Approval has arrived!!! Gosh, I love this process so much. No, really, all the paperwork, phone calls, emails – they’re all bringing Israel and aliyah closer to reality! It’s actually a miracle that I got approval at all – everything was at a complete standstill, since I couldn’t find my Israeli birth certificate (and didn’t even know it existed!).

Out of the blue, my father thought of a place it could be, and 5 minutes later, I had it in my hands. It’s been just two days, and I already got the approval email.

WOWOWOW this is unreal.

There’s still more paperwork – I gotta get a visa now! The Israeli Embassy in Washington is in charge of that, and I’m waiting on their reply to schedule a final interview.

Nefesh B’Nefesh also sent me a link to request a free flight, so I chose a group flight leaving in 2 months from now. The group flights are guided from beginning to end by Nefesh B’Nefesh staff. They’ll meet us in the airports both in America and in Israel, and guide us through the form filling and procedures. Bonus – I get 3 suitcases! But I have to see if I can bring my guitar as a carry-on. Honestly, 2 suitcases should be sufficient.

It’s hard not to get ahead of myself planning every step, but I want to list the rest of the steps here anyway to help other future olim.

1. Find housing for the summer-I don’t yet have a summer job, or any job for that matter, but I’m in touch with many possible employers. If you’re on the job hunt, check out Janglo.
2. Choose a medical insurance
3. Choose and sign up to an Ulpan
4. Save money and spend as much time as possible with family! I’m not even going to start writing about how much I’m going to miss them. One step at a time 🙂