Day 11 Israel

Luckily we didn't have to be on the bus until 1pm today because the night before was a late one. After grabbing lunch at a cinema complex we traveled to a tank museum and memorial. There were tons of different types of tanks and very unique memorial to those who have died in the line of fire.

Following the tank memorial we traveled to the ancient ground where David battled Goliath and reflected on our trip. Like so many of the places we have visited, this place is specifically mentioned in the Bible and bears the same name to this day. We had a banquet dinner at a restaurant in Tel Aviv with many cups of wine and many toasts to our wonderful leaders (Jeremiah, John and Melody) our bus driver, Mo, and of course our father while in Israel, Avi.

I can't speak too well about Avi. He is the ultimate wealth of knowledge. Few people know more than he does about religion, history, or life in general and he is only 45! He genuinely cared for us as people and did his best to impress upon us his knowledge about Israel but also general life advise. He is a caring father, a loving husband, and the best damn tour guide in Israel!

Security leaving Israel was very tight. They ask you all about your luggage and end with this zinger, "The reason I am asking you about your luggage is because I believe there may be a bomb on board. Do you understand?" They also search about 50% of the checked luggage. Mine was emptied out because I had to empty bottles and some mud. At check-in they also request emergency contact information in case the plane were to be attacked. Pleasant thoughts to be sure.

I arrived in the US around 5AM this morning though I had been awake since about 2:30AM US time. I actually slept on the plane from 1AM - 9AM Israel time aside from some very frightening turbulence and lightening over the Atlantic. I have been sitting in the same terminal since around 9AM. I volunteered to take a later flight at 5:40PM (my original flight was scheduled for 12:30PM) in exchange for a $400 flight voucher and a free meal. It will help pay for my ticket to Cairo in January. Still, 8 hours in the same terminal is a long time. I already miss the friends I made on the trip and I can't wait to see my family and give them my gifts. Finally though, I'm going home.

Note: I'll be posting some kind of reflection post soon as well as some more pictures though the majority of my pictures and other people's pictures of me will be on Facebook.