Lots of days

I haven't been too consistent on writing lately. I guess I've been feeling a bit scattered. But let's face it, when am I not scattered? So I've decided to just to write about what's going on in my life and in my head. I promise to be better about keeping the three people that read this good and updated.

First off, they cancelled church yesterday. It was so weird. I mean, how can you just cancel church? It was the first time in my nearly 25 years on this planet that church was just cancelled. But apparently the sewage was leaking in the building where we meet, so I guess there was good reason.

As a result, we decided to tour some more of Israel. We went to Meggido. It totally sounds like the name of a castle lair where a bad guy like Skelator would live. But no, it was a piece of land covered by a bunch of really old stones. In other words, it was just like the rest of Israel.

But actually, there is some serious biblical significance to Meggido. If you are not into the Bible/Torah, that's totally fine, but this might not really interest you. I did Jewish Studies and I'm Mormon, so this stuff actually interests me on multiple levels. First off, the city of Meggido was in the area of Israel inherited by the descendants of Menasseh--meaning the descendants lived there. Basically, Israel was divided up into lands of inheritance for the 12 tribes and this portion was alloted for Menasseh. So, going by the Book of Mormon, one could assume that Lehi and his family lived in the vicinity before taking off. Kinda cool.

This is Sabe and I at the museum in Meggido. It was pretty uninteresting minus the dioramas that lit up at the push of a button. 

Meggido was also where Josiah, one of the kings of Judah, was killed by the Pharaoh-Neco. And yes, it's "Neco like the candy."

Now for a little Hebrew lesson. This place was called Har Meggido, "Har" being the Hebrew word for mount. So it was Mount Meggido, Har Meggido, or as it's variation Har Meggidon--Armageddon. So, according to the Bible, this area is also where the battle of Armageddon is set to take place. Kind of interesting, no?       

Actually, other than the "gee whiz" quality of the tour, it was actually quite boring. A little like my life right now. I'm finding myself bored out of my skull most of the time. Even at the embassy. I've got 10 days left there and I'm definitely counting down. Ten days seems like a lot of days right now. I'm not sure how much crap I can take from Harold before I seriously snap. He's started burping so much that it stinks up the office so that it smells like pickles. So gross. 

Put a fork in me, cause this girl is done. My life is like a vacation and I'm craving the action and stress of a normal life. Don't get me wrong, this has been an amazing adventure full of realizations and growth. I've spend uncountable hours pondering my life, where I'm going, where I'm headed, Salman Rushdie, humanity's capacity to love and hate, the powers of love and hate, the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of US diplomacy, insane government spending, the arab-Israeli conflict, what I really want out of life and about a zillion other things. 

And I've gotten a pretty great tan too. But I'm feeling pretty pumped to make my way back across the Atlantic. Two weeks of work, three weeks of traveling and this girl will be back in the States driving a car, hanging out with my family and old friends, and eating cheap Mexican food. But geez, five weeks seems like a lot of weeks.

Of course I realize that once that happens, my heart will ache for the things here that I love--the Tel-Aviv branch, Sabriel and the Harris family, the Mediterranean, and really really good humus and schnitzel. Schnitzel Tzion, the schnitzel place by the embassy, is proof that there is truly a God who loves us. 

I feel a bit like I'm in a daze. Like I'm being sucked into some weird vortex and becoming increasingly listless. I haven't even washed my hair in 8 days now. It's a new record for me. Tomorrow marks day 9 and I may or may not succumb to pressures to look presentable. My problem is that a brilliant friend of mine (Patricia) taught me this trick a while back that if you put baby powder in your hair, it sucks up the oil. It works like a charm. I just think I'm really pushing it. 

After all, nine days is a lot of days.