Tonight is our last night in Israel, time to pack and get ready to get to the airport in the morning. But my mind is still buzzing with all the many things that we have done and I have learned on this trip. It really seems so long ago that we first got to this amazing country and our first activity was sheep and goat herding. Some still think that was one of the highlights of the trip. We then traveled north to Haifa and eventually north to the Lebanese border. Then east to the Sea of Galilee studying not only about the water resources of Israel but also visiting some of the Christian historic sites that many of us had only read about for the many years of our lives. We moved further east to see the Syrian border from the Golan Heights and most of us were amazed at how close it was (as well as those things that go boom!). Then on to Jerusalem to spend four nights in one of the most amazing cities that I have ever visited not only from the historical (and scientific historical) perspective but also for the modern cultural aspects that we learned about (there was a reason that we did not get to the Temple Mount). Then on to the southern part of the country visiting Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls), Masada and the Dead Sea where many indulged in a salt bath and a mud covering as well. Finally we moved our caravan to Tel Aviv for the final days where we experienced a Dinner in the Dark (which simulates blindness), got to visit Independence Hall, markets and the Old City of Jaffa. Interspersed throughout these two weeks were also visits to a number of schools and educational institutes, as well as various companies (some startups), just to make our days a little more complete and make sure that we were busy and did not get into trouble. Right now the past 14 days seem like a blur. I am glad to have compiled notes each night as it is only through those that I will be able to go back and make sense of everything. It will take a while for the many themes to sink in but I am sure that having been through this trip, we will all make what we have learned here not only a part of our school experiences but also part of our lives (I will have to start making salads and buying olives to eat for breakfast with my cappuccino!). This has been an amazing trip and I would like to thank all of those who put this together, Tsipy (who does it all!), Avi (who is by far the best tour guide ever to walk the face of the earth), Victor (for watching over us and taking care of us) and everyone else (Isabel and Melissa and Miki!) who helped make these two weeks possible. These are two weeks that I will never forget. However, this is not really an ending but more a beginning. I look forward to moving things forward and working not only with those that we spent the last two weeks with but some of those that we met here in Israel to enrich our curricula and make what we learned here more alive for our students.