Ever feel REALLY slow and jet-lagg-y?

It's been an exhausting day, what with all the end-of-school preparations...packing the classroom to move it across the hall (still takes the same amount of packing, etc...) I CAN say, however, that the entire room is ready for the moving crew to take the last of the boxes to my classroom. Brittany and myself moved all the stuff we couldn't box (not enough boxes) ourselves...back and forth...and I can say positively that she worked as hard as a nine year-old can work. Mark still worked with students today, and he has to go back to school tomorrow to do what I did today. I wonder how long it will take me to adjust to waking at something other than an ungodly hour for a few weeks...and then, jet-lag.

I've been looking up all the jet-lag advice I can, and it seems that the most logical might be the following:

1. 48 hours before your trip, change your schedule to meet that of the destination's clock. (This seems really weird at this end, as they are seven hours ahead...I think. Funny, that's the same as when I was in Paris, so that gives me an idea of what I'm up against. The jet-lag in Paris was AWFUL...took me three or four days out of the 12 we were there just to feel 'normal'.)

2. Record the morning and evening news on your dvr so that you can play it during your 'new' waking/retiring hours. (Hm. I hadn't heard of this before, but it seems really clever...a little trickery for the ol' brain if you can 'believe'.)

3. Try to ask your friends and relatives to call or visit with you during your 'new' waking hours so that you are stimulated by conversation.

4. Don't drink alcohol or caffiene for 48 hours before leaving. (Holy cow...You all KNOW how much I love my Dr. P...Now, before you say anything through all the laughing *yes, I hear you*, I don't think I'm going to be able to get the Dr. Pepper in Israel anyway, at least not as easily as I can here. I may be way off-base here, but I think I should be ready for it. Paris is pretty cosmopolitain, but try to find a Dr. P ANYWHERE...I finally adjusted...no, really, I did...)

5. Sleep/wake on the plane, even with the use of a sleep aide, if you can. (Now, this one is going to be tough for me. I usually can't sleep on a plane if the Sand-Man had purchased first-class tickets right next to me. I am going to TRY this, I think, for the looooong part of the trip, but only because I don't want to be a zombie when I get there.)

* Hey, is anyone else creeped-out by the idea of sleeping on the plane, knowing that there are strangers all around you? *

6. Whatever the time of day you arrive, DON'T go right to sleep (unless it's night-time). (You know, I may have all the best intentions in the world, but if my body wants to sleep, I usually LOSE that battle. Hm. I'll have a look at that itinary again.)

So, I think we're going to try these. They seem to make sense, huh? What are your thoughts? Any suggestions?

By the way, the tickets were purchased today : )

The suitcase is sitting just over there...in the corner, and I think it's smiling...

V : )

So we begin...

So we begin...

There is so much swimming in my head right now...It's hard to know what to say as we begin this new journey, Mark and I, our family, all of this. The decision to accept the invitation to teach in Jeruselem and Bethlehem this summer was not easy for us, despite what anyone may think. We are both travelers in our souls, and we both have that 'itch' to see, to absorb, to expand our experiences beyond the knowing. I think that those who know Mark better than they know me may not realize how alike he and I are in so many ways concerning so many things. In the way in which we are different, it's best really expressed this way, I think...We can have a passionate disagreement about a point, yet smile and look at one another and say, deeply, "I love you, my friend..." I value the ways in which we are different as much as I value the ways in which we are similar.

We talked, discussed, explored, inquired, pestered, and talked again about the decision to go to Israel/Palestine to teach this summer. We made the final decision just this week, and we made it together. Several of you may feel hesitant about me accompanying Mark on this journey. That's ok. You may not know me well enough yet to know how well prepared I really am to be at his side as we experience this together, and for the things that lay in the unknown, well...we're there together. On the practical side, I have friends here who have visited or lived there before our journey there, and I have sought their counsel, both in accepting the invitation and in the preparations for going...right down to asking about gestures and body postures, clothing, etc. We have begun the process of our itinerary, and our families have been so supportive, despite their hesitations. It's not like going to Paris (the last time I was out of the country); I know that. Part of the process of preparing is creating this blog.

I thought that it might be a wonderful way to communicate with our friends and family while we're there. We will have internet access at the university, so we should be able to blog every day (I will work to make that happen.) I plan on uploading photos so that everyone can see what we are seeing and also be reassured as to our welfare while we are there. Please feel free to respond to our posts and our photos; it will reassure our hearts of our home and those whom we love until we are home again.

I tend to wax more words than Mark, so at this point he'd probably say, "Are we done?" *smile* Above all, please know how much we love you, our families and our friends, and how this journey will be enriched because we carry you with us, and we will return home to you profoundly more grateful (if that's possible) for you in our lives.

With deepest respect and love,

Victoria : )