The first words from Israel...

I'm HERE!! I arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday afternoon, and have been here now almost 24 hours...

My journey there has been full of excitement and stress. At PDX I almost didn’t get to board the plane because of visa problems (which were solved by an amazing United Airline staff member, by the grace of God!). What happened was - because I'm here on a "short-term" visa, 3-months at a time that I renew by leaving/returning to the country, I didn't need to get a long-term visa before leaving. However I didn't have any proof with me at the airport that I would be leaving withing 3 months. In fact, my tickets said that I would be there for 9 months! So there I was at the counter with tickets and passport, and the lady telling me that I would get to Israel and they wouldn't let me in, and that they couldn't do anything to change my tickets because I bought them through an on-line company... etc.
I nearly had a heart attack.
But then the solution/loop-hole came (Praise God!!). We bought and then immediately cancelled tickets that would have me leaving Israel in 3 months - they are/were real tickets, but I would never be using them. I'll be leaving the country at another time, going someplace else through the school.
The next big issue was a HUGE fee for an extra bag. Because I was flying with several different airlines, they would each charge me for the extra bag - and the total cost was way out of the question. So, very sadly, the bag did not come with me. I didn't bring my guitar either (also very sadly) but in the end I'm glad because it would have been very expensive, stressful and hard to travel with.
From Portland I flew to Chicago. That was interesting because I left the west coast around 10:00 in the morning, and arrived over there in the evening. That was when I really began to loose track of all time.
That airport is HUGE!! And they have a train!
It was fun but frustrating because I entered at Terminal 1 at one end of the airport, but needed to get to Terminal 5 at the exact opposite end, and all the staff kept telling me "just take the train." Which didn't mean much to me because I couldn't find the train, and the directions I was given were super confusing. It all worked out though, I found it and made it to the Terminal with a few minutes to spare, and from there I was on my way to Warsaw.
That was the longest plane ride - about 9 hours I think. They served 2 meals (dinner and breakfast), and I was impressed that the food was not rubbery or un-recognizable. In fact is was pretty good. I was blessed to have no one sitting next to me, so I was able to stretch out a bit and sleep a few hours.
I arrived in Warsaw (in Polish spelled Warszawa) around 2:00pm. Again, I had no sense of time, and had no idea if I was supposed to be tired or not. I would have gotten on-line if I could, but internet wasn't free, and I couldn't figure out how to pay for just a few hours of time... and then my computer battery was dying and I just figured I would update everyone from Israel...
Those 21 hours were fun but tough. I didn't mind being by myself, but it was hard not understanding much of anything around me - and English isn't a popular language to learn over there. I enjoyed the country though, and the people were really nice - even if they didn't speak English. I slept for as long as I could on a bench, with my luggage all locked together around me. I wasn't really tired though, so I didn't sleep very long, or very well (probably about 4 hours total that night). The next morning I was able to get in line to check in for my Tel Aviv flight at 7:00. That is when more excitement came...
I was one of the first of 4 people to be searched and have all of my bags opened, emptied, and gone through. I was a bit freaked out at first just because was my first time every being stopped and searched at an airport. I wasn't sure how it all worked or what was going to happen. But in the end it was a round-about blessing because 2 of the other people were girls headed to the same school as me!! Yay, God! It turned out that one of them, Sara, had been on the same flight from Chicago and spent the night in the airport too. But there we all were, bonding while our stuff was rifled through and taken out and tossed around and questioned... I'm not sure why security stopped all 3 of us, but they knew we were all going to the same place. It was tough to be vague as we answered the questions, but still direct and completely honest.
While they were searching the stuff, the whole terminal we were in had a black-out. It wasn't a huge deal because it was a bright morning outside, but it caused some time delay for the security and most flights. It was stressful, but really no harm was done, and I feel like a seasoned traveler.
When they were finally satisfied we were escorted to the the flight just as the last passengers were boarding (they wouldn't have been allowed to leave without us though, so there was no concern about missing the flight). That flight was about 3 and 1/2 hours long - and also had pretty good food. I realized that because of my lack of time-zone, and my extra time being stolen by the search, I hadn't been eating... so I was hungry and the food was very welcome.
Getting into Israel was amazingly easy at the passport gate for all three of us girls now traveling together. They looked at the passport, looked at me, and stamped in my 3 month visa and we were on our way. The nasher to Jerusalem wasn't hard to find either, and we arrived at the apartment around 5:00pm.
We walked around the area last night, and I'm confident getting around the area immediately surrounding the school and apartment (I'll be posting pictures soon!).
The apartment is a small flat a few blocks from where the school is. There are 11 girls sharing 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, kitchen and living space. It's very cozy, but I think it will be fine. I love the girls already - every one of them is very sweet and fun, and laid back enough to not worry about space/privacy.
The school is located on the second floor in a building a few blocks away. It's basically in a business/office kind of flat. There is enough room for a small little library/study area, and a multi-purpose room that is used as the classroom/cafeteria/meeting room depending on the time of day. Again, pictures will be posted soon!
This is a HUGE long blog story... sorry! I hope you've enjoyed it. More will be coming soon... most likely after orientation or possibly after classes start on Monday.

If you have any questions feel free to comment, or e-mail!
Love, joy and peace to you all!

Heather