TRAVEL MEMOIRS
Chased Down Outside a Market in Tel Aviv
My fight or flight response in Israel
It was the first time I felt fear in Israel. A small gang of Middle Eastern men were running towards us, and it was obvious we were their target. Do we try to run away or let them catch up to us and hope for the best? My friend, a former Israeli soldier knew that running could get us shot. So we waited until they surrounded us.
Six months into my two-year around-the-world travels I started feeling lonely. I missed family and friends but what I decided I missed the most, was a place to call home. Some place I could return to when I needed to ground myself.
Every time I visited a new country I wondered, “Could I live here?”
I found that place in Tel Aviv, Israel. On the drive into the city from the airport I believed I had found my place in the world. It was nothing like I expected. It was a sleek, young, modern city on the coast of the Mediterranean. A beach town, a tourist mecca, and a place to party, if that’s what you’re looking for.
I didn’t want to make any rash decisions and I had a week scheduled there, which I thought should be enough time to decide if it’s a place I wanted to stay. I had a room near the beach and was able to walk everywhere. I met people…
