6 months part two by katy

the girls got a head start on this post! but yes, today is the 6 months mark of the trip, and indeed it is a momentous occasion. sometimes it seems like forever ago that we were all in the airport in dc and then on the plane to rio, and other times its seems like just the other day. either way, we have been out and about for 6 months, half a year, 180 days. that is a long time! i know i have learned so much, eaten so many yummy things, met so many awesome people, and done and seen so many cool, new things. it has been a great six months, indeed. and girls, even tho we might not be in the same physical or conceptual space anymore, we are still winners.

i am curently in tel aviv, israel where i have been for the last two weeks. i am with family and it is very nice to unpack the backpack for a while, live close to the beach and have luxuries like a full refrigorator and a washing machine at my disposal. israel is really an interesting place. i was here ten or so years ago when i was much younger and had a different appreciation for foreign travel. it is good to come back, and great to be with family, and really unusual to be in such a special place. maybe special isnt the right word, it is A right word for that israel is, but not exactly the one i am looking for. being in the middle east is pretty awesome. the weather is warm, the hummus is abundant, and the mediteranean is always much closer that i expect it to be. also, being in the worlds religious capital isn't so bad. here are the highlights of the trip so far:

1. trip to the dead sea where we floated in the actual sea (which is awesome- you are super boyant b/c of all the minerals and float at the VERY top of the water) and then sat some natural hot springs right next to the sea shore. we rubbed ourselves with mud and soaked and soaked and soaked. after this, we went to a bedouin camp and grilled delicious dinner and slept on mats on the ground. it was rustic. and DUSTY.
2. hummus! i have learned so much about so many kinds of hummus. yes, that is right, there is more than one kind of hummus. in fact, in hebrew, the chick pea is ALSO called hummus. so anythign, really, made from the hummus bean is considered hummus. needless to say, i have been eating copious amoutns of hummus, and was taught by my aunties mother how to properly make it (jess, you'll be glad to know that her recipe is very close to my own, only she adds olive oil just at the very end, when the humus is just about to be eaten). i have also learned how to make falalfel, isreali salad, roasted bellpeppers, and a thing called matza-bratza, which is like migas, only with matzo and not tortilla chips.
3. passover with the family! it was great! in the word of my friend mel, whats not to like about a holiday with tons of eating, song singing, story telling and 4 cups of wine? it was great! there were tons of cousins and aunties and uncles and a grandma around and the food was so good! my aunt tal's family is moroccan, so the food was traditional middle eastern food with a morocco twist and a little european influence (salads, spiced meat, AND gefilte fish). it was yum yum yum. i didnt; understand any of the singing or story telling, as it was all in herbew, but it was a good time and i think the jews come out of the desert at the end and triumph in some manner.
4. jerusalem, where i spent two half days, but want to go back. i don't have agreat feel for the city yet, but it is a mix of old and new, traditional and cutting edge, relgious and secular. also, of muslim, jewish, and christian although it is not quite a melting pot. what i have experience is centuries old history, still verymuch alive, bustling markets and lively folks.

for the record, becuase so many people asked me before i got here, i DO feel safe here walking around. i think that as an english speaking tourist from the us i am not in any direct danger. also, a person can't walk around scared all the time, or else the terrorists DO win. as for conflicts between the israelis and the arab/muslims, there is tension and is very palpable. i haven't figured it out yet, but i am often aware of agression, fear, and negative feelings coming from both sides, although it has been more apparent to me coming from the israeli side, (perhaps due to my present company, jewish israelis). it is a bad situation and as i learn more, i realize how much i dont know. and there are transgressions on both sides of the conflict, which is something i really didnt know until college and is soemthing that doesn;t really come across in news to the us. but that is why i am here (and traveling), to grow and learn and see things for myself and to from opinions based on my experience.

so i am here for at least another week. i am planning to get to the south of the country, to the sinai desert and maybe into egypt. i still have some exploring to do in this country, and some planning to do for the near future, but i think the next part of my trip might involve a country whose name rhymes with tofurkey. tonight, we are going to visit my aunties family in the north, in a place that is supposedly very beautiful and by the sea. i'm excited!

i hope everyone is well and i miss miss miss you!
katy jane

ps please send my choclates/champagne/a new pair of sneakers and a pretty dress to the most beautiful house on rehov kam, the one with the cute kids, adorable dog, and well loved garden.