2nd post

Off to Israel we go,
    After a 10.5 hour flight we finally arrived in Israel, exhausted from  sleep depravation and running on excitement and adrenaline.  Little did we know that after that long flight we would be received at the airport with a very long very thoughtful ceremony – that in true Israeli style, no one was listening to and everyone was talking through.  I got to admit that arriving in Israel and walking down the stairs of the plane with pictures taken and the warmth in the air made me feel like I had arrived home- and that and I was a celebrity of some sorts.  Which is weird because there are a lot of people that make Alyiah every day and do not get the welcome we did. 
    In any case the ceremony had friends and family waiting for us with roses, flags and signs.  I felt very alone, none of my family or friends were there.  Something small like getting hugged for a big change in  your life is something I take for granted a lot.  At my graduation my parents and two best friends were there cheering for me and my friends.  Here, getting off and seeing a lot of my friends being hugged made me realize that while I have people who love me here, I have to start a new in a sense and meet new people and relearn a lot.  
    After the ceremony we stood in line to go to the upstairs level and wait for some documents and a taxi voucher.  Another line.  So far Israel means a lot of love, mixed emotions, childhood and a lot of lines.  Waiting for another hour sweaty, tired, and cranky at this point I finally met with a woman who gave me my certification of Katzin Chozer and  I was off to pick up my suitcases.  Through a  jungle of suitcases I found my two thinking that luckily my third would not arrive until Regba- that was the not the case.  A smiling woman informed me that all three of my suitcases arrived just in time to lug up my Safti’s 6 floor walk up. Hurray!
    I couldn’t keep my eyes open in the Taxi who got lost and cursed a lot. Finally we made it to Haifa, and boy did it change.  There were a lot of new things and people to see which got me excited.  The Bahai gardens were beautiful from the view from the cab window.  6 floors later with 3 suitcase,  I was hugging Safti and so happy to see her,  have a shower and a 12 hour nap. : )
    So here I am now, safe, happy and ready to take on this journey. I am leaving out the part where at 1 am in the morning Israeli time I cried and listened to U2 songs.  I think that is to be expected.  There is a mix of emotion and a lot of missing of people such as family and friends. 
    So far so good,
     With lot of Ahvah, kisses, and hugs,
    Michali