Pre-trip Fun

Today is exactly 23 days before I get on my plane to go to Israel.  I started packing a few days ago, but I'm still nowhere near done.  Hopefully when I get closer to the actual trip I'll have much more interesting things to say, but for now I'm just excited.
The program is comprised of three main parts.  First is the kibbutz community experience, where we will be building a reform community and learning how to efficiently live in Israel.  The next two and a half months will be in a city called Karmiel.  There I will stay with a host home and volunteer in some aspect of the city.  The last part, the Jerusalem experience, will have us living in a flat in Jerusalem.  We'll get a stipend and have to cook, clean, budget, and live together in a reform community.  We'll also attend seminars, classes, lectures, and go on hikes and trips all over Israel.
For now, however, my main focus is packing 9 months of, 'stuff,' into two suitcases that will conform to airline restrictions.  If I can do that, I can do anything.