Safe Travels

I have safely arrived in Jerusalem. It's been a wonderful trip already. The airplane flight and layovers all went incredibly fun and were actually rather enjoyable.
Todd dropped me off at O'Hare in Chicago on Tuesday, June 8. I waited in the rather long line at the LOT Polish Airways check-in. A large groups of nuns was nearby. I refrained from singing "Sound of Music" out loud. Barely.
Given the length of the line, I didn't have to wait at the gate in O'Hare too terribly long. We boarded and off I flew! To Warsaw.
Yes, Warsaw. I had a thirteen hour layover in Warsaw. LOT fed us twice on the plane over, so I didn't need to worry much about food. I exchanged some money at the airport so I'd have some right away in Israel. Shockingly, I got majorly ripped off.
I don't study Eurasia at all. I thought about going into Warsaw proper, but I really would have no idea what I was doing. I did, however, leave the airport, find a glen of trees, and hang outside with a book for a good amount of time.
Later in the airport, I entered into a great conversation/interview with two women - one American-born Muslim whose husband is an Israeli Muslim, and one Israeli-born Jew who married an American Christian Marine, moved to California, and still lives there, though she and her husband are now divorced. Full details of that encounter are given in the "Field Notes" section (see tabs up at the top of the blog).
On the plane we got, and off we went to Jerusalem. We arrived at 3:30 am, so I flew into darkness with a bunch of beautiful lights. I did get a chance to see the lights bordering the Mediterranean, which lit up the water. It was a gorgeous sight.
One funny moment in the Ben Gurion Airport: A guy who had been on the plane with me asked me where I was from and was trying to make the traditional small talk. Except that he started rambling about how great Polish and Finnish sausages and pork were...it was ridiculous.
Merci (the Israeli Jew met in the Warsaw airport) and her kids took me out of the airport and put me on a shuttle after speaking to the driver. He took me exactly to where I needed to be - Agron Guest House, a youth hostel in Jerusalem. That was a huge de-stressor...I'd had an ugly feeling I was going to be dealing with cabs all day trying to find the right place. The shuttle was great - so long as it wasn't reversing. I cannot begin to describe how loud and high-pitched the reverse squealing alarms were. 'Twas utterly painful.
Driving along the highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, I could have sworn I was back in Egypt. I didn't see the Wall, and street signs were in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. The scenery is much the same - a bizarre and charming juxtaposition of traditionally adorable white-stoned buildings and Western architecture. Israel has made great pains to make itself much more green than Egypt, however. In the next few weeks, I'll be exploring how this effort to "make the desert bloom" has affected the state, the people, and the environment.
I arrived at the Agron Guest House around 5 am. Reception didn't open until 7 am, but the guard let me in, showed me around, and gave me some information about Israel. When reception opened, I dropped my luggage off at the front desk, grabbed some books and paper, and headed off to walk around Jerusalem. I didn't do anything too exciting - hung out in several parks, explored some buildings and streets, accustomed myself to the sights, sounds, and smells. Got my first shock at the streets. The native Israelis actually obey the traffic signs, both in cars and on foot. I don't think I've ever been in another country where that actually happens. It was a bizarre feeling, expecting the Israeli standing next to me to walk into the road and having him not do so.
Most different from Egypt thus far (other than the obvious Jewish influence) - the birds. Israel is home to hundreds of bird species. They're everywhere and they're exquisite.
So here I am in Jerusalem, safe, happy, and now joined by my entire class. We all got here, mostly on time and without incident.