BLOG UPDATE!!!! 29/12/10

Hey guys!
Ill give you an update of what's been going on with me since the last blog update not the Tekes Hashaba photo.
I figured it was about time for a legit blog update. I've been getting facebook messages asking for updates so here we are. I just needed stuff worth writing about.
As you guys know I have been in New York(thanks to that dentist blog I put up).
I finally got a vacation and was allowed to go home for a month. I got to see my two amazing dogs, my mom, my sister, my brother, and my friends.
I had a great time there and I'm wondering when the next time I get to go back is. I must say I am NOT missing the NY weather right now. I'm missing the beauty of snow and ice but that's about it. It is way too cold for me. I'm kinda enjoying my 60/70 degree weather. It feels nice. Although it is still kinda strange for me to see all the Israelis covering them selves in jackets saying how cold winter is when I was just in NY and it was 25 on a good day and 30 on a warm day.
This trip was a learning experience for me. I learned alot about friendship and how meaningless it can be to some people. To be honest it hurt. There were people I thought were my best friends and that I would be friends for them for a very long time. I had no idea, that some people just dont care if you wont do something for them. There were a few people who Im glad Im not friends with anymore. I dont want to be taken advantage of anymore.
A question was asked of me on the website Formspring:"Do you think you are easy to be friends with?"
I replied with:"Yes and no. I do have expectations which mostly revolve around respect. You go against those and its hard to get my trust back to the level it was at."
I just want to clarify this. I put alot of trust in my friends. I've learned over and over that that's not a good idea. My morals and life revolve around respect. I will always give you respect as long as you give me respect. The better the friend you are to me the more I do for you. I will always always always go out of my way for my friends and family. Those who are family and my true friends know this.
What hurt me when I went back was I realized that some people were just taking advantage of my love and loyalty and friendship. That hurt. You would think that if someone you said was your best friend they would come see you. Am I right? Isn't that what friends do? If you miss someone and you have a chance to see them, you go see them. You don't make them come to you just so you can ignore them. Or if you miss them you call them(or text nowadays) and say "I wanna see you" but hey ignoring the person flat out gets the picture sent loud and clear. The moral of this is just be honest. If a person is not important to you, dont drag them out and make them think that. Its not right. It sucks.
I spent ALOT of my time with Bonnie. She's my best friend and my sister. It was so great to see her and her family. They are always so warm and welcoming. I absolutely loved being there. I really hope that JoAnn puts up the photos from the past month. Those were some great photos and moments.
I got to eat alot of the food I've been missing. It was soooo good. 
I just really wanted to be back home with my loved ones and my food. So I would definitely say it was a successful trip. I got to see my loved ones and eat my favorite foods. I think Israel needs more American food here like TV Dinners(Banquet and Kid Cuisine to name a couple). 
It was super great to see my Aunt Marylou and my brother Robert. We all had a nice little lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. That was super fun to catch up with her and him. 
Robert got me a really cool US Marines shirt as well as an awesome USMC sweater. The sweater I wear everyday its so comfy. It is kinda funny when people ask what it means. It just goes to show how American I am by assuming everyone knows what USMC stands for. hehe silly me.
It felt really good to finally be back at home with my mom and Petey and Cookie(my dogs). My mom and I had fun. We went through all of our family history and learned alot about or family. Its something I'm never going to forget.
Going back really made me rethink my plan. I have alot of thinking to do about my life now.
Anyway, I need to go now. Im tired. Im very jetlagged. Its not good.
I will update next week to tell everyone about New Years. 

Models: (L)Me and (R)Bonnie
PC:George Leininger
Becky and Bonnie

So I leave everyone with a picture from the shoot I wrote about in the previous blog. 
Happy New Year everyone. If I get pictures from New Years Ill put those up. :)
Lilah Tov/Good Night/Gute Nacht

Random Photo Update!!!

Hey guys!!!
I figured it was time for a random Photo Update.
 I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and Happy Holidays(sorry for the later being late).
Here's a photo from a mini shoot I did with George Leininger and my sister. I helped with the lighting but I managed to get a shot or two... maybe three or four in there as well. I only have a few of the photos from that shoot. The main primary focus was around Bonnie. The shots of her came out beautifully! She looked gorgeous.

PC: George Leininger
Christmas Gypsy

So anyway, I just wanted to drop by and say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope it will be a new year of good health and happiness full of laughter and relaxation. I know that's what Im hoping for.

If you guys want to see more of the shoot please comment,email, or message me and let me know. Ill be more then happy to show you guys.
Ill put another update( a real update) soon.
See ya guys soon :)

Tekes Hashbah from October Photo

So basically this is just the photo(the only photo) of me from the Tekas in Jerusalem. It was in October for the Nahal unit. This is the photo I said I wanted to have on the blog.

 So this is Adam and I at the Kotel right after the ceremony was finished.

This is a small blog update because Im on vacation and have been for the past month. Ive been in NY spending time with friends and family. I will update the blog with photos.

Im in...

New York for my one month vacation. I hate the dentist.

Random Photo of the Week. # 2 (sorry its late.)

Okay so here is a photo of me for you guys. I couldn't decide what photo to put up. Im not really loving the photo too much but everyone else seems to like the series of photos it came from. I figured why not let the people who aren't on my facebook see them. If you want to see the rest let me know and I will post them on here.
I couldn't decide which photo to put up which is why its late. But I finally picked it out. I figured better late then never. Or in this case better late then to the end of the week. So that means there will be two posts this week...maybe 3 unless I just decide to put everything up in one update. Im not really sure. But anyway on to the photo.

The photographer (a friend of my mine) Ofek took this picture in Dizengof Circle in front of the Fire-Water Sculpture. He said I looked exactly like Kristen Stewart. I dont know if I should take it as an insult or a compliment. Im gonna like to go with compliment... That makes me feel better.

Im not a big fan of the photo because I was biting the corner of my mouth from the inside and you can obviously tell too. Other then that its a nice photo. Ofek is a great photographer. He is actually the photographer for the Army Newspaper. If I got that job I would have been working with him.

Also Id like to thank the readers who I got messages from concerning the last post and army questions and how my blog has helped them. Thanks everyone!!! :)

Okay, so look forward to a blog update very shortly!

First Random Photo of the Week.

So I wasn't sure how I should go about choosing the random photo for one photo a week. I wasn't sure if it should be from my past, strictly Israel, strictly army, or just doesnt matter any picture I like and feel like sharing. I think any picture I feel like sharing might be a good idea. If you guys want a certain type of photo let me know.
So anyway the photo I chose was because I liked the mood and vibe it set off. I was adding photos to my army album on facebook and just liked this one and it reminded me of the blog.

This is from Gdud 931 of Nahal. It is their Tekas Hashbaah( Swearing-In Ceremony) in Jerusalem. It took place in October at The Western Wall (The Kotel/Wall). It was so good to see my friend Adam again. Thats him(I think) on the right side second inward. 

I figured this would be a good preview of my Tekas Hashbaah Blog. Im so proud of my friends that were sworn in that day and that I got to see.

Alls I need are some photos from Adam and you all will have a fun blog to read. ;)

Well anyway, its late and I need to get up tomorrow morning to go into the army.

Lilah Tov Leculam (Good Night Everyone) :D

Random Picture

Hey Guys!

I don't really have anything to say today. The new Neshkiit came today for her first day. She's super nice. We got everything done twice as fast and had time to clean. By the time it was 10am(closing time before lunch) we had everything organized and clean, which believe me is a giant feat all of its own. So today went nicely.

I figured since I don't really have much to say and Im waiting on certain photographs, I'd do a random post with just a photo. Im also waiting for my room to be finished so its good enough for photos. :P

Oh snap! Me in my uniform!!! Medim in hebrew.
מדים
PC:Matan

So what do you guys think? Should I do a random photo of the day and explain it or a photo of the week (the same thing as photo of the day just once a week) if I don't have anything worth updating?

Please let me know. I would like to know what you guys want.

I also want to thank everyone whose been commenting on the blog as well as sending me messages and emails. It means alot to know you guys like it. And I love hearing how it helps you guys! This is so amazing! I never thought it would!!!

I DIDN'T FORGET! Promise!!!

It's a pretty picture. It's right outside my window.

I promise I didn't forget! I just wanted something good to write about. I just looked at my previous post and read the comments. Thank you for reading it. But I would like to clear something up. I am in no way applying that I am letting this affect and claim me as a victim. I wrote this in hopes that it could maybe help people who feel like victims, help them get the courage to say something and get out of the shadow of fear they are under. To let them know it will be okay. Yeah I did start getting harassed by his friends and it did get really hard to live where I was living. But I did it. He has done enough to get himself in more trouble then need be.
A little sum up of the last month I think is in order. Don't you?
Okay so in September I started working in the neshkia. The neshkia is where are the guns are kept. My job title is Neshkiit. Trust me it sounds alot cooler then it actually is. I handle all the guns for the soldiers who have guard duty. I give them the gun, the vest, and the magazine, then I take it back when they are done. That's about as plainly as I can put it. It's also taking care of the guns(i.e making sure they are clean, they work, they aren't broken in anyway and that they have all been returned).
Basically the amount of arguments I get into everyday over a certain gun makes me just want to slap a beepacha (my mom said i should stop saying bad words all the time. so i will do that...well try anyway).
Only in the army will you have here "I want this type of gun because I'm pretty/special". Really? In my head I think "That was seriously not just said to me".
Now I know my hebrew isn't great and im not fluent but I understand that. This is all just so insane.
Anywho, the deal about me being in the Neshkia was Im there to speak/improve my hebrew and/or be there until the real new neskiit comes. Well as of today both happened. She finally gave today. woot woot. So if I'm lucky I have 2 weeks to train her then I leave. I improved my hebrew over these past 6 weeks.
We finally had rain. Here are some pictures of the clouds.

During. This is my favorite.

After.

Dont remember to be honest. 

Before.

So these are pictures from my new apartment! :D Sof Sof!!! That's hebrew for finally. סופסוף!!
I've also seen it spelt this way: סוף סוף.
I see both ways a lot so it's rather confusing to know which is correct.

So my next two blogs will be about my new apartment and the tekas I just went to for Nahal. Both will have pictures. I just wanted to let you guys know I didn't forget about this blog. I think about what to write everyday.

Look forward to a new update soon! :D

Serious Subject Matter/Issue

Now this blog for me is rather difficult to write. But I think as a female in the army it is important and crucial to bring this subject up. I haven't really seen too much of this issue anywhere. I feel like it is one that no one really wants to talk about. It's also very difficult to talk about. Writing this blog is a very very big step for me. Im not looking for responses back. I just ask that you read it and think about it.
This subject being SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
For me this is a very touchy subject. I have been a victim of harassment and molestation in high school. What pains me more now is that I can now say Im a victim of it in the army. I feel like this is an international problem that is never brought up because people are too scared.
You have to ask questions like "Was she teasing you?" "Did she ever say stop, please dont touch me?" "Please don't say those things to me?" "Please leave me alone?" How can one justify who's telling the truth or now. How can one justify if one is just crying "Wolf" for revenge out of anger? One can't.
Also it is not only females who are victims but yes as surprising as it is, males can be too. We can be just as cruel and malicious as they are.
When one makes steps towards stopping such actions against oneself from someone else, they tend to get harassed from the accused friends/family. It makes things that much harder. This isnt a subject that everyone wants to be made public. No one wants the scrutiny of people knowing. The subject of sex is already such a private matter that this makes it even worse. It makes the victim feel horrible, disgusting, betrayed, violated and so many other things as well as frightened and alone.
You can't stop someone from looking at you. You can say something but that just provokes them even more. You cant be nice about it- they think you won't mean it. You can't be forceful and mean about it- then they see it as a game and they get embarrassed and then want to gain their dignity back and fix their ego. It also makes a big scene. I have tried both ways of dealing with. There is no correct way. But how far is too far? How far are we willing to let people get away with such despicable actions? Since high school my life has been forever changed with the fear of men. Including those my age and those younger. It forever alters your way of thinking.
I came to Israel not expecting such actions but I was foolish to think that this subject is just in America. My situation is being taken care of with the proper authorities. I tried dealing with it myself when it was just words. The moment it got worse to where this person tried to touch me I went to the proper authorities. I felt that this was an important issue that needed to take notice.
I understand I can't stop people from staring. I can't stop them from yelling things at me and puckering their lips and whistling at me. For me this does make me uncomfortable. Im not used to such attention. It is also unwanted. I can tell them to stop but that wont do anything. This isn't an issue that will go away either. Until life ceases to exist it will be a problem. But maybe we can make it somewhat more bearable to deal with. Nobody realizes how it will truly affect you until you become a victim yourself. As I said previously your mind is forever altered. Your trust with people are forever altered. It haunts you forever. Everything about you is different. I have had such relationship issues that it makes me hard to open up to anyone of the opposite sex. It makes it that much harder to just have a normal relationship. To wonder "why is this man with me?" "Does he like me for me or does he think Im easy?" It makes you scared and it makes you want to hide(Kind of what Im doing now. Hiding in my room writing this blog just so I dont have to have the chance to run into him or his friends). It makes you want to be alone when thats the last feeling you want to feel. When you need someone the most. But what if youre being harassed by a member of the opposite sex and you want to run to the person who you trust the most and feel the safest with? What if that person is also a member of the opposite sex? How do you stop the feelings that come up of disgust? The sex that hurt you the most is also the sex that you trust the most. What do you do? Who do you turn to? How do you make the feelings go away? How can you help yourself and hopefully help others? Thats why I want everyone who reads this blog to think about this situation. How can people feel so victimized and scared? How can we help them? What I have to say is you arent alone. There are millions of us out there who all feel this way. We are all too scared and nervous to say something and do something. We don't want the drama and the after affects. We think by ignoring it, it will go away. It wont. YOU NEED TO SPEAK UP AND SAY SOMETHING.
Thanks for your time and remember to the victims who may read this- You arent alone.

The week of August 29th- September2, 2010.

Okay so as many of you know August 29th I was in Jerusalem at NBN Headquarters for Aliyah.
Monday I returned to Mdor Nahal. My katzin told me I have an interview on tuesday at 11am.
I had to go to none other then Michve Alon! The base I was just at for 3 months! This time to be an Rarasap. Pronounced: Are ah sap.  Basically its a logistic job. You are in charge of all the equipment. Not hard I can do that. Oh yeah except for the part where you bitch out all the soldiers in tironut. I kinda wish I got that job. Woulda been fun to go back to Michve Alon and return with so much power. Damn my hebrew. My hebrew is good just not good enough. I needed just a smidge higher. Just a smidge and I would have been set. Dammit. Oh well. You live and you learn.
So Wednesday I return to Mdor Nahal where my katzin tells me I have an interview as an IDF Spokesperson. They need fluent english speakers. Cool huh? I know. I was super excited for this interview. It was in the kiriah. The kiriah is like the pentagon of the Israel. Nice place too. It was beautiful.
So my interview was at 930. I was told to get there around 910. I figured with all the security I would go a bit earlier. I got there around 830 and waited for a little bit. Around 845 I was called in for my interview. Honestly Ive never been so disrespected in my life. This whole interview felt like a gigantic slap in the face. I was royally pissed off. The girls in that unit were not only lazy and childish (probably trying to act cute for the guys in that unit who couldnt even stand them) but rude. The moment they see a new person they start getting territorial and bitchy. It was honestly ridiculous. Im sorry but when did we enter back into grade school and leave the army?
So anyway my interviewer sends me to the photography/film unit of IDF Spokesperson. He asks some questions and asks what I want to do in the army. I tell him I want to be with people and help them. His response here is a job for you. How would you like to be the photography archiver. You deal with people who want to buy the photos and you make sure they are clean. How does that sound? You like it? My response was yes and no. He asked why no. And naturally I said because its not with people. Im not helping people.
So he told me of a bunch of other job interviews in the IDF Spokesperson Unit that I "would just be perfect for". So I had to return back to the kiriah. So Im walking out of that building by 947 and I make it back to the kiriah a little before 10 where I wait till 1pm. One the officer left. When I finally got in touch with her- she told me shed be back in a few minutes. 2 hours later there is a lower ranking officer telling me to go home and there are no jobs for me here. After I left I get a phone call. A missed call to be more precise. Apparently they dont know Im gone. So yay. There goes job chances. I try calling my katzin but hes busy and doesnt answer. So now I return on Sunday starting all over. Honestly it sucks. I feel so... I dont know the words. It like Im not good enough. Im not useful. I feel annoying and like a failure. How can I possibly get a job if no one is willing to give me a chance? No one wants to hear it either? "Oh youre from New York and arent fluent yet? Bye." I feel bad to my katzin for me constantly going back there. I know Im running out of possible jobs but I also know that Im not going to get the job I want. Im not being picky at all. I just want a job. Maybe I should have said yes to the sitting in a room by myself and cleaning photos? How bad could it be? At least Id have a job.
So around 4, I had an outside the army job interview for a lawyer firm who needed an english speaker. I probably didn't get it because he needed someone who is also fluent in hebrew.
But what made my night and made me feel so much better was the fact that I went to TAU and was able to pick up one of my suitcases. I have different clothes. I dont have to wear the same clothes every weekend now. Im so happy. I still have more to pick up. I pretty much left everything I own there... hence why I need a place to live. We aren't allowed to have furniture in the beit hahayel. Im gonna ask if one or two small storage units are allowed. I kinda need them. My suitcases take up so much room. :(
Also I found out today(September 3) that it is okay to get a pet goldfish. :D AWESOME! I WANT ONE!!! <3

Aliyah

So on Sunday, August 29th 2010 I had my meeting with Misrad Hapnim. I made aliyah. I almost didnt make it.
Come on you guys should have an idea of me about now. Of course some form of adventure happened. :P
Well when you have your meeting with Misrad Hapnim you need to bring the following:
1. birth certificate
2. passport (very important. they need it and end up taking it from you)
3. Proof of Judaism Letter(and if you want the proof. the proof isn't needed if you have the letter)
4. Any other documents that they tell you to bring.
My meeting was scheduled for 1215. I got there early. 1144 am to be exact. I was so excited but at the same time I had no idea what to expect.
I got there and there was a whole bunch of chairs set up. There was a food table and a table that you had to sign in on. There were so many different kinds of people. There were 2 hassidic boys and 2 club type guys( you know the men with the tight flashy dress shirts and the nice jean pants who smoke kinda like guidos... guidos seems like a better description) an orthodox family and also an elderly couple who felt like they were in their 20s/30s.
In the folder, Nefesh B'Nefesh has a few pages of information. They have a worker come look it over with you and explain everything in depth with you also what applies to you and what doesn't. It also tells you what is needed for the Misrad Hapnim meeting. Nefesh B'Nefesh calls you a week ahead of time and tells you as well.
So I got there at 1144 am as previously mentioned above sat down with Ellie. Ellie is an awesome woman. She's the girl with all the IDF knowledge. She went through everything with me. At the end she asked me if I had any questions. I did... "Is it necessary that I need my passport?"... yup. I did it. That's what I forgot. My passport. Woops? hehe... So yeah turns out you cant make aliyah without it. We came up with the conclusion that i have until 2pm to go get my passport, return back to NBN Headquarters and make Aliyah. If I do not make it back before 2(which is when the meeting is over) I have to wait till next month. So I ran out of there at 1159. Got a taxi to Jerusalem Central Bus Station then the first bus to Tel Aviv. The ride from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem or Jerusalem to Tel Aviv is approximately one hour. It can take more time depending on the traffic(I once had a bus ride take 2 hours almost 3). I made it back at 1259. That is called amazing time. I then with no other choice got a taxi to the Beit Hahayal(Soldier House aka where I live) got my passport and then took the taxi back to the NBN Headquarters in Jerusalem. I made it with 5 minutes left. I got there at 155pm. I then found out that other people were late so they extended it to 3pm so by default I still had time.
So in the actual meeting with Misrad Hapnim they just have you sign some papers and take your passport. That's it. Then they tell you they will call you in a week. It takes 10 minutes maximum. So now that's all folks on my aliyah adventure. :)

Sooo I Went To Beit Lid...

And yes. Yes I did get lost. :P 

                                                 I realized I never showed the Nahal symbol except when I put up a picture of David in uniform. I think I put one of him in here. I dont remember to be honest and hey, whats the harm in another picture.

Okay Onward with the blog update!!!

So I had an interview at the base Beit Lid on thursday. It's a base outside of Netanya. It has 3 units in the base. Mem Tsadik- The Military Police. The Paratroopers. And Nahal. Me being me, of course, got lost. It's a gift. I am very glad I left an hour earlier then I needed to.

Getting to the base was pretty successful. Navigating around that base is something else. IT'S HUGE! 

It took me almost an hour to find the right place. I think I asked 3 or 4 different people how to find the  area I needed. Not the building. The area. Okay I remember now. Three people to find the area. One to tell me what building. And one girl who was with two guys to tell me where the person is. Thankfully they actually worked for her so I was 15 minutes to spare till 10am. 

That means I was 15 minutes early for my interview...which was at 10.

In normal army fashion I had to wait about an hour for my 5 minute interview. 5 MINUTES!!! Hamesh Dekot!!! 5 FUCKING MINUTES! Why is it for things that take 10 or less minutes you need to wait an hour or more? 

Okay but no. It didn't go that bad. The people were nice. It took a little while before we all got the guts to start talking to eachother but you know it was fun. One of them had a tattoo on each arm. The left arm said "Good boys go to heaven." And on the right arm, it said "Bad boys go to Amsterdam." He also went to Michve Alon. So that was really cool to find out. They wished me luck as I went into my interviewer. She was really busy and I could tell but she was still so nice. I was interviewed for being a Pey Pey. It's basically a secretary position. A Pey Pey is the secretary to the Mem Pey. They have the "attendance" list for the entire unit before 10am every day. Attendance List is the best, easiest, most basic translation I can think of for what they do. It's the list of every soldier and where they are. If they are home, hafnia, somewhere on base. Anywhere. A pey pey has to know where every single soldier is. In each unit theres about 200 hundred soldiers. Im using unit in a very broad term because I don't really feel like translating every word and explaining everything. It's a small unit of a bigger unit of an even bigger unit. Blahta Blahta Blah. You get the picture.

The pey pey also (if they want, it's a job you need to make your own) try and keep the moral of all the combat soldiers up. Well the combat soldiers in their unit. The pey pey is the best friend, mom, dad, brother/sister to all the soldiers. Always there for them. Doing whatever is in their power to make the soldiers feel better during their intensive training. Always being happy and optimistic. 

To me the hardest part sounds like the attendance list. But it also sounds like a very rewarding and fun position.

Unfortunately the position is closed until the next Combat Draft date which is in two months. So after talking to my katzin(officer) and being told to return on Monday, not Sunday(that will be a blog) I can try and wait it out two months or find a different job. Maybe one that is similar. Im very fortunate to have a great great officer. He is really going out of his way to help me and find a great job. A job that fits me. Im really very lucky and very grateful he is doing this.

Anyway, after I left I went and picked up a package from my awesomeist most favortist best friend/ sister ever. Bonnie. That's her. ->  She sent me True Blood and Dexter. God was I dying without my True Blood. Im finally caught up with every episode. Can not wait for Sunday's episode. So excited. You don't even know. 

This vampire obsession of mine I think is hitting a high peak. Ive been obsessed since I was 4. Is that good? *I MUST NOTE! I am not a Twilight Die Hard or what ever they are called. FUCK NO. Im an original and I will be always and forever. You know Cristopher Lee, Bram Stoker, Anne Rice. The Original Vampire Lover. Thankyou for youre time in reading this ridiculous note* That's like what 16 years? Im only 20. Should I get counseling or something? 

No that would just be a waste of time. I can just find someone with an obsession like mine. Ain Biya.

Okay it's bed time. Aka. 122 am. Woops.

But I had an excellent thursday and friday. I want everyone to have a happy and safe Shabat. Shabat Shalom everyone!!! :D I will update Sunday afternoon or Monday morning before my meeting with my officer which lead to maybe 2 posts in one day.

 Our departing picture: The Nahal and Israeli flags. And also the Nahal Symbols. The second one is slightly hard to see and for some reason the color is messed up. :/ It's more blue then green. Nahal is green. Which by the way it's Bonnie's favorite color. Fun Fact? I think... Anywho, Lila Tov and Shabat Shalom :)

Wow. Its Been A While! Sorry Bout That 0:)

Okay wow. So it has been a while. A very long time... almost 2 months. Im not gonna lie I have had time to update, I just didnt. I didnt really want to. Nothing has really changed that much. So for this blog I will update you on what has changed.
1. I left David's house. Im now living in the biat hayal (Soldiers House) in Ramat Gan. I highly suggest if you are a soldier to stay at this one. The people are great.

2. I FINISHED MICHVE ALON!!!! I have pictures!!! (also I have the single picture from the first ceremony)

3. I got my uniforms tailored. They look so much better on me now.

4. I had my first Regila. Regila is a 4 days off from the army. Its a vacation. They usually put it on a weekend so it seems longer.

5.IM OFFICIALLY IN NAHAL!!! The best unit ever!!! <3 <3 No like literally. Best Unit Ever. Okay so maybe its my opinion but out of all the people and soldiers I have met all of the coolest and nicest people(including a certain someone who I love very much and has been my best friend and rock through all these tough times) are in Nahal.

6.Im now in the process of finding a job in the army. A job is called Tafkid. I just had a photography interview. I didn't get it but you know, Im not upset about it. Im actually pretty okay with the fact I didn't get it. I didn't have the money to buy the equipment they needed, so its only logical that they give it to someone who had everything they needed.  Tomorrow I return to Tel Hashomer for more jobs to choose from. If I can, I will write a blog about that. Im going to update more now that I have more time.

Okay so now, PICTURE TIME!!!

Here is the only picture from my first ceremony at Michve Alon.

Okay now here are pictures from the finishing ceremony at Michve Alon. This was a practice shot. Okay now here is right before the ceremony when we were all in line too start marching. A little behind the scenes action. You know. :P Okay now here is me after.  I want to thank Hana Shavi for these photos. To be honest it sucked. I hated that everyone had friends and family there. I could tell that my commanders pitied me. It was nice that they came up to me and started talking to me but still it hurt. I was all alone at one of the most happiest moments in my life. You go into this thinking it wont be so hard to be alone because you will have your plugah and your commanders but when you see everyone going to their family and friends... it hurts. Its a low blow and it sucks. Its not a feeling I want to feel again but I put myself in a position where I know it will be felt again.

Okay so because the course is over we "broke distance" with our mefakdote. I have to say it was really weird at first. But its kind of cool. They are some of the nicest and most coolest girls Ive ever met.

 The top row Left to Right: Jessica, Sharon, Tamar, Jenna, Mirlagros. Bottom row Left to Right: Doni, Tamar( She was one of our mefakdote. She is probably my favorite.), Erica and I.

Okay I dont really know what else to write for now. But I will have more stuff soon. Promise.

Oh check out this other blog by a lone soldier. He is in Combat. His name is Tzvi

http://tzvidar.wordpress.com/

Hospital and Gimilim.

Alright so lets sum up the past 2 weeks. Still no Kibbutz after saying yes and yelling at my mefakedet and mishakitash.
Got super sick. Or should I say still sick. When I went back last sunday I was still sick. Okay bitniim. Then Gimilim on base. So by tuesday I was just so sick I couldnt stand by myself. I couldnt eat. Yay. Awesome.
So I asked to go to the hospital. They figured Id be out by that night. SORRY BITCHES! you were wrong. I was admitted. Tuesday to Thursday I was in the hospital. Went to Davids house. Monday went back to the doctor since I have only been getting worse. Yay. Had my gimilim extended because whatever I have has spread to my chest. Fun. It hurts so bad that they gave me extra strength pain killers. Then the hospital wanted my results so they extended my gimilim. Im slightly upset about that. I bought all this food for my guard duty this week and now I cant bring it. Ill eat it here and what ever is left over Ill bring thurrrr.
Soo this whole time Ive been in contact with my mefakedet and my Mem mem. I have been trying to be in touch with my Mishakitash but she has taken a nice break I guess or shes just ignoring me.
Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook know a little more then what Im putting on here. And yeah its kinda hard to be here(living where I am right now) You guys understand(and I hope you can understand that Id like to keep it private).
But I had so much fun just spending time with Davids mom. Shes alot of fun. My hebrew definitely gets better the more time I spend with her. Im glad I get to spend time with her. Its kinda hard to be here because I hate asking for help. Im not someone who likes help. I like to give help not being on the other end. But everyone needs help sometimes. You just have to accept it. It sucks to be sick here too because I couldnt really talk eat or move to much and I wanted to help.
So now Im just watching tv, talking to my friend on facebook, and writing this blog. Hopefully sleep soon. Ill write more next week I guess...I dont know.
Im just gonna keep trying to stay positive in hopes something will change since I cant seem to change anything. Id really like my own bed to sleep in- it would make me feel so much better. Thats where the true home is. When you are sleeping in your own bed. In the mean time here is a happy photo!!!

Look a squirrel with a sandwich!! PC:Bonnie Beckman

Kibbutz Givat Haim.

Sooo where to begin... hmm.... The kibbutz. Its outside of Hadera. About the only thing right with it was the fact that Hadera is somewhat related to it.
I get kibbutz arent top notch. Not once did I ask or say I want top notch. I said I wanted a place very close to Or Akiva, Caesarea, Hadera region.
The room was fine smelt a little bad but what ever. I can change that. The people were nice. But to be honest I said from the very beginning I didnt want a kibbutz for obvious reasons. Mainly the fact that buses are no where near the kibbutz and I didnt want to be adopted and taken care of by a bunch of people I dont know. Yeah the positive is it doesnt cost me any money. Thats about it. Id get have a bed and it wont cost anything.
I need someone to drive me everywhere. Thats including to eat in the Food Room. Fun.
So I told the Mishakitash yes. Because I really dont have a choice. Fun. She asked when I can move in, I answered it saying maybe thursday.
I go back to base. I get sick. Fun.
Monday worst day ever. So sick to the point where I cant stand. I got to the hospital late at night. Had a very bad bad panic attack to where they hooked me up to a ventilator so I could breath. They told me go to the isolation room till 9am the next day. 9am I go back to the doctor. I have isolation room till 3. Then at 3 back to the doctors where they tell me to go home.
Wednesday and Thursday Yom Sidurim I start my aliyah process. Friday I go to the doctor. He says Im too over worked, over stressed, and over tired.
Oh yeah what was it that I forgot. Oh yes! Me and the kibbutz! The mishakitash told my commander(mefakedet) that I said no to the kibbutz. Fun fucking shit. Fun Fucking shit.
Fuck this bullshit. Im seriously done now. This is just bullshit. Fuck it all. Like honestly, is it because Im American? Sorry but not all Jews are rich and not all Americans are rich either. Yeah fucking great. Help only the french and the russians because americans dont need it. Im fucking done with this bullshit. I cant take it anymore.
My life is officially falling apart from all angles. You name it. Its happened. So what the fuck ever.

I turned 20 and Second Week of Course

So on Sunday was my birthday. I didn't do anything. I went to the base. Got yelled at. Went to bed. That was my 20th birthday. The second week was officially different from the previous weeks. The discipline levels are alot stricter. We are no longer in tironut thats for sure. But in a way its also easier. We sit in a classroom all day.  Seriously thats our new thing. Now we spend a good portion of the day learning hebrew. I really hope my hebrew is better by the end of this. It sucks to be here and not understand what people are saying. It makes me feel bad that I make them speak another language or we cant help each other because of such a barrier.
The whole day isnt hebrew classes. We have cleaning every morning and sometime at night. Also we have the raising of the flag. I got to raise the flag on Wednesday and lower it on thursday.
My mefakedet started asking us about what jobs we want. Right now shes trying to get me a photography job. I asked for one where I can help people. But we cant be certain till we see how my hebrew level is.
My hebrew class is easy because its what I learned in Ulpan at Tel Aviv University. We just finished the letters. I guess review cant hurt anybody. At least I get to have 100's on everything till the rest of the class finally gets to the same level. Then the problems will begin.
This week I had to go to 2 hospitals for tests. Monday was to a hospital in Haifa for blood tests and Thursday to a hospital in Tzfat for Asthma tests.
Next Week I have the dentist again. Yay. Its going to be a short week since we leave Wednesday for another Yom Sidurim. Im going to have a short week.
On sunday(tomorrow) I dont go in till late so I can look at a kibbutz.
If its good I will take it. Then Ill have a place to live. :) Ill be able to save up enough money to get an apartment.
Okay so thats everything for now. Till Next week guys.
:)
Oh and thanks to Linn for sending me a message. Its so cool knowing that my blog is reaching you all the way up in Norway! I hope it helps. :D

The Hebrew Course Week 1.

After the Tekkas everything changed. Alot of rules changed. They have been slightly hard to get used to. As time goes on its getting easier. The rules take some time to get used to. Also because they were told to us in hebrew.
We officially got rid of our M-16s. Now that we are in a course we dont need a gun. Our last day with them was June 3rd.
The day after the tekkas we had our test to complete basic training to see if we understood everything. Thankfully I passed. The highest you could receive on each test was 20. There were 5 tests. My lowest score was 15. The other's were 18 and 17. Not bad at all. They werent as hard as I thought they'd be.
Wednesday I went to the dentist. Had some surgery. Thursday I felt like absolute crap. I think it was my body reacting from all the novicane. My head was just killing me. I couldnt stand, eat, or do anything. It was horrible. But we got rid of the M-16s. Highlight of the day.
Friday we got to leave. I went to my friend Sharon's house. We spent saturday at the beach and then went to Mikes Place with her cousin for my birthday. Then Sunday we went back to the base.
Sunday is the start of a new blog ;)

End of Tironut Tekkas (Ceremony)

Alot has happened these past few weeks. And by alot i mean ALOT!

On the May 31 after going to bed our Mefakedot did a drill with us where they pretend we are under attack. We figured it was one last test. Nope. They made us get into our Aleph Uniforms. Uniform Aleph is the uniform that we wear in public. Uniform Bet is the uniform we wear on base. We had 7 minutes to get into Aleph and make a Chet down in front of the building. Our Mefakedot presented us with our own official Michve Alon Unit Tags. 

It goes on the shoulder of our Uniform Aleph. Im really proud I got it. Im very very proud of myself.

Okay so for the actual ceremony. It was so so hot out. It was scheduled for 4 pm. I dont have any pictures of the ceremony though. I didnt have anyone show up to my ceremony so yeah, no pictures. I took some off of facebook that I found from friends. They arent that good. If I find better ones I will put the better ones up. Hopefully in my next ceremony I can have people come.

Okay back to the ceremony. In the very beginning when we were all lined up the Aerosap said that the Mefakedot, herself, and the Memem would be giving their guns to those they felt worked the hardest. In the ceremony we are being sworn in with M-16s. So if you received the M-16 of your Mefakedet or the Aerosap or the Memem its a very high honor. It means your surperiors respect you and see your hard work. Also your not being sworn in on your training gun. 

In order of power it goes as followed from least to highest: Mefakedot -> Aerosap -> Memem. 

The Memem has the most power and thats the highest honor you can get.

My mefakedet gave her gun to a girl named Anna from my group. The Aerosap gave her gun to my friend Sharon. Sharon definitely deserved it. Still does too. Shes a hard worker. We both work our asses off and take the army seriously. Not many of the girls do so its very easy to tell who really wants to be there. 

The Memem gave her gun to me. :D I wanted to cry. I am so glad that she sees how hard I am working. It is such an honor. I hope I can live up to the expectations that I have now set for myself. She told me she sees how hard Im working and even with all the problems I have Im not just giving up. She sees how well I put up with my Tzevvet. Im so happy to say I received such an honor. It really means so much to me. Im really glad my hard work is being noticed. 

 Thats my Plugot. Course Lahava.

After the Tekkas we had 50 minutes to do what ever. So I met my friend Sharon's family then just kinda sat down and talked to other soldiers. That was about it before time was up and we went to eat. I was lucky and went back to Kitchen Duty. Note that I love kitchen duty. Its ALOT of fun. You dont really do anything until its the guys turn to eat. They are funny. So they make it worth it because they are just so ridiculous and really dont know how to eat. But clean up time... yeah thats not so much fun.

Okay so till next time guys :)

Home Searching :/

This cat got me in trouble by the way.  You aren't allowed to have animals on you or pet them when in uniform, Its really really hard for me. When ever I see them I just want to play with them. I love animals. Some General walking by saw that she jumped on me and started pointing and yelling at me. I had no idea what was going on untill I realized the cat was on me. hehe silly me.

So anyway this whole apartment searching thing is slightly difficult. Everything is so expensive and its obvious that the army wont help me since they put me in this position. I hope I can work everything out soon. I found out where a few soldier hostels are. I by myself found good ones. It just goes to show how much effort they put into their Lone Soldiers.
But anyway Im positive I will get through this and I will have a place to live. I will be okay.

Cute kitty. Right before I got yelled at by the General dude. :P

Shmira 2.

This says Neshkia. Neshkia is the place where we keep the guns at the base. Why someone would want ME to guard there is beyond me. Neshek is the word for gun in hebrew.
Guarding at Neshkia was one of the scariest things ever. Probably because it was 2am and hearing a pack of wolves or Tan as I was told. Also animal calls are scary.
I thought I saw someone dancing and I heard weird Arab music. It was just too fucked up. I said "Stop, who are you, etc.." Whatever it was stopped moving and then I started hearing weird bird calls on a timed pattern. First every 15 minutes, then every 5 minutes, then every 10 minutes. yikes. Also I heard the wolves. I think they found food or were under attack because they were howling like crazy. I think one or two started crying. I heard bottles being thrown in between the vehicles. It was so scary. I went to call it in but then a mefakedet came and I told her instead. Then maybe a half hour later it was time to switch, so I told the mefakedet that checked me out of duty.

 The only English written graffiti I could find. Go figure.

Some more random graffiti. It was everywhere. There was Hebrew, Russian, and Spanish. Probably more.

Okay so Shin Gimel. Shin Gimel is the front gate. The main entrance. That was 3 hours of my life that I can not get back. There was another soldier who was guarding with me. He was not from my tsevvet or my course. He was in an entirely other group. He was opening and closing the gate. He was disgusting. Not in the eat like a pig way. But manner wise he was a perverted pig. For 3 hours I had to listen to him ask me "Why wont you fuck me? Is it because Im black? Will you leave your boyfriend for me? Does he satisfy you? Why are you so shy? Why wont you open up a little? Can you dance for me a little?" Honestly it was so disgusting and perverted. He was insulted when I said "No." Then he asked if I hate black people. He told me about all the girls he liked to have sex with and how much he likes Latina girls. This is not things I want to know. When I sat down he took a broom and kept hitting the barrel( kaneh in hebrew) of my M16. He kept showing off his M16. Honestly it was just so disgusting and childish. He kept trying to hurt the cats walking around. That just pissed me off. If you know me, you know I absolutely love animals. I was so glad when his time was up and he left.

The best part about Shin Gimel is that some random soldier driving in and out went to McDonalds. He came back with McDonald toys. He threw us Yellow Jacket plushed toys. I think they are from a movie or something. I dont know. Mine was a yellow jacket pilot. He had the plane hat and goggles on. It was cute.

So those are my stories for Shmira. Till next time folks.

Shmira 1.

Shmira- Guarding.
Okay so I had 4 Shmira times.
The first was at the bunkers. I did the bunkers first and last. The second was the Neshkia. The third was the main entrance gate.
Nothing really happened. It was just in the middle of a 3 way dirt road on the base. The first time was 10-12 then the second time was 4-6. When I say 4-6, I mean AM not PM. I was lucky I got it when it was nice and cool and when there was absolutely nothing going on. The first time there was a jogger and that was absolutely it. A yellow jacket and flies kept buzzing around. They were annoying. The first time I guarded the bunkers it was a girl from my tsevvet named Margarita. She speaks only Russian. The second time was with a girl who's name is Alina. Speaks Russian and Hebrew. We didn't speak though.
Okay picture time!
The top picture was on the door of the bunker. I think it explains it perfectly. I broke the rules of Shmira by talking on the phone and eating snacks. Sorry. I was hungry and lonely(This is to any mefakedot who read this or anyone from the army for that matter)
Okay now more photos.

1.

2.

3.

The first picture is my favorite. It is a sweet turtle. It was cute.

The second picture is for my mom. She asked if there were any peace signs. I found one.

The last one is written in hebrew and it says "I dont understand the need to be here. Why am I here?" Its a rough translation because I dont really remember the exact words and I cant really read it because of the picture quality.

Okay now onto the next blog post. :)

Yom Sidurim

Yom Sidurim is a day where we get off to run errands that we havent had time to do. For example going to the bank, the phone company etc...
My Yom Sidurim was not fun. I had to go to the Ministry of Interior to try and become a citizen. Apparently its smarter if you are. You get helped more. I need the help. One of the Mefakedets went with me. She really had no idea what she was doing. It was obvious she had never been there before. I needed an address and I dont have one. So I called David and asked to use his address. Turns out because I didnt use a Tel Aviv address I cant go to the Ministry in Tel Aviv. Because I used an Or Akiva address I have to go to the Ministry in Hadera. So next Yom Sidurim I have, I go to Hadera.
I had to move out of the dorms so because of this I am now homeless. I am staying at Davids house for a little bit. During the week I stay at the base. Weekends will either be at the base, Davids house, or a Beit Chayal. A beit chayal is a soldier hostel. The literal translation is Soldier House.
The Mishakitash gave me a beit chayal last week. So I went to look for it. Funny doesnt exist. If it does it is no where to be found. She never even gave me an address just bus routes. So I went to the bus and went to the towns searched the towns and asked people but funny, no one has heard or seen of it. I also saw no soldiers what so ever. I called her for 2 hours straight. Got no answer. I went back to the dorms and looked up online the hostel. Its not a hostel its a hotel apparently. Turns out I was in the right place too. She finally TEXTED not called TEXTED me asking where I was around 11.
This week I was supposed to go there again. I was smart this time. I looked for an address. The website is shut down. Also I found website reccommendations of the place. If that place is open I have no idea how. That is just horrible. No human should ever let a human have conditions like that. It was just disgusting and horrible. Dead animals, no water, no food, the staff steals your things, cat urine everywhere, broken windows and furniture. Sorry, but no. They wanted me to live there for a month or two.  I understand its only on weekends but still. No. Absolutely not. Id rather sleep on the streets. I guess Ill be sleeping on base now to get my point across.
This weekend Im going to spend it looking for apartments. I have a search to do. Ill put the guarding post with pictures up in a little bit. If not today, then tomorrow. :)
I have alot of work to do next Yom Sidurim. I know its possible to get more then once a month so Im gonna try for that.
Till the next post peeps.
Lesson Learned this week: Crying makes you feel better for a little bit but worse after and wont help you at all.

Finished Basic...basically.

IM DONE WITH BASIC TRAINING!!!! In hebrew Tironut.
Well Im done with the physical part. I have 1 or 2 written tests and then Im officially done and I start with Ulpan. My ceremony is on Tuesday at 4 in some jail in Akko. Apparently the jail isnt used anymore. My ulpan starts on Wednesday and is for 2 months.
Im so glad its finished. It was a really short week. We went in on Sunday and left Wednesday afternoon.
We woke up early on Monday and went out to the fields where we learned the basics in Combat. We practiced those for a few hours then went to the shooting fields where we had more shooting practices. We also spent the night there. And we had Shmira in the middle of the night. Shmira is guard duty. It was only for a half hour/ hour. It wasn't too bad. They would wake us up in the middle of the night and pretend we were under attack. They wanted to see how long it would take for us to get into position.
In the morning we had our 5 kilometer walk. That is only like 2.75 miles. It really wasnt bad at all. I dont know why everyone was complaining. Its the same thing we do everyday just not in a field. But whatever. They can complain all they want.
Im proud I finished.
Tuesday Night we went to a special ceremony for the 65th year after the holocaust. We were invited by Gabi Ashkenazi who didnt even show, he wanted new olim soldiers to go. New Olim are new citizens. Im not a citizen but maybe in time I will be. It will benefit me greatly to be a citizen in the army. The president and prime minister of Israel were there. It was really cool. It was all pretty much in Russian though which in a way sucked. I dont know Russian and its all I hear every day all day. I want to learn hebrew not russian. And to be honest it sucks when they refuse to try and learn and just be with other russians. How can we function as a group if we cant communicate? Im trying, why cant you?
The next day was Wednesday. Yay!!! We got to sleep till 830 which was great. We went down to Chet, ate breakfast, then went to a raising the flag ceremony. Natan Sharansky was there. He talked to some people when walking through the base. Then finally around 230 we went home.

President of Israel: Shimon Peres.

Prime Minister of Israel: Benyamin Netanyahu

Natan Sharansky...I have no idea who he is or his importance but apparently hes important and was once in the Knesset.

Week 2.

Oh boy. What a week. It was crazy.
On monday we went to the fields for shooting. It was scary to be honest. I didnt want to break my nose from the force of shooting. You know when you fire a gun and then theres like that whiplash after? I forgot  what its called.  I surprisingly did really really good. I impressed myself. I have no sense of aim at all. Apparently I do...somewhat. We spent the ENTIRE day there. We had 2 or 3 rounds of shooting during the day and then one at night. The night was scary because the girl next to me couldnt keep her gun straight. I couldnt wait till she was done.
We got back at 930 at night. I was so tired. On tuesday the base left so it was just my course and those who had to stay for the weekend. It was our turn to do guard duty. That will be another update because I have pictures :P We didnt really do anything Tuesday or Wednesday. It was pretty much guard go to sleep wake up guard go to sleep. Then Thursday we went back to normal. I had kitchen duty the first half. It was fun. You dont do anything. You sit there and get people food when they want food. The kitchen ladies were so funny.
There was a sports test that I didn't do because I got a doctors note saying not to run. I really hurt myself monday when I fell. They already know how well I'd do because Im the only one in my group legitimately running and trying to do this. Its a joke to everyone else. You know what? Fuck 'em because I know the other groups and my Mefakedet sees how hard I am trying. They see how much this means to me. I know its not for nothing. Emotionally and mentally its frustrating and hard. But its really not bad at all besides that.
Supposedly next week I get out on Wednesday (YAY!) because Thursday we have our errand day. Next week is the last week of basic training and then its Ulpan the week after next week. Ulpan im expecting to be very very boring.

Okay so the next blog update will be about guarding and with pictures :P
I have to go see my friends for dinner.



I also want to take the time to say RIP Anthony Bertolini. You will be missed so much.
He was a friend of mine from high school who died. <3 June 6,1990 - May 15,2010. Love you. Keep it Q with Scottie up in Heaven. <3

 RIP Anthony. Love you <3 You will never be forgotten.

Week 1.

So Week 1 at Michve Alon is done. What a week. It was very hard needless to say. It wasn't hard physically. It was hard mentally and emotionally. You pretty much have to forget everything they tell you before going in because its wrong. If you don't demand help you wont get it. You have to literally make a huge scene in front of everyone to get help. You have to make them look bad. Thats not me. I dont like doing things that way. But I had to. They wouldnt let me see the Mishakitash until thursday. For 2 days I just cried and yelled and wouldnt do anything. It also didnt help that they refused to speak english. You MUST speak hebrew. If you dont know hebrew then you can speak english.
Getting there was unusual. I had to catch a 550am bus to Golani Junction. It was a 4 hour bus ride. Also a guy named Maxmillion from Argentina had to go there as well. He doesnt speak English or Hebrew. It was kind of hard to communicate with him because I forgot my spanish. But after getting to Michve Alon, I was proud of myself. I helped someone get somewhere without being able to talk to him or knowing where I was going. That and he brought too many things and didn't like following directions. :/ That was difficult.
Okay so we got to Michve Alon and waited for like 2 or 3 hours before being sent to eat lunch then we were separated. I went to my course and he went to his.
I got my uniform and my bag for while on base. I also got my bunk. I took a few tests then met up with the entire group. Its maybe 40 girls. Aaaaand about 30 of those girls are russian. The rest are english, french, and spanish. It was crazy. Im still learning all the rules. I have my friend Sharon who explains everything.
Basically the training is just running back and forth all day with your M16 with some classes in between. We have to be up, out of bed, dressed, beds made, and standing in Chet by 5am. If you are not in Chet in the morning it is an automatic stay for the weekend. I do my damndest to be there at 445am already to go.
We leave the base Friday mornings around 6am then its a 3 hour train ride back to tel aviv.
It was definitely a week.

The night before I was supposed to get my 550 am bus, I made a dry run to the bus station. It was good and bad. 1: I knew where I needed to go. 2: My wallet got stolen. Yay! FML.
So, yeah, that was no fun. I had to cancel my bank haopolim card which thankfully I never used. But the good thing is a very wonderful lady named Natalie found it. I got it Friday morning around 10. I was so thankful. Then I went to David's house for his birthday. I spent the first few hours with his mom. We went food shopping and cake shopping. I was so happy because I was able to have an actual conversation with her in hebrew. It made me feel so great. I was able to talk to her all weekend. I loved it. I talked to his dad as well about the author Dan Brown.
His friends came around 9 and I could speak to them a little. They loved hearing about my training. They thought it was funny. It was. But I was so tired that I was pretty much just falling asleep at the table.
Thankfully after they left around 12 I passed out. One of Davids friends Eiv said he was proud of me. It really made me feel great and respected. So thanks Eiv. :) Saturday I pretty much just spent sleeping and watching Billy Madison. Then I went back to bed and went to sleep and left the next day for week 2.

Nacham: Nachal Headquarters at Tel Hashomer

Today I had to go to the Nachal base... I found out after 6 or 7 hours that I wasnt even supposed to be there and that they messed up with my file. The day wasnt a total loss though. I learned how to get lunch. I also met some cool people.

I had to be there at 10 I got there around 940 at the main entrance of Tel Hashomer but I was lost. I was so far from where I needed to be. Im so grateful for my friend Atai. Such a great guy. I love him. Hes so funny. Im so glad hes stationed at Tel Hashomer. He came and got me and helped me find where I needed to be. Thank god he came with a car. It was far. 

I got inside the building to the floor I needed to be on and was then told I needed to be in another building. Sooo I went to the other building. Nope! Not where I needed to be. I got to the right room where I met some awesome people. Sarite Shiron and Idan and some other people. I think Idan was his name explained how boring it was to be there thats why everyone was so excited when I came. It was fun. It was probably the highlight of my day. They were so funny. One of the other guys brought me to wear I needed to be and talked with the people in charge this time so now they couldnt just have me going back and forth. 

So basically it was another waiting game for a few hours. I got in and sat down for 2 minutes before the new person I had to talk to told me wait outside...again. An hour or two later he told me to go get myself lunch. Thats where I learned how to get lunch from some random soldier.  Then when I came back from lunch it was 2 hours of waiting before they came out a paper telling me I had to go to Lishkat Gius tomorrow and that they messed up with my file. I met a nice soldier named Gilad and he called the whole mess up thing. He had a cool tattoo saying Carpe Diem. I was impressed that it was in english. He was super nice and fun to talk for the last hour of waiting. So now we are up to here. Tomorrow I supposedly go to Basic Training. I wont know till tomorrow. Im worried, nervous, and scared. I know I shouldnt be but I still am. I hate extreme exercise in hot hot heat. It always makes me feel sick. I hate it. 

So I guess we find out tomorrow. Right now its bed time just in case. I dont want to be falling asleep all day like I was today while waiting. Next time Im waiting and want to sleep I should use the chair/couches instead of the floor. Lesson learned from today. Chairs not floors. ;)

Okay good night everyone!!!

Happy Mothers Day Mommy!!!! <3

Happy Mothers Day Aunt Annette! <3

1st Day!!! Oh Shhhheeeeeeat

So today was my first day in the army. I got my ID, my uniform, and all the other things I need. No. No gun. I don't need a gun.
So everything I bought (told to bring with me) they gave me. Yay. So not only did I have the giant army bag, I had my own giant bag. Woot. Fun stuff man let me tell you.
They gave me Pepper Spray. I dont really know what Im gonna do with that...
The whole day was pretty much just waiting around like usual and walking back and forth in confusion.
I had my teeth photographed. My face x-rayed. Hand/ Finger prints scanned and my hand writing. My blood taken by the evil finger prick. I hate that thing. Always have, always will.
They took an absolutely horrible ID photo. It sucks. I hate it.  It gets me free bus and train rides though. So it has a use. Well it has many but I like the free bus/train rides. Which by the way I got 2 today. :) My first free bus rides. It was going back to the dorms. Which Im sure you are probably wondering why Im back at the dorms... Ill tell ya. I HAVE NO IDEA! They said go home. I asked why.
They said that Nachal has everything figured out so it will be easier for me to just come back on Sunday in the morning.
Would have been alot better to know this from the start. I dont know. Im just sayin.
When they called me to come in today, they said bring enough clothing and supplies to last 2 weeks. Okay I did that but they gave me everything I needed today annnnd I didnt even need it. But hey okay. Im not gonna complain because today Im officially an Israeli Soldier. Hopefully sunday I can finish everything in signing up as a Lone Soldier and finding out where Im going to live. I get free bus rides. woot.
I celebrated by getting Dominos for dinner. Now Im wiped. I NEED to sleep. Night leculam! I guess When I come back from the army that starts on Sunday I will have a great post.
Till then everybody. Night.