Our trip to Golan Heights (and so much more!)

Israel soil, but Syria and Lebanon in the distance

I'm a bit late on posting this, but while it is still vivid in my memory I wanted to be sure to document it. Before you read this, I want to make it clear that at no point did we feel unsafe, or in harms way.  There is no way I would every put my sweet baby in a position like that.  IN fact, I felt as safe as anywhere else in this beautiful country and felt truly lucky to be able to learn and see for myself what it was like.  I cannot explain it, but can only tell you that you must experience it yourself to understand.

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Saturday afternoon, 1:30 pm:

It was perfect weather- maybe high 70's, and a light breeze.  Low humidity, which was a welcomed change to the air we were starting to grow used to in Tel Aviv. I remember the moment like a slow motion picture in my head- we were standing on a hill, overlooking the gorgeous scenery of Northern Israel (Golan Heights).  Landscapes of hills, large green pine trees, wild flowers and a feeling like I was back in the mountains of Wyoming- nothing like the scenery we had seen so far in this country (although all that we have seen has been gorgeous in other ways.) There was a faint scent of peppermint as the breeze hit my face- Our guide had made peppermint tea and cookies, and we stood atop this hill and took in the sights. The girls, both near the same age, were running in the small field of flowers and brush, and the boys were all in conversation with each other.  It was an incredible moment in time.

Sweet girls, unaware of where they stood

As I turned my gaze behind me, our guide pointed and said "There it is. Syria."  And in that moment, I realized the gravity of the place in which we stood.  Not because I felt unsafe or scared, but because I was shocked at the vast difference in landscape. And the significance of the cease fire line that was a mere 6 miles from where I stood. Glimpse of American news were flashing through my head.  The Israel side was beautiful, flourishing apple orchards and cherry farms up to the line.  On the other side of the line was desolate... nothing. What was once bunkers and buildings was now rubble.  A stark reminder of where we stood.  As the girls play in the field behind us, our guide continued to explain, unmoved, that if we stayed in this spot long enough we would eventually hear the war.  And 15 minutes later, hear it we did. First gun fire, and then a mortar.

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Preface:

Landmines

Entrance of the bunker

We headed up to the gorgeous Golan Heights earlier that day to stay the night in a Kibbutz with another family- they have a sweet little girl Ledoux's age and the most handsome little boy who is 6 months old.  We rented cabins next to each other, stocked up on wine and snacks, and were on our way for our weekend adventure.  And an adventure it was.  It was my idea to go on a jeep tour of the hills of the Kibbutz, so we met our awesome tour guide, Elaz, early that afternoon.  We climbed steep hills, went down inclines so steep we couldn't see the bottom (eek!) and went through apple orchards where we got fresh picked apples.  Although gorgeous, we couldn't help but notice the "DANGER: Landmine" signs every 6 feet.  Our guide, who had lived in the Kibbutz his whole life, explained that most aren't active, but you certainly don't want to chance it. (No Shit, buddy!) It was then that I realized we weren't in Kansas anymore... and as we got closer to the Syrian border, it became more apparent.  At one point, we came as close as 300 feet from Syria- through an active Military base that only our guide (and one other) have access to.  We saw and walked through the bunkers, the buildings, and the land that was once controlled by Syria.

We got out of the jeep at one point to explore the underground bunker- it was dark. Cold. A feeling of stagnant air and a hint of nerves hit me. I descended into the ground on the chipped cement stairs and I noticed porcupine quills to my left.  The white in them was a sharp contrast the to the dark.  I couldn't help but wonder what the quills had been used to attack.. if anything.  The area was so desolate I couldn't imagine it being spooked by someone.  As I continued the decline below the ground, a spider the size of a man's hand hung in front of me, and I screamed for anyone to come- I certainly wasn't going to try and pass it. It was then that I wanted to turn around and leave, but I saw the sun shining through a small area in front of me, and knew we were almost out.  A fleeting thought ran through my head- "you shouldn't be here..." but the glance of sunlight from above made me feel calm... and I climbed out and couldn't stop thinking about what it must have been like... fighting the war from this spot.  I almost felt suffocated in there and wondered how soldiers were able to live and sleep. But nothing put it into perspective until we were on the hill and actually "heard the war." Lee was unphased, after 4 deployments he has heard and see it all... but for me, to hear a mortar attack so close to wear I stood... it was surreal.

I didn't feel scared or unsafe... not even for a moment.  The protection of Israel makes me feel at peace.  But it did something else...it made me thankful. It put a lot into perspective for me.   I turned to look at our sweet girls, playing behind us, and reflected on that moment.  How lucky we were to be on our side of this border.  And how naive our sweet babies are to the world.  I am blessed to raise Ledoux as a child of the world, but will fight to protect her from the realities of this world as long as I can. And when the day comes that she asks me about it, we will talk.  We will experience.  We will learn.  We will not rely on the television to teach us.

After leaving the bunker

Syria

I asked our guide about the Syrian war, and how he remains so calm it.  As he put it, Israel doesn't have a dog in the fight right now.  They aren't fighting Israel.  The Shiites, the Sunnis (which also includes Isis), and the Government of Syria are all fighting each other.  Isis fights for religion, the government fights Isis, and so on.  I do not know near enough about the complexities surrounding the region to go into more detail, but can tell you its deep. And its a lot to take in. On the instances when a mortar from Syria makes it's way across to Israel (on accident), Israel retaliates, in true Israeli fashion, to make it clear they don't want to mess with their side of the border.

The Kibbutz

That night, we had dinner with the people of the Kibbutz. We drank wine while the children played.  And all I kept thinking was how ridiculously happy and blessed I feel to experience this life and have such amazing friends.   Its not easy... its not all rainbows and butterflies.  But it is life changing.  And eye opening.  And the experiences we are giving Ledoux, and ourselves, are only going to be for the better.  The next day, we visited a local winery and enjoyed each others company.  We laughed, we made memories, and we reflected on this incredible trip that started as a quick weekend getaway- and turned into something so much more.