My trip to the Judean desert was my first introduction to several things. One of them being that it was the first time that I met two of Tony's kids, Rachel and Josh. They have spent most of their lives here and are truly Israeli's. Rachel (or Raquel, as Josh calls her)is a refreshing combination of sweet and sass, as I have come to know her.
So the Israeli soldiers here carry these huge guns. And women are soldiers, too. These facts were amongst many culture shocks to me. Josh serves in the army. So since we hiked in the desert near an army base, Josh came along carrying his gun for protection. "He's married to it," Tony told me.
As a pacifist, I found myself avoiding Josh at the beginning of the trip. We hiked to the Dead Sea and reached the overlook by dark. It was beautiful. We ate pita bread and hummas. This would also become a familiar occurrence for me. As I was gathering my things, it was just me and Josh behind the others. I found myself tripping over some rocks, so I told Josh, who had the flashlight, that I would be walking next to him. Turns out that Josh could also see in the dark fairly well. The journalist in me gave way, and I began to ask Josh questions about being in the army and growing up with 3 cultures. It also turns out that all Israeli's are required to join the army.
Even Rachel will have to join when she turns 18.
I realized how silly I had been acting. I finally was having a real opportunity to do what I love the most: Getting to know people who are different than me. Josh was really helpful and I felt like I was talking to one of my best friends back home. It was one of the first times that I felt really comfortable here, besides being around Bryan, Sarah, and other Americans.
When this occurs, it finally feels like you are home.
