University of Tel Aviv (Israel)

Terry and I spent 2 nights in Yafo and 2 in Tel Aviv. Terry lectured Tel Aviv University faculty on research methodology then how to write the research for publication. This topic is crucial because publications increase a country's credibility in sciences. My wife, as usual, was warmly welcomed. Interestingly, the dean's speciality was "transcultural nursing" so my wife was asked to give an additional lecture on her 15-countries-in-6-months Fulbright experience. They were spellbound. After Terry completed lecturing a nice brunch reception was held in her honor and I was included in my role of hanger-on-in-chief. The faculty asked Terry many intelligent questions.

During our time in central Israel we toured the area. I was surprised by many things, among them: The American Christians who came from Maine in the mid 1800s to form a colony and brought wooden huts with them to live in, that pork and shrimp are available, that everywhere we looked people were walking and bicycling. Also, Yafo existed as a port over a thousand years before Jesus and was the port from which Jonah departed for his run-in with the whale. It is a largely Arab city and we had ample opportunity to practice Arabic - something I didn't expect. There was a flea market and numerous artist galleries in Yafo. Tel Aviv was as modern as Yafo was old. There is a coastal promenade similar to Cyprus. We saw the spot where ships with refugees docked illegally after World War II. Opposite the Mediterranean Sea pedestrian walkway are high rise businesses. All embassies are located in Tel Aviv, not the capital (Jerusalem). There is a distinct young European feel and the usual traffic that accompanies cosmopolitan cities. We saw the spot where Yitzhak Rabin was murdered, and the poignant nearby memorial. After Tel Aviv we returned to Eilat to cross back into Jordan. We saw the Dead Sea and Jordan mountains from the Israeli side and retraced our steps to enter Jordan and catch our flight back to Amman. Before we flew back, however, we toured the magnificent Wadi Rum, which I'll describe in a separate post.