It is hard to believe my time in Israel ended a month in the past. It confirmed so much for me and left me undone in other ways. The problem with new experiences is that they always teach you something new and sometimes 
don’t really know what to do with that new stuff and often it is not something you can prepare for. You just have to be patient and wait for the revelation to hit you. In struggling to find the right words, I am keenly aware of how sensitive words can be. I don’t even know what I need to say, but I think I have to write something. I have been trying to write this blog for over a month. 
I just want to say also that a diverse group of people have made an impact on me, from Bethlehem to Baga, London to Lublianja, Germany to Jerusalem. To quote the song: what a long, strange trip it’s been. But one I wouldn’t have missed for the world. I did graduate from ulpan (language school), so now I have another language to butcher.
I have been to many places, and always with a little insulation as I had a job and the blanket of protection provided by being on a military installation. Being on vacation somewhere is always nice, but still there is the knowledge that in a few days I can look back at the little annoyances as part of the experience of being a tourist. For me, this was different. My Dad and I immersed in the local life, renting an apartment, taking public transit and meandering the streets searching for the best falafel shop and best place in the shuq to buy nuts and 
vegetables, while studying Hebrew and trying to get everything done and be home before the Shabbat horn. Then after he went home, and I moved to a new neighborhood. I struck out on some adventures of my own, taking the Arab bus to Bethlehem, learning to navigate the 4 quarters of Jerusalem – day and night, staying out too late and having to walk, and hanging out with some awesome people. There are too many people who made the time in Israel amazing and I cannot name them all and if I tried I might leave someone out, but you know who you are and I place high value on our friendship. I read once that the measure of life well-lived is not how many breaths I took, but how many moments took my breath away. The measurer is gonna need a bigger ruler.
vegetables, while studying Hebrew and trying to get everything done and be home before the Shabbat horn. Then after he went home, and I moved to a new neighborhood. I struck out on some adventures of my own, taking the Arab bus to Bethlehem, learning to navigate the 4 quarters of Jerusalem – day and night, staying out too late and having to walk, and hanging out with some awesome people. There are too many people who made the time in Israel amazing and I cannot name them all and if I tried I might leave someone out, but you know who you are and I place high value on our friendship. I read once that the measure of life well-lived is not how many breaths I took, but how many moments took my breath away. The measurer is gonna need a bigger ruler.
After a wonderful
time in Tennessee with my family for a whole 8 days, once again I find myself in
Japan. One of those magical places I
keep coming back to and cannot get enough of. From Okinawa to Misawa and points
in between…I like it a lot. Now I am at a point in between, again, and making
new friendships and re-establishing old ones.
6 months from now I will be at another crossroads, but a great American
philosopher once said “I'll
think about that tomorrow.”
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