In the Holy Land

Hey folks, I dropped in on the Holy Land on January 9, for a two-week excurision of the nation of Israel. To see the land of my Savior is a pretty big deal for me. I got in late last night to a round of questioning from security (seeing that I came alone, oh boo hoo hoo!) and now I am here in the port city of Jaffa.

I'm so tired. But today, I woke up somewhat refreshed (jet-lag), so I took a stroll around the sea in Jaffa and near the port. The sounds and the people are fresh, so are the smells, the sights, and the landscapes, everything is back to square one. Not knowing the language and trying to order something is quite intimidating, but the cool thing is that most Israelis know English.

Its definitely culture shocking to begin with. Every trip I take its culture shocking. From Japan to Taiwan to China there are some nuances to be noticed and the unfamiliar can always be daunting. Yet this is Israel, nowhere near the Far East. The energy of this place is very different from Asia. The Jews here are a very animated and experssive people. Their hand gestures, the volume of their voices, and their behavior seem much aggressive. However, they seem very genuine and heartwarming to one another. Coming from a nation where people are naturally reserved, its definitely tough when I experience another new culture.

See, this happens to me every time I go to a new country. I come off the plane, I am exhausted, I'm culture-shocked (I miss Korea), then I after a few days I get used to the pace of life of the new country and get into a groove. That's how I roll. I guess travelling alone it will have that effect everytime I go somewhere new, but going solo does have its benefits as you can spend more time in reflection and peace at certain sites.

Today, I went to Simon the Tanner's house. Do you remember Simon the Tanner from Acts 10? When Peter invites the Roman centurion Cornelius after the Lord revealed Himself in a vision to him? Simon hosted Peter during that time when Cornelius and Peter discussed how the Lord brought them both together. It was neat that this would be the first Biblical site I would see in Israel, as this event paved the way for Christ's message and salvation to be spread among all peoples who feared the Lord and wanted to walk in His ways. It was cool. I read the story in my Bible while I sat in front of Simon the Tanner's house. Too bad I couldn't go inside.

Other fun events today was I saw a camera crew shooting a music video for an Israeli music artist. This 17-year old Jewish kid might become a pop idol. The kid was really nice as I got to see them produce some of the vid.

Another sign I was in Israel was when a platoon of young Israeli Defence Soldiers (IDF) came round yonder, M-16's in tow. These Jewish homies don't play any games! Its pretty amazing that 20 year olds, both female and male, have to join the military. Talk about patriotism and serving your country. Many of us in the United States don't want to serve.

So I will be in Jaffa/Tel-Aviv for a few days before moving on to the City of Zion to see places where my Savior preached, died, and rose again. In the meanwhile, I need to take a nap.