When Everything Goes Wrong
Luckily, I'm not talking about Matt and me! A couple of days ago, we started realized that it had been several days since we had seen another year-long CY student. All three of us realized this over dinner one night and we vowed to go talk to the administration to see if they knew what had happened to him and if not, to find a way to see if he was okay.
The next morning, we ran into him before class. We told him that we had feared he had died and no one had known and that we were relieved to find him still among the living. His response was that he has been dealing with some major problems and hasn't been able to attend many classes. Yes, okay, I'm nosey, so I asked what kind of problems.
His story was horrible! It turns out that the airline lost his luggage (they think it might be in Saudi Arabia but they're not sure), his doesn't have any money because his ATM doesn't work (he banks at a very small bank in the U.S.), he has no place to live (he followed the suggestion of a few and thought he could wait to find a place once he got here), and he doesn't have a student visa.
Wow! I'd be completely stressed out with just one of these problems. We're doing our best to help him out, but so much of it is out of our hands. Hopefully the three of us can help him out at least a little. I just can't imagine being in a foreign country and having to deal with all that - what stress!!
So, for anyone coming to Israel in the near future, make sure you pack some clothes in your carry-on, check with your bank about the use of your ATM card in Israel before you come, find housing for yourself while you are still in the U.S., and try to get your student visa while still in the States because the bureaucracy is even crazier here.
His problems make my stinky apartment seem like paradise :)
The next morning, we ran into him before class. We told him that we had feared he had died and no one had known and that we were relieved to find him still among the living. His response was that he has been dealing with some major problems and hasn't been able to attend many classes. Yes, okay, I'm nosey, so I asked what kind of problems.
His story was horrible! It turns out that the airline lost his luggage (they think it might be in Saudi Arabia but they're not sure), his doesn't have any money because his ATM doesn't work (he banks at a very small bank in the U.S.), he has no place to live (he followed the suggestion of a few and thought he could wait to find a place once he got here), and he doesn't have a student visa.
Wow! I'd be completely stressed out with just one of these problems. We're doing our best to help him out, but so much of it is out of our hands. Hopefully the three of us can help him out at least a little. I just can't imagine being in a foreign country and having to deal with all that - what stress!!
So, for anyone coming to Israel in the near future, make sure you pack some clothes in your carry-on, check with your bank about the use of your ATM card in Israel before you come, find housing for yourself while you are still in the U.S., and try to get your student visa while still in the States because the bureaucracy is even crazier here.
His problems make my stinky apartment seem like paradise :)
posted by Jen at 5:11 PM
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