well, exactly one month after i departed the pct from portland international airport, away i go! after tearful goodbyes to my parents, dogs, and the west bloomfield whole foods market, i got on another plane, bound this time for tel aviv.
here's me at the windsor airport, YQG (stands for "your quick getaway"-- how canadian is THAT)
i landed at ben gurion international airport at 10am local time and got a taxi to rishon lezion, a large city east of tel aviv, where i was staying the night at the apartment of my good friend Jonah (OSRUI alums in the homeland!). Jonah is spending the year in Rishon as an English teaching assistant in a local middle school.
after a much-needed power nap, jonah and i took on the most important task of the day: watching the michigan football game, of course! this saturday was only the second gameday i've missed in four years, so i was feeling major waves of nostalgia when the Big Ten Network panned across the Big House and that student-filled sea of maize.
fortunately, the pain was dulled slightly when Jonah and I stepped out during halftime for dinner-- and by dinner, i mean FALAFEL. there are falafel stands all over the streets in Israel, and every place makes its sandwiches in a slightly different way. some even put french fries in theirs! we took our meals back to the apartment to eat while watching the second half, and let me tell you, Michigan Football plus Israeli Falafel equalled a seriously spiritual experience.
tomorrow I am meeting up with the rest of my program for orientation and move-in. the first several weeks will involve intensive training for our school and nonprofit placements. can't wait to share it with you all!