As an adult, this has been the longest stretch of time, when I haven’t been to Israel. I know, I’ve been very lucky and I don’t expect sympathy! This is to say that I am so happy to be here.
Arrival was completely different. There were no lines in passport control. None. There was no one waiting with flowers, balloons, hugs and kisses, as you leave customs. They are all outside, because you can’t come in the airport.
There were long lines waiting to get a COVID PCR test. It was orderly and organized, Israeli style. Our new normal.
From the airport, there weren’t any scenic stops or special blessings. Only a stop for a COVID antibody serology test in the back of a building that I can only describe as a combination of a 7-11 and a mini field hospital lab. imagine mini mart in front, lab in back, through the market. It was the perfect first experience for Mark. Israeli ingenuity. Only in Israel.
The air smells the same. The click clack of paddles on the beach is a welcome familiar sound. The airport was quiet, but Israel is abuzz, like always. So good to be home.
