First - the flight over. Six bags, six back-packs, 4 kids, 2 adults, 2 computer bags, 2 strollers and 2 car seats - and we all made it!!! Whoo-hoo!
The kids did amazingly well. My parents had great insight to take us to eat at The Alamo Cafe on the way to the airport at 11am and good thing we did. We were so busy hopping planes that we did not eat again until the El Al flight at 10pm. We ate, put the boys pajamas on them and we all crashed. They were all asleep from about midnight until 6am! Woke up for a breakfast again on the plane just in time before landing where it was 3:30pm in Israel.
A van met us at the airport and drove us from Tel Aviv into Jerusalem. That is about the time that it truly hit me that we were indeed in Israel with our kiddos - I'm slow sometimes. Never in a million years would we have found our apartment. It is off a busy road, off an cobbled-road street, off a narrow alley. We are in Na'Chalot - a coveted place to live where people of all culture and religions blend well with acceptance and respect. We may be some of the first actual Christians people have met.
Last night grabbed some pizza from a street cafe and wandered. There is a 24hr convenience store near the house. We went in for some breakfast items for today - found milk in plastic bags and a box of raisin bran.
Overall, yesterday was a lot to take in. I was grateful to have jet-lag and culture shock memories of our year in England. It all can feel very overwhelming at first and can be easy to panic if you don't purposefully take deep breaths and remind yourself that the next day will be better. You haven't slept or eaten regularly. You can't read anything around you - all in Hebrew. Everything looks and smells differently. You can't think clearly and this time around we had the kids looking at us for reassurance and answers to their multitude of questions. But after a good nights sleep, you begin to see at least a little more clearly. To be continued . . .
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