I've said it a million times, but today it finally clicked: this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I went horseback riding in the hills of Central Asia today. I went swimming with no fear, and sat in a sauna with Kazakhstani teenagers. I davened at a campsite alongside my Orthodox, rainbow-haired friend, and I was so absorbed by my prayers and the sunshine that I didn't mind hearing the Black Eyed Peas blasting in the background.
I learned what it's like to have kashrut tested today. We asked for vegetarian meals, our noodles arrived, and -- halfway through the meal -- I found a piece of meat on my plate. I didn't eat any, to my knowledge, and I immediately pushed my plate away, but I still felt awful. Guilty. Disappointed. Angry. Worried.
So I prayed. I resolved to keep trying. I reminded myself that I keep kosher to connect with G-d and to find moments of holiness -- and this brush with trayfe had allowed me to pray and refocus and pause my day, so I'd still accomplished something. Onward and upward.
I've seen how important a Jewish community can be. I've realized how impactful one helping hand can be. And I'm ready to go home.
Dairy products, baked goods, and drinkable tap water, here I come.
