My last couple weeks in Jerusalem were a bit hectic. In between finishing classes, studying for my Hebrew level exam, trying to get some of my papers written and final sightseeing, there wasn't a lot of time for much else. And truth be told, I wasn't in the right mental frame of mind to post. I was dealing with the normal end of the semester stress but also was having mixed feelings about leaving Israel.
I had been counting down the weeks, days, hours until I would be on a plane home, but as the end neared, I started thinking about what I would be leaving behind. Yes, there was so much to look forward to at home - family, friends, a decent mattress, home-cooked meals, my church family, and of course, my godbaby and her first birthday - but there were also things in Israel that I would miss - starting with my new friends and the beauty of the place, with the feeling of the holy so thick it was smothering at times.
At church this morning, worship centered on celebrating creation and its goodness. I couldn't help but think about Israel, about how holiness oozed out of every atom. There, the holy is inescapable. But the truth of the matter is that Israel is no more holy than Ohio, not really. What makes Israel holy is its connection to God. God created it, and God settled God's people in it. But God created everything, and all people are God's people, so every place is holy. We just forget it because we become so accustomed to our surroundings. But Jerusalem is by nature a disorienting city, and I think that is why we find it to be so holy - and yes, because we have imbued it with so much religious meaning.
In my final days in Jerusalem, I did do something I had not yet done: I waded through Hezekiah's Tunnel in the City of David. It is a pretty cool (and cold!) experience. The tunnel is longer than I imagined - I mean, I knew it was long, but when you are walking through it, it seems so much longer! And you can see where the workers chiseled away and even where they met in middle. I really enjoy the City of David, and it was nice to have extra time to wander around and see everything again and from new angles.
I left Israel on Monday (June 13). I will spare you the horror stories of El Al security, but I will say I had all my luggage searched, wasn't allowed to carry my laptop on the plane with me and was literally strip-searched. And then the flight was delayed. Originally we were supposed to fly out at 10:40am, but a few days before, we were notified that the flight was changed to 11:50am. By the time we actually left it was more like 2pm, which means I missed my connecting flight. Actually, I probably could have made it, if El Al would have printed my boarding pass for me. And it was a total nightmare getting my flight re-booked and then the voucher for a hotel and dinner. I finally made it home Tuesday around noon.
As I told someone at church today, I am glad I went and that I had that experience but it was not an experience I plan on repeating. Of course I will return to Israel, but not for an extended time like that. I learned so much and grew so much as a person. It was something I needed to do for me. Despite all the health problems, despite how much I disliked city life, despite how ridiculously expensive Jerusalem is, despite the nightmare of El Al security - despite it all, I am glad I went and if I could go back and do it all over, I wouldn't change a thing.
So with that, "Experiencing Jerusalem" comes to an end. Of course, I will continue to "experience" it for many months and years to come, to live with the memories and, of course, to process all that happened.
