View Workout (Ben Yavitt)
Travel day: leaving Israel
June 14, 2013 (Morning)
Exercise Type: Other
Comments:
Recap of taglit birthright experience
Well I guess our journey back to the us started Thursday night. We got the Ben gurion and waited in lines to get all checked in, but our flight was a red eye so it didn't actually leave until like 12:50 am. The start of a long ass journey... Sleep deprivation and time change catch up much like the travels out to Israel. We got back to Moscow at like 6 am. I slept on the plane surprisingly, but it wasn't really relaxing. O ur worst fears were realized back in Moscow. Waited in more lines, dealt with terrible customer service, and had to exert our American badass-ness to prevent a hoard of Russians budging us inline. These colors don't run... Luckily we had a long lay over so we had some time to get some food and explore the airport. In the end though, we all wanted to get the fuck out of Russia. None of us are going back to that airport...
Return flight to the states was even more tiring. It was longer, and I slept on and off. 24+ hours of travel was catching up and I wanted to be done. Legs feel like shit. I can't even imagine how weak I will feel on a run at this point. I'm going to have to catch up on sleep before training resumes.
this is my running log, but it is also my daily log of journeys that I take in my life. These adventures usually involve running, but I want to put my thoughts about the trip in here as well, because this was something I should remember. Plus, all you running log stackers can get a look at something completely different :)
A few days ago I was feeling ready to head back to the US. This trip involved a lot of traveling and took a lot of energy out of people. I just felt tired. We all spent every waking our with each other, and people were starting to complain, and that really pisses me off. I kept very patient and well behaved. As we all separated at customs in JFK, I started to feel nostalgic and sad. I walked off on by myself alone for tHe fist time in two weeks. I realized that the intense bonding our group went through was something really special. We all became a great group so quickly. We all had that connection, Judaism. I knew it was a special one, but I didn't realize how important it was until we got back here and all went our separate ways... It's sad and I hope to keep in touch with people.
The past 10 days felt like forever, but at the same time went by quickly. While we were in Israel, I felt like that was my life, and it was the only thing I had ever known. I was so immersed in the program, the people and the country that I kinda forgot about real life. It was an amazing feeling. I went through a lot with a lot of different people, and learned so much about my culture. I thing the trip did its job well. I feel a deeper connection to Jews around the world, and the the state of Israel. It's a lot like how running creates a deep connection between team mates and other runners around the world. It feels like that. This was more than a trip. It was an experience. We weren't just a bunch of kids there to take a tour of a bunch of historical sites. We were there to learn, to connect, and to more forward as Jews in this world where it can be very difficult to be Jewish. Moving forward is important after an experience like this one.
This transition is like a super condensed version of case. It is difficult to move on, because it is changing the way things are. It's especially hard then the groove is gong so well, like it was at case and like it was on this trip. The thing to do is to get into the next rove and enjoy the ride.