After two days

Hey everyone,
So at this point, I have officially enlisted and become a soldier for real. I have served my first two days of my army service. So we went back to bakum (the part of the main base in tel aviv, where they enlist people) and since i was already a soldier, i sat there for multiple hours not doing anything. Then eventually by about 3ish in the afternoon they called 5 of us to go get on a bus. We walked over to the buses got on a bus, which was absolutely packed full, and got on, only to put all of our bags in the aisle of the bus, since there was no more room under it. We got to the base at about 6 or 7 at night, and the first thing we did was go eat dinner. Then we went back, had to get beds, mattresses, sleeping bags, and put them in our tents. Then we had to get another set of beds and mattresses and sleeping bags for another group that had gotten to the base after us. Then we did a lot more moving of beds and sleeping bags, nothing too serious. eventually we had our sha'ah tosh (free hour for anything you need to do), which is also the only hour that you have during the day to be on the phone...(otherwise it has to be off and in the tent). Not to mention that you can only be on the phone in your tent or behind the bathrooms. So, like most good weekends when ill be let out of the army, i got out on Friday to go home, and so i had about 6 or 7 hours of bus rides to get to my kibbutz. Now its shabbat and I'm resting a lot, only to wake up tomorrow at around 6 in the morning to get on a bus at 6 30 to have another many hours of bus riding...I haven't done very much yet, but ill be updating on weekends that i come home to my kibbutz, and/ or if i have any computer access...

Almost There...

Hey everyone, I haven't been so good with writing the past few weeks, but here, ill try and catch you all up real quick.

First of all, one thing i haven't mentioned in my blog at all which deserves a very large presence is my host family on the kibbutz. They are really awesome, they are a young family, the father is Haim who works at the optics factory on my kibbutz, the mother Roni, and baby Shaked who is now ten months old, starting to stand by herself, and run with a little help. They are everything i could hope to have in a host family on the kibbutz, they take me on trips in the north, introduce me to all of their friends, and I have started to feel like a part of their family. I was with them for Rosh Ha'shana and they have taken me many times from our kibbutz to Tel Aviv for the weekend.

So now that Ive said that here goes with catching you all up on the past 3 weeks...

two weeks ago 6 of our girls went into the army...5 of them to become infantry instructors and one to be a medic. It has made all of my program change a little, because now most people are still living on the kibbutz and those 6 girls are in the army during the week and so the dynamics of our group has changed a lot, i think for the better, because pretty soon we are all going to be in the army. I found out that I'm going to Nachal, and i will go in the 19th of November, which is really soon now, and exciting to start what i came here to do.

We also had this ceremony to represent the end of our time on the kibbutz before the army, we did this long skit with dances in it, a couple of funny videos and basically the purpose was to show people on the kibbutz about what we have been doing these past two and a half months, and to laugh about it. I also set up two different slide shows, one with general pictures from all the things we have been doing, and the other with pictures of each person in our garin with their host family from the kibbutz, and them telling everyone where they are from and where they are going in the army in the background. It was really fun, and one of the other kibbutzim in our program came to watch and support us too. Afterwards we ate dinner, and they opened the pub on the kibbutz so it was really fun.

Since, we have gotten a few gifts from the tzofim, the organizers of our program including a big backpack for the army, which will be really useful. Since i have 11 days from today till i join the army, I'm rushing to see everyone i want to see before who i haven't seen yet or haven't seen since i first got here.

Tomorrow morning we are taking a pre-drafting drip to Eilat, and we are going to spend three days there, go to the beach, have fun and relax for the few days of freedom that we have left. The next people going into the army are going on the 16th, and then me, with others the 19th and then another the 23rd.

Becoming a Soldier

So this one is kinda out of order, but here goes:

So a week ago, we went to "Bakum" which is a part of the army base Tel Ha'shomer in Tel Aviv, where people are inlisted and are released from their mandatory army service in Israel. Last monday we went there to "become soldiers" even though were not going into basic training for another month.

While there, there was basically a bunch of different stations, we gave our bank account so they can deposit our paycheck, we had a blood test done, we got our picture taken for our army id, our finger prints taken, vaccinations, and finally we got our uniforms. Of course when getting the uniforms we had to try them on to make sure we didnt get anything too out of proportion, make sure the boots fit, and of course to see how we look in them. The day before we went to do this was my birthday, so i thought even though it wasnt mandatory at that point, that i was going to buzz my hair so i would look like a soldier for real in all of the pictures for the army. Anyways, we also got our preliminary army IDs and our dog tags of course, and now with our amy ID we can travel on any Egged bus in Israel for a maximum of 9.60 sheckels. (of course once were in the army, we will go for free). When we got back to the kibbutz after this long day, we had to pack up our uniforms and be done with them until we actually going to go in the army. Right now all of our statuses are "soldiers" we are no longer civilians, and any offenses we commit will be tried in an army court.

Here is a picture of me with some friends in Uniform:


(notice were in my room, you can see the texas flag above my bed...)

Yom Kippur in the Old city of Jerusalem

So this Yom Kippur wasn't like others that i have had in my life. 

First of all it was spent in Jerusalem, which i have only done once in my life, when i was in Israel two years ago on Year Course. Second of all, this one i got to spend two of the three services inside the walls of the old city. 

I stayed with Yemmima, a good friend of Yaels and one of the scouts who worked at Camp Tel Yehudah when i was a camper there...It was especially nice, because i didn't make my plans until a few days before i actually went, so it was really nice of them to take me last minute. 

Friday afternoon the fast started pretty early, because here in Israel, we have already changed our clocks back for daylight savings time. (just for those who are curious, im 7 hours later than central US time now) We had a nice meal at Yemimma's house, then drove to the old city parked the car right outside, and went into the Shul. It was a sepharadi portuguese shul, but there were many people there who were neither portuguese nor sepharadi. It was pretty hard to find my place, because of the pace of the service, and the fact that they don't read out page numbers there like they do in the states. It was a good experience overall, and i would return to the same shul the next night for ne'ila to finish off the holiday, at which time i had began adjusting much better to the pace and tunes of the service.  After the service we walked back to Yemima's appartment (half way across Jerusalem) which took us about an hour or so. Then we got in, and i went right to bed, having woken up at 6 that morning, and after a day of traveling from the north to Tel Aviv, and then Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The next morning i woke up at about quarter to ten, and i got up, and we went to a different shul, a little closer to their house, only a 30 minute walk. That shul was more similar to the tunes and style we have back home, although not exact. After that service which went until about 2 in the afternoon, I ended up running into two different Judaeans, and walked back to the old city for ne'ila (the ending prayers of Yom Kippur). We got there in the middle of the reading of the story of Jonah, and stayed for about 3 hours until the fast ended. Overall i would have thought that fasting and walking as much as i did would have been really hard, but in the end, it wasn't too hot in Jerusalem, and it wasn't nearly as bad as i had expected. Overall the experience was pretty cool, being in the Old city of Jerusalem, where so many people had done the same thing for thousands of years. Also doing the priestly blessing in the shul inside the walls of the old city was very moving, because it was the closest i have felt to my ancestry possibly ever. Hope everyone who fasted had an easy fast and Chag Sameach, and Shanah tovah (happy new year) to everyone!

I got called to tryout for the airforce!

So this past couple of weeks have been a lot of fun, they have been generall pretty routine, ulpan three times a week, and activities about the army, and learing more and more about the army every day.

One really big thing that i found out 3 or 4 days ago, is that I have been asked to go for the first round of testing for the air force, that i qualified for the preliminary testing for pilots course, which for those of you who dont know, is a pretty big deal in Israel. So, that was really exciting, and a really big honor that i even qualified. So Monday im going to Tiberious, with four other guys in my gareen who qualified, and were going to take a series of tests for a few hours, and see if we qualify to go to the next round.

The other night i went to a basketball game, Israel vs. Bosnia, and it was a game that all of the people on year course this year were at, and so i got in through their overpurchassing of tickets. Basically i took a 4 hour bus ride from the north go get to tel aviv, and then took a bus back the next day. It was really nice though, because I got to see lots of friends, ,meet some people, and see my cousin who is on year course this year. Then after i met Daniel Gottesman for dinner, who for those of you who dont know him, is a family friend, and an officer in the Israeli air force. Then after dinner i went back to Holon where i slept for the night, and then my friend Roy came and picked me up, and we went out for a bit. It was really good to see him, because i hadn't seen him since we worked together at camp this summer.

Another thing i forgot, Sunday after our free weekend last weekend, we stayed in Tel aviv, and our program brought all of these different speakers to talk to us about the middle east, and about the Israeli-Palesinian conflict, and about the army and everything. It was really nice, although everyone was exausted from going out during our free weekend. Then that night we drove south, to the negev and stayed the night in a bedouin tent which was really nice, just to be able to go and sleep out in nature for one night. The next day we drove about twenty minutes further south and arrived at a Shirion (tanks) base where we got to see an all out exerceise of many different branches of the army. There were tanks, people from engineering, field intellegence, all the different infantry units, and artillery. I wouldnt say it was fun, but it was really interesting, and a new experience seeing how the different parts of the army would theoretically work together in the field. Then we had a talk with a few officers from the tanks, and they tried to convince us why tanks are the best place to be in the army. It worked pretty well, but i still dont think im going to go to the tanks. Then afterwards, we had to get back on our bus and drive from the south of Israel to the north, which seemed to take forever.

Life on the kibbutz is still nice, its very theraputic. Noone on the kibbutz normally has any use for money, becasue in teh dining room and in the kibbutz store everyone has a number for their account, so you dont have to worry about the constraints of money ever. Even though its kinda socialist in that respect its really nice and peaceful.

Rosh Ha'shanah is coming up really soon, and im planning on going with my kibbutz host family to Tel Aviv and meet their extended family.

By the way, i forgot to add earlier that Israel won the Basketball game that they played against Bosnia.

Tonight there is a big end of summer party on the kibbutz at the pool, so im really excited about that. Thats all for now, ill keep you all posted. for those of you who didnt sign up to get notifications... heres the link again.

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Pictures from Kibbutz Shamir

This is the view we have out of our window in the guys building...

This is the view we had at our sunrise hike two days ago...
A view of the side south of the Kibbutz....

More pictures will be coming soon, and they will be accompanied by a new post as well.

Army information/testing week

So this week was filled with information about the army, and ill give you an overview of what we did. This past weekend was a free weekend, meaning almost everyone was in Tel Aviv, partying and having lots of fun. (As was I).

Sunday we all (All of Garin Tzabar) met at the Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv, and from there we took buses to one of the biggest army bases in Israel, Tel Ha'shomer, in which we had a fun day filled with many different things. Basically the way it was set up, was many different trailers, each representing a different part of the army. We went through and heard about Tzanchanim (Paratroopers), Medical Corps, Artillery, Search and Rescue, Combat Engineering, Education corps, Tanks, a new battalion called 'kfir', and at each one, there were representatives from that unit, telling you why you should join that part of the army, passing out information, showing movies, weapons, or tools used in that unit, and so forth. Basically it was a day of lots of information, and a little bit of confusion, since each person can only pick one place they want to go... This really didn't help me make any sort of decision. Then at around 2 or 3pm we set out on our way back to the kibbutz. The ride isn't too bad by Texas standards, its probably about 4 hours from Tel Aviv, if there isn't traffic and if you don't stop on the way. Anyways, we stopped about an hour away from our kibbutz to get some food at this Arab restaurant, which was really good.

Basically, they kept bringing out more and more types of salads, and falafel, and soda, and pita, and once we were all just about full, they came around and took orders from each person of what kind of meat they wanted. It was amazing. Anyways, we finally got back to the kibbutz, and were pretty tired. At this day we had two days until the infamous Tzav Rishon ('first order' from the army, where everyone goes through a doctor's visit, the standard stuff, blood pressure, weight, height, checking back and feet, and basically a general check for any problems. Then comes, "Imut netunim" which is basically, a personal interview, where they not only check what you have been doing for the last few years, but also your Hebrew level, get personal information about your family, and other stuff too. Anyways, the other stuff is pretty standard, they had to know everything i have been up to since i graduated from high school, and that seemed to be enough. Then came the Hebrew test. This specific round of testing is infamous for being hard even for most Israelis, and there are a few different parts. The hardest parts are where they give you a sentence, which you have to read, (most of the words of which you have never heard, and have no idea what they mean). They tell you to try and guess what the words mean, or what the sentence means as a whole, seeming to forget that you cant even give her the meaning of single words in the sentence. Then the best part about it, is that you get to do it another two or maybe three times. The next part is Hebrew words, the interviewer says a word and you have to tell her what it means, or try and figure it out if you don't know. Then the instructor person gives you a pencil and piece of paper, and tells you to copy down the sentence she reads (also about at the same level as others, where you have never heard of the words before). Through all of this i at least managed to make some small talk with the two soldiers who were interviewing me, and one of them had even heard of Young Judaea, and was in the scouts.

The next part of the rigorous day was waiting, i haven't mentioned it yet, but between each of these things that I'm explaining, there is a minimum wait of 30-45 minutes. The next step was the "ra'ayon ishi'' (personal interview), which was interesting, i was put in a type of interrogation style room where i sit opposite a relatively cute soldier, who tells me that i can feel at ease, its not a formal meeting, and that i can relax. Then she begins by asking me a little about what i already told the other interviewers, about what i have been doing my last few years of my life. Then she asks me what a good friend is to me, and about any experiences i have had with professors in college, if i have ever gotten in an argument, or clash with any, and why and what happened. She follows up all of her questions with more questions, and just tries to get to know me, and why I'm there and why I'm going into the army, and what i want to do in the army, and what i would do if i was put somewhere where i didn't want to be, and more questions of the like. It was relatively painless, just took me an hour and a half or so. Then back outside to wait for the "psychotechni" tests (basically some sort of IQ tests). Eventually i went in and took two short tests, one in 15 minutes and the other in 12 minutes, and they were either picture patterns, which i had to pick which was the next in the pattern, or it was analogies of patterns, and i had to pick the correct answer. The first test was really hard, because it started with really easy questions and got harder and harder and so by the middle, i thought i was doing well on time, but then they got really hard, and each question took more time to solve, but it was OK in the end. The second test was much easier. Then i was done. It was a good feeling, but then we went outside where everyone was, and we had to wait some more until everyone was done. It was a really exhausting day overall, and it was an important day too, because that day my physical and intellectual profiles were determined, which are the two numbers that will stay with me through my army service. I also got a score for my Hebrew level which i will be able to test and improve, but the fact that i got a personal interview means that my Hebrew is good enough to start the army with the level I'm at.

Yesterday was very relaxed, in Ulpan, we watched a movie, and did some fun games too. Then in the afternoon they brought a couple of members of the kibbutz to talk to us who were members of either the Palmach or the Haganah, the freedom fighting groups that eventually transformed into the IDF when the state was established. They told us all about how things were, and it was really interesting hearing their perspectives because i dont think i have ever heard that perspective before.

Today is Friday, and we had a late wake up, we cleaned out building and pretty much were free for most of the day, we went to the pool, hung out, and took naps. Now I'm back after having shabbat dinner, I'm going to go to the Kibbutz pub in a bit, and there's another all kibbutz activity that i wanted to see before that. I know it was a long post, it has been a long week. Shabbat Shalom.