Angela's Memorable Encounter with the Dead Sea

Submitted as part of the Women Mind the Water Digital Stories Project.

"My first meaningful encounter with water was at a young age. My family is from Jerusalem and with this comes endless opportunities for encountering large bodies of water. As a small girl, my grandpa and grandma took us all over: to the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Tiberias, and the Red Sea. However, my first vivid memory was of our first visit to the Dead Sea. Being so young my mother feared us swimming out too far into the open ocean. We were never allowed out of sight and never out of an arm length’s distance. However, the Dead Sea was different. For the first time I saw my mother relaxed and laid back. I remember her encouraging us to coat our bodies completely in the black mud surrounding the sea. By the time my sisters and I had finished painting the other we were unrecognizable.

Desperately wanting to wipe the gooey feeling off I went to take a dip in the Dead Sea. Immediately, I realized how much warmer it was than the Mediterranean or the Red Sea. This sea was calm, almost still, and I saw no stinger jellyfish, something that always put me on edge. In this sea I found myself being carried away, putting in no effort to doggy paddle. I simply floated while my anxiety and fear sank quickly to the bottom. In no time at all, my mother was calling my name and telling us to come dry off. I remember reaching the top of the beach and turning around for one last look the quiet sea that gently waved me goodbye."

Angela K. is from Centerville, Ohio. 

Asset ID #7829