From Cyprus, we decided to visit Istanbul, on our way to Israel (All the flights from Cyprus went through Istanbul, so why not stop?). In Istanbul, we continued our studies of the Ottoman Empire, again seeing the layers upon layers of civilizations. The richness of the ancient civilizations was impressive. After a few days in the Sultanamet area, we had the good fortune of staying with a family in the lovely suburb of Kuscunjuk, on the Asian side of Istanbul. We found this family through a wonderful internet site, "Workaway.com," who are involved with setting up a Waldorf pre-school in Istanbul. This added so much to our experience! We discussed the state of the schools in Turkey and in the United States, the reasons they felt strongly about the need for a Waldorf School, and our experiences at Coastal Grove Charter School. This group of parents is trying to start the first Waldorf Elementary School in Turkey! We were so impressed with the generosity and kindness that strangers showed us, simply because we had the interest of Waldorf Schools in common. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have some personal connections in a foreign country.
Thanks to a tip from a well-traveled friend, we made a side journey to the wonderful rock formations of Cappedocia! We woke up in our cave hotel to the sight of over 50 balloons above tuff formations and rock caves. We were amazed by the vast underground cities that were dug as a defense against the invading Roman soldiers. Our favorite day was our bike ride away from the crowds, among the rocks. (We wanted more time here too, by the way.)
From Istanbul, we flew to Tel Aviv, Israel. Landing in Israel was surprisingly emotional for me, and our 2 weeks there continued to be a muddle of thoughts and feelings. After a day in Tel Aviv, we traveled by bus to the Negev desert. We had arranged to volunteer for a week on a pomegranate farm near the Egyptian Border (thanks to "Workaway.com). We were traveling on a Thursday, the day when much of the young people in the military are going home or changing locations. It was quite an experience to be surrounded by young people with big guns! We thought we had seen a lot of military in Cyprus, but that was nothing compared to the buses in Israel! We arrived just after sunset, in the middle of the desert, at a small trailer, surrounded by sand dunes. We were greeted by another volunteer from Seattle, who's parents graduated from Humboldt State University and had grown up in Ukiah, CA!
The next week was spent mixing mud, straw and sand for a mud house. Of course, there was also much picking, juicing, eating, and cooking with pomegranates! We enjoyed the heat, tried to be patient with the flies, and we especially loved working and contributing instead of just consuming. We tried to gain some insight to life in this part of Israel in discussions around meals. At times, I felt like we were back at the Tower of Babble, hearing three or four different languages at any one time. Luckily, for us, English was the main common language! I was amazed to see trees growing out of the sand and learning that they water these trees with partially salt water! We wished we had had more time (a continuing theme) here. Again, we felt so grateful for the generosity of others and loved the connections that we had while there.
We continued our journey through Israel with a stop and the obligatory float at the Dead Sea. One the first night of Hanukah, we stayed at Kibbutz Ein Gedi. What a beautiful place! It is the only botanical gardens that is also where people live, and is a stunning example of a desert oasis! We arrived in time for a Hanukah parade and the lighting of a hanukia by sending a torch down a zip line...very festive! Menorahs everywhere! I loved being in the holiday majority! We floated in the Dead Sea, visited Masada, and hiked in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. There is something so magical about flowing water in the desert! We regretted not having a car, and would have spent more time at the Dead Sea and in the nature reserve.
To Jerusalem! I was so excited to finally see and experience Jerusalem. We left by Friday afternoon so our traveling was finished before 4:00 pm, when the public transportation shuts down for Shabbat. We found our way through the crowded streets of the Old City, past the families lighting their menorahs and placing them in window boxes for all to see, to the Western Wall for Shabbat. I don't think I can describe my thoughts and emotions! I returned to the Western Wall each day during our Jerusalem stay, and was always moved by seeing so many people praying. I was inspired by people's hopefulness and the comfort that they seemed to find here. We loved learning about the history of the Temple Mount, touring the tunnels, and walking around the City Walls.
After our short visit, we are inspired to return to Israel to spend more time in the places we saw, and to visit some of the many things we missed. We spent a long, noisy night in the airport, due to the early time of our flight. During our much anticipated "exit interview" it was noticed that our last names were different.
"Why do you have a different last name?" the interviewer asked me.
"I never changed my name," I responded, wondering if they would take Jeremiah away from me.
"How do you pronounce your first name," the interviewer asked me. I answered, a bit confused by the reason for the question.
"Do you know the meaning of your name?"
Stunned hesitation! Why would they ask this question? What is the right answer? Is there a wrong answer? These thoughts flew through my head. I did manage not to laugh, and gave an answer which seemed to satisfy the powers that be. They let us out of the country! We still wonder about that question! I was sad to leave Israel, wishing I had more, hoping we'll return someday soon.
We have since traveled to Granada, Spain to stay with Christine and Abe, Seville, Spain to visit Dylan and Blair, and England to see our exchange student from 10 years ago, Benoit and his fiancee, Tara. Experiencing such wonderful hospitality from people we haven't seen in so long means so much to us. We are so thrilled to be able to have these visits! We wish we could see all of you during our travels. Being away, we appreciate more than ever our families and the wonderful people that surround us at home. We wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a peaceful, healthy, happy, and growthful New Year. We hope to see you all in 2014!
