So I've been back for a little over a week now...and I miss it a lot! I mainly miss being outside as often as before. I'm not under house arrest, but going out into a Raleigh subdivision is a little bit different than opening your door and seeing the Dead Sea, ibexes, mountains, or the Mediterranean. Not to mention I forgot that NC may be a bit cooler (temperature wise, mind you) than Israel, but it's significantly more humid (ick). Anyway, in this past week I've been thinking about how I've changed and what I've gained. I can't put all of it into words, but I've described the salient points below:
The nature of the program didn't really allow us to know a daily schedule until the day of. Normally I am the person who needs a plan well in advance, but that wasn't an option. I learned to go with the flow, and be prepared for anything from a hike to a swim to doing science. Life is a lot less stressful when you don't concern yourself with plans and schedules.
I discovered the tranquility of nature, and life - without technology. At first the prospect of no internet for a week was unnerving, but it's not like I could do anything but accept that, so I did. Being cut off from the world is a nice feeling; try it sometime.
I was reminded of how much I take for granted. Cold water, water in general, fruit for breakfast, etc. I appreciate the little things a lot more now.
Basically I was taken out of my comfort zone in a variety of ways (physically, intellectually, socially), and sometimes it was rough, but looking back on it, I couldn't be more thankful.
Thanks for reading my blog, and you can check out pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shalinilc/Israel2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCKX0hqP6zOzbWQ&feat=directlink
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