Shipping Out

I have four days left in Israel and I can't believe that the two and a half months that I've spent here are over. Where has the time gone?!?!? I can't say that my Chinese is much better than it was when I got here. I spent my time in Europe studying a book that was actually Cantonese and not Mandarin, so that was a minor set back. On the other hand, it will help me out when I'm in Hong Kong on my way to Beijing.
What I can say is that Barak and I are in the best possible state we could be heading into 6 months of separation. Meeting his family and living with him in Tel Aviv was the best way for us to see if we love each other and whether or not we have a future. Sure the next phase will be difficult, but we're both happy that we made the effort to figure it out instead of giving up and going our separate ways.
His family is amazing. They are so loving and caring and have made me feel like a part of their clan (or should I say tribe) since I arrived. It would be hard to think that I would never see them again. I've loved exploring Tel Aviv on my own with long walks down the city streets, runs along the boardwalk and random conversations at the beach. Dispite all the media attention, the city is relatively calm (of course this comes from a girl who has never lived in a city of less than 3 million people).

As for the home sickness, I can't say that I miss the physical part of being in the US. I don't miss American food, traffic, rude people on the metro or folks talking on their cell phones every where they go. I do miss hearing my family and friends' voices, chats at coffee houses and bookstores, people watching at the Clarendon Marketplace, cheap beer and food at Froggy Bottom, and of course, Monday Nite Trivia at Four Courts!

I'll post some final photos of Israel later this week. My new digital camera came in the mail today, so I'll be spending this afternoon playing with it to figure it out.

On Sunday afternoon, I'll head to London for the night. I was lucky enough to meet a great girl in Salzburg who is letting me crash at her place for the night. Then Monday night I fly to Delhi. My great friend from UCSD, Vineeta will meet me at the airport and we will start our Indian adventure together.