Literally The Longest Day in My Life - Beijing to New York

The 24th of April, 2013 was been the longest day of my life. It wasn't 24 hours as most of the days I've been here but rather 36 hours. My 14 hour flight from Beijing moved the clock forward in just two hours. Jet lagged? Naahhh... Enjoy the pictures below

At Beijing airport - I'm guessing it's an ad to Chinese opera but it's totally freaky.

At JFK airport, New York, an ad for Chengdu, China.

JFK airport

JFK airport, in case you're not sure which country you've landed in. I personally don't remember visiting any other country which had such a big flag in the airport.

Sunrises over the horizon as seen from the plane.

Either our pilot was drunk or it's because JFK airport is a busy one. The good side is we got a nice aerial view all around NYC.

Following an amazing reunion, we're glad to see fresh veggies. Go vegan! :)

Mabuhay Philippines - No Immigration Today

First time this happens to me. We're all out of the airplane that just took us from Bangkok to Clark airport in the Philippines. People are rushing, people are walking, let's get past immigration already. We all reach the big hall. 5 immigration booths are there to welcome us, but something's missing. Immigration officer. Kinda funny to see hundreds of people waiting in two organized lines (foreigners and Filipinos) without anyone to serve them.

So if there's no one around, can't we just pass the counter and enter the country?

After nearly ten minutes one officer came in and it seemed she had to serve ALL the people waiting in line. Luckily, we were of the first in line so it didn't take us that long. Actually, much shorter than the lines I've passed in many other countries.

So yes, now I'm in the Philippines with my younger brother for a short time before heading to Beijing for a day and then NYC, starting our US adventure.

Avi Wald is 64 - My Dad's Birthday

Better than focusing on the memorial day for his death, I'd rather be happy at my father's birthday which is today. As the story goes, my father's father was notified of my father's birth and said something along the lines of "Don't fool me, it's not April fools anymore". Well, it wasn't, it was April 2nd, 1949. My father was born into a completely different world than I was, no doubt about it.

I still miss my father and frequently think about him. His death has been a great loss to me and our family. But life goes on and as our death is imminent, we might as well use the little time we do have to celebrate what we've got.

Here in Bangkok now, I've been very happy to meet two of my brothers and half of my nephews. The youngest is called Aviv and when saying Aviv Wald (the W sounds like a V), it sounds the same as Avi Wald, my late father. Aviv means spring in Hebrew while Avi is the shortened version of Abraham (Avraham in Hebrew).

Here are some picture fragments from the past

My father with his parents. All now buried in the same cemetery.

My mom organized a trip for my father's last living birthday, hiring a whole bus and a guide.

So yes, my father could still smile beautifully while knowing his death his near

 

Purim family picture with my parents and brothers.

My birthday at the kindergarten. Center out: me, my parents, my older brothers, my grandmothers and then my father's father. The rightmost woman is.... hmmm.... have no idea...

Avi Wald with all of children in the swimming pool. The last days here in Thailand, Ofer spent a lot of pool time with his kids. Another generation getting soaked and happy :)

My parents at my brother's wedding, or some briss, or somewhere where you gotta wear a suit.

So happy 64th birthday dad! You're in my heart and mind :)

You may wanna see previous blog posts about my father's death and his tombstone. His Colnect collector profile is still publicly accessible though he hasn't used it in a while.