The Trip Home From Israel
I wrote this post soon after arriving home, but never posted it because it needed a second reading. Here it is, though much delayed:
Well, Flat Kat and I arrived home without incident and we’re happy to be back. In all, it was about 24 hours of travel, so we are still adjusting to the time difference. Overall it was a great trip
Having found Israel fairly expensive, we decided to save a bit of money on our last night in Tel Aviv. Since the flight was scheduled to leave at 6:10 in the morning, and they recommend at least 3 hours to get through security, Flat Kat and I decided sleep in our rental car for a couple of hours rather than pay for a hotel room. A bunk bed in a dorm would have cost $25. It doesn’t seem like much, but we’d already payed $35 for the car (and we’d already slept in a shed once this trip!). After catching a few hours of sleep in the car, I awoke to the alarm at 2:30 and made the 1/2 hour trip to the airport. Returning the car without incident, we were right on time, three hours before take-off. It’s a good thing too, because there was quite a long line.
After 1/2 hour of standing in line, a security person asked a serious of questions. Are you traveling alone? Yes. What was the purpose of your visit? Tourism. Do you know anyone in Israel? No. Do you know any Hebrew? Only a few words now that I’ve been here. Where did you go in Israel? I described my trip. Many of these responses raised red flags, just like they did before boarding my flight to Israel. When my bags went through the scanners, they saw the electronic equipment I’d brought along like the cords to hook up my digital camera, battery charging equipment, and laptop accessories.
After getting through that initial check, I waiting in line for a manual baggage inspection. As security personnel went through my bags, a number of things raised alarms. For example, in addition to the electronic equipment, they pulled out my Lonely Planet travel book, and were disappointed to see that it said “Israel and the Palestinian Territories“. Security asked why I had a book about the Palestinian Territories. I responded that it was simply a travel book that advised about traveling and that I had no control over the language they used on the cover. I think they would have preferred that it said occupied territories, or even better, Greater Israel.
Security was so intense, that even though I really had nothing to hide because I had done nothing wrong, I began feeling very uncomfortable. As a result, I did something I never do, in part because it’s wrong and in part because I’m terrible at it and always get caught. I was getting really nervous that I was going to miss my flight because security was taking so long. When they asked me if I had gone to the Palestinian Territories, I lied by saying no.
As they went through my bags further, they pulled out a couple souvenirs I’d bought in Bethlehem to teach about the Palestinian viewpoint. In particular, a couple of scarves with the Palestinian flag on it and pictures of former Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and current Prime Minister Mahmood Abbas. This really put the security personnel on alert, and they asked me why I had such things. Knowing that the truth always sets you free, I apologized for fibbing and explained that I had gone to the Palestinian Territories, but only to Bethlehem, which is 10 minutes from Jerusalem. That’s where I had purchased the scarves because I’m a teacher who has to teach about the Palestinian and Israeli viewpoints. His response: “this seems very one sided”. Of course he had ignored the T-shirts I’d purchased that said “Israel” on the front with 4 smiling cartoon kids and the menorahs I’d purchased to help me teach about Judaism.
After 30 – 40 minutes of submitting to this second search, they finally let me go. Now I had to wait in another line to check my bags. Then, another scan of my carry-on bag and a second metal detector. At this point, I was quite nervous and asked how long it would be to get to my gate. They said about 10 minutes. With only about 15 minutes before my plane was scheduled to take off, I decided to jog until I reached my gate. As I arrived, there were only 3 people left in line at the gate and it appeared that I had just made it in time.
Thankfully, once I found my seat, the trip proceeded smoothly, and I made it home without any other incidents. Now that I’m home, it makes a good story. Isn’t it interesting that some of the most awkward, nerve wracking, frustrating, or odd situations make the best stories? That’s why I relish the challenge of the doing something unique once in a while: you’ll probably get a good story or two out of it if you give it a try.
