I'VE ARRIVED!!!!

Wednesday evening I arrived in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) in Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv! I flew British Airlines with a short layover in London too (It's cold there). I was so happy to arrive here!

After customs and grabbing my luggage, I went into the Hall of Arrivals (picture below) where people go to greet each other and welcome them. It was amazing to see crowds of friends and families welcoming their loved ones. Israel is very small, and families and very close and related! Many different people are distant cousins of one another here. 

Then I went to Har Nof in Israel. It's a top a hill and overlooks much of Jerusalem. It's beautiful up here in the hills. When I arrived a cold front came and it was very windy, rainy and COLD. It was a tough adjustment, but I managed. I live in a dorm room and I have one roommate who is very nice. I also live across the hall from my friend Rochel Chaya who also went to UT with me! I have two other friends who live in another dorm nearby. I also have many friends who live all over Israel, so it's wonderful to have such a great support system. This is a picture of me at the top of one of many hills. It was a cloudy day from the cold front. 

Fun fact about Israel:

They have NO squirrels. They have never seen squirrels ever! Instead, their wild animals are cats. People don't own cats here as pets. They are wild animals that live on the streets in packs (picture below). To Israelis, owning a cat as a pet is as weird as owning a squirrel as a pet!

A short message to Mrs. Brown's students...

A message for all of you as I prepare for my new journey...

I'm almost leaving America...

So my life has been in super speed ever since the last day of student teaching! Saturday was graduation,  Sunday and Monday were cleaning and preparing my apartment. On Tuesday I moved out officially from my apartment and went to College Station to spend the night with my mother and brother. On Wednesday my mother drove me to Houston to stay with my great aunt in Clear Lake. I said goodbye to my mother Wednesday night, and it was very difficult to do.

My great aunt lives in a condo right on the lake, and I had a beautiful view while eating breakfast the next day.

On Thursday I said goodbye to Texas, my favorite place in the world, and my home, and flew to Baltimore. I was fortunate enough to stay with my wonderful friend Mimi. Mimi and I met this summer on a Jewish learning program called Heritage where she was a tutor. We were roommates and became friends. I spent Rosh Hashanah with her and her family in Monsey, NY back in September. That weekend, we also got to spend time with our other friends from the Heritage program Fallon, Shaindel, and Rebecca. Saturday night we hung out and went to a delicious bagel place called Goldbergs. It's the popular place on Saturday nights in Baltimore. Baltimore was really cold though! Especially when I was sleeping in a basement (yeah, houses up north have basements!)

Sunday morning, I took a bus up into the city, and now, I'm here, in the Big Apple. It's amazing how something as simple as a city, can be so awe inspiring. It is so incredibly different from anything I've experienced in Texas. I've been to New York City before, but it has been years, and each time feels like a new time. As much as I love New York City, it's cold and rainy here, and it's not home. My home is in Texas, no matter where I am. 

I do love how many kosher restaurants there are here. Literally, EVERYWHERE! And in Baltimore too! I've been eating kosher Chinese food, Dunkin Donuts, bagel sandwiches, Chinese food again, pizza, etc. I usually eat egg whites or beans, and coconut yogurt. I'm used to eating out at a restaurant MAYBE once a month. I feel spoiled here. And on top of it all, I just saw Mary Poppins tonight on Broadway! It was amazing! It is truly an incredible show and such a spectacle. 

On Tuesday I fly out of Newark on British Airways to Israel. At 3:20 PM (Israel time; 8 hours ahead of Texas) on Wednesday, I should arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel. I can't believe this is really MY LIFE! 

My journey to Israel is beginning soon...

It's the last two weeks before graduation, and my apartment is packed up, and the movers come on the 6th to take my things to storage. I'm nervous and excited for this amazing opportunity! This blog will be here to help keep my friends and family up-to-date on what I'm doing in Jerusalem. 

The name of this blog comes from the Facebook group  A Sem Girl Says which pokes fun at the seminary girl in Israel, who is often characterized as a ditzy blonde. Although I'm far from that type, I certainly enjoy joking in this fashion. 

While I'm in Israel, I will be studying in the Western Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof (which means 'scenic mountain') at the Jewish Orthodox girls' seminary called Neve Yerushalayim. Har Nof is located at point A on the map below. 

I'm going to be in Jerusalem for about 6 months studying, and having my chance to improve my Hebrew and make lifelong friendships! I'm going to miss all of my family and friends in Texas, and of course my dear students, but I want to share with all of you what I'm doing!

Here's to new adventures!