From Mecca to Home

I have said my final goodbye's to my host family in Mecca. I am now on the airplane to Atlanta, GA in search of better meals and my own bed.

My host family said that they would drive back to Cairo after I left, and if I ever wanted to come back, just give them a call.

I can't wait for my mom's cooking.

Journey to Mecca

This morning, I had to wake up at 3:00 in the morning in order to get to Mecca in time for lunch. Yet again, I had to pack up. My host family and I drove out of Israel, after having our car checked for any refugees. We then proceeded to drive to Mecca.

Once we arrived, we ate lunch at an Arabic restaurant. Alas, there were no McDonald's in the restaurants vicinity, so lamb and chick peas had to do.

While my new family and I were in Mecca, we saw some of the great religious wonders most important to the Muslim world. We were able to witness one of the prayer sessions at the Al Haram Mosque and take a tour of the building. After prayer was over, we went into the Kaaba’s pavilion and were able to touch the Holy Black Stone. I managed to take a few pictures of the mosque and thought it was amazing. I caught a picture of my host family's hands as they rubbed the silver surrounding the stone. When it was my turn to touch the stone, it felt smooth and polished from all the hands that had rubbed it over time.

After touching the Black Stone, we went to another Arabic restaurant for dinner. It wasn't exactly home cooking, so I left hungry. Again, no McDonald's, so I grew desperate and had to settle for BK. I then went to bed, a bit more satisfied.

Departure to Jerusalem

I had to wake up at 5:00 this morning to get to Jerusalem in time for lunch. I had to re-pack all of my bags in order to be prepared for the the 3 day journey ahead. We had a long drive across Egypt, but an even longer wait to get into Israel. As we came up to the border, a riot started at one of the gates. The riot lasted about three hours before it got too violent and the IDF had to interfere with tear gas.


After that, our entry into Israel was smooth and we were able to make it to Jerusalem an hour after lunch. To my relief, it was easy to find more familiar food thanks to so many Jewish immigrants from Europe. After lunch, we went to see the Western Wall. We had to buy and wear paper Kippahs in order to come close to the wall itself.


It was becoming dark, so we checked into a hotel for the night. We ate the hotel dinner, and it was good. IFrom what my host family said, it did not reflect true Israeli food, but it was close enough for me since I was starving!

Off to Cairo!

Today I arrived in Cairo. Shortly after leaving the airplane, I met my host family and went to their house. On my my way there, we had to go through heavy traffic and it took at least an hour to travel the ten miles from the airport to their home.

Once I arrived, I unpacked and got ready to see the sights in Cairo. Together we visited the Great Pyramids of Giza, along with St. George's Church. Both places were cool, but I thought St. George's was a little gothic and strange. Afterward, we went to eat dinner at a restaurant by the Nile. The food was okay, but once everyone went to bed later that night, I snuck out of the house to go get McDonald's, and enjoyed my Egyptian Big Mac on the street. After finishing my meal, I went back inside to get some sleep.