2nd Day of Ramat Yochanan

Its been a good day, today. I woke up, with a bit of headache. In the morning we had a Hebrew placement test. We mostly sat around and waited to be called for the Hebrew interview and to take a written test. I just called and went to take the test. It was easy at the beginning, just filling in the blank of basic sentences. Towards the end, it got a bit hard...I think that the test started talking about future and past tenses..so I missed a few. Then we interviewed with the teachers.

I did really well and I know that I'm going not to be in Level one! Thank you Zilla...I learned something.

After the test we ate and then went to the beach just north of Haifa. It was perfect, just soaking up the sun and washing the sea water out of my mouth and eyes. Getting to the beach was fun...One taxi, and two buses but 10 shekles. On the way back we just decided to take a taxi...it was 12 shekles a person...so I think we take the taxi's now. I'm really starting to get tan...believe it or not.

More people have come today and seem pretty cool. I have gotten to know most of the people better, and there are some kool kats.

Tomorrow I will find out what class i'm in and the level...and tomorrow night the kibbutz pub is open and there is going to be a Beatles cover band...I have heard this is the entertainment for the Kibbutim; watching the new students get drunk and try to dance while they sit back and enjoy the show...I'm thinking that I will try to blend in with the Kibbutzim and make fun of all my classmates with them...good plan? IDK.

1st day on Kibbutz

Hey all,

So today, has been very interesting. I had the most beafiful ride to the Kibbutz, over Ha Karmel mountain. It over looks Haifa, a major port town in the north of Israel. I felt almost at home, in Colorado, the mountain and trees are awesome.

I got to the kibbutz and met my roommates. One is from NY and the other from NJ, both younger. I met some others at first and I felt very strange. If many of you know me, I would be the one to be outgoing and talkative, but here, I'm quiet and just wearing my sunglasses in the corner. I went to lunch, it was ok, and I sat and met a few new people from my uplan. There are people from Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, London, and America. I am finding myself speaking Hebrew, just because its the one language that we all can relate too. So I guess this is good.

I am living in a small room with two others, and there is about 47 other people on the Ulpan from 17-29...quiet the range.

Tonight we all decided to go out and visit the nearby town and get to know each-other. Everyone is being very friendly and its been good so far. One guy I have gotten along with is from Australia and he is a lot of fun. We both have made Aliyah and have to go to the Army after Kibbutz.

So more to come...

Day 5 Hamash

An almost perfect day...

After a lovely weekend, at the beautiful Yael's house in Rishon. I had to leave and head for the Holy town of Jerusalem, or as Rivka would call it, J-Town. *When I was at military school, J-Town was Jarzas, Mexico...

Well the hardest part of my day was getting to my bus from the Central Bus Station in J-Town to Nefesh B'Nefesh. But after about 30min trying to find where the bus picks me up. Well I crossed the road about 5 times then decided that I was on the right side. Well I was right and it took me to the right spot. I didn't say a word from the time I left Rishon until I got to Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN), I was just thinking about what I would say if someone talked to me...but no one talked to me. I got to NBN and it was crazy, people trying to get the Olim to signup for their service...ie. Cell phone, Bank, Health Care, Newspaper, ... I went staight to the line to get my Teudat Zahut...the Citizen ID card. I got called in, they gave me my gant$$, ID Card, Official name change certificate, a Oleh discount card and told me that I was all ready to go.

Yes, I went then to get my bank account, checked out a few...decided that Lumni was the best and they gave me good discouts. I then checked out three cell phone companies, Orange gave me best deal, so now I have a cell phone. *Check out it on fb or ask. I got a bunch of food and headed out to meet Or in Tel Aviv to check a train back to his house. So yea, that was my day. All and all tov besader.

On Tuesday I move to my Kibbutz, Ramat Yochanan. Its just near Haifa...some more exciting trips on public transportation. I wonder what my roommates are going to be like...well I have had a lot of roommates...but the most exciting thing I am looking forward to is not having to figure out what I want to eat or when I want to eat. I have realized that I haven't really had to make all these decisions...btw. I have had some very good meals in Israel already. I love it.

Talk to you all soon.

My first day

HaYom 1 (היום א)

Today I was introduced into the Israeli bureaucracy. Now some of you may be laughing, but I was prepared. Everyone's favorite piece of advise to tell me is that the Israeli bureaucracy is a balagan (Mess) Mamash in fact.

I slept until about noon. Mostly because I tried to stay up late and help the onset of Jet lag. My friend Or, who's house I'm staying at in Pardes Hanna, invited over some old friends from the past two years at camp. Tal and Barak and Idan via skype. We drank some beers and caught up with eachother. It was a great night and I passed out on the bench. (From tiredness of course).

So today. Or and I decited that today we would try to get all my immigration stuff done. I needed to setup a bank account to get a cell phone and my govern't payments; and also to register for a health insurance. All my "Post Aliyah guide" said that I could do all of this with my תעודת עולה Certificate of New Immigrant (It looks like a Passport). Well we tried to use it and at the first bank, they first said they can't, that I need my תעודת זחות Certificate of Citizenship. The man talked to the bank manager and he said it was ok. Well after Or talked with him, he told me all the fees and that there was no discounts for Olim Hadashim New Immigrants. So we decited to go to another bank, they wouldn't even talk to me without a תעודת זחות. Or talked to the bank manager there, who was very rude and not helpful. So Or, in front of everyone in the bank told the manager "Now that your a big bank you think you can stop caring about customers." Koah Kavod Or. So we tried a third bank...no luck there same thing. So giving up on banks, Or called his friend who works at Nefesh B'Nefesh. She said that there was going to be Bank reps at a big Olim fair in Jerusalem on Monday and just to wait. So I will wait. No Bank = No cell phone. Also earlier in the day we looked up the times for the Post Office. It said online that it will open at 1530, but when we got there, there was a sign on the door that said it closed at 1500. It was now 1501...Shit. Oh well then we tried the banks... After failing at three banks and the Post Office. We decited just to go and relax at the Beach. On the way out we stoped for some pop. After we saw a Open post office. So don't ask me why, but the post office is where you register for the Health Fund...thats why I needed to go. We walk in wait in a line, get cut a few times, realize we are in the wrong line and then we talked to the lady. I thought she signed me up, but infact I just paid her for the registation of the fund. She gave us a receite to bring to the health fund of my choice. I wasn't signed up, I was just giving a receite to signup. Oy. So we drive to the Fund of my choice, but it was the wrong office, so we drive to another office just a few minutes away. They entered my ID number in their system. I did not show up. They said that I have to wait to get myזחות תעודת . So we return back to Or's house. Wow what a day and no beach.

So we just chilled out and watched some Southpark, ate dinner, and then watched the Day after Tomorrow.

More to come about my Aliyah later. Friday I head to Tel Aviv!

לילי תוב

P.S. You will have to excuse my spelling and grammer. I'm tried and not paying much attention to it.

Today is the day!

Shalom all,

I am now at the airport, JFK. I have checked-in dropped my very heavy bags and I'm waiting for the goodbye ceremony to begin.  There is a ton of people, as the whole fight is Olim Hadashim, New Citizens. There are a lot of religious jews, secular Jews, families, and a few like me. 

I can't wait to get my seat and meet a bunch of new people. 

I'll update you once I land. Check out the live and recorded broadcast of the events at http://www.nbn.org.il/live/

I have some great friends meeting me at the airport in Tel Aviv. I can't wait to see.

Good luck everyone and stay in touch.

Tzvi

Final steps before leaving...

I have two more weeks until my flight to the Holy Land!

I have now completed everything on the US side of things for my Aliyah. I have my visa, flight, completed application, name change, and registration for Kibbutz Ulpan. I just now have to get on the flight. Once on the flight, Nefesh B'Nefesh has government officials start processing all of the required documents and submitting everything for my Israeli ID card and passport. 

Yes, its now official. My name will be printed on my Israeli ID card: צבי דרלינג Tzvi Darling

Plans for arrival:

You can come to the Airport at JFK on August 18th at 12:30pm for a short ceremony or if your in Israeli register online for the giant ceremony Click HERE to register

I am still working on what I'm going to do for the 10 days before my Ulpan begins. Or has offered a homebase...so if you want to hangout let me know!

I'm making Aliyah!!!

This is a letter to all my friends, especially many of those that have made an impact on my life; I hold all of you dear and close. I want to start off with an apology; Sorry that I didn’t tell you or send this message earlier. I have many reasons to as why I’m telling you now, mostly so that I could make absolutely sure that I was making the biggest decision, thus far in my life, on my terms and to make sure I was going to stick with the decision.

Over the past two years, I have been contemplating moving to Israel and even perhaps making Aliyah. I have been doing quite a bit of research and planning recently for a move to Israel. My draw to Israel is intense and everything leading me to Israel has been falling into place. I feel as if Aliyah is my next step in life. My Job came to an end, my housing contract is up, and I have held some important roles on campus to leave a mark. I still have three semesters left of college, but I am really not enjoying my degree. Its not the people.

In January, I began my application through Nefesh B’Nefesh, a great and very helpful Aliyah agency. I feel as if I am being called to Israel. This is a very critical time for Israel, and my greatest contribution can be to immigrate and defend the Jewish state. If I plan to start a career in Israel, there are many benefits to going to college there. I have already met a vast amount of descent from my teachers, friends, and mentors. All of them keep telling me to stay in school and just get a degree. There influence did affect me and I really tried to make plans to stay in school, but affording living expenses here is getting difficult without my campus job…leading me to really start working on my Aliyah application, to plan for my future.

Just a few weeks ago I was in New York City and met with an Aliyah advisor from the Jewish Agency. This means that I was approved for a grant and fight from Nefesh B’Nefesh. At the Jewish Agency I had an interview, to make sure that I wasn’t just jumping without a plan. I passed and got approved to make Aliyah! My visa is on the way and the next step is to get on the free flight. I will be finished at camp on August 17th and driving to NYC for the night. *Big party to come. On the morning of August 18th, I will be going to JFK with a one-way ticket to Israel. *Big welcome ceremony at the Tel Aviv Airport. So yes, I won’t be coming back to Colorado…

My current plan is that I will spend a few days at some friend’s houses and travel a bit until my Kibbutz Ulpan begins August 28th. *If you would like me to visit you, let me know. I’ll then be traveling to Kibbutz Ramat Yochanan, just a few miles outside of Haifa. It’s a really beautiful place with mountains and a beach near by. The Ulpan is five Months and then I plan to fulfill my two-year service in the Israeli Defense Force. After the IDF, Israel will pay for me to finish my education. Letting me search for a job soon after, without an interruption for having to go back to the Army for the two year period.

So once again, I’m so so Sorry for just leaving and not really telling you my plans. I really didn’t know that I was 100% going to make Aliyah when I left Boulder. I will try my best to stay in touch and feel free to write and call whenever you can. I will miss you and please come to visit sometime in Israel.

With much love,

Tzvi Darling (AKA, Jeremy)