A-Day

Well today is A-Day; arrival day that is. I have to admit, it was pretty sad leaving my family. My mom started to cry, and I almost did when I saw the note that my sister had hid in my bag for me to find. These were all tears of joy, though. They were tears of another beginning. I was reminded by my sister’s note that “The Everlasting God is my place of safety,” and nothing else. God speaks through the little things, even if they are notes that are written by your little sister.

I just got my room all situated, and have a couple hours to relax before dinner at 6. It is now 3:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. at home). It is hot here; not just muggy-hot, but a real dry-hot. It is hard to describe. I have never felt anything like it before in my life. My room is actually pretty large, and pretty nice. Dan and I have plenty of room. I will admit it is a change from living at the house at Taylor last week where we kept the temperature at 70 degrees. Our room now is 88 degrees. Fortunately, we are on the first floor, and the closest room to the bathroom and showers.

I only got an hour a best of sleep last night. I boarded my light to Tel Aviv at 6:00 p.m. NJ time. I arrived in Tel Aviv around 10:00 a.m. (3:00 a.m. at home). The flights were actually a lot of fun; I met up with Dan at the airport in Newark. The flight from Newark to Tel Aviv was a little over 9 hours. I didn’t move from my seat the entire flight. I was at a window seat which was awesome. We got to fly over New York City, the Atlantic Ocean, many European cities at night, and finally Italy and Greece. There were some absolutely breath-taking sights. My favorites were the sunset and sunrise while in the air. The plain that I rode to Israel was a 777. There was over 600 people on the flight. On the way there I watched 4 movies, some TV shows, played arcade games, and listened to music on the interactive entertainment screen on the seat in front of me. I’m guessing this was the cause of no sleep, no study, and no reading on the way to Israel. All in all, the flights all went smooth, were safe, and were pretty enjoyable.

Once we landed in Israel, we met another kid , Isaiah, who was also going to the Jerusalem University College. We teamed up with him, got our bags, and got a large taxi van to take us another hour to Jerusalem. This was one of the most fun drives I’ve ever had. The driver was a crazy man, flying back and forth through traffic. I felt like I was in a race car, but a roller coaster at the same time. The style of driving is much different here. Anyways. . . when he dropped us off, we ended up in the right spot but on the other side of the old wall. We had to take a 10 minute walk with our 150 pound plus of luggage. Haha. That was an experience; there were hills, many cars, and cobble stone pavement. These factors mixed with the heat made for quite a rememberable experience. We finally got to the location, though. The place is actually pretty awesome; much larger than I thought. It is definitely old, though, and well gated.

Once we arrived, we immediately went for lunch. Lunch was pretty normal I guess. We had a kind of noodles covered in a Sloppy Joe sauce, salad, fruit, and a tangy juice drink. Dan and I did meet some new people at lunch, but none that I can actually remember their name. Everyone seems to be nice. They knew us by name before we even entered the gate. Later tonight we have a bonfire and a chill time with other students. Dan and I both helped Tim, a RA type gather fire wood from the protestant graveyard that lie right beside campus. It was a little eerie to say the least. In the graveyard I also encountered 4 stray dogs that started to chase me. It was a thrill, let me tell you. After gathering firewood, I went exploring on the campus and found many rooms were classes are held, as well as places that were good to see the city. The campus is beautiful with flowers, grape vines, and pomegranate trees. Tomorrow, we have an orientation day, and we have a tour of Jerusalem. Since I’m here I might as well speak the lingo . . . Shalom.