My new year as 28 year-old adult started out with a bang. Literally. I was on the train to Tel-Aviv when my madrich called (sounding a bit panicked) asking about where I was. It concerned me, since he knew about my trip but I knew something was really wrong when he sighed in relief when I said I was no longer in Be'er Sheva. Apparently, Hamas' military chief Ahmed Jabari was assassinated and Israel was expecting an escalation in missile attacks in retaliation. I was told to enjoy my trip and not worry too much about what was happening at home, but I needed to call ahead at the end of my trip to find out where I would be staying. [I should've realized at this point that if my Israeli madrich was considering the possibility of an evacuation, things were getting pretty bad.]
I tried not to worry overmuch when I met up with one of my Israeli friends and his girlfriend in Tel-Aviv to see a movie. Since Oren and I are both November babies, it was the perfect opportunity to hang out. And we did have a lot of fun eating "craps" and playing in the arcade. We ended up seeing Sky Fall, which did a good job keeping me distracted. I stayed the night in Tel-Aviv with an amazing family (aunt and uncle to my Bus Buddy Jess) who ended up taking me to the Carmel Shuk (shopping center) and even dropped me off at the bus station when it was time to start part two of my trip: the Mifgashim Shabbaton weekend in Beit Shean. It's a tough call, but that shuk was the highlight of my first solo trip to Tel-Aviv: I ended up buying a great purse, watch, and sunglasses for only 195₪!
When I got to Beit Shean, I got a call from my friends back home in Be'er Sheva; they were being evacuated as expected and I would likely meet up with them in Netanya at the conclusion of my trip. The mifgashim itself was fantastic. I met amazing people from around the world (including Israelis), ate fantastic food, made great friends, attended services at a Sephardic beit knesset and kicked my own butt on that bike ride. I was definitely feeling the ride days after the event, but it felt so great to challenge myself - and make good use of my hydration pack's helmet net!
I did end up meeting my friends in Netanya, only to realize I'd left my purse on the chartered bus from Beit Shean (classic Elisa behavior, unfortunately). Lucky for me, my friend Morgan rescued the purse. Because the evacuation happened after I'd already departed for my weekend, I only had about two days' worth of clothing, medicine, and contacts. Since I'd left my purse behind on the bus, I had no money to purchase replacements of anything for at least a day. I should've realized then what a sign all of it was, but it was just such a relief to see that my friends were safe and relatively happy.
To Be Continued ...
[But don't worry, things worked out in the end!]
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