Shetach

I am really starting to feel like a part of the army. I have met some great people, and my Hebrew is coming along.

Waiting for the bus, touching up the shaving job

Getting ready for bed

3 AM wake up, ready for the shetach (field). Minus the glasses, what I normally look like around base

Monday morning we traveled to a nearby training base. When we arrived, we strapped on vests, filled our canteens, loaded up food, jerrycans, targets, and bullets into an ambulance. As soon as we finished, we trekked down to the shooting range, where the ambulance was waiting for us. Everything was unloaded, and we split up into groups of twelve before eating some lunch (our first tastes of the military rations). After that, the next ten hours were a blur of helping set up shade, loading magazines, eating, waiting, learning about the upcoming round of practice/testing, and lots of shooting. Late into the night, we finally returned to camp to get some sleep and keep guard. We got up the next morning to do it all again, but that afternoon we had a truly special surprise. Kids from around Israel had written notes in school to send to soldiers around the country, specifically lone soldiers. They also sent us snacks, but when the Mem Pay (officer of the pleuga/company) told us about the letters, I was so touched and excited to receive mine. When I was a kid, at Akiva Jewish Day School, I remember writing letters to IDF soldiers all the time. To be on the other side of that was an indescribable feeling. I got a very small, short note that I can fit in the wallet where I put my military ID, so it will always be close to my heart. After a while, in late afternoon, we were sitting and talking...and realized all the commanders were gone. I mean every single officer, sergeant, everyone was nowhere to be seen! Finally, we hear an almost simultaneous boom from the range, and we realize our higher ups are practicing, too. When they come out, some of the girls were clapping and whooping from a distance because it was so cool, but we all got a really long lecture for that a few minutes later. Later that night, after the night shooting, we were hanging out again, and all of a sudden we hear whooping and shouting and screaming and all of our commanders came running out towards us with their faces painted up and in their vests. We poured water on the ground, put the mud on our faces, lined up, and prepared to go on our first-ever (and for some girls, only) masa (basically a hike). Our masa ended up being very short, but after every masa IDF soldiers earn something. This time, each tzevet in our pleuga earned a name outside of just a number. As of that moment, I am a part of Tzevet Gefen in the Hebrew course at Michve Alon. Gefen is the word for grapevine. We were told to get down on our hands (which always means pushups), and we were confused as to what we did wrong. Instead, M also got down on her hands and we did pushups together while shouting "TZEVET GEFEN HACHI TOVOT!" (Tzevet Gefen is the best!)

The next day, we got up and started to learn about some hardcore fieldwork like camouflage, how to run with our guns (then hit the ground and aim), and crawling. It was actually really fun because I was used as an example for the camouflage exercise and got to paint my face with mud, wear branches in my hair, and hide from the mefakdot. We didn't win the contest, but it was still interesting and I loved learning about it (and all the funny looks because of how well my tzevet painted my face with mud). By the time we finished and were heading back o base, almost everyone was talking about how excited they were to go "home." Yup, after only three days in the shetach, almost all the girls considered the base to be home and were excited for the food and beds it holds. And since most of the girls assumed the showers would be full when we did arrive, I had a fantastic shower that night!

We started our full days learning Hebrew and Zionism (mostly history, wars, and important people, commanders are not allowed to talk about politics, just like in any American public school) on Thursday, and it was exhausting. It's about eight hours just in the Hebrew classroom, but altogether it ends up being about sixteen to eighteen hour-days if you factor in meals, Zionist classes, and gun checks (remember how I said they were big on safety? We get checked a few times a day to make sure we are clean of bullets).

It was such a great feeling to arrive at the train station on Friday. Everyone was tired, but after shetach week we were so much closer. I met with a bunch of people in the Haifa train station for coffee and breakfast before we went our separate ways for the weekend, and it was so relaxing to get to know everyone outside of the army setting (despite still being in our uniforms).

This upcoming week, I have my swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday! I'm really excited to finally be taking the same oath as every other soldier in IDF history in a very important city (Akko), but I'm not sure of the significance yet. We will be spending the whole day there to learn all about it. Until next time, wish me luck in classes and putting in my final placement requests!

My friend Oren from Nashville came to visit the kibbutz with his family for a bit today! I love seeing people from home!

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!

Soldier Girl

סוף סוף אני חיילת!

(Finally I am a soldier!)

I will have to apologize in advance, this post will not be as long and exciting as you might expect (probably a low ratio of pictures to words), but life since last week has been absolutely nonstop. Until Tuesday night, I was making sure I had everything I needed for the army while still attending classes and going to work! Of course, the real excitement began Wednesday morning when I arrived at the Navy Museum. Two friends from the kibbutz came with me, and when I arrived, my friend who was a staff member on my Birthright trip met me there before her class. I wasn't there for long before I got on the bus to the Bakum, or army processing center in the Center of Israel.

There was a REEEAAALLLY big boat 

On the bus to the army processing center

There was a lot of traffic, but when we got there, we already were required to start calling people "Mefaked," or commander, and stand in double lines. Most of us turned our phones off and put them in our bags (like we were told), and thusly did not have them for the whole time we were there, so I don't have any pictures. It wasn't that exciting, just a lot of things to get done, like getting our photos taken, getting vaccinated, and talking to a career officer. One line I even had to wait for over two hours, but it gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of people. Everyone had a different order of the path they had to take in order to make sure that the lines were not overloaded, but everyone's last stop was receiving first our IDs, then bags, then trying on our uniforms! We all looked so different, a lot more mature, with our uniforms on. From there, we waited some more, and then got on a bus to the base.

My friend from Peru and I, our first picture in uniform

The whole ride was interesting, in that we had to sit a certain way, and we learned what to do in case of an attack, being an official military trip. When we arrived, it was already fairly late at night, but we got down to business. We were separated into small groups (a tzevet), and began learning the rules, how to speak to commanders, and filling in information.

I was so exhausted and confused, but made sure I took a full-uniform picture for my family

For two days, we wore the same uniforms (they gave us more, but hey, it's the army!), stood in formation, ran here, walked there, counted, counted, counted, and said, "Ken, Mefakedet!" (Yes, ma'am!) probably five hundred times. We only have an hour for showers, phones, and changing before bed, so I have almost no pictures. What I can tell you is that my Mefakedet is really cool. She tells us when we do something well, and when we don't, she doesn't yell. Somehow that makes us feel even worse about not doing the right thing becauase we really want her to be proud of us! Because of what is called distance, but I call Distance, we don't even know her name or anything about her. When we speak to her, we have to say certain things to show respect (but are not necessarily polite, very strange is the Hebrew language!). Unfortunately, she is our orientation mefakedet so we change our tzevet and everything tomorrow. Also, you can see in the photo above that I have these really awesome boots. Sadly, this is not true. It wasn't until I got onto the base that I realized that these boots are a size too small. The first day I thought they were supposed to be that tight, but when I realized while I was getting ready for bed, I was horrified. Everyone, I mean absolutely everyone, had said to triple check your shoe size at the processing center, and that I did not do! The next morning, me and one other girl told our mefakedet that our shoes were too small. She promised we would receive new ones that day. Over the course of the day, we were told to wait longer and longer, until about two hours before we went to sleep, they said we could change to our civilian sports shoes. We had to also get permission slips to show to the military police to make sure we don't get a ticket over the weekend. Hopefully we will get proper boots tomorrow because I look pretty silly with my pink sneakers!:

It's been a lovely weekend, but also very busy because my friends all wanted to see me in uniform, so I even ate lunch in it, even though I was home at the kibbutz! I have to go to sleep, now, though, because it is very late and I am back to the army tomorrow morning. I'll post again soon with more coherent stories!

My kibbutz family!

This picture is going to be on display for the kibbutz Israeli Independence Day celebration

Brothers and sisters

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!

30 Days Left of Fun

Ooh man! We have some big news coming around! Today marks 30 days until my draft day, and lots has happened since my last post (per usual).

A few weeks ago, I went down to the South with some friends to see some beautiful flowers. We also stopped by an ostrich farm/restaurant thinking it was a restaurant where we could try some ostrich. Strangely, it wasn't even a restaurant at all (and certainly no tasting of the birds). But it ended up being a really fun weekend road trip!

About a week later, I went to Jerusalem for a brit milah (circumcision) during the week! It was really awesome to experience such an important celebration with friends that I haven't seen in a while. I hadn't seen or even met some of the family since I have been in Israel, so it was really nice to catch up. While I was there, we had discovered that their downstairs neighbor knew my dad when he was in Young Judea in San Antonio, so I got to meet and talk to her for a while. After the brit, some of us took the kids around the city on the bus and train until they all needed a nap and I needed to head home.

My friend Jimmy preferred the puppy to the flowers.

Shlomo HaMelech!

Ron, Shlomo's brother, fast asleep, on the bus

I celebrated my SECOND holiday ever in Israel, Purim. It was definitely strange, though, because the kibbutz celebrates it on the Friday after. In the gan we celebrated the Friday before (oznei haman and mini clowns included), and Sunday evening all the kids had a party. Then, at the end of the week, the adults had their party. Every single person was wearing a costume, and they were pretty clever. It was a huge success!

Dressed-up ulpanistim

Captain Maya and "Hayden Panettiere" /country music singer

In more exciting news, I was invited to a day of testing at Beit HaTzanchan in Ramat Gan last week. I tried to ask around beforehand to find out what it was about and what it was for, but I got basically no information. I traveled almost three hours from Yagur to Ramat Gan, and walked into Beit HaTzanchan 15 minutes early. At exactly ten AM, they called us some thirty girls into an auditorium. We sat down at desks and were told to start with little explanation outside of which packet to start with. I and three other girls asked for and received all our tests in English. The tests included a personal information packet, a personality test where we had to rank hundreds of statements based on how they applied to us, hundreds more true/false personality statements, over 50 statements that we had to complete in 20 minutes, and an interview in between! When I was called for my interview, my interviewer explained to me that these tests were to help the army decide what kind of job I would best be suited for. Basically, they think that each of us would be suitable for a specialty job, which means that those tests could potentially help me get into the paramedic's course! Four hours later, I headed back to Yagur (but not without stopping for some well-deserved ice cream).

My first peek at the Ba'hai Gardens was a bit obstructed by Yaniv

I finally met my new kibbutz family! They are so sweet and have three adorable kids. I've seen them a few times and they really are treating me like family. It's an amazing feeling, to finally have an official adoptive family here in Israel.

Last weekend, some friends and I went to Nahalal, a moshav about half an hour from Yagur. There was a swap/flea market on one of the properties, and we also got a tour of some of the farmland and then a tour of a dairy on another property. It was so cool to see how some of the volunteer huts were built and how things run on the moshav.

One side of the communal building

The walls are built with mud and straw, but incredibly well-insulated

The inside of a volunteer's hut that they built

The outside, plus Tamara

This week, I am going to Tel Aviv on Wednesday for a Lone Soldier army prep day. Then, we have an ulpan trip to Jerusalem, Pesach (Passover), and then a week later I get drafted! It's gonna be one hell of a month, so stay tuned!

Here are my little leitzanim (clowns):

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.