Leaving On a Jet Plane...

I sit here with a few brave colleagues. It is 3:38 AM and we celebrated New Years about three hours ago, right after Mac and myself MC'd and ran the Final Banquet, at which we thanked and appreciated our teachers and mentors over the last four months.

My plane leaves in less than six hours, and ten hours after that, I'll be in New York. After staying the night, I'll catch a plane back to Birmingham and arrive in the afternoon, home again.

I'm terrified.

Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to see my parents, and my friends, and some pork ribs, but there's something about this place that I can't shake off. Israel is now a home to me, and I can't imagine leaving. Much like the hours leading up to my leaving America, I feel like I won't be able to fit into society where I'm going. It may not seem like it to me, but four months is a long time to be abroad, and especially in Israel.

I've got so many questions that scare me...Will my friends still be there for me like they were before? Have they changed? Has home changed? My parents?

Have I changed?

I'm just unsure of a lot of things, and I really don't know how I'm going to fit back into good ole Alabama culture. I've got a few hours to contemplate, plus teh agonizing ten-hour plane ride to JFK. I get to stay the night in New York, then off again in the morning for home.

And I thought this trip a rollercoaster...I think the real rollercoaster is just beginning.

L'Shanah Tova (Happy New Year),

--Aron

ps-aronaltmark@aol.com or (205) 515-0055 [US phone]