Two weeks in Israel
This Piece is Currently In Work:
On December 25, 2018 I left Maine for Logan International Airport in Boston. I brought just one suitcase and my guitar. I would be spending nearly two weeks in The Country before returning Stateside.
When I landed in at David Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, I was a bit intimidated by the tight security checkpoints and passport checks, but once I got through, a new world opened up… This was not like America! I left the airport and met-up with my group outside, where we boarded our bus. A currency trader came aboard and I swapped $500 American for 1,875 Shekels, I felt loaded!
The weather was beautiful, upper 60’s and the sun was low in the sky - casting a deep, warm and orange hue across the landscape. I remember watching the sun lower itself down in between two palm trees off in the distance as we waiting for the bus to depart.
Once we left the airport, we immediately headed north, to The Golan Heights. It was about a four hour bus ride, through the night for the most part. I was disoriented, because I had no cell service or GPS access, and all I could see were communities lit up far in the distance. I just remember being surprised at all the elevation changes, and large valleys in the distance. We stopped around halfway to grab food, at a local shopping plaza, where I picked up my first authentic chicken shawarma. I though it was a bit overpriced at 40 shekels ($12 American). As all of my peers were hanging out finishing their sandwiches and chatting, me and a like-minded friend, Ben, went into the stores just to see what everything’s relative cost was. The whole trip this fascinated us, and we were constantly analyzing price differences. We picked up a few snacks for the road, and got back on the bus.
What seemed like an eternity later, we reached the top of a big hill, I could look out and see a bunch of bright lights in a valley and assumed we must be in the Golan Heights. Without any idea where we were, I assumed the lights were somewhere in Israel, but the next morning I found out it was Lebanon! Just 2 miles away from us. Just a few minutes after seeing the bright lights in the distance, we took a fast and sharp turn down a narrow driveway (everyone drives crazy in Israel, thats about the only scary part), and eventually reached a gate. We had arrived at the Kibbutz for our first night.
Immediately after jumping off the bus, we heading into the communal dining room for an excellent buffet. I had some incredible schnitzel and potatoes, with Israeli salad and hummus. I went for some coffee, but it turned out to be water… everything was water!?!?! Next to it I saw coffee grounds, with spoons. An Israeli came up and shoveled the coffee into his cup, and poured hot water into it, AHA! I’ve made Turkish coffee before, I was just thrown off at first. I’ve got to say, after I got used to it, it is nice not having to clean out a coffee machine. After dinner we got to our rooms, I stayed with my friend Ben from Sharon, Mass and Ethan, who was from Northeastern University. We were all awake for over 24 hours at that point due to the time change and not being able to sleep on the plane, but the adrenaline of Israel kept us awake. We headed down to a communal lounge and met up with a bunch of other friends on the trip. I brought my guitar down and jammed out for a while - another friend, Bailey, had also brought her guitar. It was perfection! Good friends, good food, good music, incredible weather, and we were in Israel! It was such a relaxing feeling, not just the kind you look back on and long for, but I could really feel it in the moment. I knew that would be a special night that I could never forget. Before I went back to my room that night, I made sure to walk slow, taking in the smells, sounds, and the emotional significance of being in such a blessed land. It truly felt like home.
To Be Continued…