this past tuesday khat and sofi left for their whirlwind trip through azerbaijan and turkey. because they lived at the top of the mountain, it was easier for them to be stationed at my flat at the foot of mt. carmel until they needed to leave to catch their 12:30am train out to ben gurion airport. also, for this evening, i had invited people to come over and say their goodbyes as they were going to be gone for a couple of weeks before khat at least returned to haifa for three days at the end of the month. slowly around 6pm, people started to drift in to social, hang out, and keep each other company until it got much too late for them to stay as they had work the next day.
we ordered burgers, and i split a vege one with anj...it was excellent...a definite check in the evolutionary process of the humanity becoming vegetarians. at that time i also decided to make an apple pie and some cinnamon muffins - only we didn't have a muffin pan, so i had to split it between to small, shallow teflon bowls and hope that it wouldn't overflow. the apple pie was cooked in a glass bowl, 2 times as deep as it needed to. they cooked and cooked, and it wasn't until about an hour after of waiting for it to be done that someone realized that i had put it on the wrong setting, and all it was doing was slowly fanning it. i quickly fixed it then cowered in a corner of the room.
because they had taken so long to cook, many people had already left by the time it was done - but those that had stuck it out so far enjoyed some great deserts - kent and sofi had also gone off to get some ice cream to accompany the pies.
as i had decided to go with them out to the airport, i went to nap around 11 so that i could get about an hour's worth of sleep in before the long night. it was a deep sleep, and i woke up to aarons loud, beautiful voice reverberating off of every wall in the house. i quickly got ready, and we piled their luggage outside our flat at the bus stop to wait for a taxi. one eventually came, and kent, khat, sofi and i climbed in (kent was going to go with us to the train station at least). sometimes the taxi drivers here try to take advantage, and it took khat's firm hand to direct him on the right path so that he didn't take any unnecessary routes to what should have been a very simple drive to the train station.
the train ride was uneventful, as we all floated in and out of sleep and conversation. we arrived at the airport and found our way to the security check in. the process actually took far less than we had thought it might - usually khat is questioned quite a bit because of her persian heritage. i joined them again as we went to the departure lounge - sofi was hungry and thirsty, and a 3am falafal was what she needed.
after our "goodbyes", "good lucks" "be safe" "happy travels", i headed on back to the train, but just after purchasing a much too expensive coffee ( i didn't want to fall asleep and miss my stop). climbed aboard the train at 4:00am, and sat there waiting until we left at 4:15. the train ride is about an hour and a half. my ipod batter died at 5:20, and so then i was forced to find other ways to keep awake for the remainder of the time - but to no avail. i woke up again, just as we were pulling into hof hacarmel station. the one right before hashemona station (where we had orignally left from), and i thought to myself "oh good, almost home". i sat back and looked out at the sea, and then turned to view the Shrine coming into view bordered by a rising sun.
i sat happy and content as the train pulled around and i could see my stop coming up shortly. but the train was not slowing down. i started to get mildly concerned as i thought we were approaching it much too quickly and i braced myself for a hard brake.
but it never happened.
i sat frozen, completely stunned at what just happened and then i realized: at this hour in the morning and on a return trip, it doesn't stop at hashemona. i dropped back to my seat, extremely forlorn by determined to get off at the next stop, hopefully somewhere in haifa or close to haifa. my only thought this early in the morning: "you've got to be kidding me...".
as we just kept on going and going, passing all stops and stations, i had a moment of clarity. i found that i was able to move passed the annoyance. it was what it was. even as we moved out of haifa, past motz qin station...i didn't care. and i sat calm and placid in my cushioned blue seat and i munched on the nuts that sofi had left for me. then i started to think of how i could get back, and i figured a taxi would be the quickest so that i could get back home, shower up and head on to work. i opened my bag to see how much i had, and my spirits dropped...45 shekels is all that my pouch contained. i quickly tore my bag apart with every item strewn across the small table in front of me. the 45 shekels stared at me tauntingly..."i'm all you got" it said to me. and i hated it in that moment, and i cursed the monetary situation i found myself in.
finally the train began to slow, and i looked out to see where we were stopping: nahariyya. my first thought? :you've got to be kidding me". it w0uld cost way more than 45 sheks to get back to haifa from here! i stumbled out of the train, onto the platform, and i found myself being herded out the front doors of the station. once outside, i realized that everyone had dispersed and i was alone on the front steps. off in the distance i saw two cabs parked on the curb, and i dragged myself over to them.
i went to the first man - "do you speak english?", a blanks stare met me. "ata medeber anglit?" a smirk and a shake of the head was all i got. i tried sign language and key words to try to explain where i needed to go and how much i had, but after 5 minutes of miming, i was brushed away. i then turned to the other cab driver who was in his car, seemingly resting. i asked again "ata medeber anglit", "yes, a little" he said. and hope was reborn! i then explained, pleaded, and mimed, and key worded, and finally after 10 minutes, he begrudging waved me in to the passenger seat and we were off! it was a quite ride as we sped along the mornings empty roads, but sure enough quite soon haifa burst into view and we made our way up ben gurion and he dropped me off at the foot of the terraces. i gave him all i had, the 45 shekels, which was nothing for a trip all the way from nahariyya. i wish i had more to give him, but i didn't, so i thankfully, but sheepishly climbed out of the car door.
i fumbled with my keys, eventually opened the door, and at 7am i went to bed fully clothed to sleep for 45 minutes before getting up to go to work. and thus began the longest day of my life.
(epic shot taken by ezra of me walking among the sand dunes near masada and the dead sea...and yes, i felt like lawrence of arabia)
(this one was taken by nathan - it was his birthday dinner that we had together - wonderful philli cheese steak sandwhiches)
(ezra, kent and i running down the sides of sand dunes north of masada)
(my car....it was so nice having a car)
(this one was taken towards the end of convention - i believe we were on our way, sitting outside the convention centre, waiting to board buses that would take us to Bahji)
(some of the ushering crew for the convention)
