Well everybody...I'm here. And I'm so happy! It's been a long day(s) of traveling, but it's so worth it. I'll give you a quick summary of everything that has happened so far, before I go crawl into bed (I am so excited to sleep!)
I woke up before 4:00 a.m. this morning (Well...let's just say Tuesday morning, Utah time) to go to the airport. I was there over three hours before I first flight took off (had to be) so I just started meeting some people in the group while we waited.There are 82 of us on this journey together this semester (only 24 boys!) and I already love them all. I haven't even met some of them, but just the feeling we have...I know we'll be so close as we learn and grow together in this amazing environment. Oh, and let me take a moment to brag...neither of my bags were a pound over the limit! Maybe they weren't more than a pound UNDER the limit either but...still. Thanks Mom and Dad for helping play Tetris in my suitcases to make everything fit! However, I digress.
Our first flight from Salt Lake City left around 9:00 a.m. and we flew directly to JFK in New York. I sat by the same two people on both of my flights today - Dallin and Alyssa. They are both great! Something about spending 15 hours on a plane with someone...it bonds you. Flying onto Long Island was gorgeous! I definitely want to spend some time in New York when I have the chance...it was beautiful.
We then had a long layover in the JFK airport (4-5 hours I think?) We played card games, ate food, talked, ate more food, talked some more, did SOME of the reading/homework we had already been assigned, etc. It actually wasn't too bad. Then we had to go through security all over again before we could board the plane to Tel Aviv. It was a HUGE plane! I'd never seen a double decker plane before...pretty cool! This flight had some pros and cons. Biggest pro...great movie selection! There were so many great ones, I could've watched movies and been happy the whole time! (Mom...I watched "We Bought a Zoo"...it was cute! However I don't think you guys should try anything crazy like that...just a hunch). The biggest con....any of you who know me can probably guess. Sleep = impossible. I don't know what it is but I CANNOT sleep on planes. Ever. Traveling to Peru was an awful experience for that same reason, so I thought maybe bringing sleeping pills this time would help. So a few hours into our 10 hour flight, I took a sleeping pill. I watched a couple of movies, played some games, read some, talked some, etc. I was really tired by this point, so I decided to try to sleep. Dallin and Alyssa even gave me their extra pillows hoping that would make me comfortable enough to be able to, AND I was able to lean against the window. Did I ever fall asleep? Nope. I was tired, achey, and desperately wanted a power nap, but...it just didn't happen. Sure, the sleeping pills made me more tired I think, but that made things worse since I couldn't fall asleep. I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.
Overall though, in hindsight...the second flight wasn't too bad either. As we flew into Tel Aviv, it finally started sinking in to all of us. We made it!!! Walking into the airport was a cool experience. Different cultures, different languages, etc. Almost every sign in Jerusalem has Hebrew, Arabic, and English to make it more convenient (which I really appreciate!) We made it through customs without any problems, and thanks to some awesome guys in our group, we (girls) didn't have to deal too much with our VERY heavy luggage. (They helped us stow them in the overhead bins, helped us get them from baggage claim, helped us take them to our rooms once we got to the Jerusalem Center, etc. I was VERY appreciative!) Oh...I did lose ONE thing on the plane somehow. My name tag. :( Oh well. At least it wasn't my passport, right?! :)
People were there at the airport to meet us and take us to our buses. That was the worst part. Being in Israel and having to wait on the buses! We finally left the airport, and started driving towards the Jerusalem Center, my home for the next 3 1/2 months. Israel is incredible! It's definitely hot (and surprisingly much more humid than I expected) but it's so neat! I love the land, I love the buildings, I love the atmosphere...and I haven't even really been in it yet! I can't wait to learn more about it though, through field trips and classes. This place is going to come alive to me!
Towards the end of our ride, Bro. Judd (my Old Testament teacher here) gave us a heads up that we would get our first sighting of the Dome of the Rock. As we turned the corner and saw it, sitting there in the middle of the city, the sun shining off of it's golden dome, and thinking about what it represents to so many people and so many religions....wow! Sooo neat! I'm actually HERE! Soon after our spotting of the Dome of the Rock, we reached the Jerusalem Center. Can I just say how incredible this building is? It's absolutely gorgeous. I feel so spoiled! The faculty and volunteers and everyone are just so friendly. The building is beautiful. The views...BREATHTAKING. I will definitely be doing journal writing and scripture study outside as much as possible. All of us were so tired when we got here (around 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Israel time) but I definitely got an adrenaline rush once we got a tour of the building. It's perfect. This will be such a fun, rewarding semester.
After dinner we had a few minutes to go out on one of the balconies and just look at the city. It was right around sunset, and the sky (and the city) were gorgeous! I can't believe I'm looking at the same city Christ overlooked. The same streets He walked through. He and so many other incredible men and women. I took a few pictures, but will upload them in a few days when I have more (and I can't upload pics here at the center, so I won't do it as often). Tomorrow we get a tour of parts of the city and I am so excited!
My roommates are Katie, Nicole, and Kalen. They are all great, and I'm excited to get to know them more. Every room has a balcony we can go outside and see the city from. I LOVE it. Even walking from our rooms to other parts of the center, there is not always a ceiling so I feel like I'm living outside. And I love it - the weather is perfect in the evenings! I really could go on and on, but since we have to get up early in the morning, and it's getting late here (Jerusalem time - even though its only 1 p.m. Utah time...weird I know!) I'm going to get some sleep so I can enjoy the day tomorrow!
I'll try to post again soon...thanks for all your love and support!! Hope you're all well!
P.S. Okay so of course something had to make it so this day wasn't ENTIRELY perfect. That something would be the fact that my 2 pound pump bottle of conditioner somehow tore through the ziploc baggy I had it in (in my checked in bag) and somehow opened. Yep...that was fun to discover. Conditioner all over several of the things in my suitcase. Oh well...who can be upset in Jerusalem?! :)
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