I've Been Everywhere

Looking down on the West Bank from the top of Herodion.

I write this as I sit on the front porch of kibbutz Dorot in the Negev desert, trying to think about the past couple of weeks over a crazy background melody of sheep, donkey, rooster, and emu calls. No kidding, they’re all here. My journey started a little earlier than everyone else’s. I arrived in Israel towards the beginning of May. It’s been two years since I have been to this country and honestly I had no idea what to expect. I came early to help set up the Khirbet Summeily archaeological field school for Mississippi State’s study abroad program, which my Fulbright family has been participating with this week. As I reflect on our time here 3 major things come to mind- the experiences, the friendships, and the shared desire of adventure that seems to entranse us all.

The Mediterranean Sea as seen from Caesarea.

THE EXPERIENCES.  Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethlehem, Herodion, Belvoir, Caesarea, Beit Shean, Banias, Beer Sheva, Megiddo, Tiberias, Dan, Ruhama, Sderot, Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, Qumran, Ein Gedi, Ein Bokek, Arad, Khirbet Summeily,  Dorot.  No this isn’t a Johnny Cash song, just all the places we’ve been in the past 17 days. I could write 100 pages on what we’ve seen and still have more to say. Our minds have not even caught up with our feet just yet, but already this has been the trip of a lifetime. The history, the culture, and the perspectives we have had insight to over the past two weeks have given me things to ponder for years to come. We broke Ramadan fast in Old Jerusalem with a dear friend, we star gazed while floating in the Sea of Galilee, we viewed the West Bank from the top of Herod’s prize architectural achievement, we watched children race horses underneath the Old City walls, we rested on top of a hill overlooking Syria, we scaled the walls of an ancient crusader castle, we climbed the Roman siege Ramp at Masada, we walked through the Garden of Gethsemane, we crossed the valley of Armageddon, AND WE HAVEN’T EVEN MADE IT TO JORDAN YET. Experiences, experiences, experiences.

Attempting to keep my team in line at the Khirbet Summeily excavations.

THE FRIENDSHIPS. Seventeen days may not seem like a long time, but when they’re filled with the experiences we’ve had; it forms the foundation of lifelong friendships. Seventeen days ago, I started this journey with 10 strangers and one friend (Caroline;), but somewhere between the 4^th bottle of sunscreen and the 294,854,567 late night card game of Bullsh*t we became family. It’s crazy- throw 12 people together for 14 hours a day and after it’s all said and done we still come together on our own time to fellowship.

Posing at the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum.

Enjoying the Dead Sea with the Fulbright Family!

THE SHARED DESIRE OF ADVENTURE. Let’s be honest, each person in this group has to have a little wanderlust in their soul or they wouldn’t be spending their summer traipsing across the Middle East. These are 100% my people. Every single one of us has a desire to go forward and experience things for ourselves, to know more than what’s just within arm’s reach. This, among other things, is our common ground. This is what, despite our different backgrounds bonds us. We have a thirst for knowledge, growth, and perspective altering experiences- and boy has it been satisfied.

To sum it all up- our feet, backs, and legs have never ached this bad; but neither have our hearts been this full or our minds this free. 15 days to go…..

Scaling the walls of Arad with Caroline.

The Fulbright Family on the last day of excavations at Khirbet Summeily.

PS. Stay tuned for the new Israel Booty Busting workout plan brought to you by a motley crew of Fulbrighters.