Leaving Israel

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  Jerusalem, Israel
Wednesday, June 3, 2009

I leave Israel tomorrow after six unbelievable months of living here. Looking back, some of the things I did seem like they happened so long ago, and yet the time feels like it flew by. If someone were to ask me, what did you do in Israel, here is how I would respond:

-neurobiology laboratory at the Weizmann Institute of Science
-arrived off the plane with nothing but my job and my dorm room, without knowing anybody and without a clue what I was doing, and yet I leave now with the sense that I actually lived here as a resident and not as a tourist
-ridiculous travels and experiences in (throughout the whole country) and out of Israel (Petra), while trying all sorts of new things (salsa class)
-the Gaza crisis, governmental elections, a Papal visit
-two-month basic army training course
-lifelong friends and memories

I think I could have been Israeli. The effect of the small size and population on the sense of community despite the wildly complex society (this feeling of unity sometimes lacks in the U.S. due to the country's large size and diverse population, though it has proven possible, as we saw it rise up in New York City after 9/11; it should not take adversity for us to bond together, though) , the pride in the country (sometimes in the U.S., different peoples see and want different things for the country, as evidenced by the schism between red and blue states), the openness and friendliness of young people to foreigners (which I experienced many times, most notably in salsa class and at the Dead Sea music concert), etc.

But then I realize that if I had been Israeli, I would have never gotten to experience many of the amazing and rewarding moments in my life: travel soccer and Little League, sleepaway camp, a Brown education and college experience, quenching my curiosity for knowledge and exploration instead of serving in the army until the age of 21, and other things as well. Currently, I do not see myself doing aliyah to Israel, as I love America and my role in it, but I will always feel a strong connection to the state of Israel. As evidence, I still find myself checking the Haaretz news site just as I do for the New York Times.

I fly tomorrow to France, where I will stay with my dad's cousin's family in Paris and Provence for two weeks, before visiting Italy for one week, and then returning to Provence as part of an outdoor volunteering group to restore a castle in Moustiers near the Mediterranean Sea and some forest.

Before returning home to the U.S., if these five weeks in Europe are anything like my six months in Israel...

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