Blast from the past

24 years ago, at the age of 20, I woke up one morning on a foam pad in a small room of a kibbutz in Jerusalem and cried because I was homesick. I had registered for a semester abroad, left the country for the first time and after three days in a strange place wanted nothing more than to go home.

Four months later when our semester was ending, the tears came again. I cried because I didn’t want to go home. I cried because I didn’t know if I would ever come back to the land that now was part of my heart.

Coming back and bringing our three children is more than I could have ever hoped for! (My husband Scott and I met on our semester abroad.) Sharing our love of Israel with them will be easy and since we arrived they’ve had eyes wide as saucers.

After our flight from London our guide allowed us a quick shower and breakfast before he stuffed our brains with information and wore down the soles of our shoes. We visited all the old haunts; the Western Wall, St. Catherine’s, St. Peter of Gallicantu, Dome of the Rock, the old city. For lunch, something I’ve missed for 24 years… a falafel!

Our first night was in a, well, lets just say ‘less than 5 star’ hotel. But we had a bed, clean sheets and a shower so no one complained. In the morning we’ll hit the road north and hopefully catch a nap on the bus!

Just a fun little fact: 24 years ago Clark Anderson was one of the students that was studying abroad that semester with us here in Israel. The next two weeks, he is our guide. This is his 16^th time back. Guess he loves it as much as we do. (In the 1986 photo on the left, he's the blonde in the middle. I'm in the striped shirt.)