Behind Every Good Trip are Hours of Prepwork.

The paperwork has been received, everything's been printed, and consulates have been called.  It is the first week of July, and things are progressing (relatively) smoothly.  When I originally thought of going abroad and the processes associated with it, I seriously underestimated the amount of work and effort that it takes to successfully make it into another country.  The visa requirements are pretty extensive, multiple forms of insurance are required, and on top of that I have to prepare for classes.  It's crazy.  Thankfully, I have some wonderful people who are willing to support me in making it happen! I'm really relying on my parents, since they've been abroad before, and their help has been invaluable.  I normally like to do things myself, but I realize when I'm out of my depth. 
So the "real" status update: the visa application should be in within a week (it looks like I'm going to have to deliver it personally...), and once I get the travel insurance documents and my plane ticket I can fill out the rest of the paperwork, which includes information sheets and confidentiality agreements, etc.  I still need to email for syllabi, but there's not as much a rush on that.  Once all of this paperwork is done, then I can focus on the fun stuff: packing and planning for Israel!