I love you Fulbright!!!!

Today I am feeling two things.
1. Utter exhaustion from two days of desert touring , including a 3 hour plus desert trek.
2. Immense gratitude for the experience I am having this year.

Yesterday, I rode the train into Tel Aviv for our "orientation".  Most of us had met over the whirlwind that was the DC orientation, and we were excited to be among Americans, discussing our shared struggles.  We were given briefings by a former Israeli ambassador who works for the ministry, the senior advisor to the US Ambassador, the public relations guy from the US to Israel, and the Regional Security Officer.

The regional security briefing was probably the most....well, amusing.  Apparently, I'll know the sound of a gun being loaded and that's when I should "run".  And avoid the undetected mine fields.  And I learned that Israel is heaven compared to Kabul.

The other briefings were fascinating, and we relished the opportunity to ask tough questions and receive educated answers with people who are involved in foreign relations.

Then we got on a bus to Beer Sheva.  There I met my kids and Adam who treked to the south of Israel by train by themselves.  Go Adam!!

We had a lovely lunch and then headed to a solar energy plant, desert research agricultural center, Ben Gurion's tomb and Mitzpe Ramon (the great crater).

We had a lovely dinner at a lovely hotel (Oh luxurious hotels, I LOVE YOU).  And then we trekked out to the edge of the crater to star gaze.

This morning we had the most amazing hike which was "easy" but us Americans all thought was extremely challenging.

 Then we headed to a Bedoin village where we learned about Bedoin Arab culture over an amazing lunch.


 Then off to some 2000 year old ruins (again) and finally home.

Adam has the amazing pictures--this is all I could find at the moment.

I am nearly speechless (or maybe really really exhausted over a few things).

1. The incredible peole who are on this Fulbright experience.  They are the most engaged, interesting, intelligent people.  And really funny too.  I truly just enjoy every single person I have met and talked with.   I feel so humbled and lucky to be part of this group, and hope I see them more this year.

2. Our Bedoin experience was fascinating.  But most interesting was when my children started interacting with some of the kids as it was time to leave.  My daughter was fascinated with their very simple, live with the animals life.  As she threatened to become a Bedoin, I shared with her their polygamous culture and that the women are quite burdened.  But she really wants to go back and invite the Bedoin girl to our house. She said she'd never seen a culture so different.  And how they wanted to live so simply and in what we'd consider, total poverty.  It was amazing to see that quite simply (and surprisingly), they value different things.  We learned about some of their education, values, etc.  I can't put into words what an incredible experience it is to truly interact with people so different than you.  Sivan even said it was like meeting aliens.  She didn't mean it disrespectfully and said she wanted to get to know them more.

3. On the way home, there was a woman in a hijab sitting across from an Israeli modern Jewish woman.  The three of us began talking, and it was incredible.  I asked her all sorts of questions (in Hebrew) and learned about the Arabic education system, and her thoughts of living in Ramle.  The two woman nearly hugged each other at the end of the train ride.  I learned that this religious Muslim even gets her kids costumes on Purim!!!  It was just one of those moments that again, I felt so amazingly fortunate to cross such cultural barriers.

Anyway, in short, thank you Fulbright.  This has been amazing and I am so lucky to have this experience.