Omigosh I’m an Israeli: (warning this part is really long)

After the taxiing that seemed to take forever we finally parked. We were in the middle of nowhere in the airport but we could see the bus full of press waiting to capture our first moments as Olim Chadashim (New Immigrants). I had two way too large backpacks so Sam, my older brother of the day, switched bags with me because he is just that nice. He’s moving into an ulpan place (along with half of the plane) that is around the corner from my new apartment! Once I stepped out of the plane it was like I was in a dream. I tried to smile as much as possible walking down the stairs because I knew photographs were being taken at every second. (It paid off too. Click here to see the picture: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/123026) The only reason I might have not been smiling is that I was afraid I would slip on the stairs and fall into Israel. That would just be so me to do something like that.
Once I reached the ground I started jumping up and down screaming and hugging all of the girls I’d been sitting with. We had our picture taken a bajillion times and some of them were interviewed. Obviously I wasn’t interesting enough yet again, but it’s ok because the questions they asked were so annoying and I didn’t want to ruin my amazing mood. They asked things like “Why in the world would you want to live here?” etc. I mean I guess it’s an important question for Israelis who don’t understand how lucky they are to live here and who take for granted that it’s not as easy to be Jewish anywhere else in the world. They also take for granted that they have no idea what it feels like to live as a “stranger” in another country and to always be in the minority. The longing to be part of the majority is one of the main reasons I felt I had to live here.
After about 7 minutes of dancing around I got really hot. We landed in the middle of a heat wave and were standing on the tarmac next to a massive plane with no shade. We moved onto the bus, which thankfully was air-conditioned!! As we were driving around the airport to get to the old terminal I don’t remember thinking much of anything. I was so excited and nervous and tired that I just couldn’t feel anything. I was vaguely aware that I was going to be seeing David in less than a few minutes for the first time in 6 months, but it wasn’t until I could see the building and the huge crowd waiting that my heart really started racing. I feel so lucky that I ended up on the first bus because the crowd was still semi-orderly and once we got off things broke into a mad rush of hugging, crying, cheering, and a massive blur of activity that is overwhelming. I also got really lucky because I saw David just as the doors were opening. He came in uniform and our friend who was also in uniform was friends with the officer in charge of organizing all of the soldiers at the welcoming ceremony so they got to be at the very front before all of the other civilians.
I stepped off the bus and made a beeline to him. I dropped one of my huge bags at his feet and gave him a huge hug. After that I felt like I went into a warped world. I was only conscious of what was directly in front of my face. I was vaguely aware that there was music playing and people cheering—it was so overwhelming that my senses shut down. Next I saw Aunt Marilyn. I went to give her a hug and she was crying (and obviously I immediately broke down too). She was so proud of me and happy for me and so happy that finally after 34 years of being alone away from her family on the other side of the world she had someone else who had followed her that she was close to. She has made amazing friends here that act like family, but it isn’t the same as having members of your real family close together. She is one of the main reasons I knew that I could make this move. Not only did she move here 34 years ago when she could speak to her parents for maybe once a month-ish and it was crazy expensive, she also knew she wanted to be here after only 6 weeks! She’s also the one who helped me make a plan and get the courage to break the news to my parents that I wouldn’t be finishing college in the states and I was moving to Israel. I owe so much to her (and her family) for their constant hospitality over the years and constantly making me feel at home with them. I don’t think I would have had the courage without their support. Seeing them at the airport was so special for me and hopefully I will be able to see them often.
Once I calmed down from that I noticed that I hadn’t said hi to my friends yet! They were all on the same program this summer and had to get up around 6am to catch a bus to take them to the airport so they could come see me. That is such a big deal!! It was so early and I am so happy they could all come and share my aliyah with me. One friend I hadn’t seen since I had left Midreshet Lindenbaum 2 years ago. It was a wonderful reunion!! Then I noticed my friend Craig! (one of my best friends from UT) He is also in Israel for the summer and he had told me that he probably wasn’t going to be able to come. I was in complete shock at seeing him and so excited that he also made the huge effort to see me land!
I had finally started to calm down when yet ANOTHER huge shock came. Tova and Rav Brown, heads of the Midreshet Lindenbaum American program I was on, were ALSO there to see me. I was so surprised and grateful that I broke down sobbing again. They had always promised us that if we made aliyah they would be at the airport to pick us up. I didn’t realize that they were seriously serious, and I couldn’t remember if I had officially notified them of my date of arrival so it was one of the most pleasant surprises I could have ever asked for. They also played a huge role in my decision to make aliyah and it meant a lot that they could be there to see me through. Not only did they give me one of the most amazing years of my life, but they also have taken me in numerous times on extended visits over the past few years. They gave me a place to stay, food, classes, and love and encouragement all for free just because I was an alum of their program. Their support gave me the opportunity to spend more extended time in Israel and really helped foster my love for this country and my determination to move here.
This was definitely a day of surprises! I hadn’t even finished getting over the fact that Tova and Rav Brown were there when I noticed family friends from home, the Levys were also there!! I sent them an email with my flight information knowing that they’d be in Israel on the off chance that they could fit me into their schedule. I fully did not expect them to take time out of their vacation to schlep out to the airport at a ridiculously early time…and was just so unbelievably touched that they did!
Once I calmed down from all of the excitement outside I was able to give David another hug and realized once again that I was burning up so we decided to move inside. In the interest of time I’m going to write a separate post about what happened once we entered the terminal. Dun dun dun…