Leaving soon

            Okay, it’s about to get sentimental. 

            I’m leaving soon. 

            My final presentation was on Thursday.  I’m officially finished with work at EarlySense.

            And the marathon was yesterday (it went well but more on that soon). 

            Here’s a sneak peak picture to keep you entertained in the meantime. 

            I move out of my apartment in a couple of hours.  Which is crazy, and I'm not entirely ready to leave it behind.  

            Sure, I’m not leaving yet… I have two more weeks until I actually go home, and there are still some adventures on the way. 

            But it’s coming soon… The day where I board the plane back to Toronto with a suitcase stocked full of mud (yes, you heard me right), Bamba and chocolate (with pop rocks) is only two weeks away. 

            Two weeks until I see my family, until conversations start in English, until snow is a normal occurrence and chicken wings are more common than Falafel (for those who have forgotten, I am from Buffalo)…

            From daily conversations with my coworkers over orange juice and cheerios, back to chats over hummus and carrots with my roommates… Back to the same time zone as the majority of my friends and getting behind the wheel of my car instead of fighting for a seat on the train.  Back to class, instead of work (but not for long… the real world is only a few months away).  Back to a world where the military is voluntary instead of a requirement, where kids go to college fresh out of high school and not after 3 years in the military and a trip around the world… where you can drive for days and still not hit another nation’s borders (unless you’re heading North from Buffalo).

            Back to familiarity. 

            I’m not sure whether that’s a good or a bad thing.  Being able to go most places without getting lost… Being able to read every menu or sign you come across… Knowing people around every corner…  

            But it’s not over yet. 

            Heading down South to Eilat (Red Sea area) tonight.  When I get back to Tel Aviv on Friday, I’ll be meeting up with Isa, graduate students and WPI faculty to visit hi-tech companies and some tourist sites for about 9 days. 
            It blows my mind that three months ago, this whole thing, coming here, was just a pipe dream that had been in the works for a while (including that marathon).  But, I guess that’s what life is about.  You make plans, you chase them down, and see where the world takes you while you’re at it.