Shooting week

Hello and Merry Christmas,

This week was our shooting week. Basically, besides running, push-ups, sit-ups and sprinting, we shot our guns.

Sunday:

We arrived at base, late in the day, and spent the rest of the day setting up base. This means that we took our cots, bags, mattresses and sleeping bags out of the storage room and put them in our tent.

Monday:

We went down to the shooting range and worked on zeroing in our guns. Basically, we had 5 bullets and had to shoot them into a 25m target. We worked on getting a grouping of bullets close together and then adjusting our sights by moving the aimer accordingly.

At night, we had a masa, or Journey. This time it was only 6km or 4 miles. The sky was cloudy this time so we didn't get to see the stars like last time, but it was still fun to do.

Tuesday:

We went back to the shooting range and worked again on zeroing our guns (there are 22 kids and only 6 shoot at a time. Also, not everyone gets a close grouping their first time.) However, this time when we shot, it was at 50 meters and also before, when we were at the 25 meter line, we had bags of sand in front of us to rest our hands on and help us aim. The third time we shot, we had to wear our tactical vests with our helmets on. The reason for this is so we know what to expect if we ever have to shoot in the field. This time they took the bags away and we had to hold the gun without any help. At night, we went for a little run (only 1k)

Wednesday:

Back to the shooting range! This time we went to an open range. By this I mean we went to a firing range in the mountains and on a dirt surface and not cement. It was a lot better on the elbows, because the whole time we are lying down with our elbows up and it tends to hurt after a while. We also got to shoot today under a time pressure constraint. The rate was: 5 seconds to get down into the shooting position and fire 1 shot. 6 seconds to jump down into the firing position and fire 2 shots. And 8 seconds to get down into the shooting position and fire 3 shots. Every time rate, we did 5 times, in a row. So instead of shooting 5 bullets in our own time, we had to shoot 27 bullets according to the time rate (5 times we shot 1 bullet, 5 times we shot 2 bullets and 5 times we shot 3 bullets.) The next firing test was only 15 bullets (3 bullets in 8 seconds 5 times). The final test for shooting was to get down into the shooting range, fire three bullets and then change magazines with another 3 bullets. The whole time we were wearing our tactical vests.

At night, we went back to the shooting range and did night time shooting. There are different rules to fire for night time shooting. One of the big ones was that everyone had to fire at the same time. There is nothing more powerful than 8 guys shooting a gun all together at the same time.

Thursday:

Thursday was a calm day. In the morning we had a meeting on the spirit of the army and then we went back to the old base to go to the shecem (the only store on base, where soldiers can buy drinks; soda, juice, water; and food: chips, cookies, candy, and other things.) It was an easy day and at night we went back to the old base to sleep.

As always, it was a great week and we did a lot of things that just make you stop and say wow, only here in the army will I ever get to do something as cool as this.

Shooting and Health all in one week

This week was one of the toughest and most fun weeks I have ever had in my life.

Sunday:

We arrived to the base and had a class all day (and well into the night) on first aid. The course is to certify all combat soldiers in basic first aid. That way they can help other soldiers in the field while they wait for the medic. The course included the basic first aid things (heat stroke, dehydration, snake/scorpions/spider bites, hypothermia and many other things) The course also included what to do if a soldier is in the field and his group happened to be attacked with a grenade. We learned how to tie a tourniquet, where to apply pressure, what to do and then whom to call.

Monday:

We finished off the first aid course, took a test (which everyone passed) and then we moved bases. The new base is somewhere farther south of the past base and looks very much the same. While I’m sure that most of the readers have been through a move in their life (I have been through 4 but can only remember 3) But there is nothing like a whole pluga (large group of soldiers consisting of 300+) moving. Everything from beds, cots, bags, plates, basically anything everyone needs for living had to be moved.

Tuesday:

We started the day at our new base. We also started shooting today. We learned all about the safety at the gun range and rules. We also learned how to shoot and how to improve our shooting. Out of 6 bullets I got all 6 on the paper. At night, we went on a masa (journey) for 4km. It was incredibly cool to see all the shooting stars and the night sky.

Wednesday:

More shooting. This time we learned on how to improve our body positions and how to improve what we do when we shoot so our shots are better. This time we were only given 5 bullets and again I got all 5 on the sheet. At night we did some sprints and a lot of pushups. We also went through all our gear and loaded up our magazines. Now whenever we walk anywhere (even if it’s to the bathroom, we need to have two magazines with us and the gun. The reason is so that we can always be ready in case we need to be.

Thursday:

We woke up early this morning and were only given 45 seconds to be outside our tent with whatever we had on and a gun and magazines. The idea was to train up to be ready for a time of war, when you have no time at all to get dressed and fit. Then we were told to put on a white shirt with our name on it and follow the Mifacdem to the Krav Maga place. wow. Krav Maga for the army is nothing like you think it would be. Back home I took 1 year of Krav. It was a lot of fun, back home because 30 min you are doing cardio work and 30. min you learn technique and fit. Here, class is for an hour or more (we weren't allowed to wear watches) and the whole time we spent running sprints and having to be in the push-up position, without having our knees touch the ground. There was no fighting or anything. It was really tough and the reason why the class is set up like this is because when we have to use Krav, it I all intensity and constant fighting spirit. "There needs to be a switch in the mind that now we are fighting and not in training or on base or anything, juts Krav" - as according to my M'M (Mifaced Machlaca - 22 people group)

Then rest of the day, I was put on tornaut duty. That means that instead of going into the field and shooting, like in the previous days, I had to stay back, near the tents, and help the rasap (the one in charge of cleanliness and order for the tents, food and everything else.) It was a tough job because there had been a lot of wind the night before and continued into the day and all the tents fell, so we had to spend the entire day cleaning up the tents and putting them back together. At night, a bunch of religious people came to the base and we lit the Hannukiah and ate sufganiout (jelly donuts) for Hanukkah, Of course, as tornaut, I had to first help set up the room of the candle lighting ceremony and then hand out jelly donuts and only at the end did I get one. It was a fun day though and the rasap said I was the best toran he has had in a while.

Throughout the week, one thing that has not yet stopped to amaze me is how much Israelis go out of their way to help me understand things that I usually won’t. For example, during the course for the first aid, all the Olyim Hadashiem (new immigrants) were taken to a special class and were taught the material in a lower level Hebrew and at a slower pace. Also during the test, if something wasn’t clear, the teacher would repeat the question in English for all of us. The other example is that my kita (class – 11 soldiers) has to teach me 10 New Hebrew words every day. The Mifaced checks to make sure they do this by asking me at night what words. Also, whenever we are learning something, such as the grenade launcher or something else, if I don’t understand something, everyone is willing to help me understand. Usually, at the end of the course someone says: “I love how if you don’t understand something you ask. That’s the most important thing and we will always be there to explain it to you. (The sentence was repeated to me from soldiers, my mifaced, my Samal (sergeant) and the rasap.)

The other thing I learned this week is how much I miss hot food. Just like in the gibbush, we were given only field rations (tuna, corn, pineapple, halva and the two new foods in a can; vegetable spread and spicy tuna.) Hopefully next week we will finally be taken back to the cafeteria for some real food.

Hag Sameach to all.

1st real week

Wow. This week was the first real week in the army.

One Sunday we had a day off, as a gift for doing the gibbush last week.

Sunday:

I went to Jerusalem to meet with the great Yossi Jameel, the writer of the Muqata blog. (You can read his work at http://muqata.blogspot.com/) I really recommend this site for people who want to stay updated on whats happening in Israel.

I also met with two of my best friends from high school.

After a long and relaxing day off it was time to go back to the army.

Monday:

I woke up early at 6, and went straight to Be'er Sheva to go back to base. There, we finally found out if we passed the gibbush or not. Lucky I passed and was placed in one of the elite units. After a sad goodbye to my friends who didn't pass, we went to our new area for sleeping. There we met our new Mifaced (this time, he will be our commander till the end of my army service) and my group (also going to be the same till the end of my army service).

The group is made up of 15 kids and together we make up a kita. There are two kita to a machlaca (bigger group) and there are 4 kitot to a pluga (all of Special Forces)

There we also met our new MM (head of our machlaca) and MP (the head of the pluga). The all seem like great people who are going to look after us.

In total, 7 Garin Tzabar people made Special Forces and two others are in my group.

Tuesday:

We did some clerical work and received our weapons. We were all excited. It is an M-16 short.

Wednesday:

More clerical work. Met with the base doctor, psychologist and head of the army base. We also earned the strap for our gun that goes around our head. We had to run a lot in order to get it but now life is easier (especially eating lunch since we don’t need to hold the gun on our laps and have a hand on the handle at all times)

We also got a bag that held 6 magazines, a brush for the gun and some other things. We learned how to take the gun apart, clean it and then put it back together. Then we learned how to conduct a check to show that we don’t have any bullets in our gun. Basically, you have to point the gun in the air, cock the gun 3 times and the last time hold the cock back so the Mifaced can see into the gun and check that you don’t have any bullets.

Thursday:

Finished the clerical work. Then at night we went on a masa or journey. First, we had to load the magazines for the guns, with real bullets and then we had to put on our army vests. I was put as the radioman and had to run from the front of the line to the back of the line giving out messages to everyone from the commander. In total, I was wearing around 25k of weight. I was also the commander’s right hand man and if there was a problem on the march, I would be the first to know and have to relay the message to the Mifaced. When we finished the masa, we all got these white bands on our shoulders. This means that we are now in the special forces of the group and now the training can really begin.

Throughout the whole week, the weather has been cold, wet and raining. Hopefully next week, the weather will be better and we can finally get a chance to shoot.

Time for a new Gibbush

Instead of writing the usual big blog post i do, im going to write a recap of what happened this week:
Sunday:
Sunday i needed to be back at base so i took a bus from my kibbutz to Be'er Sheave where my base is
Once I arrive to Be'er Sheeva, i had to board another bus to take me to a place where all soldiers go to meet up with their mifaceds and be taken to their main training base.
At this waiting area, i got a chance to see some of my friends in other units, such as Matti and Dave in Tzanchaniem. I then had to run back to my area (Nahal area) and met up with my Mifaced and went off to my training base.
Once i arrive i had a quick lunch and then we received our B gear which included:
Uniform B - a uniform that looks like a but is meant to be worn in the field
Shovel
rain gear
Jacket
Long pants
Water bottles

All this was put into a bag that looks like a backpack, without the comfortable straps called a tadal we were then given time off and sent to bed early

Monday:
nothing really happened in the morning At night we started Gibbush. Gibbush is a tryout to get into the special forces of the group your in. The special forces included:
Palsar - recon group
Palchan - explosives unit
Orev- anti tank
Palkit - radio unit used during time of war
In order to get into any of the special forces, you need to pass a 4 day gibbush that includes anything from running to crawling to sprinting to masas (or long marches)
the gibbush started with us being lead out of the base, to the back area and to a huge field. Right near the back entrance of the base, was the sleeping area for the gibbush, which included many tents in the shape of a Chet. There was also a long road, which leads to the base at one end and at the other are the bases shooting ranges. There is also a lot of open space, a few trees and nothing else besides rocks. The first thing we did when we got to the gibbush was stand in the open area in the center of the Chet. there we met our first commanders and given dinner which consisted of:
two cans of tuna
Corn in a can
Pineapple in a can
bread
spreads (chocolate and jelly)
Cucumbers and Tomatoes
This food all came in a box and was supposed to resemble the food a special forces group gets in the field. This was also the same meal we would get for the next four days for lunch, breakfast and dinner. The next thing we did was fill bags (the ones that you can find at gardening stores and hold dirt or moss) with sand and rocks and put the into our tadales. We were also given a big bag called a kitbag, where we put all the things originally found in our tadal. The final thing we did was take sleeping bags and thin, thin, thin pieces of foam for sleeping on. The next thing we did was stand back in the open area of the tents and got our new group and commanders. We were then told to take only our tadaliem and run to the farthest tent. We then formed a Chet and waited for the mifaced to come. Then he said "you see that rock over there, 10 seconds to form an new Chet there." Once we got far enough away for the mifaceds liking, we were told to stand in the line. Then he said, "You see that rock over there, 10 seconds to run around it and come back." we did this for a while (over an hour). Then he said, "You see the same rock, 30 seconds to crawl there and back" This again went on for a while. We started the gibbush with 330 people and at this point, we were down to 200. After we finished crawling, we were sent back to the open Chet area, where we got our new group and our new mifaceds. Then we were given numbers and new rules:
1: at all times, a hat, with our numbers, must be on our heads
2: while we sleep, we needed to have 2 guards. 1 at the entrance of the tent and 1 walking around the tent
3: no shoes allowed in the sleeping bags
we were then shown our new tents and sent to sleep

Tuesday:
After doing guard duty for 1 hour 30 min (which means i was waken up 3 times at night) we were woken up at 6 in the morning. The day looked like this:
wake up We were given a gun (m-16 long) and a vest that is used to hold water bottles, magazines of ammo and other essentials in the field.
Masa with a stretcher
masa with the tadaliem (every time we did a masa, we needed to be in two lines right behind the mifaced. If we were to far behind, we had to wake in a circle to collect everyone and restart) sprinting crawling (again for an hour and a half)
lunch
digging a whole that we had to hide in if artillery were to start hitting us
sprinting
crawling creating a hiding spot somewhere deep in the field, with what ever we could find near us (bushes, dirt, rocks)
dinner
masa sleeping
At the start of the group, we had 17 people. At the end of the day, we were down to 11

Wednesday:
Physically it was an easier day throughout the night
we still had to do guard duty. We were also woken up in the middle of the night, given 3 min. to get dress and led on a masa when we woke up, we were down to 10 people (most groups had 10, some had 7 and one had 6)
masa in the morning
breakfast
Sprinting thinking game - the scenario was that there was going to be a nuclear explosion and we had to save 4 people. the options were:
a boy who was 5
a girl who was 5
a farmer
a physicist
doctor
astronaut
a woman with the knowledge on how to rebuild the world
and many more people
the group finally decided that we were going to save the woman, the farmer, the girl who was four and the doctor.
We were then told to go running again masa lead to a big steep mountain where we had to put sand bags on our back and walk around the mountain and keep track of how many times we walk around
then we were lead to monkey bars and as a team we had to stay up on them for 5 min.
After failing five times, we were punished with sprinting
After that we were lead to an open area and told, without looking at the base, using what ever is around you rebuild the base
Lunch
once we finished that we were lead to brain game 2: we were given a log and an oil drum. The game was to cross this river. We were on one side and the water was full of mines. We had to use what we were given and cross the lake.
After failing three times, we had to run again (as punishment). This time however, we had to run in a circle, at one spot we had to do ten pushups, then sprint to another spot, do 10 sit-ups, then sprint to another part and do this jumping, pushup type thing and sprint back to the beginning. After about 15 min of this we were lead to a wire and told to dig a hole that we could go under the wire and not touch it. After what seem like forever of digging, we were told to see if we could go under the wire or not. Once no one was able to do this, we had to cover up our holes and we were lead back to our tent.
there we had dinner
After dinner we were lead on one last final big masa and then sent off to bed

Thursday:
one last night of guarding
Wake up
Masa
Breakfast
filled out a questionnaire about our selves and then we finished the gibbush with a private interview with the mifacdeem
At the end of the gibbush, we had 130 people left (although it seemed like less and when we counted at night we got 110)
Throughout the whole gibbush, we had to have two full water bottles on us. Whenever we finished the masa one way, when we came back, after sprinting or crawling, we had to drink a full water bottle or drink a full one between two people. Also throughout the gibbush, the mifacdem would always ask us if we felt healthy, wanted to drop out or if we needed a doctor. Once we finished the gibbush, we walked to the food area and ate like kings. Everything from chicken to hamburgers to pastry. We were them lead back to our groups before we started, where everyone gave us a congratulator shake and pat on the back. We then spent the rest of the day cleaning the base and getting it ready for us to leave

Friday:
we woke up early at 4 cleaned up the base some more and left the base to come home

As a gift to us for doing the gibbush, we don't need to go back to the army on Sunday and instead get to go back on Monday. That is when we finds out if we passed the gibbush and where we are going. We also found out that next week we will be starting real basic training and we will not be off next weekend. Welcome to the real army!!!

First days in the army

It seems like only yesterday that I landed in the country of Israel.

This week was my first week in the army. It started out on Wednesday. The first stop on anyone who joins the army is the Backum in Tel Aviv. The Backum is the place where you get to pick up your Uniform A, a bag with goodies (including gun oil, zip ties, a sewing kit and many other things). You also get green shirts, shorts, underwear and a jacket. This all is put into a big green bag.

In the backum, we also got a new round of shots for the flu and hepatitis A. The whole process took over 5 hours.

From the Backum, I went to my new home. A base in the south called Basis Nahal (since I am in the Nahal brigade.) There we met our Mifaced (commander). He led us to our sleeping quarters (which are huge tents outside in the field.) There, in a big open area between all the tents, we were given the rules, such as we always had to be in uniform, what to do when and how to call our commanders. We were also broken into smaller groups of Tzevet. My tzevet is tzevet 15. We were then given time to find a spot for ourselves and our bags, a cot to sleep on and a sleeping bag. In the Nahal Brigade, there are 1 other Garin Tzabar kids so we all wanted to stay together. For that reason, most of my tent is full with people from Garin Tzabar and my Tzevet. We were then given one hour to do what we like and then we went to bed.

On Day 2, we woke up at 7, which is amazing because we were actually given 7 hours to sleep and usually in basic training, people are only allowed 6. When we woke up, we had to change back into our madim A and we were sent to breakfast which consisted of chocolate milk, and egg and Israeli salad. From there we were taken to a storage area and given our new Uniforms, madim B. The difference between A and B is that B is meant to be worn during all basic training when we are physically active and uniform A is meant to be worn only on official parades or when we get off the base. We were also given a new jacket, bag, long pants, a shovel and robber clothing meant to be worn when it rains and snows (yes, apparently it snows at our base.)

From there we were led to lunch and spent most of the day sitting around, having private interview with the mifaced, social works for the army and the doctor. We were also led into a big auditorium and shown a video about the unit we are now in.

On day 3, (today) we woke up at 4 in the morning and had to do another bar-or or physical fitness test. The test includes running 2k, 76 push-ups and 86sit-ups. The whole purpose of this is to see how fit we are before we go into the army. I did pretty well and only time will tell if I improve or not.

We were then allowed to leave the base at around 11 in the morning. It was really frustrating because we were told that we would be allowed to leave earlier at 8. We were also constantly lead onto a bus and right before we got on, we were told to stand in a Chet (Hebrew letter that looks like a square without one of the sides) and we had to listen to some important official talk to us. At the end of everything, we were allowed to go on buses and sent to the main bus station in Be'er Sheva (the nearest major city to us) and sent on our way to where we were going.

Next week schedule looks like this:

1) Arrive at base no later the 10 am (this is hard for the people up north, but don’t worry, there is a bus that leaves at 5 in the morning to Be'er Sheva)

2) Sunday is another sitting around day doing nothing

3) Monday night starts the gibush to get into elite units in Nahal and it goes for 3 days. It is compiled of sprints, crawling and other things)

4) Gibush for 3 days

5) Get off next Friday and given an extra day off since we had gibush (this means we need to be back on base on Monday, instead of Sunday.

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and enjoyed all the turkey.

Finally, some pictures

Picture: Gadna

Left to right:

Simon; Matti; Shmookler; Me

Pictures from the Tank excursive we saw:

http://cayalbodedstory.blogspot.com/2009/10/remeberance.html

Picture: Matysiahu Concert:

http://cayalbodedstory.blogspot.com/2009/10/wow-what-week.html

Pictures: Ehud Banya (Bottom) and Shalom HaNoch (top) in concert

http://cayalbodedstory.blogspot.com/2009/09/working-land.html

Working time

Yesterday, Matti and I were sitting around at breakfast and were really board. We decided that we wanted to work for the kibbutz. So, we went to David, our Garin father and asked him if we would be able to work. He said yes and asked us where we would like. Without thinking twice, we both said the Refet or cow shed. The refet on the kibbutz is huge, with five areas for the cows that are going to be milked (3 times a day). There are also areas for the bulls (male cows and not real bulls) and an area for the baby cows. The final area of the refet is for the maternity cows and cows that are only a year old. Like any cow shed, the place of course smells, but you get used to it in a few hours. The really interesting thing about the refet is that all the sheds are spread out and they way you move them from place to place is through gates and fences, that can be rearranged within seconds to lead to a new place all together. Within, 30 min. we found ourselves in boots and following Hanrich, a kid our age, who works on the kibbutz and is from South Africa, leading us around and showing us what he does in a regular day.

The first thing we did was empty troughs. The way you do that is by taking out all the water, scrapping the sides clean and then refilling it with new water. The next thing we did was heard cows, from their homes to the milking area. This is the most interesting thing I've done in a while. The rules are that you cannot run after the cow or they will run away. You also can’t lead the cows, but must walk from the back. The other rule is that if the cows walk by a trough, they are allowed to drink and we can’t rush them because they are the merchandise. The next thing we did, after having a quick food break in the main office. There are some rules to follow however before you can enter the main office. The main rule is that your boots need to be clean. You can achieve this by taking a hose and spraying your shoes all over. After a quick meal we herded the rest of the cows (there are 5 areas where the cows lived and at this point we already had done 3). Then we went to lunch.

After lunch, Matti, Ben, Tomar, Alon and I decided that we wanted to go see a movie. We ended up going to Haifa to see the movie 2012. The movie is all about the 2012 apocalypse that is supposed to happen. The movie was good, but very Hollywood. The reason why we went to see that movie was because Ben is a big believer in the 2012 apocalypse and believes that the movie was an accurate portrayal of what will happen to us in 2012.

This morning, at 5:30, Matti and I work up to go to work. The day started with me and Heinrich having to capture a cow in order to move her to another home. We tried three times; each time the cow ran by one of us and off to the other side of the stable until finally the two of us and another man named Kenny helped us. The next thing we did was clean more troughs and cow poop from some of the floors. Then it was off to breakfast. When we came back, we (Matti, Heinrich and I) had to help round up two more cows and take them to the maternity area because they were 3 weeks away from giving birth. As we were finishing up the morning, by stacking towels (used to clean the utters from the cows after milking), Moma, our boss, comes in and tells us one of the cows are about to give birth and asked us if we would like to watch. Without a second thought, the three of us ran out and went to see. The whole birth took over 45 min. but in the end, we got to welcome a new baby boy calf into the world. All of us can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring us.

Gibush

Sorry I haven’t written in a while.

I have been training all week for a gibush or a tryout for tzanchaniem (paratroopers)

That meant that I was running, doing pushups and sit-ups.

Yesterday was the gibush.

We woke up at 5 in the morning to take a bus to Tel Hashomar, the place where we become soldiers. From the main gate, we were lead to a large play area, where we got to see the competition for the gibush. There were over 2o0 people. Many of the people were from Micvah Alon (the army's Ulpan program.) The rest were from either Garin Tzabar (my program) or from outsides areas. The only thing that connected all of us in the gibush was that it was for Oliem Hadasheim or new immigrants. In the play area, we had to fill out paperwork, such as medical information, parent info and rate ourselves on how happy we are, how much determination we have and other factors.

We were then split up into our groups. The groups contained anywhere from 26 to 30 people. We were then taken to an area full of open tents. We had to place our bags down and we were sent to the doctors to get a quick physical. The doctors really only really checked our pulse and took our temp. Then we were broken up to another group of 40 and given a new number. My number was 160. Then we were lead back to the tent area and told to stretch. Finally, the group was lead to the perimeter fence and we had to run 2k for the bar or test (or the first physical fitness test for the gibush). We had to run on sand and dirt for 2k under 10 min. Once we were done, we were all given madim or uniforms and new numbers. We were then told to stand in a circle and wait. During the waiting time, the mifaced or commander pulled aside two people. The rest of us were sent off to dinner of hotdogs and mash potatoes. The reason why the people were pulled aside was because they didn’t run the2k under 10 min and were therefore not thought to be physical enough to pass the gibush. We saw the guys gain at dinner, and after a quick goodbye, we were sent back to the tent area to wait. During this whole time, we also had to drink between 5-6 liters of water.

After a quick wait, we were given another new group and a new number. Mine was 26. This was going to be my group for sprinting in the morning. We were then sent off to bed. The time was 8.

At 3 in the morning, we were all woken up. At night we slept in the tents on military cots. The problem with Garin Tzabar is that we weren’t told what to bring and so none of us (26 who remained) didn’t have sleeping bags. As a result, we all got scaves (a thick wool blanket which has been known to give people scaves.) Anyway, in the morning, we had to fold up the beds and take the mattresses and blankets over to an area. We then had to stand in the waiting area and wait for the mifaced to arrive. Once they did, we were led out into a field, where we were told to sprint up to a tire, around it and back to the starting point. After about 8 of these, the mifaced then told us that the first 5 people would need to stand at the side, while the rest of us would stand in the center and wait. While we were waiting, anther mifaced would write down their number and save it. The point of the day was to come in the top 5 as many times as you can and if you did it a lot of times it means that you are physically fit and would probably make it to the unit. We then had to run around the tire 2, 3 and 6 times. On one of the 1 times and one the 3 times, I came in first.

The next sprint we did was with an alunca or stretcher. The point of this race was that the first four back would take the alunca, lift it up and run again, while the rest of us would only run there and back 2 times with nothing. I got the alunca 1 out of 6 times. The next race we did was crawling on our hands and knees. This was hard, because we never really practiced this and so it was hard to do. After crawling, we had mind games. One was where we were given new numbers and without talking or looking, we had to stand in a formation in our new numerical order. Of course, we failed and so we were punished by doing sprints. The next mind game was where we were given a long pole and an old oil drum. We had to use these objects to get across the "river filled with minds" and if anything touched the water it would exploded. We tried the game three times, each time failing and punished with sprinting. Of course everything was timed. Drinking water, sprinting, the games and everything. If we went over the time, we were given a punishment. If we did something wrong, we were punished.

The final physical thing we did was a masa or a journey that was 3k long. During this masa, we had to run with an alunca, jerry cans and sand bags. Everyone had to hold the alunca at least once and at least one bag. The whole time we rotated so that meant I got the alunca 3 or 4 times and the bag 2.

The next part of the gibush was an interview. The reason for this is because they know that everyone is not physically equal, and so they might be more mentally smart. So we had an interview. My interview went really well, because both of the people asking me question went scuba diving. So when I said I do scuba diving, they both looked at me and smiled and we had a whole conversation on it. It went really well.

After the gibush, me and Matti (the only other kid from my kibbutz) returned home and have been here ever since.

We won’t find out the results for another 10 days but we both feel confident that we passed and are now tzanchanim soldiers.

Remeberance

Today marks the 14th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin death. For those that don’t know, Rabin was leaving a parade, when Yigal Amir shot Rabin and killed him.
In honor to remember his death, the armed forces do a demonstration and invite schools from around the area (11th and 12th graders) to see them. This gives the kids a chance to see some units and ask them questions. (This is similar to what we did: http://cayalbodedstory.blogspot.com/2009/09/practice-makes-perfect.html)

The day started off hearing the story of a soldier, who fought in the Yom Kippur war. From there, we went to a mountain to over look the battle field and even see into Syria. It was a very beautiful site and if there weren’t burned out tanks and old guns, you wouldn’t believe that there had been a war.

From there we went to hear one of Israel’s deputies who also fought in the war. Again, the talk overlooked a mountain into Syria.
The day went pretty much the same with breaks here and there but most of the time it was a history lesson, looking out into the mountains and seeing the beautiful landscape. The conclusion to the day however, was the highlight. We went to an army base where tanks and infantry were doing a combined training excursive. The training started out with artillery fire and then out of nowhere, 3 huge tanks come up and start driving and shooting. (real shells with explosions and sound) then the machines guns went off and all of a sudden we see 8 soldiers coming out of the tanks and running into ditches set up to look like a Syrian battle field. During the whole excursive, we got to hear the orders given to the soldiers inside the tanks and hear what they said. At one point a tank says that they have been hit and a huge explosion happens. Of course this was then followed by more tanks shooting and the soldiers coming out. At the end of the excursive, the soldiers got out of the tanks and we got to talk to them. It was a lot of fun and makes me really looking forward to the army.

The last trip

The saying time flies when you’re having fun often popped into my head this last week. You see, this week we, as a Garin went to Eilat. Eilat is a beautiful city on the southernmost tip in Israel. This was to be the final trip for the group as a whole. Starting Monday, some of group (2 girls) starts the army. It is still surprising that already two months have gone by, and that now the time is upon us to enter.
As for our trip, it was non-stop fun from beginning to end. We started our trip Tuesday. There is nothing like have a bus for 32 kids and a 6 hour bus ride. One the way to Eilat, we stopped at the chocolate milk headquarters of Israel. There, there is a huge variety of different chocolate milks (regular, dark, vanilla, banana, etc.) There is also a wide verity of ice cream flavors. Of course when you walk in, you feel like a little kid and want to try them all, and we almost did that.
From the chocolate milk factory, we went straight to Eilat. The hostel we stayed at was very nice, but small. The whole place was for us and there is nothing better than 9 male guys squeezed into one room. The room was actually very big and there was enough space. The hostel was also a 15 min walk from the beach front and of course, once our bags were down we all raced off to go to the beach. The only other place where I have seen such clear and beautiful blue water was in curacao. The next day, we took a tour of Eilat by the water front on a boat ride. It was interesting to see Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt all around us.
The highlight of the trip for me was the scuba diving I did. Eilat has a great many areas to scuba dive and of course as a diver I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It was such a beautiful underwater scene. I saw so many fish, that I have never seen anywhere else that I can’t wait to go back and go down again. If you are ever in Eilat, I strongly recommend going down under the sea to see such a unique and awesome sight.

Property of Tzahal

Today was the day when we would stop being citizens of Israel and finally become soldiers and property of Tzahal. This meant that we had to go to the bacum in order to become soldiers, get injections and other soldierly things.
The day started at 7:00, when we all went from the kibbutz to Tiberius for another meeting with the Tzav Reshon people. Luckily I was not called and only a few people were.
From there, we went to the Bacum located in Tel Hashomar, Tel Aviv. This is where every teenager in Israel about to become a soldier goes.
Tel Hashomar is just like another military base, with guards, soldiers and Mifacedet. There are many trailer style buildings and real structures with pictures of Soldiers. We were called off the bus and had to stand in two lines. There we handed in our Tiudat Ziut (or ID cards) and followed the Mifacedet to a dining hall, where we were served lunch. I am always impressed with the amount of power Garin Tzabar has because they were able to "reserve" the Bacum just for us and no one else.
After lunch, we were led to a video screen, where we saw a promotional video of some of the units in the army. From there we were led into a big hall, where we were told to wait our turns.
The Next part of the Bacum reminded me a lot of a police station. We were led to a room, where two soldiers sat behind a desk taking pictures of us. One picture was a regular picture of our face. The second picture was a full body shot, from the side. Then we were led to a room, where soldiers took pictures of our teeth. Then we were led to a fingerprint room, where our finger prints and palm prints were taken on a computer. We were then led to another room, where a MRI/dentist type of machine took an x-ray of our mouth. The whole reason why the army is so interested in our mouth and fingerprints is because if something (G-d forbid) goes wrong, at least the army can identify us with the pictures and x-rays.
After the police part of the Bacum was over, we were led to the questionnaire part of the Bacum.
Here we were given a chart with all our medical information. We then had a quick questionnaire part where we were questioned about our bank accounts and again (G-d Forbid) something should happen to us, who do we leave al our money too.
The final part of the Bacum was the medical part.
Here, doctors gave us two shot (one for tetanus and one for melengitus.) the next part was taking a blood sample for DNA reasons.
From the medical part, we were given our shlat. The shlat is a card that says now you are in the army and that if you want to take a bus anywhere in the country, it will only be 9 shekels (a big help because I pay 39, one way, to go to Jerusalem.) We were also given our dog tags. On the dog tags our written our name and our new name (a numerical number.)
The only thing we weren’t given at the bacum was our uniforms. The reason for this is because every branch of the army has their own uniforms. The infantry and tanks are given dark green and the navy and air force are given light green. The other difference is the boots. Some unit get red boots and some get black. For this reason, that we don’t know where we are going yet, we weren’t given our uniforms.
However, all in all, it was a great day and now I am part of the Israeli Army. Now there is no going back.

wow what a week

Sorry for not writing in a while. I’ve been under a lot of pressure. What a rollercoaster ride.
The week started off with Hazat Garin. That is when we introduce the Garin to the kibbutz members. We also tell the kibbutz what our new Garin name is. Our Garin is called Garin Gidon, based on the bible story.
For the Hazat Garin, the Garin is in charge of making dinner and entertainment. My job was to be in the play (yah one liners) and help make the movie. I was the editor in chief and basically once we were done filming, I locked myself into the editing studio (the madrichs house) and edited the movie for two days.
As the show reached its halfway mark, it started raining and we had to cancel the show. It was really upsetting because we had put so much work. Oh well.
The high point of the week however was Wednesday night, when I got to go to Jerusalem and see Matysiahu in concert. The show was amazing and so much fun. There is nothing like seeing him in Israel, right in front of the old city. From the concert, four friends and I rented 2 rooms in a hostel and had a night on the town.
Then Came the most relaxing weekend I have had in a while. I slept like a baby and only remember waking up for food and watching some movies.

The highlights in the week coming up are:
1) Going to the backum to get our uniforms
2 going to Wingate (an army base) to meet Barak's assistant (the 2nd head of the army)

Hope everyone back home had a great Chag and a great week and I promise to write more this week.

Free Day

Today is Yom Sayarot. The day when all the boys who want to can go and tryout for a tryout in one of the elite special forces of Israel. (These units included 669, Matcal, Sheldag and others) by this I mean they get to try out for one day and if they make it, they are invited for the real tryout for the unit they want.
The tryout is comprised of running 2km under a certain time. Pushups and sit-ups, going to sleep. Waking up at a very early hour and then running some more. Throughout the whole thing, the boys sit in their groups and talk about topics picked by their commanders. The topics can be about anything and it is used to see who is the leader of the group, who talks and who doesn’t and who hijacks the conversation.
However, not everyone wants a Sayarot unit, just like me. I want to be a paramedic.
So, since I didn’t go to Yom Sayarot (as well as two other guys) the day was ours for the taking. The girls were given a schedule, since they weren’t going anyway, and the three boys were told that we can do whatever we wanted. I chose to use the day to take care of some much needed work.
I started e day going with my host father to a field to pick palm tree leaves or the roof of the kibbutz sukkah. Together, along with some other kids, we picked over 400 leaves. Once we brought our forest back to the kibbutz, I left to go and take care of driver’s forums in Haifa. The ride was 40 min (one way) and the paper work only took me 5 min to fill out. In Israel, when an Oleyh wants to convert his license, he needs to go to the DMV of Israel and gets a temporary license. With this license, he needs to schedule a driver’s Ed lesson (only one) and you can take the road test and get a full lance.
The Israeli DMV is a very nice building with nice people, unlike the DMV in the states, where no one helps you out and if you’re in the wrong line, you’re in trouble.
Here however there is an information desk when you first walk in and you are told where to go. The whole process was nice and went by painlessly.
From Haifa, I went back on the bus to Afula and took care of some more bank work. I know am finally all done with paperwork (thank G-d).
Tomorrow, the day is still ours, since the guys are still in tryouts. However, since they will be done with their tryout at about 9 in the morning, the whole Garin will go to Mircaz Canada. The Mircaz is like an indoor amusement park with a waterslide, skating ring and also a shooting range downstairs. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to hear from the guys how great was.

Working the land

It’s been a very relaxing weekend for me, here in Israel.
I think I last left off on last week Thursday. That night, we went to a concert featuring Ehud Bani and Shalom Hanoch. The concert started at 9:30 and ended around 3:30 in the morning. It was a lot of fun, because the stadium wasn’t far from the kibbutz and was also built into the side of mountain.
Even though I only got 4 hours of sleep, it was a very awesome concert and I would do it again in a hart beat.
In the morning, we went to Afula to give out apples and honey to soldiers and people at the bus station. It was a very moving experience and while most of the soldiers did not take, the ones who did were very grateful and we were overcome with joy.
From there it was off to our free weekend. It is amazing all the different walks of life that one can find in Israel. An example of this was when I was on the bus going to Jerusalem. There, I met some women who were from New Zealand and were here because they wanted to see Israel. I believe that they were evangelical Christians and on the 1 1/2 hour bus ride, we got to know each other well. As I’m getting off, the women wanted to know my name, so that they could pray for me. In return, they gave me there name and where they live and invited me over to their house when I get out of army.
The free weekend is always fun. There is nothing greater than going to see family and spending time with them.
Once we got back from our relaxing weekend, it was time to get down to business and make some money. Ever since we got here, we haven’t really been working. It’s been a regular schedule of waking up at 8, going to Ulpan and then piulot at night.
Lately however, we had to pull our weight around and help out in the field, by picking olives. It’s a lot of fun to do. Basically you lay down a tarp under a tree and then you rake the tree till all the olives fall down. Then you take the tarp and fallen olives and place them into boxes to be taken back.
Once they get back to the kibbutz, the olive boxes are weighted and placed into a big barrel, filled with water. There they will stay for a month and then they will be eaten by the kibbutz people.
So far we have picked over 400 kilos of olives. The kibbutz buys the 1 kilo for 4.5 shekels or for $1.50 if the exchange rate is good. That means that we have picked over 1,000 Shekels.
We are also in charge of a dinner one night for the whole kibbutz. This included food and entertainment. This is where all our money is going.
We are going to put on a show and a movie that we are making for entertainment. As for food, we are planning to make Mexican food, which included nachos and steak. This is why we have been working so hard for the past few days.

Nothing like some R and R

Yesterday we went to tell Aviv, for some much needed R and R. It is always fun to go see Tel Aviv, the city that is within a bubble.
The first stop on the tour was the Yitzhak Rabin memorial park. This is the spot where Rabin was murdered back in 1995. At the park there are spots on the floor where one can see where Rabin was standing, his bodyguards and also the Murderer, Yigal Amir.
From there, we went to the old city of Yafo. While it was not my first time taking a tour of the old city, with its tight and long corridors, I was never able to get over the feeling only a few years ago, Napoleon had one taken the same route.
From there it was time for some lunch and shopping at the shook. There is nothing on earth that can compare to the shook. There is so much to see, smell, taste and buy that one cannot imagine it all.
From the shook, we went to the Palmach Museum. The Palmach was the first Special Forces branch of the Israeli army. If you have not yet gone to the museum, I suggest you go. It is not like a normal museum. There are a lot of videos and you follow the story of 6 soldiers.
From there we went to the mall for some dinner and then back home. All in all, the day was a lot of fun, and a great ways to recharge the batteries.

Another Meeting

Life has slowly started to take on a routine. For example, everyday, I wake up at 7:30, got o breakfast; go to Hebrew class, then lunch and then piulas at 5 and 8. The night time is usually when we have free time but that to seem to be routine (basically all free time is used for either running, swimming or hanging out with friends)
However, some things are not so routine. For example, when the army comes by for a meeting. Today we had one of the un-routine days. The meeting today was on what do we want to do in the army and why did we come. We then had a meeting with a different soldier, where they basically checked up on our Hebrew and made sure that we are enjoying the kibbutz.
Besides have a conversation, we also had to fill out a questionnaire. The questions were not usual questions. They were filling in the blank questions about life, such as: "the boy gets mad when...., a good father..... I want ....."
It was basically three pages of questions. It was also timed. 20 min to answer 60 questions. I remember doing a similar test with my college counselor to find out what college was good for me. Funny how the army and college seems t be closer and closer every day.
After the questions, there was an application form that we had to fill out. the application was for an elite unit and included both medical questions as well as spatial tests and questions about how do we work in a team, what are some positive and negative attributes and other questions along these lines.
When all was said and done, we went back to our routine schedule. The night piulas tonight was to bake cookies for our host families. While there’s nothing wrong with cookies, Israelis need to learn about toll house or Pillsbury cookies and how to make them sweet.
Tomorrow we are going to Tel Aviv. WE are going to stop at all the museums and supposedly end our day at the shook to buy some things. Hope no one gets robbed again.

Practice makes perfect

Yom Sayarot is coming up soon (less than three weeks). During Yom Sayarot, everybody who wants to get into an elite Special Forces unit tries out. The day is comprised of a lot of sprinting and also a lot of running and heavy lifting. Only the best of the best make it.
Since everyone wants to be the best, we are no different. This is why; yesterday we woke up at 4 in the morning and went to a beach. There we practiced sprinting up and down a sand dune. After that, we ran with a stretcher and water cans up and down the sand dunes again. It was like this for three hours. Talk about fun.

Of course the rest f the day was relaxing and interesting. After finishing the mock Yom Sayarot, we went to the beach. There is nothing more fun than working hard in the morning, and then swimming in the afternoon.
From the beach, we went to an army base in Tel Aviv, where we got to meet with some units to hear what exactly they do. It was set up as a college fair, where different units had different booths set up and each had a rep. there that you could talk to. It was interesting to hear about the different units, but it only makes the chose harder because everything sounds so good.

Of course something had to go wrong in the day and that turned out to be that from the base we were allowed to go to our free Shabot. For me that means going to Jerusalem. That meant that i would have to take a bus from the army base, into the tel aviv bus stations and from there take a bus to Jerusalem. Then I take a bus to the moshav where my grandparents live. The problem was no the traveling, but just leaving the base. Every bus that was going to Tel Aviv was packed. A bunch of people had to keep going from bus to bus, until we found a bus that would take a detour from where they were going and would take us.
As if this wasn’t so bad, I also lost my wallet on one of the buses. Luckily the driver realized this and quickly chased me down honking. I thought that I had forgotten to pay him and when I went to reach for my wallet, he opens up the door and says "forgot something?"
This is one reason why I love Israel. Where else would a bus driver go out of his way, act like a crazy person all to return a wallet of someone he doesn’t know?

Trips

On Thursday last week, the Garin went on a little trip.

We went up north to go kayaking in the Yarden River. It was a lot of fun. The best part was that while there was a sign that said no swimming, no one listened and we played a game called capture the boat.

Basically people jump from boat to boat, trying to throw other people in the water. At one point in the river, we all jumped out and swam for a little, enjoying the cool water.

Besides the water fun, we also went hiking. There are so many breath taking views from the top of the mountains in the north. It is also easier to understand how close we are to Syria and other neighboring countries, since we often went right to the boarder, which was only a 5 min drive from where we were staying.

Then at night, we slept at Sasa. Sasa is a kibbutz up in the north that is also hosting a Garin. Their Garin is from LA and they were all really cool people.

In the morning, we left Sasa and went to Acco to see the old ruins.

Of course no trip is complete without a little bit of trouble and of course, we were no exception.

While walking through the Arab shook, one of our soldiers was robbed. He had left his wallet in his back pocket and while we were waiting on line for some humus, he felt a hand there. He turned around to see someone staring right at him. After a few short milliseconds, the guy started running away. Of course, a Garin group of 20 kids chased the man down. This of course attracted a lot of attention and the man got away.

After the interesting time at Acco, the Garin went to Rosh Hanikra. Rosh Hanikra has the most amazing caverns, with water in them, in Israel. Rosh Hanikra also happened to be the Israeli border with Lebanon. It was interesting to see the sign on the wall that said Israel this way, Beirut that way.


After Rosh Hanikra it was time to go home. Once we arrived to the kibbutz, we quickly got ready for Shabot. This Shabot actually turned into a fun and exciting Shabot for me and two other friends. You would think that after coming back from a hike and trip that we would all be tired, but this was not the case. My two friends and I snuck out of the kibbutz and we went hiking all the way to a mountain that is not far from the kibbutz. The mountain is called Har Gilboa. There we made a camp fire, talked and slept under the stars. In the morning, we walked back to the kibbutz and slept (since sleeping on rocks isn’t exactly the most comforting bed.)

A sigh of relief

Today was our first meeting with the army.
We went to a building where everyone must go in order to find out your physical profile, your Hebrew level and also have a psychometric test.
When we first got there, we were all given cards that had our id number on them and had to be scanned at each step of the way.
My first stop was the doctor, where I was given an eye exam and also got my weight and height checked. I then had to pee in a cup to see if I had blood in my urine. From there I went into a smaller waiting room where I waited for the doctor. After a quick physical, I was given the score of 97. This is the highest score you can get and it means I am fit enough to go into any unit. The reason why I didn’t get 100 is because it is impossible to get 100. (One rumor is because we have been circumcised and girls don’t get 100s)
From there I went test #2, the Hebrew test. Here I was asked questions, such as my father’s name, mothers age, brothers name, where they were born, how old I am. Then I was given a test in Hebrew speaking. I had o describe the last movie I saw. Unable to think of anything, I quickly went to my favorite movie, the batman returns (I’ve seen it 10 times in theaters sadly) and thus told the whole plot of the movie. Then I was given a reading and writing test.
Once that was done, I went to stage 3, which was the psychometric. This is a basic IQ test, where we were given shapes and had to say how they were related, or what shape comes next in the pattern. The whole test was given on a computer and was timed.
The whole test took maybe 4 hours and brought back dreaded memories of the SATs.
After I was done with the test, I threw up my hands in cheer and ran to the city of Tevaria, which was only a 5 min. walk from where the test was given. There I proceeded to eat my heart’s content in shwarma.
By the time everyone was done with the test, it was already 6 at night and we quickly rushed back to the kibbutz, where our new phones were waiting for us.
While I’m happy the test is done and over with, there are new rules for me to follow. I am now considered army property and as such I can no longer leave Israel. I also can’t get a tattoo (sorry mom, I guess I’ll have to wait to get that tattoo you always wanted.)
I also applied for help from the army since I am a Chial Boded or lone soldier.
Hopefully it is as smooth sailing from here and there is no more stressful test :)

Tzav Reshon

Today was anything but a relaxing Sunday.
Unlike in the states, where Sunday is viewed as a day to wake up late, eat pancakes and do nothing, here in Israel it is a regular working day.
Everyone who went out on Shabot over the weekend had to come back last night in order to be here today.
The day started out much like any other day did. We had Ulpan, where we learned new things. Then at 1, we had to go to the post office in order to get our health insurance. Here in Israel, things are more complicated than in the states. (I actually have a funny joke with some of my Garin friends, that when we are done with the army, we are going to open up a bank and other things and bring American efficiency to the area.)
While the post office did not take long, people who didn’t need to be there were and this made everyone get upset because we had to leave so fast that we missed lunch. While this doesn’t seem so bad, here on the kibbutz lunch is viewed as dinner or the biggest meal where chicken or meat is served.
The other reason why everyone is on edge is because tomorrow is tzav reshon. This is our first army test. Basically it consists of a physical check, a basic IQ test (where we need to look at shapes and complete the pattern) and an interview with the psychologist. Tzav reson is also where we get to find out what units we are able to go into. It is very stressful for everyone because we all want to get into a good unit and we are all afraid of being told something we don’t want to here. Hopefully we are all over thinking this thing and it turns out to be not bad at all.
Hope everyone had a good weekend.

What a week

Last week was Gadna week. Gadna is a program for 11th graders in Israel to experience what the army will be like for them.
When we first got there, we met our Mifacedet (commander). We then we told that we have 10 seconds to get our things inside our rooms and line up outside. We were told to do this three times, since the rooms kept getting messed up. When we finally got our rooms (all the way on the other side of the base, which is a five min walk away from everything) we were given our new clothing, which consisted of green pants, green shirt and a green belt. We were then given 10 min to run to our new house and change into our army clothing. After that we were basically led on a tour of the camp and told what we were allowed to do and not. At night, we had a ceremony where we got our rankings and told what group we were in. I was a regular soldier, like everyone else and was in the yellow group. (There was a blue group and red group) a group was made up of many different tzvets (smaller groups).
The next day was another basic army day. We learned the 9 rules about guns, such as don’t point it at anyone; it’s not a toy, so on and so on. Afterward, we were given two guns (which where cemented closed and without bullets) and we had to walk around with them and treat them as if they were real. Besides doing army running, pushups, making formations, Day two we also started doing guard duty. It was only 30 min, but we had to guard our room so no one would steal anything important. It was fun to do because during this time, I met other Garin kids and relaxed (since I didn’t have to run or anything.)
The third day was a lot of fun. On the fourth day we had a field day. We were marched from our base, down to the bottom of a hill and we were taught what it’s like to be a soldier out in the field. We learned how to camouflage ourselves with dirt, twigs, and other things. We also learned how to crawl, and what to do if there was a grenade thrown at us. Besides learning what soldiers do in the field, we also learned how they eat. (Mostly tuna or beans out of cans)
On the fourth day, we did a gibush. Basically, we got a taste of what it is like when we go for try out for the units. We had to run with a stretcher and we learned more about the different units in the army. We also got to meet with some soldiers from different units and talk to them about their experience in the army. At night we had our closing ceremony, where we had to give back our ranks and a person from each group was nominated for an award.
The last day was sad but also a lot of fun. We got to shoot real m16 guns. We also got to talk to our Mifacedet as if she was a regular person. It turned out that she was only 18 years old. It was a lot of fun. From Gadna, we went back to the kibbutz for a night party, since it was the birthday of one of the old Garin people.
Then came Shabot, which was very relaxing. Hope the next week is s fun as the last week was!

Getting ready for the real thing

Another week has come and gone already.
Surprisingly nothing new happened. The only really fun thing last week was Friday, when we finally did some work. Our job was to go around and paint every wooden thing with turpentine (the paint to protect the wood.) for two hours; we were under the hot sun, painting playgrounds and benches.
Then we had Shabot, which was relaxing as usual. There was a party given by the young kids of the kibbutz to welcome us here.
Ulpan has also been the same. Learning more and more each day.

The exciting thing this week is Gadna. Gadna is army for kids in 11th grade in Israel. It is a chance for them to experience the army before they go. They go through basic things like marching, pretending there is a terrorist attack and shooting. However, for us it is going to be a test drive of what it will be like in three months. Gadna is also a week long. This means that I won’t be writing anything new for the next week since we aren’t allowed to take anything worth of value, such as IPOD, money and laptop.
We will be doing Gadna in the North, to a Golani base.
While we are all excited to go and give it a try, it will be hard.
Since Gadna is for students and young children, a lot will be different then what it’s like in the real army. For instance, we have to sleep 7 hours a day, instead of 6. We will also be served 3 meals a day, like the real army and we will have an hour for ourselves after "training" like in the real army. We will also be wearing real army uniforms and carry around a gun (the only thing is that the Gun doesn’t actually shoot. All the shooting will be done on the 4th day when we get to go to a shooting range.)
I hope it’s everything we want it to be.

Getting adopted

Family is the most important thing in the world. True that your friends are always there for you, but Family can bail you out of any situation.
With this being said, today we met our new families. By doing Garin Tzabar, one of the nice things is that we are given a family that we can go to for food, housing, or just have a mother or father figure to talk to while we are here.
My family is originally from Argentina (Bonus on the Spanish). They moved to the kibbutz three years ago. They also have three of the cuties and funniest kids ever. (Two girls and one boy. see mom, I finally have sisters.) They have one dog and many fish. The kids ages are between 6-10. The family is the best. Today, I got to finally eat a home cooked meal and then we went on a drive to Afula. The adopted family then went to Beer Sheva for 5 days. They said I could go with them next time, if my Commander lets me.
The families all live on the kibbutz and each family was parried with a kid from Garin, based on their personalities and if they wanted a gain kid. All the families are perfect and no one has complained about them.
While these families can never and will never replace our real families, it reminds us of them and they are great people, here to help us out of every situation that might occur.

Comparing Israeli system to American System

So I know I am now Israeli and have to get used to the way of life. However, like most Israeli's I know, I now get to complain about the country I live in. the first problem I have took place on Sunday.
Sunday we got to leave the kibbutz and go to our real family houses (Grandparents, siblings and other family members). The only way to get to where we wanted to go was by bus.
In America, when you want to take a bus, you wait at the station or bus stop, see what number bus you need, when it’s coming and then you’re on the bus. While on the bus, you can buy either a one day ticket or a monthly pass.
In Israel however, this is not really the case. Here, Egged, the bus company, has one major stop in Afula and in most places. The busses all come at what time they feel like. (My bus was supposed to come at 11:15 and ended up showing up at 12:30. I was also the only one going to Jerusalem and was the last one to leave the bus stop)
The second thing is that on Israeli busses, people must sit down and can’t stand up. The first bus that came to station couldn’t fit everyone who waited at the station and we were told to wait another 10 min. for a bus that could fit the rest of us who wanted to go to Jerusalem.)
The Third difference is that if you want to place things on the bus, you place them on the bottom of the bus and not near you (I got away with placing my bag and laptop case, but my clothing and stuff had to go on the bottom.)
Finally, I could only buy a round trip ticket on the bus and not a monthly pass (good thing though cause I only get off the kibbutz twice a month.)

However, once I got the whole mess sorted out and finally reached my destination, I had a pretty good weekend. It was very relaxing and I enjoyed the much needed rest.

However, today, when I had to return back to the kibbutz, the mess started again. The bus station in Jerusalem is twice as big as the one in Afula. Because of that, it is twice as hard to figure out. The bus station had only one person who was working information. Otherwise there is a board that shows which platform the bus is leaving from and at what time. The bus I wanted wasn’t there. So I had to go wait in line at the information place. (This is another different but this can be good. I have never really taken a bus in the city alone, I have done the subway and that is worst. There is really no one there to help you and often times if you don’t know where you are going, you can’t get there at all.) In Israel however, this is not the case. The information lady and mostly anyone around you are willing to help you out. This goes for soldiers or any regular person.
It wouldn’t be much fun if the ride went according to plan. Therefore, I witness my first crash in Israel. It is not something I want to repeat. Basically, a white car tried to cut off the bus so he went through three lanes on the highway and instead of slowing down, hit the guard rail and flipped. The bus stopped a few feet later and the bus driver went to check on the bus. I wanted to get off the bus and check on the car, but not knowing the Israeli laws; I decided against it and stayed put. (I hate that about American society, I was afraid I would be sued for trying to help out and since I’m knew, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.)

Once I got back to the Kibbutz, the whole Garin went to the bank to open an account. This was when I discovered another big difference in American society and Israeli’s. In America, when someone wants to open a bank account, it takes 5 min. You sign some papers and put in a password and that it. Here however, it takes 45 min. You sign so many papers with your signature, that by the time your down, your hands hurt. You also don’t get a bank card right away. I have to wait for Thursday to get mine.

The final difference I realize is how to get a drivers license. In America first you go to the dreaded place known as the DMV, wait in line for hours and then maybe, only on a good day, you get your licensee.
In Israel however, I first had to go get my eyes checked. Now I have to get a physical to make sure I’m in a healthy state to drive. Then I sign up for lessons and go for the test, which can take place only after a certain amount of practice courses, which should be some time soon.