The Finale

Hi folks,

In my typical fashion, it has been too long. Here I am, sitting in a family friend's house in Jerusalem just two days before my flight back to San Francisco and the end of this year in Israel.

In this, likely my last blog entry, I will share a short recap of what I've been up to this last month (mostly sitting on the couch. This will make sense soon), and how I'm feeling about the closing of this chapter and the opening of the next.

July was what we call a disaster. I had been living and working on the Kibbutz for about a month. I had finally gotten a hand of the activities that I was leading, and felt confident and excited about the work ahead. And then I got sick. But there was a 24-hour stomach bug going around, and I had all the symptoms, so there was nothing to worry about. But then the 24-hour stomach bug turned into a sinus infection, which I thought was odd but still not so alarming. But then my throat started to hurt. And then it started to really hurt. The kind of hurt where you want to stuff your mouth with cotton balls so you won't have to swallow. Where you would do just about anything to not have to swallow ever again for the rest of your life. So I went to the local clinic and received antibiotics for what they said was Tonsillitis. This certainly wasn't exciting news, but I figured that after a few days of antibiotics things would clear up and I'd be back on my feet. But then it was three days later and I was waking up in the middle of the night having cried in my sleep from the pain, so I went back to the local clinic and was sent to the Emergency Room to receive a shot of antibiotics (the fastest way to treat an infected tonsil). But then the doctor at the Emergency Room didn't want to give me a shot and just put me back on (a different kind of) antibiotics and sent me home. But then it was two days later and the fact that I hadn't been able to eat or drink nearly anything in about 2 weeks (remember the painful swallowing?) had caught up to me and I just wasn't getting any better. So I went back to the Emergency Room, where the lovely doctor from two days earlier took one look at me and said "Whoa. You really don't look very good" (why thank you, genius doctor, for the observation) and admitted me to the hospital. Once admitted, I was able to receive antibiotics and fluids through an IV and within two days was on my way to recovery. On the second day of my hospitalization my mom arrived (!!) for what was meant to be a fun visit to Israel and turned into a "Mommy taking care of Kate" visit to Israel. I don't know what I would have done without her - she and Matan were a great team. At any rate, I was finally back to my usual self and my usual weight a week after being released from the hospital. And there went July.

But then I was better! And we went to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt! Yes, it's true - Matan, my mother, and I picked up on a Sunday morning, took a bus to Eilat, walked across the border and up to our hotel in Taba, Egypt. We spent a day farther south in huts on the beach, snorkeling along the amazing reef and eating freshly caught fish. It really was something.

And now here I am, getting ready to leave. In all truthfulness, I have hardly begun processing this situation. It's something I tend to avoid. Like the plague. But from the small amount of processing that has occurred, this is what I can tell you: I know I will miss Israel. I know I will miss my friends and Matan's family very much after spending this year deepening my friendships and connections with this, my Israeli family. I know I will miss the no-nonsense, straightforward (yes, these are nice words for rude) Israeli attitude that, all kidding aside, has taught me to ask for what I want and self-advocate. I know I will miss not having to work at feeling connected to Judaism. And the list could go on. However. And I think this is a big However, worthy of a capital H, I am really and truly ready for the next step. I know I am ready to start school in a serious way and dig my teeth into a challenging academic experience. I know I am ready to set some roots for more than a year, build a community that I can dedicate more time to, and find meaningful places to devote my energy. I know I am ready to eat burritos. And dim sum. And sushi. And Thai. And pretty much everything at Trader Joe's. And I think we can all agree that food is really all that ever mattered. So seeya Israel, I'm going home to eat!

(By the way: Thanks for coming along with me on this year-long journey through the complicated reality of Israel. I truly had an amazing time and learned so much about myself, and I deeply appreciate all of the input and feedback from all of you in your corners of the world. I couldn't have done it without you, so cheers! And for the last time, at least this time: Much love and many kisses from Israel!)