Hello fans or forced readers (you choose),
So.... I have been totally lame at writing this. My b. A lot has happened lately, but for many reasons I just don't feel like it should go on this blog. If you know: you know and I love you so much. And if you don't, well don't worry about it. And no, it does not mean that I love you less.
Work has been interesting. We had some major electricity issues the past two weeks because of rain. Yes RAIN HAS COME TO ISRAEL. So no internet, no phones, it was a bit crazy. Of course, since my job is based around the internet (and because i don't know what to do with myself without it) i went kind of crazy. Luckily, I have a good singing voice so I could sing. Seriously: nothing is quite as fun as pretending to be Louie Armstrong (try it sometime)
To continue my weather report: It rained for like a week and I thought: am I in the burg again? No, because in williamsburg there's rain but we don't get giant amounts of mud because there are these things called trees. This is the desert. There are very few trees. But: plant life just suddenly appears post rains. The most gorgeous flowers: yellow, white, purple, and orange fill the free space. Goats and sheep are herded around town to feed (not kidding, the sheep were taking up one lane of the road: hilarious).Now that we have a bit of a break its beautiful outside.
Other thing: You can't complain about rain in Israel. Doesn't matter if you are in the North where it's wetter or the Negev (desert). Rain is so important and needed, that any rain is good rain. Even if you are soaked through your clothes. Don't complain ISRAEL NEEDS THE FRESHWATER.
I also have continued to travel: I went to Haifa again this past weekend. Met up with some other couchsurfers, went hiking, and just took it easy. It really took me til this weekend to realize how I felt "finished" with Israel. I'm sure there are more places to visit (such as Petra, which I hope to go to this weekend), but something inside of me just said: my journey here is done. And if I've learned anything in my time here it's that my gut is pretty damn smart. So it's time to go.
So, while I planned on staying through Passover, I realized I can't. I feel this need to leave. I haven't quite felt something like it before. I talked with my bosses, and they understand. So change of plans: I am going to the UK with work in early march. I'll be on a business trip (wow I sound cool) til the 12th. I will then travel around the UK til the 30th (any suggestions of where to go would appreciate it but I am def visiting London). And then... i AM FLYING TO ICELAND.
Katie, why are you going to Iceland? Fabulous question, thank you for asking. So, as I was talking to my parents about changing plans (mom is just excited i'm coming home a month earlier and making passover, but someone needs to sing on key with dad!) we booked me a ticket home. Iceland air is actually quite cheap, and they give you an option of doing an extended layover in Reykjavik (i think i spelled that right... who knows). So they asked if I wanted to, and I said OF COURSE.
Background note. I have had a strange ability to travel to most of the I countries in the world. Now I have done: Ireland, Italy, Israel, India, Indonesia and soon to add Iceland. The last official ones are Iran and Iraq.... Ivory Coast doesn't count because in Wikipedia it is Cote d'Ivoire.
So now... I am super excited about going. I have no idea what I'll do in either country...but i'll figure it out. I always do. Well I know few things
UK
-Edinburgh
-fried mars bar
-heart attack from fried mars bar
-See the rabbits at St. Andrews
-Pretend I am Catherine from Wutherine Heights when I see moors.
- Pretend I am not pretending to to be Catherine like every other girl at the moors
-See what Oxford is all about
- Go to London
- Spend all my money at the Globe theater
- Learn what it's like to be a pauper
- Write the new Oliver Twist
Iceland
-Learn how to pronounce Reykjavik
- Explore Reykjavik
-CLIMB A MOVING ICE MOUNTAIN (ok a a glacier but ice mountain sounds cooler). or something with Ice
- eat fish (?)
- learn some random icelandish words. and figure out what they call the icelandic language
- try not to sound like a dumb american
-try not to freeze to death. In april.
All humor aside: it's actually a bit overwhelming all of this. I need to go but I'm not ready. I will miss so many people. I told everyone yesterday the news and they were all saying: who's going to call you such pretty names as u?? And it's true: I don't think I will have many co workers calling me "my heart" "my life" etc. These are terms of endearment in Arabic. In all likelihood, I will never see these people again. And that's really really hard. Because they are amazing people. And writing this feels like saying goodbye.
There is a Buddhist meditation: you imagine something you love, like say a book, and you imagine it destroyed. Not because you are a masochist, but because all things end, and doing that helps you form a detachment from the article. To know that, though you love this book, you may not always have it. Thing is: I didn't realize how attached I was to this place until I get ready to leave. Ironic I suppose, but mostly bittersweet. But, I know for some reason, I just can't stay.
Am I excited to come back to the states? YES. But I am also nervous. Living abroad changes you. Not so much the Eat Pray Love cliche change (in some ways I suppose...) but in the cultural adaptations. I have adapted to being here. Saying thanks and please all the time... GAH SHOOT ME WHY? I use their hand motions. I am not patient in lines. My planning skills have been seriously diminished. My fear of guns in the open has been eradicated. I'm used to being in a cafe and not understanding the conversations next to me.
These are all tiny little things, but when I go home: it's not gonna be a picnic. I'll be so happy to see all of you. But it will be an adjustment. I will constantly talk about people you don't know. I will be excited by seemingly trivial things. I will be tired of explaining other things/perhaps offended at seemingly banal but really ridiculous questions (like no i didn't live in a tent. please DON'T ASK THAT). I won't be the same girl I was 6 months ago. And you won't be the same either, and perhaps that will be hard for me too. I'm nervous, because I don't really know what my reaction will be to being home. I'll find out soon enough I suppose.
Until then: I am trying to get those last minute things in: going to Petra, perhaps finally visiting the west bank (terrible... i know). Finishing up projects for work. Moving to my last house while I'm here. And deal with the emotions of leaving/applying for things in the future. So... yeah a lot. But if I have learned anything while being here, it's that emotions while strong and can really affect me, are temporary. I now have the awareness that they can affect my perception, but I choose my reality (call it what you will, but it has some truth!).
I'll try to keep you updated. But a lot of what is going on with me is emotional. And I love talking it out with friends, but it's hard when all I can say is I am x, y, or z emotion. And it wouldn't make for a very good blog post....
whew. what. a. post. thanks for sticking it out with me! Love you all, and I'll hopefully write soon
xoxo,
KAS
So.... I have been totally lame at writing this. My b. A lot has happened lately, but for many reasons I just don't feel like it should go on this blog. If you know: you know and I love you so much. And if you don't, well don't worry about it. And no, it does not mean that I love you less.
Work has been interesting. We had some major electricity issues the past two weeks because of rain. Yes RAIN HAS COME TO ISRAEL. So no internet, no phones, it was a bit crazy. Of course, since my job is based around the internet (and because i don't know what to do with myself without it) i went kind of crazy. Luckily, I have a good singing voice so I could sing. Seriously: nothing is quite as fun as pretending to be Louie Armstrong (try it sometime)
To continue my weather report: It rained for like a week and I thought: am I in the burg again? No, because in williamsburg there's rain but we don't get giant amounts of mud because there are these things called trees. This is the desert. There are very few trees. But: plant life just suddenly appears post rains. The most gorgeous flowers: yellow, white, purple, and orange fill the free space. Goats and sheep are herded around town to feed (not kidding, the sheep were taking up one lane of the road: hilarious).Now that we have a bit of a break its beautiful outside.
Other thing: You can't complain about rain in Israel. Doesn't matter if you are in the North where it's wetter or the Negev (desert). Rain is so important and needed, that any rain is good rain. Even if you are soaked through your clothes. Don't complain ISRAEL NEEDS THE FRESHWATER.
I also have continued to travel: I went to Haifa again this past weekend. Met up with some other couchsurfers, went hiking, and just took it easy. It really took me til this weekend to realize how I felt "finished" with Israel. I'm sure there are more places to visit (such as Petra, which I hope to go to this weekend), but something inside of me just said: my journey here is done. And if I've learned anything in my time here it's that my gut is pretty damn smart. So it's time to go.
So, while I planned on staying through Passover, I realized I can't. I feel this need to leave. I haven't quite felt something like it before. I talked with my bosses, and they understand. So change of plans: I am going to the UK with work in early march. I'll be on a business trip (wow I sound cool) til the 12th. I will then travel around the UK til the 30th (any suggestions of where to go would appreciate it but I am def visiting London). And then... i AM FLYING TO ICELAND.
Katie, why are you going to Iceland? Fabulous question, thank you for asking. So, as I was talking to my parents about changing plans (mom is just excited i'm coming home a month earlier and making passover, but someone needs to sing on key with dad!) we booked me a ticket home. Iceland air is actually quite cheap, and they give you an option of doing an extended layover in Reykjavik (i think i spelled that right... who knows). So they asked if I wanted to, and I said OF COURSE.
Background note. I have had a strange ability to travel to most of the I countries in the world. Now I have done: Ireland, Italy, Israel, India, Indonesia and soon to add Iceland. The last official ones are Iran and Iraq.... Ivory Coast doesn't count because in Wikipedia it is Cote d'Ivoire.
So now... I am super excited about going. I have no idea what I'll do in either country...but i'll figure it out. I always do. Well I know few things
UK
-Edinburgh
-fried mars bar
-heart attack from fried mars bar
-See the rabbits at St. Andrews
-Pretend I am Catherine from Wutherine Heights when I see moors.
- Pretend I am not pretending to to be Catherine like every other girl at the moors
-See what Oxford is all about
- Go to London
- Spend all my money at the Globe theater
- Learn what it's like to be a pauper
- Write the new Oliver Twist
Iceland
-Learn how to pronounce Reykjavik
- Explore Reykjavik
-CLIMB A MOVING ICE MOUNTAIN (ok a a glacier but ice mountain sounds cooler). or something with Ice
- eat fish (?)
- learn some random icelandish words. and figure out what they call the icelandic language
- try not to sound like a dumb american
-try not to freeze to death. In april.
All humor aside: it's actually a bit overwhelming all of this. I need to go but I'm not ready. I will miss so many people. I told everyone yesterday the news and they were all saying: who's going to call you such pretty names as u?? And it's true: I don't think I will have many co workers calling me "my heart" "my life" etc. These are terms of endearment in Arabic. In all likelihood, I will never see these people again. And that's really really hard. Because they are amazing people. And writing this feels like saying goodbye.
There is a Buddhist meditation: you imagine something you love, like say a book, and you imagine it destroyed. Not because you are a masochist, but because all things end, and doing that helps you form a detachment from the article. To know that, though you love this book, you may not always have it. Thing is: I didn't realize how attached I was to this place until I get ready to leave. Ironic I suppose, but mostly bittersweet. But, I know for some reason, I just can't stay.
Am I excited to come back to the states? YES. But I am also nervous. Living abroad changes you. Not so much the Eat Pray Love cliche change (in some ways I suppose...) but in the cultural adaptations. I have adapted to being here. Saying thanks and please all the time... GAH SHOOT ME WHY? I use their hand motions. I am not patient in lines. My planning skills have been seriously diminished. My fear of guns in the open has been eradicated. I'm used to being in a cafe and not understanding the conversations next to me.
These are all tiny little things, but when I go home: it's not gonna be a picnic. I'll be so happy to see all of you. But it will be an adjustment. I will constantly talk about people you don't know. I will be excited by seemingly trivial things. I will be tired of explaining other things/perhaps offended at seemingly banal but really ridiculous questions (like no i didn't live in a tent. please DON'T ASK THAT). I won't be the same girl I was 6 months ago. And you won't be the same either, and perhaps that will be hard for me too. I'm nervous, because I don't really know what my reaction will be to being home. I'll find out soon enough I suppose.
Until then: I am trying to get those last minute things in: going to Petra, perhaps finally visiting the west bank (terrible... i know). Finishing up projects for work. Moving to my last house while I'm here. And deal with the emotions of leaving/applying for things in the future. So... yeah a lot. But if I have learned anything while being here, it's that emotions while strong and can really affect me, are temporary. I now have the awareness that they can affect my perception, but I choose my reality (call it what you will, but it has some truth!).
I'll try to keep you updated. But a lot of what is going on with me is emotional. And I love talking it out with friends, but it's hard when all I can say is I am x, y, or z emotion. And it wouldn't make for a very good blog post....
whew. what. a. post. thanks for sticking it out with me! Love you all, and I'll hopefully write soon
xoxo,
KAS
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