I'm not the biggest fan of Facebook. I joined back in the day when you had to have an .edu email address to join, and I had heard that employers were looking at Fb profiles as a way of hiring applicants. I was curious, I joined, and haven't done much with it until recently when it became the thing to do and anyone and everyone started adding an account. Mostly I find it awkward because people you wouldn't consider "friends" add you, and I never know whether to reject them since I don't want to be in touch or accept them because I feel rude if I don't.
I have, however, had a few people that I had lost touch with that I was so elated to find/have find me, and one of them was Hannah. I had actually tried to find her several times before via school directories and such, but her name had changed so I had no luck. Well, Facebook reunited us, and I have been giddy about it ever since. She had moved to South Carolina (I never would have thought to look for her there), and between Facebook and blogs, it's like I found a long-lost bosom buddy.
Anyway, that's a long background to THIS blog post. We met as study abroad students in Israel. We didn't know each other too well at first, but then we spent a couple of weeks in Galilee where we were paired up with roommates and lived in bungalows on the beach. We were immediate friends. We had two other roommates - Erin who was also a kindred spirit, and one who was more interested in pursuing a certain young man than hanging out with us. Erin, Hannah, and I had a fabulous time. I loved them both immediately, and still do - though Erin went off and got married and I've never heard of her again, and Hannah and I hung out some once we were back in the U.S. at school.
The other day when we were talking, Hannah mentioned that her camera had been stolen in Israel, and that her journals had been lost, so it was like the magical time at Galilee never happened. I did some digging in my boxes of old photos, and these are what I found. Hannah, this blog's for YOU!
Hannah, Erin, Me, and the Canadian. Although we didn't become best friends with the Canadian, she did offer us endless entertainment. For field trips we had these portable microphone/headsets so that we could listen to the professors talking when we all couldn't be right next to them. Since I had a connection with one of the professors, I borrowed his microphone, and one night we pinned it on Canada. She had been flirting with this guy since we had arrived in Galilee, and he asked her to go for a walk one night after dark. Erin, Hannah, and I snuck around behind the bushes watching them (hoping they were going to kiss) and trying to listen with our headsets to their conversation. She chickened out and didn't use the microphone, but we had a ball sneaking around after them in the dark, straining to hear what they said, and giggling all the way.
The four of us at some ruins.
Since we were there over Thanksgiving, the cooks at the little village tried to make us something really special. They cooked lots of turkeys (something they never eat) and stuck sparklers in them when they wheeled them out. They tried so hard, but the turkeys were undercooked, and 90% of our group got severe food poisoning. I was one of the lucky ones who didn't. I'm in the middle left with a roll in my face.
Me and Hannah - see how blissfully happy we were together?
Cliff diving. There was a waterfall and a natural pool. This picture is for everyone who thinks Israel is a barren desert wasteland. It's not. It's one of the most beautiful places I've been.
Bad hair day. The three of us stayed up late tying our hair in rags so that we'd have sexy wavy hair in the morning. It ended up in these nasty, tight little curls, so we combed it out and then had puffy messes all that day.
Some ancient altar.
This is a confession booth in one of the churches we visited. We were trying to look like we were making scandalous confessions for the picture. Sorry for the sacrilege to those of you who believe in confessionals. We were young.
This was a magical trip full of eating St. Peter's Fish, playing Ultimate Frisbee in the waves of the Sea of Galilee, reading the Bible on the beach, taking a ferry ride with a disco globe and doing the Macarena, following boys, playing countless hours of Phase 10, and so much more. I'm so glad I met Hannah, and I hope never to lose her again.
