So Rachel and Sarah went to the Israeli Consulate in Chicago to get student visas. US citizens don’t need visas to Israel, but since we are staying more than three months we needed to get a special student visa that is placed within our passports. So we went there, paid the fees, gave them our passports to put our visas in, and they said that they would mail them out in a couple days. Rachel’s passport came. Sarah’s did not. So Sarah called the Consulate, who said:

“No, we don’t have your passport. We sent it out. It’s not here.”

And Sarah said:

“Well I don’t have it either, and it shouldn’t take two weeks to get here.”

So Sarah called UPS, a couple times, and they said:

“We have no record of ever picking up your package.”

So Sarah called back the Consulate, who are launching an investigation. But Sarah still is without her passport, and she needs it to get the tourist visa to get into Israel. So Sarah went in to the DC Passport agency two days before her flight, and paid another $150 for another passport.

Now Sarah feels like a rabid dog whenever she sees the UPS logo. She may need therapy.

Debacle #2: TravelCell

So Sarah and Rachel decided to get an international cell phone. Great rates. Cool phone. Yay. So Rachel ordered the phone and said that we wanted our service to start on August 27^th, because that’s the day we actually get in Israel. Rachel gets an email saying that the phone will arrive on the 19^th. But it doesn’t. And not the next day. Or the day after that. So she calls them up and they say:

“Well we thought you didn’t need it till the 28^th, so we were going to ship it to you on the 27^th.”

And Rachel said:

“Yes, but you will be shipping it to North Carolina. I’m going to be in Israel. That’s not going to work.”

So they said:

“Well, we’ll ship it now.”

And Rachel said:

“But I’m going to Maryland tomorrow, could you ship it there?”

And they said:

“Ok”

And then Rachel gets an email, confirming the order as sent to North Carolina. So we were both like:

“How stupid can these people be? Let’s just not have a cell phone then.”

But it just arrived in Maryland. So we have a cell phone.

Debacle #3: Averted

So both Sarah and Rachel ordered contacts through 1800contacts.com and had them shipped to Rachel’s sister’s place in Maryland where we would be staying. So Rachel was supposed to warn her sister that Sarah’s contacts were coming, but somehow all was forgotten. So Sarah’s contacts showed up before she did, and Rachel’s sister was so confused. So when Rachel’s brother-in-law picked us up he told Sarah that he had taken her contacts back to the post office because he didn’t know whose they were. So he kept that up for over two hours until Sarah was nearly crying. Liar.

Debacle #4: Computers

So Sarah had this laptop that she was going to bring to Israel. Nice Toshiba, do papers in bed, kind of thing.However, two days before flying out, while Sarah was at Rachel's house in North Carolina, it all of a sudden starts going crazy. It has a hard time starting up and everything. So Sarah was like "well, we have to go to Maryland tomorrow, I'll see what I can do to it there." She opens it up in Maryland, and now it won't do anything. Just a blank black screen of nothing. Sarah finally figures that the mother board is fried, not a big deal. So she calls Toshiba and they're like, "you have a warranty, but since it's not an international warranty, you can only get it fixed in the United States." And Sarah's like "well what does it matter which Toshiba place I take it to? I just need to take it to any one." Nonetheless, Sarah's computer is presently in Maryland. How sad.