Israeli Music Videos, update, and more army pictures!

Hi boys and girls,

I am pleased to find time to write something to you guys. I hope some one liked seeing the Israeli video clips. A few times I sent CDs of Israeli music to family or friends and I have never gotten a response, so I assume they don't like the music. I am a strange one cuz I like music that I can't understand. It lets you imagination be free. You can really focus on the music and voices and choose your own idea of what the song is about. But yes I too love to understand lyrics. The longer I am hear the easier it is to understand lyrics and Israeli songs (well some of them) are very poetic.

This is my first time to be at home for 5 days from the army. It is amazing. 5 days is really a long time. From now on I should get 5 days off for ever 9 days in the army! I will tell you what I did:

Thursday: Left the army base at 5am, got home at 8, ate delicious kibbutz breakfast, sorted my laundry, packed a little bag and left for Tel Aviv. Got to T.A. went to the beach, relaxed on the beach with the book A Thousand Splendid Suns (AMAZING get it!) the new one by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner), hung out with Lerone and Amitai that night, drank a lot of beer:)

Friday: Slept late, went to a Shai Gabso concert with Lerone and Amitai for his birthday. It was nice, Shai is still a baby boy of an artist, but he has a lot of potential, went home for a nap, ordered pizza.

Saturday: Slept late, went to the beach with Amitai, did a lot of boy watching, went to Netanya on my way home to meet someone from the army, drank a beer on the beach, made it back home by the last bus.

Sunday: My yom sidurim (day to organize things) went to the ministry of education in Haifa. Got information on Hebrew classes for after the army. Went to Haifa University to check out the campus. Haifa is probably where I will take the courses.

Today: Slept late, did nothing!!!

Tomorrow: Back to the army!

I am very much in a crossroads. Some huge choices that I have made in life have been very clear to me, but I am still waffling with the idea to ask for more time in the army. I feel whatever I decide I will regret. If I don't stay longer I will alway have that feeling of, why didn't I stay long, I just started to get use to the whole army life thing and then BAM it was over, and only doing the actual job for 4 months. If I stay I know I will get bored with the job (it can be a very boring job), I will reget that I will finish the army close to or at the age of 25. Whatever I choose I will be left with regret. And no one can tell me what to do, because people really see that it is a crossroads.

I really am starting to have great fun, meet great people, feel a niche, feel at ease with Hebrew. How do I know if this is a sign to stay or a sign to move on?

If I finish the army as planned Mechina (advanced Hebrew prep classes) start in October, which is perfect. I can take a trip to the US and probably be back for the classes.

Now a break in writing for some picture:



Every month or two we go on a "tour of the line" as you say in Hebrew. It can be a lot of fun because we get to see the territory we cover upclose and personal. Sometimes you start to think that it all isn't real! This time though we took a wrong turn and saw the territory too up close and personal. We drove all the way to the boarder. One of the girls suggested a wrong turn and eventhough there was a sign saying :"STOP THE BOARDER IS IN FRONT OF YOU" (that's what this sign reads) we kept going!!!



This is Aya and Muria after they pulled away barbed wire so the bus could attempt to turn around in a very narrow place.

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It was really funny to be stuck. The driver was so pissed off, he was yelling and cursing we were all just laughing hysterically, because well it is funny.





A pretty view of the terrain.

Another thing I really like about where I am in the army is we get A LOT of English speaking visitors and I am sort of the unoffical explainer and spokes girl. I really enjoy giving little tours and it also takes a lot of the stress of the commanders and officers because these aren't such easy things for them to explain in English. I have talked to important people from the Jewish Agency, journalists, and just English speakers that have connections and can come for a visit to see what we do. It is also another great way for me to network. I have gotten tons of invitations to peoples homes and lots of support.

I am starting to read The Little Prince in Hebrew because it is about time I attempt to teach myself to read in Hebrew. I have plenty of people who are happy to help me if i need it, so I begin.

I have really become addicted to this random phone chats during guarding. And it has really turned out to be a great thing for my Hebrew. I now have 4 boys that I regularly talk on the phone with. I found out what mit'hangel means and well its not such a good thing. It means basically for a boy and girl to hook-up or an easy boy and girl. But I don't mit'hangel they way I am supposed to. The way I am supposed to is to talk maybe 2 or 3 times with a guy, lie about how pretty I am, flirt like hell, and then move on to the next one. But I have real converations about life and so I have a little following of army boys. The funny thing is at first I felt kind of guilty because I am talking to them for an alterer motive (practice my Hebrew) but then I got over it because they also have an alterer motive (to meet a hot chick because they are lonely). I'm talking to guys who are on really remote outposts that are closed military zones, where only boys are allowed. So after 2 weeks or more alone on those bases just the sound of a girls voice can be the biggest pleasure for them. Just helping out where I can:)

If you heard the news of the katyushot rackets that fell in Kiriat Shmona, don't worry. No one was hurt thank god. And what I have read and heard is it was not Hezballah (eventhough it breaks the ceasefire agreement of 2nd Lebanon war). There was another rocket that fell in Lebanon in my territory in the town of Hula. So it should be pretty interesting to go back tomorrow. But please don't worry, Israel is not planning to respond the attack.