I found myself in a hammock, swinging back and forth between exhaustion and the inability to sleep. My eyes are heavy, testament to the jet lag that comes from 16 hours of flying. But even a day of restless travel and few hours of sleep is no contest for the hot Israeli sun that beats relentlessly on the outside of my cotton cocoon. The sun has just come up but it’s already hot. Even the flies look for relief in the beads of sweat forming across my body.
The city of Tel Aviv also stirs with the sun’s intensity. They are all the normal sounds of a city: a jack-hammer in the distance, the high pitched squeal of a crane moving cement blocks atop new construction, the mechanical purr of motorcycles and scooters. The hum is familiar, but I know I have a lot to learn about this place.
That was clear from the moment I stepped off the plane. Even before actually, when in our own Newark airport terminal special security measures were taken to hand check every bag and wand every body. Then there was the moment when in the middle of the night I woke to find a man standing just off my shoulder bobbing religiously. As usual, I flew standby, with no set schedule or plan save my first night in Tel Aviv. That’s normal for me, but in Israel it’s cause for suspicion.
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I'm off to see the world. Usually I live in Flagstaff, but now I am on a boat with an old friend. We will be doing good deeds a…
I hit the ground instantly. The force of impact nearly knocked me out. Stunned, I tried to gather and prepare myself for more. I didn’t know how or why, the only thing I was sure of was that I was under attack.
These kids are different. They don’t look different. They don’t act different. They don’t even feel different…but they are. They know they are, which might be the greatest challenge these children ever face. They’re all HIV positive.
The roads are made of stone. Honduran men stroll casually through the streets. Shielded from the searing sun, their machetes swing step by step, in and out of the circle of shade offered by their cowboy hats.
I lased up my tenni’s and brushed my teeth. I had no idea what was in store for the day. The rumors were that the ex-president was planning an entry into Honduras, which according to my friend meant protests and manifestations from “Mel” supporters.
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