24 hours

What can you really say about a place after only 24 hours?  I'm here.  The A/C works.  My first meal was hummus, second was italian, third a typical Israeli breakfast (fried eggs, tomato/cucumber salad with sour cream that doesn't taste like sour cream on the side, fresh whole grain bread with little samplers of sundried tomato spread, tuna, and tahini, plus homemade fig jam and nutella.  Also a fruit smoothie of pineapple, fig and mango.) 

I have already been welcomed by what I affectionately call the Israeli mafia (due to the strength of the network) - phone calls/emails included Magda (mother-in-law in Prague), Miki (brother-in-law in Phoenix), Mazi (our local relo contact), and about a dozen offers via Dan for everything from sightseeing/aclimating, to helping find dance studios.  Talked to Dad on Skype last night.  Everyone at home is asleep by now. 

Working on getting signed up for Ulpan.  Our air shipment has apparently been sitting in the warehouse in Michigan all this time, but as of last night they seem to have realized this and started the paperwork to get it here.  Somebody was asleep at the wheel.  Good thing I know how to camp out.  :)  We're in our apartment until July 14th, then we go to the Sheraton until the end of August, when we're able to move in here for "real" with our own stuff.  We've been notified that our container has been scheduled to sail 7/3, with an expected arrival date of 7/20.  Then it will need at least a week to go through customs, maybe more.  We can't use it until the end of August anyway, so they'll have to store it somewhere if it comes any quicker. 

On Sunday I'll meet Dan at work to return Noah's car (one of the guys he's replacing), then we'll meet the moving company out by the airport to go over customs laws.  It's complicated with the whole expat vs. citizen thing that Dan has going on.  Hopefully we'll get some clarity on the best status for him to claim in terms of tax liability and social benefits.