Rental Issues

As some may remember, my original target date for Aliyah was June 1, 2006, which is only 29 days away. Knowing this, I signed up last year at this time for a lease which would end on June 1st. Unfortunatly, now that I've delayed my aliyah by 2 1/2 months, I'm stuck with all this junk and no lease for the summer. I've asked the management repeatedly if I can extend my lease and now I'm just waiting to hear back, but they haven't been responsive for the last week or so. It's a catch 22. I'm nervous about having to leave in a month and that I won't photograph my stuff and sell it in time, which keeps me awake at night, which means that by the end of the day when it's time to photograph my stuff, I'm so tired that I can't get much done, which means I fall behind schedule, which makes me nervous, which... well, you get the point.


In other aliyah news, I received a phonecall from Nefesh B'Nefesh yesterday. They just wanted to talk to me about my plans and where I'm planning on living, and really just giving me some individual attention to make sure I'm not making any false assumptions or missteps. Meanwhile, I mailed back my Nefesh B'Nefesh contract last Friday. The deal is that Nefesh B'Nefesh gives you a financial package which starts out as a loan without payments. If the Oleh (immigrant) remains in Israel for over three years, the loan becomes a grant. I will also receive a $100 travel voucher to get myself to JFK International Airport. It will still cost me a bit to get there, but the $100 definately helps.

The next step on my aliyah checklist is to get my visa stamped at the Israeli consulate in San Francisco. Stay tuned!