We had lunch yesterday at a cafe by the beach. As he removed our dishes, our server asked us where we were from. He himself was from Texas (though he did not speak with the distinctive Texan twang), and said that he was always very happy to meet people whose accents were similar to his own, because he missed being able to chat freely and be certain that he was understood.

This young man is in Israel staying with relatives while he decides on his future. In the meantime, he is working, improving his Hebrew, and meeting lots of people from all over the world through his job. To us, he seemed a little bit homesick, which is a sentiment that I can understand. Obviously I love to travel, and one of the aspects I most appreciate when I’m away from home is learning firsthand how other people live, and how different their experiences are from my own.

However, there comes a point in every trip when I really miss the familiarity of home, of being able to speak fluently and make myself understood. I miss Canadian cliches, like how all Canadians are ultra-polite and are always thanking you or apologizing. Perhaps this only means that travel makes me appreciate my real life. I have no idea.

This is our third trip to Israel, and the first time that we will not be spending time in Jerusalem; our first stop is Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is a very lively, cosmopolitan city, located right on the Mediterranean. Thus, you can imagine the atmosphere and feel of this beautiful city; at night, the restaurants and bars are busiest between 10 pm and midnight.

Yesterday, we were able to take a tour of an excavation in Old Jaffa, the ancient port city around which modern Tel Aviv is built. The excavation revealed several layers which chronicled some of the civilizations that inhabited Old Jaffa through different eras. Our tour guide also informed us that the port of Old Jaffa is the oldest, continually used port in the world, dating back to the ancient Egyptians.

We also visited the Beit Hatfutsot museum, which teaches about the Jewish diaspora and 3000 years of Jewish history. As Catholics, D and I have some familiarity with Judaism and Jewish traditions, though by no means do we have expert knowledge. The Beit Hatfutsot holds no ancient artifacts, and instead contains some wonderful reproductions, as well as a series of beautiful miniatures of major synagogues located all over the world (including one in China), some of which no longer stand.