downhill

Nothing like a week without bread to make you appreciate the delicious taste of freshly baked pita.

(Sidenote: Kosher-for-Pesach bread is the worst. Beware and stay away at all costs)

During Pesach (Passover) in Israel leaven is not sold in most stores and restaurants throughout the nation and especially in Jerusalem. And most shops are closed anyways for the 7 day holiday as people travel to visit family for the Seder and then across the country in their rush to find water somewhere. The Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, Ein Gedi, Tel Aviv beach and other locations where water happens to accumulate are very popular destinations during the week. For the sake of helping visualization: I remember driving home from the Dead Sea while on the other side of the road a line of cars as far as the eye could see were driving along the winding road beside that great bathtub of saltwater. Each car packed with towels, BBQ equipment, food and family; the perfect combination for a day of fun in the sun.

But, alas, the bread has returned and the sun is shining and its all downhill from here.

Thanks to the English language downhill can mean many different things so clarification is needed here. What I mean is in contrast with the first portion of my stay. These past few months could be described as uphill: from actually living on a hill to learning how to live in Jerusalem to learning how classes and schedule and life works at the University to meeting new people. This uphill portion can sometimes carry with it the feeling of slowness while working through these challenges but once at the peak one looks behind them and it all seemed to have happened so fast.

From here on out it will be a downhill climb. Just as long a distance as when uphill but seemingly easier. I look ahead and see myself again commenting on how fast time flew by. This observation has inspired me to even more seize the moments along journey back and make the most of where I am. When I come down from this Mount and return home I hope to have cherished my time and not rushed downhill.

Probably the best part about Pesach (the worst being the lack of bread), was the two weeks I got off of University which allowed for plenty of adventuring time.

First, a hiking trip to northern(ish) Israel:

After an exciting pre-Pesach "hike" trip along two portions of the Yam'v'Yam I decided to venture outside of Israel to one of the few surrounding countries which is relatively welcoming to those people with an Israeli VISA on their passport: Jordan.

Jordan was a wonderful and refreshing time visiting with friends, hiking through Wadis, BBQing on roofs, going to large flea markets (aka outdoor thrift stores), and getting my mind blown by the overwhelming beauty of carved rocks in Petra. 

After Jordan I spent Seder weekend with the very gracious and hospitable Ezer family. The weekend was full of great conversations about Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, why Hebrew sounds worse than Arabic, how difficult it is for Israelis to get a drivers license (let alone a car), the richness of the English language, the impact of the four sons mentioned in the haggadah on education in Israel, etc... I played some Peter, Paul and Mary songs on guitar and we sang John Denver together. Seder and dinner was very enjoyable and I even got to use my Spanish in conversation with their aunt from Argentina! The next day we visited the grave and park commemorating one of the Zionist movements greatest benefactors Mr. Rothschild. (Apparently the Hebrew or Israeli version of Fiddler on the Roof says "If I were a Rothschild..." instead of "If I were a rich man..."). And after the park we sealed the successful weekend with some delicious banana chocolate icecream which brought back sweet memories of banana pudding from home.

Lastly, I gallivanted across Israel seeing some interesting sites from lesser known ones like Lachish (a critical fortress that guarded the main road from Egypt to Jerusalem with its really old siege ramp) and Susya (considered one of the first messianic communities as documented by a Hebrew mosaic and home of some really awesome underground tunnels used as escape routes in defense against invading nomads) to more popular sites like Masada, Qumran, Ein Gedi and of course the Dead Sea.

Lachish

This is what they do in Supermarkets to cover up all the foods with leaven so the store is still Kosher but so they don't have to throw out food.

Sunset

Masada

Me and an Ibex that wanted a photoshoot

The crew, the van, the view

Amazing being able to travel to sites thousands of years old. Literal thousands of years old. I once made an offhand comment when we were somewhere. A guy mentioned a building was like 500 years old to which I said "Wow, that's pretty old". He laughed and said "In Israel if its not over a thousand years old its still young!" At this point I feel like I could pick up a random rock off the ground and there is a 90% chance it is older than the United States of America. 

After all these travels it was interesting to return to Jerusalem and to my apartment and feel like it is a place where I can feel relaxed and comfortable. Funny how just two months ago I was traveling here all the way from my home country and just these past two weeks I was traveling around the region only to return to my "home" here in Jerusalem. Excited to continue exploring Israel in the upcoming months learning more and more about the people, the culture, the politics and the business environment here, but also I am excited to have that feeling of returning amplified when I travel down from Mount Scopus to America.

Cherishing my time here while it lasts (as I cherish how delicious real bread tastes after a week of matzah).

"Wherever you are be all there"