Blogs from Middle East - page 1190

It’s the day before I leave. All the preparations are made. I’ve just got to spend this afternoon in the office with a visitor, and then tomorrow at 1400 I’ll board Emirates for my 8-hour flight to Dubai. I’m travelling in economy. No great problem, it’s Emirates, which (so far), seems a fantastic airline, but later in the trip I’m with the (possibly) dodgy Iran Air, who operate a fleet of Boeings, but apparently can’t get spare parts from the Americans. Later still, I’m with an Indian airline called Sahara Airlines. It seems a strange name for an Indian airline; but then navigation might not be their strongest suit. I have my currency after being ripped off by a well-known credit card company, and I have my Visas (for Iran and India) after being ripped ... read more

From my journal: My heart started pounding when I first saw it. I could hardly believe it. I stood back for awhile, trying to imagine Your House on top of that retaining wall instead of that ugly golden pimple. I was very aware of the fact that YOU had brought me there. Literally, through this whole trip, it seems like You cleared the pth, like You're taking me by th hand and saying, "Come on, I want to show you everything." And then, You brought me to that last remaining wall, washed smooth by so many tears. Stepping close to the wall, gingerly reaching out to touch it, then moving my body closer to it with an almost passionate familiarity, rubbing the stones with my fingers like I would Sonny's hand, I felt as if I ... read more

Midterms thankfully ended on Wednesday November 23, and also thankfully, I got through them with more or less enough sleep and not too much stress. I woke up early on Thursday and quickly filled my birthday with a lot of activity. The morning was dedicated to administration--the post office, bank, and library. That evening, the overseas department put together an international Thanksgiving dinner for all of the overseas students. They served turkey right along side middle eastern salads. Ilana, another Carmellie, stood up and said she was thankful that I had been born and requested that everybody sing. It was a bit silly, but also really nice. Afterwards, I went out with some friends for the best ice cream in Haifa to celebrate. The next morning I left Haifa for Kibbutz Nativ HaLamedHey, which is close ... read more

We drove towards the Dead Sea and drove along it's coast for several miles before reaching the desert fortress of Masada. I would have loved to climb up the snake path but with a group our size, it would have taken us all day, so we all climbed into a cable car instead. The top of Masada is huge! We spent several hours up there and only saw part of the nothern half! The history of Masada covers two distinctly different periods. Herod build a tiered palace on the northern side. The nature-defying contained all the comforts of civilized western culture, including a roman bath! How he got the water up there is mind-blowing. Seventy years later, during the Jewish uprising and the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, Masada was transformed into a desert fortress by ... read more

Comments from the crowd: Julianna - I had water in my eyes! Out of all the experiences we had in Israel, I would have to say that swimming in the Dead Sea was...the most distateful one. When we go back next time, I don't think I would want to swim in it again. Pat was the only smart one of all of us. She stood on the shore and hovered over our stuff while we stepped into the salty waters. Ok, first off, Steve told us to be careful not to get water in our eyes, but I didn't really take him seriously. I thought it was like a regular ocean. If you get typical salt water in your eyes, it stings, but you just blink a couple of times and it's all better. I got ... read more