Welcome to Paradise

I think it was Green Day singer Billy Joe Armstrong who first uttered these famous words, but I could be wrong. In any event, the ship, or airplane in my case, has landed. As I'm writing this, it is Saturday afternoon here in Tel Aviv. I arrived at Kfar Hayarok in Ramat Hasharon two days ago and finally feel acclimated to the time change. This after sleeping for about 16 hours yesterday. I know, I know, not much different from back home, but this sleep was definitely needed. Trust me.
Let's rewind a little.
One thing I love about this country is the closeness of its people. For instance, as we landed in Israel two days ago, the entire plane applauded in unison. The plane on the runway next to us could have heard the sound waves. Was it because we landed safely? Maybe. That no terrorists had highjacked our plane? Possibly. That people were finally back in the country they call home? Most definitely. Its a feeling of camaraderie that brings everyone together, and it's great to be a part of it.
The rest of the Los Angeles contingent and I then boarded a bus and were taken to where we will be spending the next two months of our lives. Let me try and paint a better picture for you...
Imagine five-star hotel accommodations, 3 restaurants, a 24 hour masseuse, luxury Olympic size pool and spa, king beds in every room, and on call room service. Now that we got that out of the way, erase all that and picture a 30X30 foot room with four beds small enough for Frodo Baggins and his band of brothers to live in. One bathroom in each room and a cafeteria serving food fit enough for the best beggar on the streets of medieval Europe. Other than that the place is great. The people here are great. And most importantly the combination of both has made for a great couple of days, sans the time spent sleeping.
Luckily we had some time yesterday to practice so I was able to meet my teammates. We have three Dominican players so we should at least be competitive. The running joke here is that your team's ability is a direct correlation to the number of Dominican players on the team. Honestly, they are ridiculous. And apparently Vladamir Guerrero's brother is one of them. Word is still out though on his ability to hit the ball 500 feet or throw guys out at home plate tagging from third on a ball hit to the wall.
Alright, I'm getting kicked out of the library here so it's time for me to go. Opening Day is tomorrow and our first game is Monday night. Talk to you all later.