It's a small world getting even smaller...

The last month of Israel went by quickly. I returned from a long Pesach break to find that senioritis had set in. I still attended class, but I was much more focused on what was happening after Pardes. School ended on a Wednesday and I had a flight Sunday afternoon. Just a few short days to pack and say my goodbyes shortened even further by the holidays of Shavuot and Shabbat. I wasn't too hung up on saying goodbye since I have lots of experience with using the many technologies of keeping in touch- Skype, G-chat, Facebook not to mention regular old emails and phone calls- notice the lack of slow paper mail options.

After Israel I met my parents and sister in Italy where we went on a fabulous cruise vacation in the Mediterranean (Thanks mom!) We stopped at several Greek islands, Turkey, Egypt and back to Italy. It was really a great reunion. As we traveled to the different ports we checked out the local shopping (family tradition) I was a bit disappointed by what I saw. Each locale had the same trinkets and souvenirs, most of which were not even made in the places we visited. I felt a little nostalgic for a time when the world must have been just a tad bigger. I imagine that traveling to an exotic place would be marked by having some unique trinket displayed in your home as proof of your worldliness. Instead I found myself checking the prices on items made in Thailand.

I suppose I'm not ready to weigh in on the issue of our shrinking world, but clearly its a complicated matter.