My first week in Israel in the town of Hod Hasharon seemed like a figment of my imagination. It all started with loading the cars and driving to the Hartsfield Jackson airport. My family and I pulled into the parking lot after the drive there and went in to check my bags. Thankfully they made the weight limit at 45 and 47 pounds. My family walked me to the line where we hugged goodbye for the last time for four months. Security was a breeze, and so was the flight to New York. Once I landed in New York along with the other three Atlanta students, we went to baggage claim to get all of our belongings, then meet up with all the other student from around the country. 

Later on that evening, we began the process of interrogation by El Al. There were many questions being asked, such as where I lived, what my middle name was, and if I went to Sunday school as a kid. I finally made it through the questioning which I thought would never end. Next was security which was easier than the interrogation. The flight was about to depart, but first there would several more hours of waiting. The flight itself was very manageable. I slept through almost all of it. I finally understand the joke about airplane food, it really is as bad as it sounds. Finally, after several hours of waiting, two flights, and an interrogation, we arrived on campus! My room is on the third floor, and I have three other roommates, they are all lovely. I will say it’s been quite a long time since I have had to share a room with someone. It’s going take a bit of time to adjust to the lack of closet space as well as shared desk space. Nothing too exciting happened on the first day. We had orientation which took up most of the day, which is important, but wasn’t fun. We also began our core classes this week. Aubrey is my teacher and he has a delightful personality. I also began general studies this week as well, which was very tough to say the least.

It has been over a month since I have gone to school and it is going to take a week or so to get back into the daily routine of school. The teachers seem nice for the most part, and the class sizes are very small, which I have mixed feelings about. We also went on our very first tiyul (field trip) to a place called Tel Gezer. Learning outside was a nice change from the boring white walls of a classroom setting. The scenery was gorgeous at Tel Gezer. I have also learned from the first few days being here that it’s not as warm as one might think. I should have packed a few more sweaters. The wind is very strong here compared to Georgia, and the other day wind was up to 31 mph, which made walking on the town a bit less enjoyable. After the week was done, we had our very first Shabbat on campus. We had a small service with our teacher Aubrey. Spending a day relaxing and doing homework was nice. I have gotten to bond with some of my other students. This week has been hectic and has had lots of changes to get used to, but I know these four months are going to be amazing after the period of adjustment.