Escaping to Israel

It's been a month since I last posted, and while I wish I had tons to report back, I am afraid I do not. I had my escape. I went to Israel and had a great time (even if I did get sick in the middle). I saw my boyfriend and loved every minute I spent with him; in fact, I spent 24/7 with him, and we managed not to kill each other! Actually, we can get along pretty well with each other for days on end, which is a good thing, I know. It was as if he had never left, as if I had not seen or touched him since July. As I said, it was great.

I loved seeing the country again. It's absolutely beautiful. It is one of, if not the, most beautiful countries I have ever seen. (Ok, I've only ever seen Israel and some of America, but I still think Israel is gorgeous.) This time though, I saw Israel not so much as a tourist, but as a resident, a citizen. I rode the buses, went to grocery stores and pharmacies (Super-Pharm anyone? :-)), went to the bus stations, and walked the streets, among other things. Last time I was there, I was more of a tourist. Ok, I was definitely a tourist. This time, I got to experience Israel like an Israeli would, or someone who made Aliyah would. And I loved it. What made it even better was that I was also seeing it through my boyfriends' eyes. (To see my pictures of Israel, you can go to my Facebook and take a look. If you cannot see them, let me know.)

However, my time there also affirmed something for me. I do not want to live there. Yes, I love the country, and yes, my boyfriend is there (and likely will be there for at least another two years), but it is not someplace I can ever see myself living. It is a whole different way of life, a whole different culture, and frankly, they do not have many of the things we have here, things in which I am accustomed to, thing in which I like. But even so, I just cannot see myself living there, and that's the biggest thing. That being said though, I had a great time, and if it were not so expensive and I had the time (ok, I have the time until I get a job), I would go back there in an instant, and stay longer.