Home again.

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
- E.L. Doctorow
Remember how Yasmine's boarding pass was having issues? Well she was able to get it to work at two am. She stayed up late and wouldn't let poor Nadia sleep. Anyway so I went to print it in the morning. It was my first thought after I woke up, and the printer would not work! So I sat there with Host dad and tried over and over again until Yasmine called and said everyone else was at the hotel ready to leave. Thirty minutes early too, I don't think that had happened the whole trip. So I rushed getting ready, someone else took forever in the bathroom like always. And at 8 Yasmine called and said they were outside waiting for us. Oops. So we walked out there and said goodbye to our wonderful host family and Nadia. She almost made me cry because she was almost crying. Plus now who am I gonna say Bumzah with? The original 6 then climbed into the van and drove away. I waved goodbye as long as I could. Oh and we still didn't have a boarding pass for Yasmine.
The drive to the airport was filled with a briefing of what to do in the airport and also joking around. More joking than briefing. And looking out the window as I don't remember a lot of the sights. Only how fruity the cab was and being sick. And yes Kathlene I am mentioning that again, ha ha.
At the airport we went through a line to get to the x-ray machine and Audrey got grilled for the whole group. Then our bags went through the x-ray machine, if it was okay you could proceed to the check in counter if not you had to get your bag searched. I had to get my bag searched. I took it over to the counter and they asked if I had any liquids in it. For a moment my mind went blank, not good.
"Um, I have shampoo?"
Guy looks at data pad thingy and shakes his head, second guy opens my bag and digs into side of my stuff, luckily right past the poster for Al-Nazak, and pulls out sand from the trip to Haifa.
"You pick this up yourself?"
"Yes"
Guy puts it back and tells me to close my suitcase. I fumble with it for a moment and he puts the good to go sticker and I proceed to the check in counter. I get my bag checked in and so does everyone else... well mostly Yasmine was still getting her bags combed over by security. Then finally they seem happy and let her go. She checks in and first phase of security is over. Then we go through a metal detector and carry on x-ray machine. You think we would be done right? Oh yeah we kinda have to get our passports stamped to leave the country. Everyone passes through with no problem. Third phase of security passed through. Wahoo.
We proceed to our terminal and everyone else is hungry, I'm not so I stay with the bags, Josh mostly stayed too. He wandered off once or twice but mostly stayed with me. Then he went to find everyone because they were taking forever. Then Yasmine and Kathlene showed back up. Apparently I was forgotten, thanks guys I felt loved. Ha ha. Then I was hungry so I went off to get food and change money. Well I got food but right as I got it they called our flight to boarding so I ran back, not wanting to get left behind. Then left food with Yasmine so Adam would not eat it and made a quick pit stop and got back in time to load the plane.
It was a nice ride because on a row it was Audrey, Kathlene and I then Yasmine was in front of me. I got to watch two movies I've wanted to see, Kung Fu Panda and Made of Honor. It was great. I only slept and hour on the plane, if even that. Then we landed in New Wark. We went to the passport stamping place and everyone went before me and Josh and waited on the other side, but when I went through they were gone! So I waited for Josh and we had some choice words for them when we found them. Bumzah. We just thought it was funny. Then we picked up our check in bags, went through a security point, re checked our bags, went through another metal detector/carry on luggage x-ray and headed to our terminal. Once settled I went and got my money changed, advice always change money in that country. The rate was way better in Israel/Palestine. And then I totally booked it to the nearest burger stand, sadly it was McDonalds, and got a cheeseburger. It was so amazing!
Then back to the terminal to say goodbye to Yasmine. But we were so tired I don't think it sunk in until I was on the plane that she was gone.
The plane ride to Utah was awful, I didn't have a watch so the whole time I had no idea how close we were. Plus I was in and out of conciseness and had weird half awake half asleep illusions. Like the side of the plane being the Old City wall for example. It was crazy. Then we finally touched down in Utah and as we got off the plane I totally almost asked where Yasmine was. It was just so natural to have her there but she by that time was on a plane to Cali. After everyone was off the plane we went to meet our families. As we walked through the tunnel thing that is only one way before you get to the open part of the airport I turned and bet Kathlene and Audrey ten shekels, my mind is still in shekels, that my mother would cry. Sadly my mother cost me 20 shekels. But oh well, she was close. The group said some goodbyes and we left. It's weird not to be with them today. And I miss Nadia, and my host family. Though I am happy to be back home. I just wish we had had more time in Jerusalem, or that the world wasn't so big so we could see all our friends more. Just something so we won't lose contact.
Oh and some differences I noticed, the sky is so blue here, I don't know if it's because we're closer to it or that we have a lake right there, but it's so blue. And clouds look funny now, and pennys. That might sound funny but when you get used to silver colored money and randomly have a copper one again it just looks out of place. I miss Jerusalem... Maybe I will go back with BYU in the spring. Hey it's only 9600 bucks. I can earn that much in two semesters right? If I don't eat or anything frivolous like that right?