Shavuot

After the ceremony, we returned to base. We went deep into our Hebrew classes, and began to obtain more privileges now that tironut is officially over, even though we were still learning about a few things here and there (I absolutely loved our unit of first aid right before our tekes, and even did some practical tutoring with my tzevet). We had another Yom Sidurim, but this one was for each of us to do on our own. I had a lot to get done, so I left early Thursday morning. I am trying to get my American driver's license switched over, but upon arrival to the DMV, they told me I didn't have the right paperwork. Fortunately, I also learned that I can drive with my American license until it expires when I turn 21, but I still have three years from when I made aliyah to switch it over, expired or not. When I got back to the kibbutz, still in uniform, I decided to surprise my ulpan teachers and say hi. They were administering the final exam that afternoon, and I also wanted to see the ulpanistim and wish them luck. I got there in time to sign cards, even! I also surprised my little brother and visit him in the gan. They were headed to the dairy to meet some cows before Shavuot (a holiday where traditionally dairy products are eaten). I went with them, and we had so much fun with the cows and calfs, but not with the smell! On their way back, I decided I should probably get a shower and a nap. I gave him a big hug and kiss and promised him I would come over for dinner.

Cows are one of the only animals that say the same thing around the world- MOO

Sunday we returned to base, and prepped for yet another short week. We took our final tironut written test on Monday, and there were some things I was pretty sure I got wrong, so I was happily surprised when I got 97%! We also took Hebrew tests, which were pretty hard. We'll get the results next week. We also learned more about Zionism, especially Zionist women. There was a speaker that came in to give us a quick run-down of some of Israel's coolest women and why they are important. They've started this unit with us because we are one of a few purely female pleugot in the whole army, and it's pretty special that we can easily take a course on Zionist women and female Israelis that changed the world. Thursday, we are going to Yad Vashem (Holocaust museum) and Har Herzl (largest/most important military cemetery in Israel) in Jerusalem, so we also learned some about the Holocaust (we already learned about Theodore Herzl).

On Monday morning, I took a bit of a dive on the concrete, so I've got some bandages on my hands and left leg, but let's hope that'll be the worst of my army injuries!

When we were released on Tuesday morning, I had to stay an extra half hour. Last week, my hair tie fell out while I was running to the chet, and I had to tie it back up. A few seconds after time was up, I was finishing up, but M showed up and saw me moving. So I got in trouble for that, but it wasn't too bad. I still got home by nine, and had a nice long nap before the kibbutz Shavuot ceremony. There was a parade with floats for all the different parts of the kibbutz, lots of dances and singing, and a show of the first tilling for the season. Kids had crowns made of flowers and lots of people were wearing white. We got to see all the babies from the past year. During my sister's dance, my brother was standing in the front and refused to sit down. We tried to grab him and tell him to sit, but we only got him to move aside. And then, during my kibbutz mom's dance, this little baby was standing by me and grabbing my hand. So I grabbed both and got him to dance along. All of a sudden, he swings his leg over my lap and sits down! Everyone around me was laughing so hard, but not as hard as when I turned to his mom and asked his name. After a couple minutes, he gets up and sits down on my friend's lap next to me. We were all just hysterical, but he was so cute! Only on the kibbutz things like that can happen.

There was a parade of all the different components of the kibbutz

Some first and second graders got to ride in the back

All the babies born this year

My sister doing a dance with her classmates

My kibbutz mom also dances! I was totally surprised by this

Sheffy got in on the dancing action

They started to work on the soil a bit right there so we could watch

Climbing on tractors

Lasagna, cheesecake, coffee, and great people to finish off the night

It was a great holiday, but things are about to sober up pretty quickly. This morning, I'm headed out for Jerusalem to meet up with everyone for our tours of Yad Vashem and Har Herzl. It's going to be pretty tough emotionally, but I think it'll be alright if we support each other. And honestly, after a month, I think I can expect that from these girls that I've gotten to know.

It Has Begun... [Tironut]

I have officially been in the army for two weeks now! It's absolutely nuts. Until last Wednesday we were still in our orientation groups. During that time, we commemorated Erev Yom HaZikaron (the Eve of what is a memorial day for fallen soldiers and citizens who died in terrorist attacks) on May 5 by having an official military ceremony. It was our draft's first ceremony, and it was very emotional and special. The next day, we went home for our free day on Yom HaAtzma'ut (Independence Day). That night, I went to a barbecue with friends and then the kibbutz celebration and it was really exciting because it was my first Yom HaAtzma'ut in Israel! There was a slideshow of all the kibbutz soldiers, and then they also showed the kibbutz Lone Soldiers, and it was so much fun to see my name, pictures, course, and base up on a big screen. It was kind of silly because I am the lowest ranking soldier on the whole kibbutz but I have one of the longest names.

Cutie Pie loves Israel

Middle school dance performance

Patriotic dessert

The next day, I went to another barbecue and slept a whole lot. When I got back to base that Wednesday, we officially started our tironut (basic training) after dinner. After we were all assigned a new tzevet (smallest group), our machlaka (next biggest group) got into formation to meet the sergeant. As we finally got it right, there was a flash of lightning. The moment the sergeant came out and started to speak, there was more lightning and then it started to rain.Very dramatic! We moved to a warehouse, and continued to go back and forth between formation and pushups. I still can't tell you how long it was, but at one point we got back in formation and instead of going back down to pushup position, our new mefakdot (commanders) started to hand out these pieces of fabric and plastic. We were told to put them on the shoulder part of our uniforms, and that they represent what machlaka and pleuga (next biggest, in my course all the girls are in the same pleuga) we are in. There ended up being a freak storm that lasted all the way through the next day, so our first full day we were COVERED in mud, which wasn't as bad as it sounds. So far, I have only taken pictures in my aleph uniform, which is what we wear to ceremonies and when we are off base. But on a regular basis, we wear what is called bet, which is more comfortable and designed to get really dirty. So when we got mud all over our bets, it wasn't a big deal and actually kind of fun (in retrospect).

At that point I still didn't know how to wear my beret, nor did I get my boots yet
The red stripe means pleugat lahava and the black means machlaka 2

My first weekend of tironut I went to visit the Muszkats in Jerusalem. Some of the group who travels there from the base invited me to a chanukat bayit for the new office of the Lone Soldier Center. It turned out to be a great opportunity to meet new people and learn about yet another organization that supports Lone Soldiers. Before I left, they gave me the contact information for the office in Haifa.

Grabbing a selfie with my buddy Jesse at the bus stop

The Lone Soldier Center is dedicated in memory of Michael Levin

I got to see my long-time friend Nina before she leaves Israel

This past week has also been very eventful. On Sunday, we started learning about the M-16. Monday, we were assigned our own M-16's (100% not loaded) to carry around literally all the time on base. Even when we get dressed, we have to keep the strap around our necks! They are really serious about weapon safety in the IDF, and coming from the US (as opposed to soldiers from countries where citizens cannot have guns, where they don't necessarily know how dangerous they can be), I appreciate it. Another thing that we learned was that if an animal has died we are supposed to move our lesson away from the site out of respect. My new mefakedet (we'll call her M) is really cool, but most of the time she is really tough on us. As a result, we are already making progress in a lot of areas. M is in charge of most of what we do, in addition to teaching us the practical parts of our tironut. We've also started Hebrew classes. I got into Tzevet 8, which means that we are the only girls' tzevet for kita dalet (the fourth and highest level), and it is really hard. We even have homework this weekend! I know that I will learn a lot, but I hope I can catch up to some of the other girls, who are really cool with all my questions in class. In the upcoming months, they will be my new family, so it's really good news that we get along and are already starting to be really close.

On Wednesday, we got to leave base early! Thursday was the first ever Yom Sidurim (errands day) hosted in conjunction by the IDF and Nefesh B'Nefesh. I traveled down to Tel Aviv in the morning (in uniform) and got so much done at Beit HaChayal, where they had both private and government organizations represented to help us have the most successful Yom Sidurim possible. It was incredibly helpful (there were things I was able to organize that I didn't even know I needed to do), and it was fun seeing my friends from base. It was a little weird because the Michve Alon Hebrew course staff was all there, including our commanders, but it was mostly helpful because they know us and what we needed to do, even if we were totally confused (like me). They also got to see us being kind of silly with the boys (my SUPER TALL friend Dror and I hopped across the room as if we were in a three-legged race, but with our middle legs up in the air). We also got to meet Lone Soldiers who have been in the army for a while, who gave us advice and just hung out.

All different units, ranks, and from 3 continents! Sweden, US, and South Africa

Yesterday I learned how to shave my kumta (beret) from my friend Ziv, so it will look much better, older, and wiser from now on, especially when I wear it (which I also learned how to do from M before we left Wednesday). I go back to base tomorrow, and this week we do a three-day stint in tents for field training. Should be interesting, but probably no photos. But I will be sure to get a photo of what a look like on a normal day on base before we leave!

Yours truly, Shirit

P.S. I did get my boots Wednesday afternoon before we left, so a picture of them will also be on the way next time around!

First Pesach in Israel, Five Days to Go

Today marks 3 months since my dad died, but also 5 days until my draft day (sorry, everyone's counting omer, so I'm in the mood!). It's been a hell of a week, so I apologize if my writing seems a bit clipped or otherwise off.

About a month ago (picking up where I left off), I went to Tel Aviv for an army prep day hosted by Nefesh B'Nefesh. We spent the whole day in lectures learning about different jobs, what to expect from a typical base, what to bring on the first day, and scams to avoid. I got to meet a lot of lone soldiers drafting with me, and Nefesh B'Nefesh staff members that can help me, and already have!

Climbing the Red trail on the Carmel Mountain

After that, the ulpan went on a trip to Jerusalem. It was really nice to get the opportunity to have a sort of refresher course on some of the history and learning about the worldly significance. We also had huge chunks of free time so we wandered around, explored, and did lots of shopping. I hadn't been back to the Kotel since my dad had died, and it felt good to take a minute and say a prayer in the same place he (fortunately) said many prayers in his life. On that note, Mount Herzl (military cemetery) was especially difficult to visit, but I put a little distance between me and the graves and promised myself I would come back as a soldier and give them the respect they deserve. It ended up being somewhat of a hard week in terms of missing my dad, so I knew that I needed to take care of myself first. In the end, it was a good touristy trip to Jerusalem, and I had a good time.

I worked in the kitchen one day to help the kibbutz prepare for Seder, the same night some friends back home had prom

Sunday, I went back to Tel Aviv because my good friend Noam (soldier from Taglit) was playing a concert with his new band. Now, it was extremely important that I go because not only Eden (another soldier from Taglit), and not only Skylar (currently doing a Masa Internship, met on Taglit) were going to be there, but Skylar's sister Morgan (ALSO on Taglit, you see where this is going) was visiting Israel with their family! Aside from being friends, I am a huge fan of Noam's music, but it was just amazing to get to see so many of us all together, in Israel. We snapped as many pictures as we could after the show, and, one by one, parted ways (for now!).

Noam singing "Ani Holech," (I am walking), the song he wrote about his army discharge

The next morning, I traveled back to Jerusalem to surprise the Muszkats. Arriving around noon, I was just in time to be a big help before the seder (to which I promise I was actually invited). It was incredible. At the end of every seder for my whole life, just like every Jew, I have said, "Next year in Jerusalem!" One year ago, I didn't even believe I would be in Israel for Passover. This year, I actually was IN Jerusalem! Just knowing that made the whole thing special. We had several people who had made aliyah at the table, so we each told a bit of our story. I was first being the most green, all the way to one of the grandfathers who made aliyah in the mid-forties, when the British were still here. There was a lot of translating, drinking, eating, and story-telling, which always translates to fun on seder night.

The next day, after the holiday, I returned to Yagur to work for a couple of days. My mom had a birthday! The day after, Friday, I traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with my friend Joanna. We met in the train station and took the next train to Beer Sheva to begin our journey to Eilat together! I had never been before, but it was absolutely beautiful. We stayed in my friend's dad's apartment on the 13th floor, with a stunning view of the Red Sea and Jordan. We only got a taste of the city: sitting on the beach during the day, seeing the Jordanian flag while swimming in the Red Sea, visiting her friend in a resort hotel with a pool, walking on the beach at night, and even a bit of rain on our way out of the city. When we returned from the weekend, we stayed an extra night in Tel Aviv, which meant (oh, darn!) that the next train left Monday night after the second holiday. So we spent Monday being major beach bums, too! It was so relaxing, but I got very sick right before our train.

View from the apartment

Dinner on the porch, lit up Eilat and Red Sea view

Beach in Tel Aviv with the ladies

We returned, and I stayed home Tuesday and Wednesday to get better. Wednesday morning I got a call from the army asking me if I remembered the day of testing in Ramat Gan last month. I did, so they told me to return for an interview "tomorrow at 8:30 in the morning." I gently told them that I live on a kibbutz near Haifa, so 8:30 is a bit of a stretch. To which they replied, "Okay, we'll see you at 9. Don't be late!" I heard from them again that afternoon reminding me to be there, and again at 8:30 yesterday morning asking me if I was on my way. When I finally got there (six minutes before 9!), the interview went really well. My interviewer and I talked for about an hour, and he told me that if I get really fit at Michve Alon, he can probably find me a cool job that I can do outdoors, even if he can't get me into the medic's course. The best part was that he complimented me on how Israeli I am compared to most Americans that come through his doors, in that I seemed relaxed and informal. It was a huge compliment that I hope that I can continue to live up to! I left and ate lunch in a park, and then traveled back to Tel Aviv (I have put on some serious milage in the last two weeks) for another Nefesh B'Nefesh Lone Soldier event, a mesibat giyus (draft party), final briefing (reminders of what to bring/expect, etc.), and networking because almost everyone there is going to Michve with me on Wednesday. There are a few people whose Hebrew is very good, so they are going in the same week, but it was still very exciting to meet people with whom we will be spending the next three months.

I don't know the next time I will have time to post, if it will be before or right after the draft, but I promise there will be lots of pictures my first weekend home! It's crunch time, y'all!

Welcome Back to All

It's strange living in a world without my dad. Fortunately, that is why Jews mourn in the way we do. Those who have never lived in a world without that person (namely, their children) have a longer mourning period than even the mother or father of that person. The next eleven months will be spent learning what it is like to have birthdays, celebrate holidays, accomplish goals, lament failures, and so on without my dad. Today, I take another step in my process by updating this blog. And it's for the best because I have oh so much to tell all of you!

Candid at Nimrod Fortress.
Photo Credit: Maya S.

The day after I arrived in Nashville, the day of my dad's funeral, I woke up around 3 AM with a WhatsApp message from the ulpan office informing me that my tzav rishon (first notice) had arrived. It was such a strange feeling, that life was still going on. That my life would continue at an extraordinarily rapid pace. And, as you will see in this post, it continued to do so with an incontrovertible sense of irony. And, as my dad would have wanted, I have faced it all so far with my best sense of humor.

I was so proud I was tall enough to enter the hot springs at Hamat Gader!

Speaking of humor, I had quite the adventure back to Israel. The day I left Nashville, my mom, sister, and I, made a Costco run on the way to the airport. I very desperately wanted to bring back a nice stash of macaroni and cheese with me. We wound up buying two cases (30 boxes, 12 pounds) of macaroni and cheese for me to carry on the plane. There was a whole mess with the weather and flight delays, so I was relieved when we finally were called to board the plane. While we were boarding, a woman needed to put her bag in the overhead bin but there was no space. The flight attendant came over and asked, "Now, whose macaroni and cheese is this?!?" I raised my hand sheepishly and said it was mine. While she moved it to the opposite bin, she asked if there was no mac and cheese where I live in Philadelphia I said, "No ma'am, and I'm not from Philly." The guy behind me said, "You need to move!" And then they started asking where I live and I told them Israel. That started about three conversations with people in my area of the plane. We were stuck on the Tarmac in Nashville for an extra half hour, so the flight attendant threatened to eat my macaroni! I told her she was welcome to it if she had a way to cook it. The whole flight she and I went back and forth on the topic, which made everyone laugh and the whole mess a bit easier. I had an especially good conversation with the guy next to me about Israel. We ended up talking almost nonstop the whole time we were on the plane. He was the first stranger I told that my dad died and that that was the reason for my visit to the States. He told me about his daughter and how they have a close relationship and it made me sad but when we got off the plane I told him to give an extra big hug to her when he gets home for me.

A quick trip to the Carmel with the kiddos.

So, back in Israel, less than a week after I returned to the country, I reported to Lishkat Giyus (Draft Office) in Haifa. I live-tweeted my experience, as it took about four hours. I was alone and waiting in line for the majority of it. I didn't get any of my scores/ratings except for my medical profile, which was an 82 (good enough to do combat!). I was sure I didn't pass my Hebrew test, but the whole thing was an interesting experience. I was told to expect a draft letter in the next few months with a six month notice. The hardest part was talking to the social worker and explaining my situation as a Lone Soldier, but then also having to talk in detail about my dad's death. Since he wasn't Israeli and didn't die here, I had to write up an outline of his illness and how he died in lieu of a death certificate. Other than that, my tzav rishon experience was pretty average for an immigrant: waiting for hours on end, answering a lot of the same questions, and asking if there is someone who can speak English.

Fooling around on a class break.

Only four days later, I got another letter from the army with my draft date! I was so completely thrown off and excited. The letter said I am to report on April 30th (two and a half months away). Since then, they realized I was extremely close to 20 when I made aliyah, so they gave me three options: keep the April 30 date, draft on December 10 (to keep the year of grace I'm allowed as a new immigrant), or not draft at all. I, of course, decided to keep the April date. So I will be leaving the ulpan a month early, but, not to fear, to draft into the learning base to do a 3 month Hebrew course. Here's a breakdown of how my service is going to look from what I currently know:
April 30th I will go to be processed, get my army ID, uniform, and travel to Mechve Alon (the learning base). There I will spend three months doing the most basic of basic training and learning in another Hebrew class. During that time I will have only two or three weekends I will have to close, so I'll have most weekends off. When I graduate from that, I will be reprocessed as a normal soldier and assigned to a proper unit. Hopefully I will be assigned to the paramedic's course! I've already situated a room for myself in the lone soldier's house at Yagur, so on weekends I'm off I can come here or travel to see friends wherever I like. Right now, the big thing I am doing is trying to find a kibbutz family to adopt me! I've put feelers out with some friends and even talked to one of the parents in my classroom in the hopes they can find me a good connection.

Look how big little Waya is!! Just about as big as Usdi!

All in all, I want to thank everyone for helping me through this time in my life. I'm really looking forward to what lies ahead of me, and I want all of you to be a part of it. Here's to a new chapter.