Whew, that was a long heading.
Well, leg number one of my journey has been completed. Moreover, it was completed uneventfully. I arrived at DIA around 10:45 PM, my parents cajoled the Continental people into letting them come see me off at the gate, cleaned up a saline solution spill (alors), and boarded the plane.
The plane ride itself was uneventful. Fool's Gold was playing on the monitor, but because I did not want to have to gouge my eyes out before having seen Jerusalem, I journaled instead. Given my propensity for sinus infections, you would think that I would have traveled with one before but this was actually a first for me. Let me just say that the landing was INCREDIBLY painful. My head was throbbing from my temple to my throat. Not a pleasant experience. I'm better now though my ears are still quite stuffed. Time to hit the Nasonex it would seem.
So, anyway, got off the plane and picked up my two 49 pound suitcases. I then wandered around Newark for awhile (clumsily, I might add[suitcases]). I think I'm in the right spot. Maybe? I'm supposed to be in terminal B, but there are 4 levels in terminal. There is an El Al sign, but it doesn't exactly look like the generic check in counter.
This floor of the terminal is empty. Super empty. The only other person in the terminal is a man waxing the floors. I think my 12o puonds of luggage might be in his way.
So, what am I feeling right now? Anxiety? Fear? Hope? Homesickness? Honestly, I'm not really feeling any of that right now. Right now I'm it's like I'm concentrating on the minute things: confirming with 100 percent certainty that I'm in the right spot, guarding my luggage, writing a thoughtful blog post, finding my last American Starbucks (SAD!), etc...
(Note, I see a Starbucks employee and I'm thinking of trailing her.)
This year is going to be crazy, this year is going to shock me culturally, this year will probably be extremely difficult at times. I'm ready though. In the words of Andrew Bird: "I love the unknown." Perhaps no one really loves the unknown initially. It's crazy, it's shocking, and it can be difficult. If we never forced ourselves to try something new, how pathetic would our world be? It's a capitalist's love of progress that has imbued me with this conviction and I've got to stick by it. The writers of the Constitution wrote that they were forming "a more perfect Union." We know that forming this "more perfect Union" was extremely traumatic. The Federalist Papers attest to how contentious the decision was. Yet something new and traumatic was tried and a more perfect Union was the result. It wasn't the perfect union (the Civil War would attest to this) but it was a little better. My point is, I hope to come back in 5 months as "a more perfect Brooke." I won't be "perfect Brooke" and change isn't going to come eaasily, but that's my goal.
This is not my best writing, but I'm tired. I've only had 90 minutes of sleep in the last 24 hours.
I had meant to write about my family a little more, but right now I'm really quite tired. Suffice it to say that as my father was loading my luggage into the car he found a roll of duct tape and managed to smuggle it into my insanely full luggage. I can't name an instance in the last 9 years when I have used duct tape. Oh well, it was given with love.
(I have found that I cannot remember the command key for spellcheck in Word. I also can't find the button is Word for Mac, so please pardon any spelling errors.)
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3 comments:
Blogging! Oh my!
I never realized this before, but "more perfect Union" is grammatically untenable. "Perfect" is a superlative adjective, and you can't tack a comparative modifier like "more" onto something already superlative. Silly Founders.
Hope your travel experience grows less unpleasant and that the Holy Land is everything you dreamed of. :-)
We spoke a moment ago before you boarded El Al for Tel Aviv from Newark.
Your speculation about facing tough cultural challenges in Israel in the next 5 month is insightful. Your fellow students will face it also and you will perhaps form alliances to help you cope (think: SURVIVOR) Perhaps you'll do a spoof video there and call it: SURVIVOR, ISRAEL. Mari shared at midnight how the ILAC-DR group bonded through adversity.
As to Virgil's comment: "perfect" may not be perfect grammar, yet the founders meaning is understood well and the phrase is so oft used that it has become colloquial.
I anticipate your joys and trials will both pale in comparison to the knowlege, confidence, wisdom and understanding you will gain through great and imperfect people you meet providentially while there. Blessings, DAD
Mr. Depenbusch,
Certainly their meaning is understood and runs far deeper than the language they used. Simply because a phrase has become common, though, does not mean it can't still be technically incorrect.
And might I simply add that you have every reason to be extremely proud of your daughter. Her maturity and perceptive abilities are far beyond those of her peers, and I've no doubt she will make the most of this great opportunity.
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