Israel- here I come

Tomorrow is the day. I'll leave Gallup on the wings of a restored, refreshed Sophie and make my way toward Albuquerque's International Sunport. After more than a week of challenge and triumph, in which my car gave way and I had to call upon the graces of committed and concerned friends, I feel strengthened, more hardy, and increasingly appreciative of the value of good friends.

Also, making a new friend from a land far away adds an intensity to my new found excitement that I can scarcely contain. I can't wait to see where this leads. Wherever it does, this special person challenges me in an enhancing and enriching way. Why and how did we meet? I don't know, but I'm glad we did. Life enchants.

Israel awaits. We start Sunday afternoon in Tel Aviv, and will stay at the Jaffa House (hostel). I'll meet up with my travel companions, Alicia (former guest blogger) and her friend and former Peace Corps chum, Amy, at that time. From there, Alicia and I will head for Jerusalem by bus, while Amy does some recruiting for her university in Tel Aviv. We'll spend the 1st in Jerusalem and will be joined by Amy that day. On the 2nd, we'll meet up with Anwar, Alicia's friend, who is a Palestinian man living in Ramallah and a director for a micro-finance non-profit through the Palestinian territories (West Bank and Gaza). We'll head with him to various cities in the West Bank, including Nablus, Hebron, and Jericho, one of the world's oldest cities. We will also make our way through the city in which Anwar grew up and, eventually, make our way to Ramallah. We will spend a day, essentially, job shadowing Anwar, which, to be honest, sounds like one of the funnest elements to me. After this, we'll spend some time at the Dead Sea, bathing in its healthy and salty waters. I hear it's great for the skin. Skinny dipping? We'll see.

On the 5th, I'll make my way, by bus, from Ramallah to Tel Aviv for my flight home. I have many thoughts on this trip. In sum, I feel incredibly fortunate to be going. So many folks have informed me, during our discussions on this coming journey, of their life long desire to visit the Holy Land. This morning, I chatted with an elder woman who works at Gallup's Glenn's Bakery (a must visit if you come here), who expressed this desire. I felt honored and privileged to have the ability at 22 to do what she's wanted to do for a lifetime. I think the best way for me to honor her is by soaking it all up and appreciating the trip to the fullest extent possible. After the experience I've had over the last 8 days, both basking in the glory and wonderment of having caring friends and becoming endearingly close to a new friend, I feel like life is an open book, and we live it to become stronger. When I report back, hopefully a week-plus in Israel will have taken this important process to a newly elevated level.

Shalom.

--Daniel