Back in the USA...

Tuesday.

Yom Shelishi - Day Three ( of the week)

Yom Gimmel – In the Hebrew Alphabet, Aleph is the first letter, Bet the second and Gimmel the third.

I am back in the United States and it’s my third day at home. I’ve been running these past few days until 7 pm this evening when I could not keep my eyes open. Now it’s 9:40 and after a two hour nap, I’m good to go.

Now, a very quick catch up of what my last three days were like in Israel, since I was unable to connect to the Internet those days.

Thursday we had our final exam; prior to this we had a party and talked in Hebrew about the program and our future plans. Shortly after I began packing, hoping to fit everything back into my duffel bags. I left the university that day and returned to where I started - the Amoyals. I was home again. How do you put a feeling like that into words? The next day late Friday afternoon, Anat picked me up and we returned to Merchavia, my other home in Israel. We ate Shabbat dinner outside with friends and went to an outdoor concert to see Shemtov Levi, who wrote many songs for my all time favorite Israeli singer, Arik Einshtein. It was my last real night in Israel and the concert was phenomenal.

Shabbat morning I repacked, hopefully to not have to pay overweight fees. We headed to Tel Aviv to celebrate Anat’s birthday with Nitzan, Noa, Shahar and Sari at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the shore. Nitzan is one of the first Israeli kids we hosted back in 2002. He works for the army and has just completed his position of flying drone airplanes. Noa is his girlfriend; they met when she was teaching him how to fly the drones (you go girl!!). Shahar is Nitz’s brother. He is an artist in Tel Aviv and also writes poetry and prose. His second book is coming out this September. Sari is his wife and very talented agent. The Sarig’s two other sons could not join us; Tal is in Poland with his classmates, doing the March of the Living, and Amer, is in Australia with his family taking a special Master’s program.

Before we knew it, it was time for me to go to the airport. My dread of paying overweight fees was for nothing; when I approached to check my bags I was crying and the agent was more concerned with my wellbeing than anything else.

And now I am home. Jeff and Ben picked me up from the airport; I saw the rest of my family throughout the day. Everyday since Sunday I have been welcomed home with strong, warm hugs from friends and family. I’m slowly readjusting to being home. I lost five pounds in the month I was gone – I’m thinking about marketing the Hebrew Immersion Diet! I miss so much of Israel. The past three days have been an adjustment: I keep looking to flush the toilet on either the top or opposite side of the tank or wall, have had to figure out where I am when I awake in the middle of the night and think twice about whether the word I am using is the correct word, among many other things. One thing that remains a constant between both continents is the love I feel for and from family and friends. I really missed my family and friends here and now I miss my Israeli family and friends.

I’m ending this blog now with an explanation of the sole (soul) picture featured above.
It was painted on a wall inside Café Café, a great breakfast/coffee shop.

“Take Your Time”
My mind immediately tells me to slow down when I first read those words.
But on second thought, the emphasis is more on “your”.
Take YOUR time.
Take time for yourself.
Take time to nourish what it is that feeds your soul.
Take time to take care of yourself.
My trip to Israel was all of this and more.
I can honestly look back and know that what I gained was so much more than a language.
I lived, breathed and inhaled Israel and grew stronger - physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I remain forever grateful for taking my time and making this dream come true.
And I thank all of you for your support and sharing this dream with me!

Yours always with love ~ Debbie

staying present once again

This is a statue that I see daily on my walk to class. Funny thing is, several people who I spoke to about it hadn't even noticed it, even though it is right there. I finally went up to see what was written about it and there wasn't anything; however I did see the word Shalom written several times on its trunk and roots. So maybe it's the tree of life, but I decided to me its the tree of peace.

The days are getting shorter here and as my days in Israel dwindle down, I'm reminded of so many things I've become aware of and learned. These are just a few of those things and in no particular order....

1. Staying present

The more present I am, the more I appreciate where I am and who I'm with.

2. My brain really works.

I have been so concerned with my memory since my mom had TIA's and then developed Alzheimer's. This month I have grown by leaps and bounds and in so many ways. But best of all, I know that I am totally and mentally right on target.

3. Fulfilling a dream is awesome.

I won't stop dreaming of what I want in life; I just need to remember to believe in it too.

4. Sometimes it has to be uncomfortable in order for things to change but change can bring wonderful and gratifying rewards.

5. The 25 year old playful woman inside me is still alive!

6. The wealth of wisdom from my years makes it worth getting older.

7. I am exactly where I should be.

8. There are so many Jews in so many places of the world who don't look Jewish, or not how I think Jewish people look!

9. Seeing and hearing from people back home brings me great emotional satisfaction, along with feelings of love and gratitude.

10. There's no place like home but I sure did learn a lot by leaving it for a short while. Or maybe it was the act of leaving my comfort zone. Either way, it was really worth it.

One of my workout friends once told us about a man she met who when she asked how he was, he replied "This is one of the best days of my life". When she asked why, he said there was no special reason. How beautiful is that?

Today, simply is, one of the best days of my life.