Chi-town superdorm and visas...

Hello friends and family,

I write to you from my dorm room at the University of Chicago (I think? Either that or its a theological seminary...Now that I think about it, I'm really not sure to whom the dorm belongs actually.... except that right now this particular one is mine! Did I mention I got up at 4am?) This dorm set-up is remarkably similar to the Superdorm at Bogazici University in Istanbul (TIME '09 folks shout-out: insert here a sigh about the awesome that was the Superdorm)!

I awoke at 4am for my two flights, arriving safely in Chicago with all my baggage! Praise be to God! Alhamdulillah! (الحمد لله) All of us 50 or so YAGM arrived at the university and have been together all evening sharing dinner, information, reminders on names and finally worship. It's wonderful to see these people again since I feel as though I barely even got introduced to them at the DIP (Discernment, Interviews and Placement) event back in March.

In other news, we learned the other day that our visas are delayed. They were sent back in mid-May but for some reason the process is taking longer than we expected. Believe me, everything that can be done to expedite the process (well, everything legal) is being done. We just have to wait. Unfortunately, since we cannot fly into the country without our visas, this delay puts back our flight. It is therefore likely that the 6 of us YAGM who are assigned to Jerusalem will not be leaving until a week or more after everyone else heads out. The situation is frustrating and confusing, but at least we get to bond as a group in Chicago.

Furthermore, this process will likely allow us to more thoroughly empathize with the people we will meet in the West Bank who face challenges just moving through their own country, let alone trying to get visas to another country. It is likewise humbling to learn that even for the mighty blue-passport carrying American, visas can be difficult to procure.

In peace,
Sara