Israel. The countless number of ideas that come into mind at the sheer mention of the word never ceases to amaze me. Undoubtedly, with both the fresh rhetorical escalation of the conflict and recent outbreak of violence in the region, many new questions and conclusions are introduced –—or at least, facing renewed interest.

From May 26 until July 14, I was in Israel on an internship program. I was supposed to stay until August 14, but the violence resulted in my early departure. The area I was in, the central region, was “far” from the northern region where the Hezbollah rockets were falling. But far is a relative term — especially when it comes to Israel. The entire country is a mere 8 hours from tip to tail, with an area about the size of New Jersey. So when I say the explosions were “far,” they were about an hour away (although a few long range missiles landed about 20 minutes from me shortly before the cease fire took effect).

Nonetheless, Israel is a determined and persistent country. Life marched on as usual. In fact, it was a late-night call from my Father that broke the news of what was happening in the north. When you don’t have regular access to a television, radio or the Internet, staying up on the news becomes an impossible task (especially if the news is in a language you don’t understand all that well).

You could say I was “directly affected” by the situation, but that would be doing an injustice to the citizens of Israel — the people who were forced to remain in the country and perhaps take refuge in bomb shelters, or even worse, pay the ultimate price. So I like to think of what happened to me as more of a minor “inconvenience.” Everyone I speak to, Israeli and American alike, tells me to not worry, that leaving was for the best — that there’s nothing I could’ve done — but I find it difficult to swallow those rationalizations. In what many would consider a stroke of insanity, I envy those who remained behind.

No matter, though — soon enough, I’ll get my crazy wish and so much more: about a year from now, not only will I be living in Israel as citizen, but I’ll be donning that same olive-green Israel Defense Forces uniform that have once again become an all-too-familiar sight on the evening news.