because Haifa is really awesome! It had the feel of a city (like Tel Aviv) but that relaxed air (like Jerusalem) and that for e is a great combination. We had a late lunch/early dinner and just sat forever talking about TBT and our friends and Nepal. It was cold on the ride back so we got into pjs and watched a movie (“The Dark Knight”)! It was really awesome to just hang out with E. She is a really interesting and kind person and I am happy to have a friend like her.

Sunday was my last day in Israel and unfortunately I spent it exhausted. I got maybe two hours of sleep. Maybe because I slept late, maybe because I am subconsciously more stressed then I think about going home, maybe I was just too wound up. Whatever the reason, when I finally fell asleep it was light outside and the birds were signing. Add that to having to get up at 8:15 and that is how I felt. I gave me a ride to the bus station (with all my stuff again) and then I waited for the bus to Nachsolim beach where everyone had stayed for Shabbat). The ride was only 30 minutes but when I got off it was in the middle of nowhere! In Israel there are bus stops literally on a highway with absolutely nothing in site. I thought about almost 9 months ago when I had been at a similar bus stop and panicking that my bus wouldn’t come. Now, after all of my adventures I just smiled. I found a sign for Nachsolim and only had to wait a minute before I saw a car. I flagged it down (E told me it was safe to hitch a ride) and the guy took me most of the way. Then I got out and found signs for their hotel. I could have flagged down another car, but it wasn’t that far and I decided to walk. It was as if this was some sort of test. All of my triumphs and failures of the past 9 months had led up to this: not only being able to handle life’s little jokes, but being able to do it gracefully and maybe even see the humor in it. I found their room and didn’t even mind that I was sweating (this was nothing compared to Cambodia!). They were all so impressed that I found them but E’s dad just looked at me and smiled and said, “if she can do Asia, she can certainly do this!”

The rest of the day was really nice. We drove back to Jerusalem (E and I talked and the girls slept) and then we went to the park with M. Then we met Y for dinner out and sat outside and ate good food. I came back and packed and showered and now am ready for bed (it’s like 8pm)! I am so tired from not sleeping and I have to be ready to leave by 3am so I think an early bedtime is ok tonight.  It’s hard to believe that in a little over 24 hours I’ll be home in my own bed. I am sad to leave but I think I am ready.

Signed,

Homeward Bound