It's been so long that I don't even know where to start! Every day is full of surprises and interesting experiences. I'll post more in the future about what's been happening during this blog hiatus.
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| Men in funny outfits playing Christmas music at Cleveland Botanical Garden. |
I got to go home for Christmas! I took back a lot of goodies from Israel for my family to taste. My time home was absolutely wonderful. I was there for 16 days, and during that time I got to see a lot of my friends and family and go on a few adventures. The first thing we did when I got home was get a new iPhone at the Apple store in Pittsburgh :D Now I can take lots of photos again! The second thing we did was go to Amish country, which I loved. I got hot, fresh apple cider and bought Amish Wedding relish to mix with cream cheese for amazing dip. It's the little things.
For the first time, I relished in the American culture that I know. That culture includes, but is not limited to, men in suspenders playing the accordion and singing Christmas songs. I actually really enjoyed it! That was during our trip to the Cleveland Botanical Garden, where they have a few gardens: the Madagascar desert and the Costa Rican rainforest. Needless to say, the Madagascar desert was nothing like the Negev. A few years ago (wow, actually it's been 10 now), I visited the REAL Costa Rican rainforest. I feel like the rainforest room was pleasantly similar. It even had the huge plants that people use as umbrellas to stay out of the rain (or at least that's what our contact told us in CR).
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| Quinn and Ben hiding from the rain in the rainforest! |
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| Waterfallllll!!!!! |
We also got to stand behind a waterfall. Little adventures like this amuse me. It reminds me of when Quinn, Alexis, and I went to the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago and ate some tropical, poisonous plants.
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| Extremely attractive photograph of Alexis and I eating some tropical plants in 2009. Surprisingly, we're still alive in 2012. |
Anyway, home included other adventures as well. We also had a lovely evening at my friend Jen's house, which included reunions with my close friends from college and a super-awesome jam session. See that piano in the background? I played that.
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| Steve and his wicked amazing guitar skills. |
We also got together a few days later for some late-night IHOP! Mmmmmm. Oh, it was also nice to see my friends :D
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| At IHOP with some amazing food! . . . and friends ;) |
I got to spend some quality time with my family, too. In addition to hanging out with the Christmas tree in the Big House in the Country and sled riding, I took Charayah to breakfast at Bob Evans for her belated birthday.
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| Breakfast?! Yes, she chose spaghetti for her special birthday breakfast. |
Quinn developed a hilarious character when I was home, using my grandfather's old hat and waders and some cheap, neon pink sunglasses. He also wears tight, cowboy-style jeans and tucks in his sleeveless t-shirt. I forget what the name of this character is, but he talks with a thick, southern drawl and chews tobacco at all times (a.k.a. coffee grounds). He was amazed by the boxes that have lightning in them and called my grandma "Zeus" for taking pictures. It was pretty hilarious.
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| Quinn's character |
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| Tippecanoe sunset |
It snowed very little while I was home. Once we got just enough to sled-ride, so I got to check that off the list of Things To Do While I Am Home (which included going Trader Joe's, Panera Bread and Chipotle). I try to capture a sunset in Tippecanoe, but it was difficult. This is half of it. I will admit that sunsets in the dusty desert are a bit more impressive.
Shortly after I was getting used to the slow days in the Ohio countryside, it was time to go back to Israel. My parents drove me to Akron, and we realized that we had gotten to the airport far too early. I had forgotten that you only need to arrive an hour before your flight at CAK. It's nice. So we went down the street to Panera Bread for my last meal in Ohio for awhile. It was also their first time eating there (I think), and I think they really liked it :) After we got back to the airport, we still had lots of time, so we sat around and talked while we waited for the dreaded inevitable: saying goodbye. . .again.
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| We got to hang out for a little while at the airport |
Then the moment came, we said our teary goodbyes, and they watched me walk slowly through the security line. It was difficult for me to leave again. It seems like each time it gets harder and harder. I boarded the plane, and we took off and I said my goodbye-for-now to Ohio.
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| Goodbye, Akron |
About a day later, I arrived in Tel Aviv. Israel welcomed me with an additional 5 hour wait, because it was Shabbat and the trains were closed until after sundown. I sat on the floor in the airport for awhile, remembering the people that I love and miss and all the wonderful times we had during the break.
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| The five-hour wait |
So that was my too-short break where I got to visit home. I'll be posting again soon about the adventures I've had during the past month and a half since I've been back. Shalom!
