This Is It

Today is my last day in Israel. I'm going into the Old City one more time, and then going to Tel Aviv to catch a plane back.

11:45pm - leaving Tel Aviv for Newark

4:30am - arrive in Newark

1:00pm - after waiting in Newark for around 7 hours, depart Newark for Omaha

3:30pm - after a long day/night/day, arrive in Omaha

This Is It...

I leave here from Israel on Saturday evening, so I've only got a few days left. Pretty much all of my work is done, including my large paper on the atonement of Christ through an Old Testament sacrificial perspective. The only thing I really have left is a test for my Modern State of Israel class. I'm not sure how I'm going to spend my free time this last week in Israel, but I'm going to try and make sure that I use it in the best ways possible.

By the way, I sent in my online application to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School this morning. It makes my time here really seem like its about over, and I'm starting to focus on this upcoming last semester and post-graduation plans.

The End Is Nigh

I've got less than two weeks left here in Israel. Something like 11 days or so. I'm not sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, I've really enjoyed my stay here. But on the flip side, my time is nearly up and its time to go back to the States. And it will be good to see family and friends again, and perhaps enter into a life with some sense of normalcy or routine again. Besides, I need to finish up my last semester so I can finally graduate.

Post-Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving came and passed two days ago. It didn't even seem like it was here. They don't celebrate Thanskgiving in Israel for various reasons, probably because its an American holiday and there were no Jewish pilgrims. We made a great Thanksgiving meal anyways of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and all that other good stuff you eat on Thanksgiving.

We also played some football that morning, which was a lot of fun. Speaking of football, I'm finishing up watching highlight of a day after Thanksgiving tradition: the Nebraska-Colorado game. Wow, what an awesome game and win for the Huskers.

Later on Thanksgiving, we went on a short hike to the caves of Adullam. Going for a hike after eating a large meal didn't seem like the best thing to do at the time, but it was a good time anyways. For those of you who don't know, when David and his men were hiding out from Saul, they took refuge in the caves of Adullam. In other words, the kingly line of David and the nation of Judah began at Adullam. That was something else for us to be thankful for that day.

My Latest Exploits

Let me give you a rough synopsis of Greece. I spent 2 days in Athens, 5 days on a small and beautiful island called Santorini, and then another 2 days in Greece. The weather was very nice, even though it was starting to get into their "winter time." It wasn't hot, and the tourist season was on the decline for the year, making it a very enjoyable time on the island.

Athens was great. I loved the ruins and the history around it, particulary the museums I was able to frequent. The plaka, which was a busy district full of food, shopping, and tourist stands was always interesting to walk around, though it wasn't really representative of the rest of the city. Of course, the Acropolis and all of its ancient remains were quite amazing to look at. After seeing decaying Israelite ruins the whole semester, it was a nice break to see some pretty well-preserved Greek ruins.

Santorini is one of those picturesque small Greek islands with the white villages. Though it was a very tourist island, it had a small or almost personal feel to it. I suppose if the Midwest were a Greek island, it would be Santorini. It was also very beautiful, with the sea and its beaches of black and red sand. We were able to rent 4-wheelers and go explore the island one day. Also, we met a couple from Orange County who we affectionately called the T's and another lady from Australia on the island. We had a good time getting to know them and hanging out.

Here are some pictures from my latest exploits.

The Acropolis in all its glory.

After 2300 years, they are still not finished building the Parthenon, as you can clearly see from the scaffolding.

Me standing atop Mars Hill.

One of the great views on Santorini.

The black beach.

I have no idea what this place was supposed to be, but it was cool.

The village of Ia on the northern point of Santorini.

The sunset from Ia.

Sharing a communal dinner with our new friends.

I had a complicated relationship with the pigeons of Athens.

I'm Not Dead

No, I'm just back from Greece. It was a delightful trip: all in all it was pretty relaxing and somewhat low key. Not too many exciting stories. I'll fill you in later, but I'm tired from the past 10 days. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive and in relatively good condition.

Greeced Lightning

I'm going to Greece today. Well, actually, tonight. Actually, if you want to be technical, I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Its that late night/early morning crossover. I'm leaving here at 2:00 AM to go to Tel Aviv so I can fly out at 6:00 AM. It should be fun, except for the fact that I'm sick right now. I'm not sure what it is, either a bad cold or a touch of the flu. I'm doing better than I was yesterday, but I'm still not great. I'll probably hang out at the hostel until I feel better.

See you all in about 10 days (something like that). I'll probably look something like this after I get back from Greece: