Novelty

Well, it's 3:08am and I'm severely jet lagged. When I woke up today I felt as if it was maybe 7am or 8am or so based on the fact that I had gone to sleep, completely exhausted from 26 hours of travelling, at 10pm the night before; but looking up out of my window, through the muddied spots of dried rain that a strong storm had left while I was gone, I noticed that the light was not coming directly from the sun, but rather dimly reflecting off of the west-facing side of a building outside of my window. Well, I thought to myself, it's definitely the afternoon. It must be 2 or so. Nope. 3:50pm. I had slept for 18 hours. I guess I learned that circadian rhythms are curious things that do indeed exist and are a force to be reckoned with. So, now I'm here with my friend 3:10am. I think most people would probably take some Nyquil, Ambien or Melatonin; And I really wish I had one of those options right now, but in haste I left my melatonin pills in the US. Oh well, night writing is better than day writing and I'll get to see a sunrise. :).

As for Israel, she's good. She's a little colder and less energetic than when I left in late November. Not as if everyone is completely frozen in this comparatively balmy weather, but there's a notable sort of hibernation taking place in the form of packed coffee houses and thinly populated streets that were truly teeming in November. Way back then, I could still sleep without a big blanket and I would sweat during the day. But now the days are short. Soldiers walk the streets of Tel Aviv with their rugged looking winter apparel. And 3:50pm seems like 6pm. Things change. And I'm glad for that. A novelty, whether in the air or in a life, is welcomed, simply because it's a novelty - at least for me. This novelty is one in a series of many, I'm sure, that will surprise me, will take some time getting used to and will generally keep me happy. Because after all, I did move here in part for novelty - America is great and I missed everything back there. At times I wondered why I was about to dessert people who love and care about me, and why I would leave that nice comfortable way of life in the rear view mirror - but in each place, America and Israel, it didn't take long for me to know that the chair was comfortable after I sat in it for a couple of minutes.

In America, just getting off the plane was a sigh of relief. Things were solid. Things were clean. People smile out of nowhere. Cars, and people, are all of a sudden gigantic. You know - America. I spent three weeks living the American life again - eating very good food, meeting up with old friends, hanging out with my family, cooking in a real kitchen, sitting outside my house with a noticible noise absent - the honking. Even hearing 100% English was a relief. It's very easy to fall in love with these things all over again. And I did. The thought of returning to a place without really any of these things was almost painful. And I'm not going to lie - the thought returning soon to America did cross my mind. I felt as if I had been given a heavy and irreversible dose of domestication. But in the midst of all of that confusion and pain I remembered how I had felt before leaving for Israel in March. That the feeling of sheer adventure and following a conviction 7,000 across the world was an exhilarating one and something that I felt was a necessity in my young life.

From the second that I stepped off the plane in Israel, I felt that feeling again. Things were still wild and different. Lugging my guitar, 50lb suitcase and full backpack on to a train and then into a "sherut" - a taxi with about 8 other people - I was surrounded by Hebrew, little Filipinos yapping away, young Russians in love and young American jews pushing their way through the train with broken Hebrew and god awful accents, it felt good to be back in the chaos again. And in chaos I will keep living - through the ordeal of finding a kibbutz to live on, through working on said kibbutz, through the horrors of basic training and the delights of putting on a uniform and guarding a border. It'll be a great adventure, even if it's a little uncomfortable. But who said adventures were comfortable. I've been on many, and comfortable they most decidedly weren't. I'll have time for comfort and good food and quiet living conditions and family in the future. For now, I'll make my way through the chaos here, after I finally get my sleep cycle fixed.