My So-Called Israeli Life

Cha, cha, changin....

2008-07-02T10:37:00.005+03:00

I decided, since I'm making a lot of life changes (ie, going on a trip to India for two months and then going back to the US to study Nursing) that it was time for a physical change as well. It has been a fantasy of mine to cut off all my hair. After high school I cut my hair very short and donated it to a charity called Locks of Love.But I didn't go all the way in the cutting department. I still had hair, and I still had curls.

After much thinking about packing for my trip to India, I got stressed out thinking about bringing shampoo, conditioner, cream for my frizzy curls, a brush, etc, etc. I want my trip to be as light and easy as possible. So there was only one thing to do. Cut it all off...

I really can't tell you how much I love it!!! I am now one week without hair and it is fantastic. I think it looks really becoming, maybe even prettier cuz I can see my face and not just hair, hair, HAIR!!!!

I am saving the world, one shower at a time. Showering has went from at least 15 minutes to maximum 5 minutes. Its amazing. And for the time being I don't miss it one bit. I am sure its not the last time I will ever have curls, but this is a welcomed blissful break after years curls.

And I can worry less about a heavy bag on my travels. Worry less about lice. And the heat seems just a little cooler without a sheep on top of my head!!!!!

Nothing Really Matters

2008-04-03T22:14:00.002+03:00

Hello?...

...

Does anyone even know, or care, that Israel just lifted 10 road blocks in the West Bank. In one day, boom, 10 check points are gone. And they also eliminated 50 dirt blocks too.

Is the world interested to hear the good things Israel does?

She also gave moneys (millions of sheckels) to build 5,000-8,000 homes for Palestinians in the West Bank.

(sigh)

2008-04-02T22:29:00.006+03:00

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Spring here in the north of Israel is the most beautiful time of year.

Iris came back to Israel!!! This is my friend for Holland. She came to study at University Haifa for a semester.

The following pictures are from Purim. We had so much fun, lots of friends and a good time had by all.

Those two picture were taken at work. The first one with the head chief and my friend Lilach.

That's Eyal and Lichah goofing around.

I work with the two on the far right. Iyelet and Leebi, they are really fun.

Our Heart

2008-03-02T07:48:00.002+02:00

I think it is interesting to note that probably in the rest of the world what just happened this weekend in Gaza is not considered the start of a war, but here everyone is talking about it, worrying about it and do feel that a war has begun once again against Gaza.

Two soldiers were killed Eran Dan Gur and Doron Asulin. And our hearts go out to the families that have had such a tragedy happen. Bombs have been falling for days in Southern Israel and Israel has had little or no reponse until recently.

How can Israel be held to such an unthinkable standard in times of attack?

Just in case.

2008-02-07T08:17:00.000+02:00

I have heard some complaining that I don't post enough pictures of myself, so...
These were all taken this last summer (2207) by my friend Noa.
So now you know what I look like (and how tan I got!!!)

thoughts from a spotted mind

2008-02-02T15:01:00.000+02:00

If I say I am a bit lost in myself, my life, my next step, where I should be, what I should do, it would probably be a bit of an understatment. What I know is this: That I am ready to start a new chapter of my life. I had a mission. Come to Israel. Learn the language, the culture, and serve in the army. Mission completed. Now what?

It may seem very strange\ funny to anyone reading this that is older than me, but I am starting to feel old. Not old. But maybe, I feel ready to not be a young adult and I want to start turning into an adult. I want to start making choices that will affect me in the long term. I want to start looking for the right guy for me. I want to start thinking of having a husband, family in the years to come. Time goes so fast. And I don't want to be one of the people I have seen to often, that is 30-35 and still is living like they are 20-25.

Shiran is going to be leaving in a month-month and a half to go on a trip to South America (like all the Israelis do after the army). What count me by suprises is he will be going for about a year. I expected a big trip, I didn't expect a years time. I am sad he is going. I don't feel ready to break-up with him, but there is nothing I can do about it. It is an important thing in his life to go travel with his friends and "find himself".

I am reading an excellent book called "A Pigeon and A Boy" by Meir Shalev. It is an Israeli novel that has been translated and it is very interesting. And a bit sentimental since my grandpa flew racing pigeons.

Now for some pictures:

These first four are very old. The first one is an ad I saw in Tel Aviv for a newspaper. But I thought it was lovely with the sunset and the text reading: THERE IS ONLY ONE

Poor cows waiting in the trucks.

Lerone and Amitai on a walk.

Just thought it would make a cool picture.

I played hooky one day this week and took a trip with Shiran to the Gilboa Mountain. It was a stormy day so we couldn't really get out much, but it was still breath-takingly beautiful up there. We drove from one side to the other and started driving down to Jerusalem. Maybe if I didn't have to work that night we could have went to Jerusalem.

This is the most current picture of me. Taken last night before we went to the pub in the kibbutz.

I Am

2008-01-09T22:56:00.000+02:00

I think I should start writing on this thing again, even if it feels like it is turning into something just for me. It is cool to look back on past posts and see what I was doing and pictures. Maybe some day I will make this into a little book for me.

First off, for anyone who wants it my new and current address is as follows:

Elizabeth Schecter
Kibbutz En HaShofet
19237
Israel

Time is passing by so quickly and I am sure I have tons of things to write about, but somehow nothing is coming to mind. I am working in the dinning room of the kibbutz. Ben thought this meant I am a waitress, but that's not it at all. I am a cafeteria worker. No, thank god I don't have to wear a hair net!!!

I get to work everyday at 6:30 a.m. We prepare for breakfast. The job mostly entails cleaning. I don't do any of the cooking because I don't work in the kitchen.

Because the dinning room of the kibbutz is privatized, the members can't take food freely like in the old days. Now they have to pay for the meals, so I also work at the register. Everyone has a number for their account and now after a month and a half working there I would say I know 50% of the regulars numbers!! People really like it when you remember their number.

I finish work at 2:30 eveyday. I few days a week I babysit after work. I am regularly babysitting an eight month old, who's parents want her to learn English. I am convinced that right now it is doing nothing, she can't even speak Hebrew, but its not my call. She is a really charming little baby.

In a month I will probably start caring of an old woman on a daily basis. She is from England and doesn't speak Hebrew at all. She is the mother-in-law of one of my bosses. I worked with her, Frida, for a few days last week. I just do simple things; bring her laundry, make her bed, cook a little supper, or heat something up, take out the trash. She seems pretty content and friendly. I think its strange though that people that live in the kibbutz would hire someone to do this. She lives 5 minutes walk from me and even closer to her son. Even if she was the craziest person in the world (which she is not) it would only be 30 minutes a day that her family would have to go over and care for her.Why would you move your mother to be so close, but not want to see her?

I did get my own room, had it for about a month. I will have to post pictures. I got a nice table from Shiran's mom and I have a nice eating table that I found. Shiran found a bed frame and brought it over and then a week or so later found a matress in the garbage! Not the most luxuary matress, but it gets the job done.

Well I got my first full pay check today! This is crazy but after everything has been taken out, I am left with more than 500 dollars to put to savings!! And I only make 1000 dollars. Crazy that here I can make far less money than I was making in the US but save more. Of course if I was living in Tel Aviv so I wouldn't be able to save anything. But my rent is more than half of what people pay in the city, my laundry is washed for free, food is a little cheaper here.

It is really cold here now. Probably in the 30s-40s. Last night some places got below zero. I was walking back with Shiran from his parents house last night and it was so cold and I just said how happy I was not to be in the army anymore and how can soldiers have to sleep outside in even colder temperatures than this. And he said: I had to do it...but I don't remember how I think I blocked it out.

I saw a really cute movie this weekend called "The Band Visit" It is so cute, if you have netflicks you should order it. Its about this Egyptian band who comes it Israel to play for some opening and they get lost and stuck. It is very dry humor and the cimematography is really cute.

I will stop writing for now, but hope to pick this thing up on a daily basis.
Cheers

2007-11-02T13:07:00.000+02:00

My apologize to anyone who is actually still reading this that I have been so bad at keeping it up. Now that I have finished the army I do have more time, but simply have been lazy and actually I don't think so many interesting things have been going on to write about.

My life right now in a nutshell:

I moved from Kibbutz En Harod back to Kibbutz En HaShofet. I sent out a bunch of resumes and heard nothing which was rather discouraging. I went for an interview in a factory on En HaShofet and got the job. I was really excited until they told me that there are no rooms for me to rent on the kibbutz so I would have to commute from another nearby kibbutz. And then they told me they have no idea wen I will start working. So I went for another interview at a nearby kibbutz and got a job. I will take that job unless by some miracle a room and work opens up at En HaShofet.

The Kibbutz that I found work is called Galed. It is not far from En HaShofet but it is very out-in-the-middle-of-no-where. It is at the end of a dead-end road. Galed is in the back yard of Jenin. But it is a pretty kibbutz. The work will be as follows. I will work night shifts in a plastic factory. I will live in the kibbutz, in a very cheap room. I start on the 20th of November so I still have a lot of time to kill. I don't know if it will be really hard for me to manage night shift work. It is very long hours (12) but the pay is really good because most of the time I will be making over time pay. I met another girl in my interview that also got the job and she seems really nice so that should be a good start for work.

I haven't worked for money now for 2 years and I really need to build up my savings. Its not the most ideal situation, but it is good money and it won't last forever. I don't believe I will be able to start classes or Hebrew courses because of the nature of the crazy work schedule. But maybe it isn't bad to work my ass off for about a year, and then have enough money to travel and start school without freaking out that I won't be able to manage.

I have a boyfriend too. He is a kibbutznik at En HaShofet. He has so generously helped me with moving my things, storing them in his house, and letting me live with him till I have a place to go. We have only really been together for about a month. But I have know him for over a year. He just came back from working 4 months in Canada.

It seems the summer in Israel is never going to end. Yes, it has gotten a little cooler but it is still very warm. I like it, but its not so good because this land needs a good hard rain badly.

Other than that I have been good. I have went to some nice concerts and a festival, I went to the Dead Sea with Shiran (the boyfriend), started cooking more again.

Even though I am not doing anything the days are flying by and most of the time I am not bored. I have taken this time to do things I have been putting of, such as, bank things, doctors (I will go to the dentist in a week after not going for 2 years!!!), so I am taking care of business.

That's about it for me. I am in Tel Aviv this weekend visiting friends I haven't seen in a while.

Hamal: The War Room....

2007-09-13T21:38:00.000+03:00

Come one, come all, step inside the war room at mitzpe adi and see what I did in the army for a year!!! Enjoy....

This is a picture of two of my officers, Adva and Reut.

Well, after God only knows, you finally get to see what I did in the army!!! This is what I looked like a lot of the time. Phone in the ear, walkie talkie in one hand, writing with the other.

4 hour shifts sitting there watching a screen, its not easy...

Here I am with Hen, one of the girls in my room. Liza is in the background running up.

This is Rotem and she just got colored contacts... kind o' scary!

This is just a silly picture. But Hila, wanted a picture with me, but you can not turn away from the screen so we did it this way. Actually it isn't such a bad representation of what I did sometimes. Hila has not finished her training so I did have to help her a lot.

Every night we have a briefing meeting with all the girls that are on the base and talk about what we saw during the day and complaints and sometimes we have a lesson. This was the last one I went to.

Views from my base at night...very beautiful.

In these two pictures you see Hila taking her first final test to become a full fledged tatzpitanit. And if you look carefully you will see she has stuff in her hair and she is wearing a vest against bullets or something like that. That's because in the final test the girls do all kinds of things to distract you. Screaming, calling every five seconds on the phone, putting pudding or cheese on your hair, spraying water on you, rapping you in toilet paper. All this is just to see how well you can keep your cool and finish the task. In my final test They put on the vest the helmet and about five guns along with all the gooie things!!!

On The Border

2007-08-29T20:57:00.000+03:00

View of the army car behind us on the border. I see this every day, just not behind me!!

Well, lots to tell. I don't know if I should start with my trip to the US and A or start now and work backwards. The long and short of it is I have lots to tell and not
enough time.

On Tuesday all the girls in my team went on a tour of the line... our part of the line. We have had these tours before, but never like what we did this time. We usually see a very large portion of territory, that cover many cameras and teams, so there is a lot we see that has no connection to our specific territory. But, what we did this time was took a tour of not only our territory, but we got to go on the actual border and see it up close and personal. I really have no idea how they got all the clearance because no one but the fighter soldiers are supposed to be on the boarder.

It extremely dangerous to be that close to Lebanon. There are houses just a matter of meters away and right now the threat for uprising is very great. Actually I was sure we wouldn't go that day, because during my night shift we had specific directions to watch only one town because we were told there many be some Hezbollah activities.

Now I side story/note: There is a thing in that army called "signing keva" This occurs not to everyone but if conditions are right a soldier at the end of their service maybe get the opportunity to sign a few months more. If they sign they get a great salary for the time they are in keva.

Army salary is shitty in Israel, there is not nice way to put it. I can not complain because I get more money because I am a lone soldier. But for example the average male soldier will get something like $60 a month if they are not combat and $100 if they are combat. I get something around $200 because not only lone soldiers get more but I get the salary of a combat soldier because I am in a dangerous zone and doing work that is semi-combat. A person like me if I sign keva I get more than a thousand dollars while in keva.

So after I came back from the US I knew I only had about a week of regular army and then I would go on my "vacation before liberation". I returned from the US and A in the mind set that I was done, time to start life here. I was very excited.

Its a funny named vacation, Translated to English its: vacation before liberation. At first I thought it was a stupid idea to have a vacation right before you finish, but actually it is really smart. From the side of the soldiers that have been in that army 2 to 3 or more years, it is a little bit of an easing out of the army. You have a little vacation, then return all your things and do all the signing out. From my perspective as a lone soldier without family, it is a good amount of time to start figuring out what next ie, where to live, job and what not.

Back to the story: So one of commanders asked me if I would consider signing for 2 months. From the start I said no that I wasn't interested. And also I was pretty sure it wouldn't be something I was eligible to do. Why? Because after all, I was the one drafted for 2 full years of service and then requested to have my time dropped down. So now How could I possible legitimately sign on for me. How convenient to stay longer when there is money involved. So I told her to really check it out to be sure. The next day my officer came to me. Yes I can do it and do I want to. I told her I didn't think so. "I'm ready to start my life here. I've been here two years and haven't worked, not that I've done nothing but I am just ready to be a normal person here".

But its a good opportunity for you, she said, especially since you are a lone soldiers about to finish the army and haven't worked for two years.

Two thousand dollars isn't a lot in US terms for two months of work. But here it is, especially for someone my age, a new immigrant, and just starting out in the work world. And mind you it is money in full. No taxing. And I have no where to spend it. How can I spend money in that army, I'm never home. And I don't pay rent, don't pay for food while in the army only when I get out on weekends, and I don't pay for transportation (soldiers ride buses free in uniform) So when I get the money it will be in full, not squandered here and there.

So after much thought, and many people telling me (are you retarded, this is a killer opportunity, you would be mad not to do it). I signed. Its two more months. 60 days. I only have 4 more weekends in the army. Everything will stay the same. I get out the same (9 days in and 5 days home), I work the same job. I just get money in the end.

Back to the day on the border. I thought to my self: Self this would have been the ultimate send off for finishing my sevice. Be on the border see everything, and then go home for good. But its not terrible, two more months.

Me and Jen, left and Nina. Nina is half Korean and half Polish and her parents met in Russia so she speaks Russian. One of the wierder combinations of places to originate in this country. But the mix turned out great, she is one of the most beautiful girls I have seen. And Jenina was born in Syberia and came to Israel at the age of two. She is so pretty too (although you can't tell from the picture) I would discribe her looks has half Kirsten Dunst half Michelle Phiffer) She has the most fierce blue eyes.

This Is a picture of my commanders and officer. My commander is the girl on the right side, her name is Muria, but everyone calls her "kochinit". That's because her family is from a place in India called Kochine and most Jews that immigrated from India are from Kochine. My commander is the girl all the way on the left. Her name is Rita and she just begame a commander. She taught me most of my training on the camera and was a very hard and strict teacher.

This is a far off view of one oft he main towns I am watching in Lebanon. Isn't a nice view? Looks pretty calm from here...

Here you have a view of half Lebanon (on the left) half Israel and the fence and in teh distance is one of the biggest camera stations we have.

Veiw from inside the armored truck looking out the back

Soldier closing the gate behind us as we go into resticted territory!

A United Nations base right on the border with Israel

A machine gun!

When the soldiers are on the border one of them stands up out of the truck with a machine gun. This is him. We got to see him load and unload the gun (pretty manly, man)

And here he is talking on the two way radio.

Bump-ity bump bump. It was a rocky trip but a lot of fun!

In Israel, view of har dov, the hermon and inot the border with Syria.

ASong by Damian Rice, Older Chests

2007-07-30T23:46:00.000+03:00

Older chests reveal themselves
Like a crack in a wall
Starting small, and grow in time
And we all seem to need the help
Of someone else
To mend that shelf
of too many books
Read me your favourite line

Papa went to other lands
And he found someone who understands
The ticking, and the western man's need to cry
He came back the other day, yeah you know
Some things in life may change
And some things
They stay the same

Like time, there's always time
On my mind
So pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time

Older gents sit on the fence
With their cap in hand
Looking grand
They watch their city change
Children scream, or so it seems,
Louder than before
Out of doors, into stores with bigger names
Mama tried to wash their faces
But these kids they lost their graces
And daddy lost at the races too many times

She broke down the other day, yeah you know
Some things in life may change
And some things they stay the same

Like time, time, there's always time
On my mind
So pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time,
Time, there's always time
On my mind
Pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time

Israeli Music Videos, update, and more army pictures!

2007-06-18T03:31:00.000+03:00

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.

Trailer for the film Bufor (Beaufort in English)

2007-06-17T18:36:00.000+03:00

I think this a pretty lousy representation of an amazing film. But watch it anyway and if you get the chance to see the movie I highly recommend it.

the third summer...

2007-05-21T00:40:00.000+03:00

Well my friends, grab your bag of Bamba and sakit choco (peanut snack and bag of chocolate milk) and sit back and read, because Lizzy has finally made sometime to make some life updates:

side note: (some of these pictures are really old. you can basically distinguish this by how much clothing everyone is wearing. You are smart, you can figure it out.A view from my base, Mitzpe Adi, in the very early spring. This photo does the view of Israel no justice what so ever, but it is a glace at what I see. The building in the middle is the dinningroom/kitchen. This is taken standing outside the "hamal" (war room, where I do my guarding shifts)
The mountains in the distance are the Hermon (mentioned in the bible at some point or another) and the highest part is actually Syria. There was snow on the Syrian mountains until April! So think about it: my view at Mitzpe Adi (in Hebrew mitzpe means viewpoint/ lookout) spans from Syria, Lebanon, to northern Israel including the Syrian/African straight, the Golan, and the northern valley.
Just about once a month we go on a trip of different parts of the territories we cover to see the closest live view possible. It is really interesting to see things that you only see on a screen in real life. This is not a picture of my territory, but a glance into Southern Lebanon. Notice the yellow flag in the middle? That's the flag of Hezballah.
This is some of my territory!! Very exciting to see it really exsists! I think this picture was taken in February or March.
This is my room on the base. It is shared by 4 girls. My bunk is the top left one. This photo was taken when we first moved in. It actually looks a lot more home-y, and a lot more crowded. I know probably no one can believe it, but I have become a much more tidy person. I am now a lover of no clutter. And unfortunatly my roommates are lovers of clutter and not clean at all. So a live in a jungle of a room.
This is one of our cameras (probably the most impressive in size. Most of the others, including mine are just a pole and a camera on the top. But she is a big momma. Her name is Tziporen, her nickname, Tzipi ha Katan (little Tzipi)
This is a funny thing. I took this picture a really long time ago, actually last summer. This is my friend Amitai. He asked me to take pictures of him and so we had a little photo shoot in Tel Aviv. I cropped a few of the ones I liked and sent him all do do with as he pleased. This picture was forwarded to me a few days ago by Lerone. I don't remember taking it, and I didn;t crop it. But it just shows what a good crop can do to a picture. I really love it now.

This is my neighbor Richie. He is from Texas and he has been in the army since November. He is Nahal and just now finishing all his training. I really love him. Actually When I heard I was getting an American neighbor I was less than excited. But he is not your typical American Jew Prince. I love to hear all his army stories, some things a simplly can't believe kids go through. For example he just finished his final march, you could say, for his beret. 60 kilometers!!!! This picture was taken before we went to a Reggae concert on our kibbutz, sometime in the spring.
I asked a soldier boy to take this picture. At first I hated it because it is so far away, but I think this will be one of those pictures you look back on as really cool, because you can see life around you. This is the day before Passover. Noa had just moved here and came to my kibbutz to visit. We were both on our way to Passover Seder.
Just a little street in Tel Aviv. Thought it was a nice shoot with all the different colors and angles.

This is my lovely Dora!!! I have been friends with her for 9 months and this our first picture. I don't think it does her justice, she really is one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. Maybe because a picture can not capture the beauty inside too. She is a person that I think God has come into my life and changed my life in many ways. She was my neighbor in my kibbutz but she finished the army and moved to Holon, a neighborhood near T.A. Here we are in Jaffo having a coffee and a bite to eat. It was the cutest little cafe.
This is Shiran. It is a long an strange story, but we were dating. Not for very long because he is now in Canada working to make money, like every Iraeli does. But to make a long story short we met almost a year ago in En HaShofet (he lives there) and we worked together in the factory. We started dating and he was the biggest jerk in the world. I told him off and thought I would never talk to him again. Fastforward about 4 or 5 months, I was in En HaShofet visiting and I get an sms from an unknow number saying: you probably hate me, but I would like to talk. So we met and talked about what happened, eventhough my first reaction was to tell him to fuck off (pardon my French). We made peace, we became friends, and then we tried again. I am not a believed that people can change, but I saw it. We only dated for about a month. But we had a lot of fun. We went to the kinneret together (thats where I took this) and he came to my base a few times. He left about 3 weeks ago. And we have left it as, it was fun and its too bad we won't get to see what it could have been, but we will be friends, cuz I think he is a super cool guy.

This is Yakir, my mit'hangel. I'll explain. There is a lingo in 869 (that is my sector of field intellagence. All the north is 869) that says if you talk on the phone with a random person of the opposite sex during your shift you are mit'hangel or mit'hangelet. Does that make any sense? So this is my first mit'hangel, Yakir.

Yakir called late one night probably 1:30 am asking for another girl. I told him she is not here right now.

This is the conversation:
(it starts in Hebrew, I will tell you when it switches)
Y=Yakir
L= me, Liz
Y: Hi, is Tali guarding now?
L:No she is at home.
Y: Oh....are you bored?
L: yeah and tired.
(now I asked him in English, I don't know why even, maybe I was too tired and just slipped back)
How do you know Tali?
Y: (with an Israeli accent) um, eh, I meet her, eh, just like I meet you, eh, on the phone. How, eh do you now English?
L: I'm American
Y: (suddenly no accent) You are!! Wow thats so cool!
L:Why did your accent just change?
Y:what do you mean?
L:well first you were talking in an Israeli accent and now you are taking like an American...
Y:because I am amaerican too.

And so it went. He was born here in Israel to American parents who made Aliyah (they met in the laundry of the army) and his arents moved back tot he US when he was 2 until 13. And then back to Israel. So that is how he has perfect Hebrew and perfect English.

It is crazy to say but I have talked with him so much like 10 hours a day on our weekend shift!! And we had a chance meeting in Kirat Shmona. I really like him and think we could be friends in real life.

Some of the girls in platoon on our "platoon day" last week. It was really fun. In the morning half the platoon went kiyaking and in the afternoon the other half went to pool. It was really fun and relaxing. This is Sivan, me, Ruby, and Rotem.
And that night we had a party, it was very fun.

2007-04-15T00:21:00.000+03:00

1,000 sorry, sorry, sorry. I know I keep saying....in another (fill in the blank) I should be finished with my training and have more time off. But I really am there. I have finished all my tests except my final one. And I hope that I can finish this upcoming week, if not in two weeks. But my goal is the next time I leave the army base to leave for my 5 days off. I have been doing normal shifts now. It has become less stressful. At first I was so so scared, with the talking and all. But now I have given direction, desciptions, all this stuff. My writing is improving so much and of course my talking.

I think because of the stress to finish the test I am talking a lot more in my sleep. I feel really bad for my roommates because they can't really sleep through it. However the cool thing is I am talking in Hebrew in my sleep!!!! That was one of the most exciting things for me. That means I am really starting to think in Hebrew. I am not fluent, but every day I feel more and more confident.

The final test is really big. No one passes the first one, its like an unwritten rule. But you must take all that you have learned and the officers make a mock-disaster. You must direct the planes, tanks, foot soldiers, and also other girls that are in other stations but can see the same territory as you. I tried my first practice on and it is so hard, because you must do so many things at once.

But slowly I will get it. Because I remember when I started learning to direct the pilots, so I was sure there would be no way I could do it, but now I can. After a few days practice I should be ready for the testing.

I also got word that my request to have my army service shortened was granted. I will serve until September 10. 1 day shy of a year in the army. I am happy and a sad. On the one hand I only have 5 months to go!! On the other I have spent 7 months just doing all this training and now I will only do the job for 5 months. I have finally gotten used to army life, making good friends. But I have desided the best thing to do is plan life as if I will get out in September. I need to start looking for a job, and the beginning levels of school. And if a few months before my service is up and I really feel like staying, so I can ask to add on the time. But I think it is best to start getting on with my life here.

I had a great Pesach (Passover). I got out of the army for it and went with one of my good friends to her families house. Her name is Tzlil (it means sound) and I met her in the intellagence course. She is such a cool person. She has lived all over Africa in her childhood, because of her fathers work. She has seen and done so much. Her family was so warm and eclectic. You could really see that the whole extended family really enjoyed each other. The most fun of the night was the acted out the whole "had gad yah" complete with costumes, it was so funny.

Her house was so beautiful. She just moved into a brand new house in Kakur. One side was just an open field of wheat. So pretty to take a walk through.

And my friend and old roommate Noa (from Sweden) came back to Israel. She finiahed all her aliyah papers and now is looking for a joba nd place to live. It is very exciting that everyone is coming back. Actually my second roomate Noa (also Orange County) moved here too. I was very pleasently suprised because I didn't know she was planning it. She is also looking into schools.

I know there must be so much more to write about but i am really can't think of anything else right now. Just moving along.

Oh I put up two new posts but they ended up not as new posts. I'll explain after this post there is another post and then the two new ones. One is more about the movie Bufor and the other the lyrics to an Israeli song, a bit depressing, but beautiful. So check it all out.

Have a great week my peeps and I hope next time I write it will be to say Yeah, I finally finished my training....

2007-03-12T06:58:00.000+02:00

Hi, hi, hi. I am just checking in to say everything is really good and unfortunatly I have no time to write right now. But I have had a great two weeks. Learned a lot, really moved forward in the training (probably one more month and I will be done) I am to the point now where I am beginnong to do guarding alone! Both scary and fun.

This weekend I asked for an extra day off (its my right as a lonely soldier to get one extra day a month) I was in Tel Aviv and got to see so many people. Had great food at Lerone's family, picnic on the beach with Idan and Tiferet, stayed up until 3:30 am in a cafe talking with Dora, and got to see a buddy from the course (she picked me up from the train and drove me home (and bought me wine glasses and wine!)

I saw an AMAZING movie called bufor. Its an Israeli film the website is www.bufor.co.il/ and it has English. I will explain more about it in my next blog, but it is about the castle called Beaufort that Israel occupied for 18 in Lebanon. But it was also like walking into my world, on film. Yes it isn't a war zone, like in the movie, but you see the men doing the same job as me!! It was beauifully shot and acted the music was haunting. And the final scene was so powerful and simple, and explained everything of the Israeli mentality (that being they do crazy after tragic events, but they always continue) I would highly recommend it and I wish I could sit by and explain what everything is.

And now I will go today. But the army life is getting easier. I have finally gotten used to the routine, it doesn't bother me so to stay 11 days. And I am learning so much amazing stuff. Right now how to guide aircraft to targets. Wild.

All my love but I must jet. Talk to you in two weeks:>

Bufor (Beaufort)

2007-03-12T02:35:00.000+02:00

"On June 5, 1982, at 6:15 A.M., when I was just 20 years old, I killed a person for the first time in my life and since then I've continued to kill," he says. "All the parents are anxious that their child fighting in the war not be killed, but they aren't worried that perhaps he will kill others. Twenty-four years and we haven't learned a thing. It hurts me terribly for everyone. Everyone is guilty and everyone is a victim. On television, people in suits shake hands and make decisions, and 20-year old kids are dying."

This is a quote from one of the producers of the Israeli film Bufor. I saw this movie, which is based on a very famous Israeli novel (translated):If Heaven Exsits, which is based on the not to distant history of the first Lebanon War.

It was an amazing movie on so many levels. My first interest to know what it was about came when I first spotted the poster. It is an image very farmiliar to me. And I knew that it was a story that takes place in the Lebanese boarder. Although my base doesn't look like the one in the movie, most of the bases I have seen up north look like this. They are just a million underground tunnels. Just heeps of concrete.

In this movie the soldiers are doing the male version of my job. The female version is purely to sit in front of the screens all shift. Guys sit watching screens, stand in the field or in hiding places with banoculars, and also are the first to enter a situation, of any kind. So yeah I understands so much of the life.

The cinematography was wonderful very artisting, so was the music. The acting was great and the story heartbreaking. This is the story of the first war in Lebanon and the occupation of a very ancient fort for 18 years.

In the end Israel leaves the fort and Lebanon. The base is blown up without harming the fort and now it is a touristic place to go.

There is a website for the movie www.bufor.co.il and there is an English section. You can see a trailer, but it really does the movie no justice. It was an amazing commentary on the strength of the people here in this country. If you have the chance I really recommend seeing it. And I look forward to the day that I can read the book (its in Hebrew)

End of the World

2007-02-24T18:09:00.000+02:00

These are the amazing words of an Israeli song. Its by Aviv Geffen and he also has a band that is English. Some of the songs are his old songs translated from Hebrew to English. I think this is such an amazing poem:

END OF THE WORLD

DON'T FORGET WHAT I'VE TOLD YOU
SO MANY YEARS
WE ARE HOPELESS
AND SLAVES TO OUR FEARS
WE ARE ACCIDENTS CALLED HUMAN BEINGS
DON'T BE ANGRY FOR LOVING ME BABY
DON'T SAY ITS UNREAL
SO MANY LIES TURNED TO SONGS
LIKE ROSES THAT ARE HIDING THERE THORNS

ITS THE END OF THE WORLD
ITS A PRISON FOR DREAMS AND FOR HOPES
AND STILL WE BELIEVE THERE IS A GOD
IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD
WE'RE DEAD BUT PRETEND WE'RE ALIVE
FULL OF IGNORANCE
FOOLS IN DISGUISE

IN YOUR ROOM DOING NOTHING
BUT STARING AT FLICKERING SCREENS
STREETS ARE EMPTY
BUT STILL YOU CAN HEAR
JOY OF CHILDREN TURNED INTO TEARS
DISEASE HIDES AROUND EVERY CORNER
QUIETLY STILL
WAITING FOR THE MOMENT TO HIT
WE FORGOT WHAT IS TOUCH
WHAT TO FEEL

TAKE THIS PILL IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL DIZZY
AND THEN GIVE YOU WINGS
SOON BOY YOU WILL FALL INTO SLEEP
WITHOUT NIGHTMARES
WITHOUT ANY DREAMS
IF YOU WAKE UP IN HELL OR IN HEAVEN
TELL THE ANGELS WE ARE HERE
WAITING BELOW FOR A DREAM
HERE IN THE GARDEN OF SIN

I could imagine after not writing anything for over a month and this is the first thing I write you might be scared. But please don't worry. I am really good!!

this is how it is.....

2007-02-24T16:17:00.000+02:00

Yep, that's me at the finiashing ceremony for our course. Lerone, Idan and Tiferet came to cheer me on and it was such a suprise cuz I thought no one would come. Which I was fine with...until I was sitting watching all the happy soldiers with their family and those are the moments you realize: yep, I don't live with my family anymore and they can't come to this silly ceremony.

But suddenly there was Lerone saying: You didn't think I wouldn't come...did you?!?

She is great...haval alazman.

But that was a month and a week ago. And now I am in to so much more. I'm in deep. I can find my territory on the map I have in my room. That's crazy, that means 50 years from now I can sit with my grandchildren and say: see these were the cities I was watching, guarding. Weird thought.

I finished my test on the territory. The first of a few tests. This required me to point out every steet, hill, downwards part of hill (what is that called in English?) and 65 of the most major house names, valleys, a wadi. Yeah, all together around 200 plus places.

Now I am on to something harder. I have a book of arial maps of my territory. I have to beable to find aything on the camera on the map. And , no exaggeration, the houses or the size of a dot of a pen. Or I have to find a rock. I grove in the earth....find it. Its crazy!! Sometimes I can find things really fast, sometimes I just can't. So will practice and practice till I am ready for a test.

The next step is to learn code words to take on the transister radio. And then I will learn how to talk to soldiers, tanks and even airplanes. And finally i will have a final test that is using all this and simulating a war situation.

Which by the way it is kind of common knowledge here and common talk that there will be another war this summer. The month of May is going around a lot. I guess they want to start early this time so they have a long time to fight. Yes its a scary thought.

I was talking to a girl about the war and what it was like. So was like...."it was crazy. We would sit sometimes on the cliff and watch the katushot falling. We all slept in the bomb shelter guys girls everyone and there was not enough room. Everyone on everyone. And you know that a rocket fell on our rooms right?

Yeah, they told us when we first came that it was basically impossible for that to happen because of how our base is situated, but I guess it did.

But we must not dwell on this thing. Come what may, we will deal with it when it happens.

I am having a hard time with my roommates, we really don't get along so well and that can be hard. They are in such a little cliche and pick on everything I do, nothing is right. But its not the end of the world, just a pain in the ass.

I had such a great weekend. There was a reggae concert on my kibbutz and it was really good. Before and after we danced and danced. My first reggae concert and in Israel of all places. Then today (Saturady) Lerone, Idan, Tiferit, and Amitai came up from Tel Aviv. We were going to go hiking in the Gilboa. But as soon as they came in and sat down, well that didn't work out so good. But we had such a nice time, sitting outside eating laughing. Idan gave me a head massage, so needed.

So tomorrow back I go. That's the way it is in the army. You get a few minutes to breath and then back again. But you hold on to the good when its not so good. On Friday I was in Afula with my neighbor Richie and we went to a resturant to eat lunch. It was so good and fun and I told him: so next week when you have to do your final treck of basic training (over 50 kilometers) just remember things like this and I hope it will help.

2007-01-27T12:54:00.000+02:00

My room and growing garden.
Now I have a blender and a toaster oven. I got a gift of about 200 dollars to an electric store. I just wanted a toaster oven, I got Dora CD and speakers and there was still money left so I got a heater and a blender. I have had a lot of fun with the blender already.
Its looking more lived in now.

View from the window of the bus, near Megido junction.
Window of an egged bus.
window from 35th floor of Azraeli Towers.
Rainy day in Tel Aviv

Me And the girls.

Me and cantor Judy before I left to go home. Free bus ride in uniform! She and Shlalomo were like proud parents!
x

Just the thought of starting this blog entry, makes me want to not write. It’s been two months or more since I published anything more than: I’m fine, I’ll write soon. And I’ll write soon turned into 2 months and so much to tell.

Where do I start?

I don’t think this will be in any sort of time line because I just can’t. Just whatever pops into my mind to say.

Lets start with something in the army that was really surprising and could have changed a lot of things. I’m in the course, it’s going OK, I say this because I really didn’t receive the kind of help I needed with my language barrier. Think about it, there were girls that went twice a week all day to physical therapy, but I never had a day, half a day, a 1/4 day were I sat down with someone who helped me understand the material. They have a physical barrier but I have a mental/learning barrier.

But, alas it’s going OK. Now mind you in the 3rd week I went to another base with my security papers to have the interrogation. I didn’t get it because they had to ask for a waver because I didn’t comply with the length of time a person in intelligence has to be in the country for clearance. I was just thinking (week 7): huh, that’s funny. I never heard an answer about the clearance. Well, maybe they just lost the paperwork and its all good.

No. My officer came to me. Polish your shoes and put on your beret and come with me. OK. We are walking and she says: We are going to a big cheese officer of the base because your request didn’t go through and he will see what he can do to keep you in the course. So we had a little interview. He was a sweetheart and said I really want you to stay, I’ll write a letter and you will come back tomorrow to sign.

OK so it’s all good right? Wrong. The next day my officer says Elizabeth get all your clips and empty the bullets. OK I don’t understand why, but you don’t really ask why. So I do it. Then, not even an officer comes to me. I don’t know what you would call her job in English but she is something like an extra, she does the more social aspects for the platoon. Anyway she comes and takes me to the gun warehouse. So I ask why. And she says: they didn’t tell you?!? You are not staying in the course. I was in shock. How did we go in 24 hours from, “I’ll write a letter, don’t worry, to your kicked out?”

As I’m dipping the M-16 in gasoline I ask: so where will I go what will I do? “Well”, she says, “when this kind of thing happens girls become clerks on the this base. But you should as for a field intelligence base closer to your house.” I’m just standing there in shock. Clerk?! No that is something I specifically didn’t want in the army. I would rather work in the kitchen, scrub toilets, I don’t know what. But not clerk. Clerk jobs are for girls that don’t want to do anything in the army. That’s where the army puts all the girls because well there are not enough good jobs for girls and also there are not enough good girls willing to do good jobs.

I spent the rest of the day going here for an interview, there for an interview and finally just sitting waiting for an answer of where I would go in the army for about 2 hours. I gave back all my equipment, everything. Finally one of the clerks said we don’t have an answer today so go home and come back tomorrow. None of my lower officers came and said, “We are sorry. We wish you could have stayed. Good luck.” Nothing. Only my high officer came and talked to me while I was waiting for the bus. She was such a sweetheart. She was so excited to tell me that she had lived in LA also as a very small child.

I stayed over at Lerone’s house in Tel Aviv that night because it was just to far to go home. In the morning I called and asked if it was really necessary that I come back (I lied and said I was all the way home) because all I would be doing is sitting waiting for an answer. No they said come in. So I left as late as possible. Got to the bus station at Ber Sheva and called to find out what bus to take to the base. No answer. Five minutes later my officer called:
Where are you?
Why?
Elizabeth you are staying in the course.
Do you understand me?
I said you are staying in the course.

Talk about weird. So the story I finally heard was this: that the top officer of the base found out and he said: She stays. And I guess that was that.

I was happy to come back. In that 24-hour period I thought about everything. What would I do? If I was a clerk should I quit? Everything.

But it was weird also to come back. All the girls were so happy that I came back to stay. But I really had that feeling like the officers didn’t care. And they don’t. And maybe that’s OK and something I have to not take so personally.

We had 3 more weeks of the course. It was really like pulling teeth. It was so dragged out. I think it could have been a 7-week course. I got sick in the 9th week. I think the flu shot really did me bad. And that shot on top of months of no sleep, bad food, and stress. What do you expect?

And in the end getting our real beret (dark green) and finishing was great. We broke distance with the officers on the last day. But it just wasn’t so pleasurable as the first time. Maybe because it was the second time. Maybe because I don’t think the officers were very good. Maybe because of my problems with leaving and coming back. I don’t know why but it wasn’t such a thrill to me.
My mem-mem telling a story after we broke the distance ont eh last day.
The tents we lived in.
Rotem, Ruth, and me the morning before we left the course.
Some of the 120 girls from my course.
The bathrooms in the distance!
This is a view from inside my tent. I loved here for 10 weeks!
That's my main commander Moran , center (yes, Moran is an Israeli name) The two girls on the left of Moran are with me now in the north.
Another commander, Shiran. Yeah after 10 weeks of distance and no smiles, everyone is all smiles.
One of the dinning rooms.
This is my great mem-mem (The officer of the officers in my company) She was the only one who was kind to me when I was dropped from the course.

Rotem, Ruth, and me the morning before we left the course.

In this time period. I spend very little time at home. When I had the opportunity to get out of the army I was visiting friends. It was like something every weekend. Iris, my friend from Holland came for a month and I spend as much time with her as I could. She is such an amazing person.

You know when you know a person for a very short period of time, and then you see them again after a long time all you can do is reminisce. You can’t make new memories or all you have is that old connect. Well it is no like this with her. She really is a gem.

I went one weekend to Ma’Agan Michael to visit her and my friend Roie. We went to this restaurant with Roué’s parents that was so good. It was up in the Gilboa Mountains and when my mom comes back I have to take her there. The food was so good and wholesome. They grow a lot of the food there on the grounds of the restaurant.

Also, one of my godfather’s sons was here. But unfortunately I didn’t get to see him because of scheduling problems. The army is a bitch in that sense. It consumes you and takes and takes.

So, now back to the army! What else do I have to talk about?

I have been for a month on the base that I will stay at for the rest of my service. It is in a place called Mitzpe Yadi. Basically you can’t get any closer to Lebanon. The army base is in the mountains on a cliff. We are at such an angle that I feel vertigo when I go to edge and look out. I see Mount Hermon covered in snow everyday and the most beautiful view out over Israel. It’s really amazing. I am with 4 other girls from my course. We live in a very tiny room all together.

All this past week we have been studying and learning like I have never learned before. It’s really funny because I have a friend from my first Ulpan who lives me and we met almost every week at the pub on my kibbutz. Anyway his brother just finished the army and was doing what I am doing, just out in the field. So he is always giving me tips and telling me what things will be like. It is really good because I have a rough idea of what is to come, but on the other hand he doesn’t sugar coat it at all. He tells me, “girls will cry. At the end as part of your final test you will be given a screen and a map and 100 points and you have to be able to point out at least 80.”

And I think he is right. So far I am the only one out of the 5 who has not cried. But I am sure I will. And we are learning so much and so fast. Right now we are in a middle period. Basically it’s advanced training. This will last anywhere between 1 1/2 to 3 months depending on us and how fast we individually learn.

We already had a huge test and on Thursday before I left we where given 5 pages of “secret” codes; words, numbers the works, to memorize! Augh! Difficult. But all the girls that are in the line are very pleased with the work and speak very highly of it.

My officers seem very good and very caring. They are really taking the time with me to help me understand. And the highest officer is such a nice guy in the first impression. He asked me if I have a nickname to call me by. That’s the first time in the army. And he wants to call me Lizzy. Lizzy is back!!!

The food is horrible. It just keeps getting worse and worse. What can I say? Nothing really. I am bringing instant soup, tuna, cereal, and crackers to help. And on almost every base there is a little store to by junk food. There is no such thing on this base and even worse, I can’t get packages! They send them to another base that is 40 minutes away and no one ever goes there to pick them up.

So there are 4 openings for using the cameras and scanning the boarders. And one opening for the radar. They have not told us who will go where yet, but I think I will be in the radar because my Hebrew isn’t so good. In the radar you are giving orders to the camera girls. The camera girls are giving orders to the soldiers. And you have to have great Hebrew for that. It is life or death. Not to say that the radar isn’t important. My friend Dora said that if the radar girls miss something and the next day the soldiers in the field find something they missed (like material or foot prints of Hezbollah) the radar girl will be put on trial for sloppiness. All the jobs in this field are very important.

BTW a cool thing/fact in Israel: To send a package within Israel to someone in the army costs you 7 shekels (about 2 dollars). Any package. It could have bricks in it. It could be 6 feet by 8 feet. Doesn’t matter 7 shekels. I think that is so cool, so basically everyone can afford to send a package, rich or poor.

Oh I forgot, on the last day of the course I finally got the interrogation!! OMG. It lasted from 8:30am to 2:30pm. It was crazy. Everything. Everything about me what I think, what I do. What my family does, who my friends are. Wow. I had to sign waivers for everything. Lie detector tests. Drugs. Even a waiver saying that if I joined the “new age” movement I would inform the army!!! (I think they are worried about cults and Satan).

I have put in a request to have my army time lowered to a year. But I am kind of torn on it. I talked to my officer about it. On the one hand I am 23 1/2. If I serve out the full term I will finish at 25. Which isn’t grandma age, but it is old. On the other hand when I finish all this training I will literally have 6-8 months in the line. What is the point of training me for something important if I am just going to leave? But my officer said it was a good idea to get it lowered and if I want to stay for more the army will never say no to that.

My neighbor and very good friend Dora will be moving this month! I am very sad but she is only moving to the center of the country so it’s not so bad. But I don’t want a new neighbor and I don’t want to be alone here. I do have friends in the kibbutz, but not like her.

Forgot another thing, I saw the cantor and her husband from Pasadena Temple. Wow, I had so much fun. Judy and Shalomo are so great. Shalomo is so funny. He reminds me a lot of Hugh. And he knows so many interesting things about Israel. He is Israeli and he and Judy met in Israel. I met all his siblings and mom and extended family. They know how to cook. And were very welcoming and invited me back. Shalomo told me about all his army experience and about life in the army in the old days.

It’s really funny because now that I have my beret and pins and tag for observer, everywhere I go people are asking me: are you an observer? Where are you in the country? Were you here, there?

And I left the army base for the first time with my M-16. Kind of crazy. Little Lizzy with a weapon. I’m a killing machine….just kidding!! I’m scared to kill spiders!

And that’s about it for now. I hope I will get into a more normal rhythm of writing again. Until my advanced training is over I will be 11 days in the army 3 days out. Once that is over I will have 9 days in the army and 5 days out, which is amazing. I could even get a job!

I think I’m done for now. Just a final thought: Go see the Borat movie. It is so funny and he is speaking in Hebrew!!

IM ALIVE PEOPLE

2007-01-05T12:30:00.000+02:00

Shalom to all

Look I am sorry I haven't written but thats the army for you. And this weekend I had time at home for once but the internet was not working and I am at my friends office writing.

So I will be finished with the course in two weeks and have more time to write and catch up. So stay with me.

Hope everyone had a great holiday season wishing you all a wonderful 2007!!!

Shabbat Shalom

Shalom Hevrea Ani Mitzsteret

2006-12-03T05:00:00.000+02:00

Shalom Hev'rea. I am sorry to do this but I had absolutely no time to write this break. But trust me I have so much to tell. Know I am good fine healthy strong happy enjoying life struggling but happy with my stuggles. I have amazing people in my life now. In the army and when I return home, so life is beautiful. I will come home next week and promise to write something more than this. Please everyone be well and have a great week.

The Life Of A Soldier........

2006-11-18T08:44:00.000+02:00

This is Sharony and me at the good-bye party we had at Mike's Place in Tel Aviv. She is from Australia and made Aliyah with her family.
Here is the bulk of everyone that came to the good-bye party. From left clockwise: Daniel (Gila's boyfriend. His parents are American but he was born and raised in Israel. BTW his dad is from Syracuse!!!), Gila from Canada, I forget this next girls name but she is the one who is 24, then me,then Sharon, Brit from Australia, who has Israel parents, Inbar, whoa lso has Israeli parents, Chile (I actually don't know her name, cuz everyone just calls her Chile, Rebecca from France,and Dinah from the US with an Argentinian mom and Israeli dad.

Yah, yah us again.

OK I'm going to try something new, that being actually writing!!!! It is Satrurday morning and I will start, unlike what I usually do which is scribble a few things on Saturday night at like 12 when I am tired and packing my bag for the week.

My week:

On Monday, on 3 hours of sleep I woke at 5am and schlepped my two bags (they told my friend Julia that we would be on the base for two weeks, not true, so I brought everything but the kitchen sink so I could leave things there, which turned out to be a bad idea on so many levels! First because it was so much to lug around all over Israel, second we didn’t stay for two weeks, third we are living in tents and we can’t leave things on the base, forth because I got another bag from the army so I had three bags to figure out what to do with!) I was supposed to be in Tel Aviv at Tel HaShomer at 9am. And thank God Israel works late and not thank God because you end up wasting so much time for no reason. I didn’t get to Tel HaShomer (the base that does all the processing of soldiers in Tel Aviv) till 10:30 and didn’t get to the actual place I needed to be till 11:130 and when I showed up, nothing had been done, there were just a million girls all sitting around waiting. I met a really nice girl that is also in my course named Bat-Chen (which translated means: daughter of beauty. Great name.), and Julia who was from my Hebrew course. We sat around and talked, slept and just waited. At about 3pm we finally began doing stuff to get ready to leave. We got new uniforms. It’s so cool because now I have the guys uniform!! OK, girls that are in combat or semi-combat situations get the boys uniform. Now all this time I thought to myself: self, I like the way that uniform looks so much more and it looks so much more comfortable to me. And well, I was right. It doesn’t give you constant wedgies like the girls and everything just hangs better. Plus I got combat boots that to my surprise are incredibly comfortable. The pants fit like a glove the shirt is huge so sometime I will get it fitted. But having the guys uniform is one of those things here that is cool because it gives you a status. I mean as an Israeli you are seeing soldiers in uniform EVERYWHERE. And you are always looking at their tags and uniforms because you can figure out what they do and what not. So to be a girl with the guy uniform you get some props and respect, because well, it is cool. I had to give back my girls uniform, which was a bit of a pity because I just got it tailored for me, but luckily it was not expensive. But still.

At about 5pm we left for the army base that is south of Be'er Sheva. So it took a long time to get there. The land is so different in the south. I am used to looking out and seeing mountains, or hills, or something that is land. But everything is so flat there and very colorless. All you can see basically is the sky. And the sky seems so big there. I don’t even think the sunrises are as beautiful as in the north. We slept on the bus and also filled out some paper work about ourselves. Except for a handful of girls like me, all of them are new to the army. And wow, all of them except for a handful are truly Israeli. I think I am the newest to the country and for sure the worst Hebrew speaker.

After a just a week, I feel like my last two months were not really in the Israeli army but in this weird holding cell of the army; a kind of Russian army within the army. I shouldn’t be so critical and judgmental because I did learn so much Hebrew, but I really realize how much Russian I was hearing everyday. Now all I hear is Hebrew 24/7 and to be honest it is a bit overwhelming. I feel for the first time in the year and a half that I have been here that I am truly immersed in the language and culture. At this moment it is hard, but I know this will only lead to really mastering the language because frankly for the first time I will have to. Its do or die at this point. Meaning, if I can’t swim in this pond I will be sent back to the processing base and given a much lesser function. And that is not what I want at all. Because this seems to be such a cool role in the army.

OK so basically what ever I said last week about what I would be doing in the army, this is the updated version. Because now I know more and I can correct myself on what I said. First of all I am not in a harder basic training. I will not learn to throw grenades. I am in the same basic training as before. Which kind of sucks because I feel like at least if I have to do another basic training I would like to learn something new or do something harder. With training and the course it will be 10 weeks. And what am I really going to be doing? Well, maybe we should be amazed because for once someone listened. I mean Israel is notorious for not giving a fuck about what you say. But actually I was heard (I think) I will be doing photography in the army!! But not in the way I am used to. I will be learning a whole new kind of photography, with special cameras and other equipment. Let me explain because I will not only be doing photography, it is just a part, but I am really excited.

The name of my role is Titspitanit (tit-speet-tan-eet), which is Observer, remember. So the role of the Titspitanit is to be on a boarder; if that will be on the boarder of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, or the boarder of the West Bank, like Jennin. And I will be using all this equipment to “observe” the boarders and find people (terrorists) coming into the country and report it, so that the real fighters can get those bad boys. My officer said that because of Titspitanot (plural) they on average stop four potential terror attacks a day!!! Do you understand? What a cool job to have in the army. I will be in part of the army that is the eyes of/for Israel. I can’t tell you how proud, honored, and humble I feel.

And I think it is considered semi-combat because of the location I will be in. Probably I will be in the North because of where I live. But that is not guaranteed. And they told us that we would probably go home every week or do 10 days on 4 days off, which would be nice I think. Oh and after the course, when I am really in the job I will have a gun, M-16. Which silly as it may sound is one more of those things of having a status. It will suck though because then I have to lug it everywhere in the army, on the bus and what not. And when I go home I have to be very careful because well, I will have a weapon in my house.

They showed us this really brain washing/educational short film this week called: Where is the gun? In this film you see this soldier get on the bus and instead of leaving his gun on him he hooks it to the handle in the seat in front of him. Then an annoying girl soldier gets on and starts talking a mile a minute and he falls asleep. When he wakes up, he jumps off the bus (forgetting his gun). Of course he realizes it to late and then they show the question again: where is the weapon? And then they show footage of Palestinian terrorist holding a M-16 talking into the camera, like they do before they go blow themselves up. It is on the one hand probably true that this is one way that they can acquire weapons but on the other hand it seemed like such a propaganda film. I mean yes, terrorist must get weapons from Israel and no soldier should be so careless with something such as a device to kill people, but it was just the way it was portrayed that bothered me a bit.

Anyway, on to other topics about the army, because frankly that is all that is going on my life. There are over 100 girls in my company. We are all living in tents with about 13-15 soldiers in each one. And there are 3 toilets for over 100 girls. Yes, you heard me right, 3 toilets, and 6 showers. And remember we all have an hour to shower. That’s an average of 4-minute shower give or take. The good thing is that I figured out the secret in my first basic training. That is, that people are stupid and everyone tries to cram in to the showers in the first 30 minutes. If you wait for about 30 minutes there is almost no one and you don’t have to fight the crowds. And if you just saw some of these girls on the street you would think, “wow they are so self-confident and grown-up.” But put them in a bathroom with 3 three showers and no shower curtains and 20 other girls and they are such babies. They will all wait for the one shower that is around the corner so no one can see them, or they will shower in their underwear, or they will have a friend hold a towel up in front of the shower so no one can see them. They may look older than 18 but they act like little girls sometimes. The Russians were not like this at all. They are very open and confident with their bodies, sometimes two of them showering together to save time. Cultures are so interesting. Shower culture!

The food is better. Well maybe in three weeks I will hate it too. But it seems to be less oily and salty. And more variations and tastes. It just got to the point on the other base where everything tasted the same. And also they would use one ingredient over and over, like carrots in everything for a week. And they have tuna in my new base and a lot of avocado, and hot cereal in the morning, which is great because the nights are really cold, especially when you are sleeping outside in a tent.

I can tell you now I am so happy I bought a sleeping bag in the US, it really has come in handy and good use. The army provides you with a sleeping bag but God only knows what is living in that thing. And it ain’t no down sleeping bag from REI. What a spoiled brat I am!!! The nights are really cold but usually in the day it gets pretty warm. But by about 4pm it is getting cold again.

At night there are a million stars. Really the most stars I have ever seen. I mean you can see those stars that are just like white fog in the sky, there is no definition but you know they are stars. At night I can see the lights from Be'er Sheva in the distance, but other than that there is no huge light source. And it is so quiet.

I still don’t have security in my Hebrew skills so I am not really talking much, just listening. Which can be hard at times because I am sort of living in my own world. I am confident that this will change soon. My officer pulled me aside and told me that she can see I am new to the language and asked me how I am doing and if I understand everything. She told me to make sure to ask questions if I don’t understand. I think just on first impressions that out of all the officers mine is the nicest. Some of them seem so bitter, like they are really mean and it isn’t just an act. Also I notice all these officers look so much older in comparison to my last officers.

I am closing Shabbat, which means I won’t be home for 2 weeks. In the army we are so cut off from the world. I don’t hear the news, radio, and life outside. And because of the lack of electricity I am not using my phone very much at all. So bare with me but these next two weeks I will be very hard to reach and missing Thanksgiving :(

Oh My Darlin' I Have Grown With You, But My Roots Are On Both Sides Of The Sea

2006-11-12T22:35:00.000+02:00

Let's take a look at some pictures first. Please note I didn't take any of these lovely photos, they are all from my friend Gila:
Below: A nice shot of The Kotel and one of the two famous mosques in Jerusalem.

In this one picture you have Americans, Canadians, Frenchies, Russians (and to be quite honest I know that at least one of them is not from Russia, but I don't remember where, and sadly we just group them all together. Eventhough she told me that she had to learn Russian when she came to Israel, because they don't speak it in the country she came from!), and a Holland chick.

This is at The Wall where we had a little ceremony. Everyone gathered around to see and listen, it was a bit embarassing and cool at the same time. I remember coming to the wall and seeing groups from the army and waiting and photographing them and now I am the one being watched and photographed!

This is at the look out point where Israel fought to regain Jerusalem. Walking through the trenches this time I had a whole new feeling than I did 3 years ago when I went there. Now after having to wear just some of the army gear I can't believe how skinny they built them, without the gear you could barely walk through!!!
This is me, Susy, and Gila.

Gila and the Latina's. BTW the girl in civilian clothes beat me in the oldest person in our group to volunteer....she is 24!

Goofing around!!

The second from the left was my Hebrew Officer/Teacher, Neta-Li. She is such a sweetheart. At the end we broke the distance and really got to talk and be normal, she told me how much she liked me and I told her the feeling was mutual. She made me a CD of Israel music that we had studied in class and we had a little cry over my finally getting Hebrew. When I told her how much it meant to me she was like: Oh god I am going to start to cry. Which made me cry! And then she did cry!

And just as we were sitting crying the Mem-Mem (I have no idea how you say her title in English, but she is two ranks higher than an ordinary officer) came by and said: Oh little Elizabeth, you are so sweet don't cry. You were always so quiet (then mocking me kindly) 'Ken ha Mem-mem'

And this is the Semelet who is one ramk below the mem-mem. She is from the Ukraine orginally and I liked to think of her as The Ice Queen. She was so good at disipline because she was quite scary. But I always thought she was so beautiful and I would have loved to photographer her. She just looked like what an officer should be: tough and stone cold. Even when we broke the distance at the end, she had more distance and self restaint than all the other officers.

Well my darlings I finished my basic training/Hebrew course this week and tomorrow I am moving on to bigger and more challenging things. I have recieved my job in the army. It is something within Intellagence called Titzponit. To be perfectly honest I know very little about it but it has mostly to do with guarding the boarders using computers and other instuments, by seeing if people ar trying to tunnel into the country or what not, entering illegally.

My neighbor and both my officers said this is an excellent job and they all have friends that are in it and really enjoy it. It is a lot of secrets, but they say it is a lot of fun too. In the dictionary the definition for my job is observer.

Meanwhile right now I have to take another basic training, this time one level higher which means it is a full 2 months of training. And I was informed that I would learn how to throw grenades. Mom said this isn't something she will tell most people, but I think she should. How many mother's in the world can say their daughter knows how to throw a grenade??!!

Anyway I will be gone for two weeks, unless there is some kind of miricale and we get to go home earlier.

ITS OK YOU CAN ADMIT YOU'VE BEEN WAINTING FOR THIS!!!!

2006-10-29T18:56:00.000+02:00

That's right, little Lizzy in uniform!!!

OK I am here at home and its the night before I return for another two weeks and I can tell you I am kind of dreading it. Last week, or should I say last two weeks was the first time I had to "close Shabbat". Meaning stay all weekend. And Wow, I have so much more admiration for soliers (usually guys) who have to do this every time. It is really hard to be away from hom for such a long time!

I don't know how to describe everything that happened during the two weeks so I will try to make some highlights. But first, I will try to explain how you feel after staying for such along time. It may seem dramatic, and maybe it is, but it feels like you really loose a part of yourself. Like you have somehow morphed into a piece of all these girls, chaos, experiences. Like you are not trully you.

Its not to say it was hell or all bad. Actually some really nice things happened and I got to meet some really nice girls because of this weekend stay. I really got to know a girl named Gila, who is from Canada. She is in my platoon. She is a very special girl. She really wants to be a fighter, actually that is all she wants to do in the army. But she has family problems that are making it not possible for her to do this, and it is really stessful. She is the only girl in our company that I think could really be in combat and flourish. We went on a trip to Jerusalem at the end of the 2 weeks and she and I sat together and secretly listened to her ipod (we pretended to be sleeping). She introduced me to this new Matisyahu song called Jerusalem. It really feelsl like he wrote it when he was on the bus on the way to Jerusalem. There is this bus ride feeling to it and the words are stunning. It ties 3000 years to 60 years ago. These are the words but you really should hear it for yourself:

Matisyahu - Youth - Jerusalem

[Chorus]
Jerusalem, if I forget you,
fire not gonna come from me tongue.
Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand forget what it’s supposed to do.

In the ancient days, we will return with no delay
Picking up the bounty and the spoils on our way
We’ve been traveling from state to state
And them don’t understand what they say
3,000 years with no place to be
And they want me to give up my milk and honey
Don’t you see, it’s not about the land or the sea
Not the country but the dwelling of his majesty

[chorus]

Rebuild the temple and the crown of glory
Years gone by, about sixty
Burn in the oven in this century
And the gas tried to choke, but it couldn’t choke me
I will not lie down, I will not fall asleep
They come overseas, yes they’re trying to be free
Erase the demons out of our memory
Change your name and your identity
Afraid of the truth and our dark history
Why is everybody always chasing we
Cut off the roots of your family tree
Don't you know that's not the way to be

[chorus]

Caught up in these ways, and the worlds gone craze
Don’t you know it’s just a phase
Case of the Simon says
If I forget the truth then my words won’t penetrate
Babylon burning in the place, can’t see through the haze
Chop down all of them dirty ways,
That’s the price that you pay for selling lies to the youth
No way, not ok, oh no way, not ok, hey
Aint no one gonna break my stride
Aint no one gonna pull me down
Oh no, I got to keep on moving
Stay alive

[chorus]

So yeah, thats the song, but you really have to hear it get the full experience.

Then I met a really nice other girl named Dinah, who kindly provided me with this picture. She is in my company but I rarely see her cuz we just are in different circles and doing things at different times. She actually had to close Shabbat for 3 weeks!!! And therefore she was with our team. She is such a cool chick. She is organizing a finishing basic training and Hebrew course party at Mike's Place in Tel Aviv soon.

She had a crazy thing happen, where another girl who is from her team had to stay also. And the girl, who sleeps right next to Dinah, desided to get drunk and smuggle her boyfriend into the building and to the room. Where they proceeded to begin to...well, you can imagine what they were doing. So Dinah went out and told the officer. And then next door to our room we had 5 officers sceaming at 2 drunk kids trying to get him to leave. After so much yelling and fighting and things that I can't believe any guy would say and live it down, the officers called in a male officer to remove him with force, because they can't touch him.

Later that week we also saw another guy being walked out with handcuffs!! But these bad seeds are not completely removed, just for a time. And then you see them back with us, or they are kept for day before they are taken to army jail.

I did guarding with my group. It was a long 5 days. Little sleep and bordom. I studied when I could, called my dad, write Nancy a long letter. But at times I couldn't do these things that help to pass the time.

My best memory from the guarding will be from this place that is a base within our base. It was 3am and I was trying not to fall asleep and suddenly I saw a soldier coming. He came and was writing something. He asked me how everything was. Checked the walkie talkie. And left. Then he called me. I could see him. "Do you want cafe? Tea?" OK thanks cafe. Ten minutes later he returned with coffee. I thanked him and he handed me a sandwich. Now realize I had been craving tuna for days. And he told me take it its hot. I thanked him and opened it and it was a grilled tuna sandwich!!! With cheese and tomato and even some fries inside. it was sooooo good. I called him on the walkie talkie and thanked him. I love Hebrew. The answer was: to your health.

The other great thing that happened is I finally go the verb structure in most of the verb categories. This is hard to explain but it is such a break through, I think my life will become a lot easier. I was literally in tears when I realized that I understood it. By learning this I can now really learn verbs and hopefully speak better and not such a broken Hebrew. I thanked my teacher and wow am very excited.

Well boys and girls I must get some zzzzzzz's and you won't hear from me for another 2 weeks. But I should have a lot of news soon as to what is next and where I go. At the end of these two weeks I am done at Mikv'ah Alon and I will find out what direction is next.

I'll see you around Novemeber 10th. Till then keep well!

I'll let you in a really great thing....

2006-10-14T10:56:00.000+02:00

I have spent more than I year living in a lie. Why? Because I desided it was too much inofrmation to tell you. Maybe it would be too shocking. You would worry to much. Well you know what, get over it!

I am about to tell you about one of the most amazing parts of Israeli society. One of the things that I love doing the most and that I have had the most fun doing. A thing that has helped me learn Hebrew. And learn life in Israel.

I HITCH-HIKE.

There I said it.

And unlike in America, hitch-hiking is a legal and common practice here. And it is so much fun. So much.

Some rules of hitch-hiking:

1. Its not called hitch-hiking here its called: tramping, taking a tramp and if you are a hitch-hiker then you are called a trampist.

2. Don't think that you can tell anything from the people that pick you up. Like "oh that guy looks Arab so I won't take a ride from him."

Example: One night i was coming back to En HaShofet from Ma-Agan Michael with Noa and Jessica. We were on a junction with an ISrael-Arab village trying to get a ride and a guy stopped. Jess was like, no he is Arab I could hear the music. I said I don't care but we all have to be comfortable. The guy just say there. Then he started to back up. So Noa said lets just ask. He was going almost the whole way to the kibbutz so we got in. The air was think with uncomfortable-ness. He had the music going and was drining pretty fast. No one talked. Then when he got to where we were to get off, he kept going towards the kibbutz. And he said, "its just a few more kilometers to your kibbutz so I will take you. After all it is dangerous for you to be out waiting for a ride at night."

Example: I got a ride two weeks ago from Meggido Junction when I wasn't even trying. I was waiting for the bus and a guy stopped. He looked so Arabic when I asked him where he was going he said get in. We were driving along and he asked me something and I didn't understand so I told him talka bit slower because I don't know Hebrew so good. "Oh do you speak Russian?" He was Russian.

Tramping really makes you stop having these huge ideas that you can tell what a person is like just by looking at them, or by what car they drive. And yes it is a gamble. But so is eating. Maybe you will choke on a piece of meat and die.

3.Always try to talk with the people.

You never know who you will meet, what they will say, what you will say to them to not only effect your day, but theirs too.Once i got a ride from a guy whose girlfriend was just going to be moving from the US to be with him and he was really nervous and was so excited to here how much I love Israel. When I got out of the car he said, "I am so happy to have meet you because you put me at more ease about her coming."

4. When tramping expect to get things:
I have had people give/offer me candy, soda, cigarettes, water, food. Phone numbers. Everything. They like to leave you with a memory of them.

5. Don't expect to have a bad experience because they are really few and far between. Most people arr true and nice people that only want to help you.

6. Always lie and say you have a boyfriend, it will save you from a lot of annoying questions. Unless of course you get a ride from a hot local kibbutznik who is going to the mountains to ride his bike. Then hit yourself for not giving him your number when he asks if you have a boyfriend.

7. It is illegal to hitch-hike as a soldier in uniform: so do it anyway. As a friend said, people love to pick up soldiers, it is even easier to do. And it is true. I got picked up last night on my way back to En Harod and it was a full car, kid, dog and couple. And the driver asked me you need ot stop in the gas station to get anything before Shabbat begins? Nice!

8. It is your safest bet no to go with truckers alone. This can be a bit dangerous. Eventhough I have done it and I am fine.

OK, and its not like I tramp everywhere. I do take buses. But there are a lot of places that buses don't go. And its not like I went form never doing it to doing it. Slowly slowly I started. Like first I just did it into the kibbutz on the kibbutz road. Then with friends. Then I started alone. Now it is fine. And it is the best time to practice my Hebrew. I used to make up stories of where I was from or what I was doing, or how long I had been in the country just to practice saying things in different ways!

My Space

2006-10-11T23:03:00.000+02:00

I feel a bit foolish to post these, because my room looks a little bit more lived in these days. So maybe I should take update pictures. Plus I planted a garden now!! Its so cool how it happened. My neighbor Dora and I have been talking about it for weeks. And suddenly it just happened. I went to En HaShofet last weekend and bought some plants and when I returned Dora had turned all the earth, which I can only imagine how much work that was, because the earth was so bad. But now I have a nana (mint) marva (I don't know what that is in english. Oh I just looked it up: sage) And I got lemon grass. And then two kind of iceplant things. I have to take some pictures of that too.

Tzahal: part 1

2006-10-07T23:01:00.000+02:00

I can’t explain how it seems so daunting to start this. I could have written something last week or earlier today, but I don’t even remember where to begin. Now that I am on week 4 of the army and I have not kept you up daily or weekly, so where do I start.

Slowly, slowly this will be a project to bring you up to speed.

OK. To start with the army is not soooooo bad as I first thought. I mean in the week before I was having bad sleep, upset stomach and well, diarrhea (sorry to be so honest). But the first day, I realized it’s not so bad. And that feeling grew on me as the time passed.

The first day was so long. Gani my friend took me to the bus station in Haifa where I was ordered to report. The night before I came to En HaShofet and my friends made a special dinner for me. It was so nice. We just hung out had good food, laughs, and wine. I went to bed pretty early and the slept amazing well considering. The next day as I was putting on my clothes, I just kept thinking this is so surreal, what am I doing.

I am so happy and grateful that I didn’t have to go to the bus station alone. Gani took the time off in the morning from the factory to take me. And it was great he had coffee for me when he picked me up and he sat with me in the big room where we all, new soldiers to be, sat glassy and wide-eyed. At this point, I don’t know why but I was not nervous.

They called my name as one of the first and Gani and I walked down stairs to the bus I was to board. We stood there for a few minutes and then I told Gani –OK go. Thank you, but go now. And I boarded.

We went from Haifa, the top of the country to Tel Aviv to a place called the ba-coom. That is the place that they process all the soldiers coming in. It was long day of lots of girls, waiting, do this, do that, sorry I don’t understand, can you say it in English. I gave bank info, got a phone card, They took the most extensive pictures ever of my fingers and hands. Head x-rays, teeth pictures, face pictures for my ID (that took 2 hours of waiting because the first time didn’t work for some reason), interviews of all kinds, blood sample for bone marrow donation match (optional), vaccinations (only two shots and I don’t think anything too horrid, tetanus and some booster thing) and, and, and.

We got a break to eat. Army food. Yummy.

And then finally got our kitbag and uniform. So much in one day. We tried on the uniform to make sure it was fitting semi-OK. (BTW now I got it fitted because it was so huge and ugly. I wore it for 2 weeks till I got a good look in the mirror and was like –Oh God! I look like I am in a potato sack, I must fix this. Now it fits and looks good! Sexy soldier girl maybe?) Sorry I still don’t have pictures.

And then waiting to see where we would be sent. Because I was not processed with just new immigrants. So all the new immigrants boarded another bus and back up North we went. When we got to the army base it was twilight already. We didn’t do much at that point. We got another kitbag. So you picture us with 3 huge bags! And we ate and got some of the processing there done and then went to bed.

So day one was done. Day two at this point I don’t even remember as something clear. So I will just talk now about the army experience.

First of all, my base has some amazing views. I can see Tzfat and for that matter the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and for that matter Jordan. Yes another country. The sunrise is so amazing and beautiful. I am not happy to wake up before it, but it is a nice present or consolation prize for the sleepy eyes.

There has been a lot of running, push-ups, sit-ups (this is funny: The word they call for these exercises is matsav, which means situation. So push-ups are called matsav 2 and sit-ups matsav 3. So think of how funny it sounds when you are translating from the commander- give me 30 of the second situation. Don’t sound right, right?)

In a lot of ways the most tiring thing was just the plan fact that we have so little sleep and we are up doing so much shit, bullshit for so long. Yeah bullshit. twenty seconds to run to this spot and be in order. 4o seconds to this spot.

Hearing the same things over and over, repeating things over and over. I think for the most part the food is horrible in the army. Its is just drenched in oil and salt. And we are only given ten minutes to eat each meal. And this is hard for me. I have had some tummy problems due to this stress on the body. What can I do?

We have shot two days a total of 8 or 9 times. And one thing, so when you get the gun you are like wow I’m carrying around a M-16 gun. Wow. But very soon after when the reality sets in it is not glamorous at all. Take it to the shower with you. Figure out how to go to the bathroom with it. Sleep with it under your pillow. Not to mention the fact that it weighs almost 7 pound or 3 kilos. I know that really isn’t a lot of weight, but very soon it becomes heavy. And my legs were covered in bruises from the gun.

But it was fun and scary to shoot. I did really good lying down and pretty bad on one knee and standing.

I have learned so much and I want to continue but it is late and I am really exhausted so I am sorry but this is going to have to wait till next week for a continuation.

Stay tuned. Same bat time, same bat channel.

Har Gilboa

2006-10-02T09:01:00.000+02:00

Some facts and history:

District: Northern

Altitude: 508m/1,667ft

Situation and characteristics

Mount Gilboa, an outlier of the hills of Samaria, bounds the Jezreel plain on the southeast. Rising to a height of 508m/1,667ft above sea level, its summit is 628m/2,060ft above the town of Bet Shean, which lies 120m/393ft below sea level.

From the Afula-Bet Shean road a winding track runs up to the summit. The summit itself is a military area closed to the public, but there are good views on the way up.

History

Mount Gilboa was the scene of a tragic event in Jewish history. Here King Saul assembled his army for battle with the Philistines, who were encamped at Shunam, and consulted the witch of Endor. As the witch had foretold, the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines. Saul's sons Abinadab and Malchi-shua were killed; Saul, in despair, fell on his sword, and the victorious Philistines hung his body from the walls of Beth-shan (1 Samuel 31,1-12). David lamented over his death: "Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you..., for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away" (2 Samuel 1,21).

Lets Begin With Some Pictures

2006-10-02T08:23:00.000+02:00

Woke up one morning in En HaShofet and had to take this. Of course it does the sky no justice but it was a beautiful morning.

Remember the pictures a few weeks ago of Ziggy and Ziggy Junior her baby. Well these first three are of Ziggy Junior and he is as big as Ziggy now. The look the same and they both sleep in this weird yoga-ish style and he has his tongue out all the time like this!

Then about three weeks after I returned we all thought, "Ziggy is getting fat she must be eating good?" Till the same night she was running into Hannah and Nina's room all the time. Then her water broke on Hannah's bed. The the babies were born on Nina's bed. And we sat a watched the whole thing. I never saw cats being born. Now they are so cute but here they are ugly.

The one on the right was the first born and I called it Alien Baby because well they really are so ugly when they are born. Its like the cat gave birth to alien mutant cats.

Ziggy Junior Junior (as you can see she had another clone made) is hugging his siblings

This is Avi-El. He is a great guy and I feel so lucky to have met him. And he lives on a moshav right down the road from my new kibbutz. No he is not Irish or Scotish. We do share a passion for bagpipes, him and I. No his mommy is Hungarian. And Avi-El spent a year of service before the army in the US talking to all kinds of people about Irael and Zionism, etc. And now he was just excepted into the Navy in Israel. He is a really cool guy.

And this is Ben who now is back in Canada. Our boss (who looks like the Israel Bruce Willis)in Mivrag called him you-fucking-Israel-Canadian. That means Edi likes you when he calls you names or makes fun of you. Ben by the way is not having a medical problem but performing our favorite song of the summer hoshev aleh (thinking of her)

My house mates. From the left: Phillip the wild eveangelical Christian from Canada, Sibastian from Colombia who always says, "Sweetie, Sweetie" in his little accent!! Nina from Sweden who I think is trying not to leave Israel. She just had a b-day. And Israel who left Israel and went back to Equador. Que rico!

And a view of my new view. The Gilboa Mountain! So pretty. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Hey finally I am writing something

2006-09-24T17:21:00.000+03:00

So I have to say sorry because I haven't written in so long and this will not be long because there are 3 people waiting for the computers. I am supposed to get internet at my new home by next weekend but I won't be going home from the army so that will be another two weeks till you hear from me.

I do have so much to say. First of all the army is not as BAD or as hard as I thought it would be. We are doing a lot and I am very tired, but lets just say it isn't like hell or something.

In my corner of excellence I would like to note to you that I came in 6th place in our running test out of over 50 girls and I am the oldest. I think I shot really well, since I fell very hard on my right hand which is were you hold the gun. It is a strange feeling to shoot. I also shot at night and got 4 out of 5 off the bullets on the target and we were shooting completely blind.

I hate walking up at 4 in the morning everyday, but I do get to see amazing sunrises so that is something.

And the gun. Well you are so excited about it when you get it and than it is just a pain in the ass really soon after. Because you have to take it to the shower to the toliet in the bed with you , my legs are covered in bruises. So the glamour of that is over.

I hate having only 10 minutes to eat. And the truth is the food is pretty good.

And when you finish the army, and go home you feel things very strong and much. And all you want to to sleep take a long shower and eat soemthing really good.

I went with my friend Roie to his family for Rosh HaShanna. It was amazing food and I had a huge tummy ache afterwards cuz I ate far too much. And the next day I had a nice relaxing day and went up to the top of the Gilboa Mountain which is right in front of my new kibbutz. And that was beautiful and meaningful I could see everything israel jordan who knows maybe even part of lebannon. Anyway, it was very meaningful. like this is what you are supposed to do on the new year. Really thank god and say wow, "God you did a good job here!"

Anywho I am going back tomorrow. I had a lot of fun last night in a party in a kibbutz close by to En HaShofet.

But I am happy and good and I promise as soon as I came I will write a lot more, but I just can't now. So I am wishing everyone a wonderful new year or fall or whatever, day. Be well. be happy. keep smiling!

The Night Before

2006-09-10T19:02:00.000+03:00

Dear Family and friends,

Well this is the count down, the night before the big day. Hard to believe. I will tell you more of what I know.

I had a great experience at my new kibbutz. I was there for 2 days and it is absolutly beautiful. It is set on a hill right in front of Mount Gilboa. The valley is just stunning and I couldn't be in a better place.

When I arrived the room was freshly painted, not starile white, but a pretty yellow cream. I have air conditioning, a fridge, a gas hot plate, toaster, water heater (coom coom) and much more. There is hook up for internet and I have to pay 5 dollars a month extra, so hopefully next week that will be set up for me. The director of the soldiers had put milk, butter, fruit, chololate milk, and rolls in the fridge. She bought toilet paper, sponges, coffee, tea, plates and silverware. And cookies! It was so nice.

I don't have pictures right now but hopefully next week or the week to come. I live in a block with five other people. 2 are soldiers, Shlomi, and Dora and 2 are Russian men renting the rooms, and one is a lady who is not here now. I talked briefly to Shlomi who seems like a nice guy, he offered to show me where to put the laudry. And I talked for a long time to Dora, who is very sweet. She was in a combat unit guarding the peace boarders, but hurt herself. She only has 5 more months and now is working in social work in the army. We talked about why someone like me would want to do the army. Our love for Israel and travelling. She gave me here number and told me to call her and she would see how my first week was next Friday.

Today (the day after we talked) she sms me: LIZ WHAT IS YOUR LAST NAME? Mind you I don't know still what my profile is, which is a very important number. So I send her my full name because after all I really am not just Liz. She called me in 5 minutes.

-whats up?
-I'm good how are you?
-fine. So are you my secret agent?
-Yep. Liz do you want to know your army ID#?
-Of course.
-(gives me the number) and your profile is 82.

That is a great profile by the way. The highest is 97 then 82. The only reason it is that is because of my eyes. If I had a 97 profile I would be able to do any job in the army. With 82 there are some limitations. But it is exciting to know.

So now I am back in En HaShofet and my friends are making me dinner (nice huh?) And tomorrow morning Gani takes me to the army.

I know more because my friend from the ulpan that is already in En HArod told me some stuff. He said it will be hard, but it does get fun. He is in his second week and he just got his M-16. He said you even have to shower with it!! He is up where I will be which is a place called Mickva Alon. It is up between Akko and The Carmiel. He said the sunrise is amazing there. For the first month I will be in bootcamp and then after will be two months of ulpan. After this I am pretty sure that I will have to do a more real boot camp depending on what I am doing in the army.

And that is what I know. So You will not here from me for a week. Have a great week to everyone. BTW, I got two wonderful emails from both my Dads. Thank you very much. It is so encouraging, especially since I know you both think I am a bit crazy for doing this (And you know what? I am crazy) But that you to everyone for all your support.

OK I'll tell you how it is in a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BYE..................

Gilboa

2006-09-08T08:10:00.000+03:00

OK, OK I swear I am really leaving. Thought I would be leaving 2 days ago. Oh I left. I went all the way to my new kibbutz. And then there was a huge miscommunication. The director was not there, the room was not ready, so back I went with all my stuff. Luckily the director of my Ulpan, who took me there wasn't too mad about it.

So I had another day to relax and now I leave. On Sunday I return to En HaShofet and stay here over night with Irit and then in the morning my friend Gani is taking me to the bus station in Haifa and then the fun begins.

I will write as soon as I can, but bare with me as I don't know what my internet access will be like on the new butz.

All my love. Shabbat Shalom

i'M rEAdY FOr tHe GoOD tIMEs

2006-09-06T11:27:00.000+03:00

Well it is a crazy time what can I say. But trully, really, very, exciting. Eveyone here on the kibbutz is so supportive. They tell me things like, "Liz you are crazy!!" But then they follow it up with,"wow you are doing something very special and we are so proud. You are giving yourself for the sevice of others, because you choose to." Then I blush a little bit, because well I don't think about it exactly like that, but I guess they are right.

So at 6pm today I will be leaving my old kibbutz. Packing has not been as bad as I though it would be. I just have collected more things. I still have very little, but spices, sheets, a pan, towels. And I bought a few things for my new home. Like a toilet brush, and clothes pins, and one of those thing-ies that doesn't let the big pieces of food go down the drain. It is very exciting.

Noa gave me a pillow case she made with a wolf on it. Lerone bought me a shesh besh board for the army, cuz I have to learn. And Craig got me a wrist band for covering my watch. It has been so sweet.

I had a nice time in the pub last night. Didn't drink too much, but had fun.

Wow, well hurray for new beginnings new experiences and life. That is what it is all about.

Moving On

2006-09-06T01:55:00.000+03:00

Hey All,

I am writing at 2am after 2 glasses of wine and a half liter of beer. Tonight was my last night on the kibbuzt and it was time to celebrate a bit. I am leaving tomorrow for my new kibbutz and on Monday the 11 of September I am starting the army.

I don't know how the emailing situation will be. But I will keep you posted.

I am scared and worried and nervous and all that. It feels like my body is full of butterflies. Maybe this the bravest, or biggest thing I have ever done. I am sure it will be so hard at the beginning, but I will get used to it, I know.

I have everything I need. Lerone bought me a shesh besh board and my friend Craig got me a sweat band to go over my watch. I have sweat pants, sneakers, thick socks. I am ready.

Wow. Big stuff.

Israeli Men

2006-08-27T12:49:00.000+03:00

It is time for a minute to bitch alittle bit. I don't get what the problem is with Israeli men. It seems to me they are pretty much crazy, possibly psycho, definatly weird.

Why? Why? Why?

And it is not just me. Almost every girl I know has the same problems.

I guess I had this strange fantasy in my head that coming to Israel would make the whole dating-finding-the-right-one-getting-married-at-some-point easier. After all consider this: If you are a Jewish single girl and feel that it is important to marry a Jewish guy, what better place than to find him in Israel. Chances are almost every guy you come in contact with will be Jewish. And that is one big pressure taken off right there.

Problem is, they (Israeli men) are sooooo weird. I have not meet one guy who I would consider a "normal guy" they are either playing the field, interested but not that interested, so good looking and they act like they know it, feaky and you want at least 3 meters between you two, or I don't know what.

Very agrivating. As for the date that I went out on. Eventhough he said he would like to see me again, he seems to be avoiding me like the plague. Why not say, "I'm just not interested", if you aren't interested. Why lie. It won't hurt my feelings that much.

What the heck is going on here? I feel like I am living in an episode of Sex And The City!

Trip to the US in pictures

2006-08-26T09:31:00.000+03:00

Here you will see, some of my pictures from the US. The first picture is of my teacher in Ulpan, Eyela, me and a friends from Colombia, Stephanie. That was on our last day, we went to a really nice middle eastern restaurant.

The next ones are from NYC. I guess I felt a bit like Borat from Ali G!!! Stupid me I didn't take a picture with my friend Daniel, after we had not seen each other for 3 years!!!

The next ones are from Cato. Beautiful sunsets, family and friends, I had a wonderful time.

Now we travel in on picture to my 5 hour lay-over in Chicago (such a cool city) and on to a place that I still can not spell Minneapolis, Minnesota (I had to look it up). You find Ben and I in Ikea goofing around, a beautiful sunset from my parents new house and a little look at Hugh's new store.

We went one evening for a really nice drive to the boarder of Minnesota and Wisconsin for a dinner on Still Water. Although there was a big storm and the water was not very still. It was a rerally nice time.

Next Jonathan and his girl Diane came. The first picture was from the night they arrived and Jonathan was very tired. The next day we went to Mall Of America. I am glad we only stayed for a few hours, because it felt very overwhenlming to me. While everyone else went and saw a fish and shark show, Mom and I went to Barnes and Noble and looked at books! At least it was quite there.

And Jonathan and Diane have become avid bowlers so one night just the kids went out bowling, once Nancy had arrived. It was her first time.

And we did go on a lot of nature walks around all the many lakes.

Now the goodbye's began. This was the day that Jonathan and Diane departed back to Arizona.

And then I had a few days with Nancy. We went into the city and took a trolly tour of the city that was very intersting and had great views. Our tour guide (and I can't remember her name and she said it all the time) was very crazy lady. By the end we were the omly ones on the bus.
This city used to me the flour capital of the world. On the lakes you still see today, signs for Pilsbury and other less famous companies.

This is a famous view in MN from the sculpture garden.

We went on a drive to the Laura Ingles Wilder "Little House On The Prarie" house in Wisconsin. It was not the actual house, but it was the actual sight, of the house with a house similar to what people in those days lived in. We sat for so long just taking in the breeze and view. I have never had such a feeling of calm and peace. I could have sat there all day.

We also had a really nice meal on the water near there. I just ate off of everyone elses dishes because I wasn't very hungry. The food in MN is suprisingly funky and wonderful. They mixed a lot of flavors. I thought it would be very sinple country food, but it wasn't at all.

And this is bored Elizabeth, sitting in JFK for hours and my view!!

And when I returned to the kibbutz, the mommy cat, Ziggy had had a baby!

The End.

2006-08-25T06:50:00.000+03:00

Boy,it has been a long time since I wrote anything of substance. And unfortunately right now won't really be the moment as I have 10 minutes before I begin work.

But life here has been pretty good to me in this last week or two. I went and saw the kibbutz I will be living on while in the army. It is called En Harod. It is 30 minutes drive east of my current kibbutz. It was really beautiful. It looks out over mount Gilboa. My room is amazing. Aftr so long of sharing a room the thought of having my own space is just thrilling. I have my own shower, toilet, little kitchen area, a good size sitting eating area and then a bedroom. What more do I need? It is so exciting, a place of my own.

So I have about a week and half more of work and then I will go move in and start the army. Oh my God. Reality sets in a bit.

Work is so enjoyable and fun. I should have taken this job a long time before. Most of the people are so friendly and joking all the time. The boss is like a big kid. There is this guy names Sadia, who has been working there for like 30 years and is the biggest joker and like a monkey, he is always into everything. My friend Gani spends all day making fun of everyone and talking, which really makes the time pass. It is a stupid job, putting screws into boxes, real monkeys could do it. But if it weren't for the people it would be pretty hellish.

And I went out on a date. I think after not being on a date for a year and a half it went pretty well. We went and drank coffee in Tivon. He seems like are really nice guy, very quite and shy. His name is Inon and he is 25. He just got back recently from a year traveling alone in India and Thailand, Cambodia, Laios, and I think one other country. So we shall see where it goes.

Anyway other that the high heat and humidity, fresh sabras and pomagrantes, everything is same old same old.

2006-08-19T20:37:00.000+03:00

Hey all. I don't have a lot of time to write right now but just wanted to direct you to some great and extremely interesting pictures of the war. Go to www.jpost.com and there is link pretty close to the top of the page that says: this week in pictures. Something like this. They may give a different pespective of the war.

All my love and blessings....peace out.

2006-08-16T06:56:00.000+03:00

I am sorry I haven't written for a few days. A lot has happened here and I should share spme of it. We now are going on the thrird day of a cease-fire. First of all understand that cease-fire doesn't mean the war or the fighting is over, it just means (not just, it is a big deal) that there are no rockets being thrown from Lebanon into Israel and visa versa. But the troops on the group are still fighting.

2 days before the cease-fire: 60 rockets landed in Israel.
Day before: 250 rockets landed in Israel.

On the kibbutz we had 2 alarms. Two people said they could actually see the rockets fall and then smoke clouds rise. A friend who was in the army tried to assure me that they are not targeting something around us. But they are targeting an airforce base near Tivon (a 15 minute drive). Of course there could be a mistake, but they are not trying to hit us with those longer range rockets.

The first day of the cease-fire a lot of families from the north left.Yesterday even more left. I would be scared to go back so soon, but they want to be home and anyone can understand that.

I was eating dinner in the dinning room the 2 nights ago and noticed this young guy completely turned in his chair staring at me. For a while. It was very uncofortable. When I went ot clear my dishes he asked me in Hebrew if I spoke English. I said yes and he asked if I had been on Julis base 2 years ago.

That was the army base I was on when I did the volunteer program. I couldn't believe it because I didn't remember him, but he remembered me! He was a guest from the north and was leaving that night. It was so weird, I wonder how many other people I will meet because of that time on the base!!!

2006-08-12T10:47:00.000+03:00

I have all these picture ready to put on this silly blog, but I am too lazy to do it. They are really nice pictures from my trip to Los Estados Unidos. Maybe in a few days.

Well, had a really nice Shabbat. One boy from my Ulpan wanted to light the candles and say some prayers. It was so nice. I lit the candles he did the wine and the bread. There were just 4 of us there, but we all desided it was really nice and should be repeated next week.

I had a delicous dinner in the dinning room of a stuffed bell pepper. I hung out with Irit for a while and then we went to the pub. I got a call from Roie, who has been in the reserves since Sunday. He was coming home for a 24 hour break and was in the area. I wanted him to come to the pub, but he couldn't. All the guys I see going to the reserves are just wearing (get this image) boxers, undershirt, and gun!! So anyway he was embarassed to come to the pub like that, eventhough I don't think anyone would care. So we went to the ulpan area and sat around and talked for an hour.

It was great to see him and hear what he could tell. He said he is sick of this country and as soon as the war is over and he finishes his contract at his job he wants to leave. He has been up in Ramat Ha Golan, which is the border with Syria. He is a medic in the army. And he said that the army provided then with almost no medical supplies. And that they dated back to like, the Yom Kippur war. He said that he saw the army taking the tanks and weapons out of huge bags, because that is how they have been stored and once a year someone checks them to make sure they work. He said if it were not for the people he is with he would try to get out of it, but that they are really great. He said he is learning how to fire bombs and training on the ground in case he is needed. But he feels that all it is about is Israel saying, "look at how many people we are killing" and not taking reponsiblity for the soldiers lives.

It is an intersting perspective to hear. In my opion Israel cares more than most armies in the world. But I told him, if the medical equiptment is so old, then it is amazing that more people have not died.

I asked him how it was to come into normal society. I think it would be really hard, but he said it is nice to see that everything is normal.

Can you image geting a call on Saturday night at midnight that you need to report to the army on Sunday morning at 8am? That would be crazy!

After he left I had a hard time just going back to the pub, I need to process everything he said. It was a lot to take in.

dReaM iN DeJA vU

2006-08-11T17:12:00.000+03:00

You know my second day at work I had deja vu. Well it was more dream deja vu, but if you figure that you dream about a place and a time that is in the future then that mist be deja vu. Actually even more weird, both places that I worked here in Israel I have had it.

Well, the world is a crazy and fucked up place. Sometimes it is hard to find any goodness in the world. Look at what happened in London. It isn't just Israel.

Just a thought:
If Hizballah put down its weapons the war would be over. If Israel put down its weapons, Israel would be over.

A boy my age from my first kibbutz died in Lebanon. I don't know him, but can you imagine. It was horrifying to hear. It is horrible to watch the news here. All images of funerals.

But, people are hopeful that we are getting closer to a cease fire. And there is a party tonight on another kibbutz, so as you can see, life does go on.

I talked with a guy from the army yesterday, and he told me that I will not know what I will do in the army till I am in the army ulpan. So at least now I can stop wondering.

Shabat Shalom to everyone. Have a great weekend.

2006-08-09T06:49:00.000+03:00

I feel like a lot of time has passed since I last wrote. I haven't been able to drag my lazy bones out of bed to write. Because of so many people using the computers, the mornings are the only time I have to write. I also haven't been sleeping very well, so that makes it much harder to move in the AM.

Well, a few people told me that my blog wasn't as exciting as Jonathan's China blog. But now, they will change there tune, because what could be more exciting than war. Just kidding.

In all seriousness, here it has been more quiet. On Sunday we had two more sirens. Once at work. And that was kind of bad because there is not bomb shelter. And we all met in an office room with lots of windows! Who plans that room as our pretend bomb shelter!!!

Yesterday I went over to this old ladies house to eat dinner with her. We watched to news while you could here the booms over head. It was so sad. They showed some of the funerals of the soldiers that have died. When I left I just started to cry. It is such a shit situation. No one wins.

I found out too yesterday that my friend that I went to Holland with, Roie is in the reserves and is up north in the Golan. Everyone I know, knows at least 4-6 people that are in the reserves fighting. My friend Craig is going in in about a week. There are few men here. And can you imagine the mothers of small, small children whose husbands are away at war.

But anyway on a brighter note, my work is good. My first factory job! It is easy work. Basically the thing we do is take screws from one big box or container and put them into smaller boxes and containers. We fold boxes. Or do quality control by checking all the screws. The people seem pretty nice. The work atmosphere is really good too. I eat breakfast in the factory. And we have good music playing loud all day. Believe it or not eventhough it is an 8 hour work day it goes very fast.

A Calm Day

2006-08-06T06:47:00.000+03:00

Yesterday was a good day. No sirens. Only booms in the distance and airplanes over head.

It is amazing. you sit and listen to the boom. Boom is what it is called in Hebrew. And it is a strange sound. Of in the distance. Sometimes louder, sometimes more quiet.

I slept in, went to the pool. It was so relaxing and refreshing. And then at night I went with my friend Irit and her boyfriend to Ikea, because she had to buy things for her new room. BTW Irit is the girl I wrote about before who was adopted and trying to get her Israeli citizenship. Well after 2 years she got it! It is probably because of people like my cousins, fighting the laws and system here that she recieved it.

It was so funny at Ikea, which was only open on Saturday from 9-11 at night, it was so crowded. So many people. You would never think there was a war on. It was fun. We bought Swedish food and she got to remember food in Sweden.

-When I was in Sweden I missed Bamba (peanut snack food). Now I miss Swedish food.

After Ikea we went to this pancake resturant down the road. it is open 24/7. And the pancakes were so good, just like in America. I had mine with coconut on them. Yummy. I want to go there for my birthday next year.

I have to go start my first day of work in the factory. I will tell you how it is....

After Ikea

Liviing In A Time Of War

2006-08-05T08:48:00.000+03:00

Yesterday I couldn't get my blog running so I sent out a quick email to all my family and close friends letting them know I am alive and well.

I spent my first two days back with my friend Lerone (really in Lerone's bed sleeping off jetlag) In Tel Aviv you can look for signs of war, but really there are none. Life is moving in the same pace as before. It is another world there. I hope it stays that way.

Yesterday I returned to my Kibbutz in the north. En HaShofet is beautiful right now. All the plants are blooming and beautiful colors. I got to see some friends and there aren't many new people. I got a new room with a girl named Noa (same name as my old roommate) But I just met her as she was in a hurry to leave for the weekend. I will be working for this month in Mevrag, the screw factory. I am sure it will not be the most fun experience, 8 hours a day packing screws, but it is something to do.

So oddly enough, yesterday was not one my first air raid siren experience, but also the first of the Kibbutz. There were two. One at about 2 in the afternoon and the other at dinner time. It was a really wierd experience to go down in a bomb shelter. The first one, no one really knew what to do. Irit and were just standing there.

-what do we do? I ask
-oh god run! Irit said

Later in the shelter she told me that that was the first one (air raid) on the kibbutz. And the bomb shelter was full of water!! There must have been some water leak. By the dinner time siren we were all better at it. Although I was shocked to see how small the shelter is in the dinningroom. Because it has to accomidate for all the people in the dinningroom and the pool and the pub. It is a huge radius and not that much room. Thank god there was no trampling, as may old people and children were trying to get down.

That night I sat out drinking coffee with some friends. One kibbutznik has two children under the age of 3 and her husband is away in Lebanon. She looks like a scared lady that is really trying to be brave. My heart goes out to her.

We heard some booms off in the distance and then saw on the news that they fell in Hadera. Irit and I marvelled that rockets were flying over our heads. She and I sat outside lookng at the stars for a while and then figured the best thing to do would be go to the pub. We had some beer talked with friends and then went to bed.

In the Ulpan and volunteer area of the kibbutz there are so many people from the north. It is really sad to see whole families crammed into our tiny rooms. Some people that work in the kibbutz after the army have almost 10 family members living in their studio size apartments.

But life goes on here. Today I will go to the pool. In some ways it is weird to see how quickly people resume life. Children playing ball almost minutes after a siren. People eating thir cold Shabbat food after we came up. But what can you do. If you stop living then they won.

Random ramblings

2006-07-30T08:07:00.000+03:00

I have had a very strange two days. Yesterday was my one year anniversary of moving to Israel. I don't know what I expected. Enlightenment. Excitement. And strangely I didn't feel much. It is really strange. Just like I kind of expected to have these really deep meaningful conversations with everyone, I expected to have this amazing feeling yesterday. And I have not spent every moment of everyday to talk about all my dark secrets and thoughts with my family and friends. And yet I have still had a wonderful and meaningful time with my family. And I still am happy and proud with my lifestyle choice of living in Israel.

Yesterday Ben, Jon, and Diane left. Ben had been here a while. But Jon and Diane were only here for 3 days, but somehow if felt a lot longer than that, but not in a bad way. As usual, we are all in this weird transition. We are all starting a new chapter. And we are all edging towards the water, a bit frightened to get our feet wet. Ben is looking at moving out of Philly. Continuing with a similar program of helping people, all while earning money for school. And Jonathan is flirting with the idea of the best and most worth-it way to move into a new stage of his life. Continue in TJ's or go back to school?

I am not worried though...for any of us. We are all three smart, weird, driven individuals. We are very different. But we have come from a strong stock and I am sure we will do fine.

But honest, I am getting butterflies about returning home. I am going to enter a country that has been in war for 16 days. And in those 16 days I have been in the US. I don't know what it is like to live in a country that is in war. And I have a feeling there is a lot of me to learn and quick. I also have a big task of finding where I will live. Before I left to come here, I put a request to man who helps people like me get onto kibbutzim while in the army. I requested to be in the north on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) Now what. That is the area that is being evacuated. Also I am supposed to have my Army Ulpan in the north. Is that going to be moved to a safer location?

So I have some research to do.

Today I did have a lovely time with Nancy and my mom. We went and got a pedicure. It was so crazy! First I have not painted my nails for at least 5 years. And second, I have not taken care of my feet and have grown rather proud of my rough and more rugged piggy-. So now that are a rusty orange and a bit smoother (it is hard to take off all the rough in 20 minutes) It was surprisingly very fun and I kind of can't stop looking at my feet:)

After this we went and saw "The Lady In The Water" It was wonderful. But I am sure not for everyone. It is a modern day fairytale with so many amazing and inspirational messages. It is really hard to describe and I really think many people will not like it at all. You have to give it a try to find out.

I will try to find a review that explains it a bit and post that. It is very special.

OK guys, it is 12:30 in the morning. And I should sleep....lila tov

fAmiLy anD friEnDs

2006-07-27T19:15:00.000+03:00

Well dear people, my friend Lerone warned me that a month would be a long time to be back. And I think it is. Its not that I am not having a great time, because I am. It is so nice to catch up with everyone. But somehow I feel a longing to be back to my life. My older brother and his girlfriend are here and Nancy, my best friend just flew in this morning. We have a full house! My parents actually had to rent a car!!

Last night we went to a really nice resturant here. I got to see a bigger view of the actually downtown. It is a neat city. there is a big mixture of old and new. The dinner was outragous. They cooked with really strange mixtures of food and flavors, but everything I tasted was amazing. A lot of the food was grown localy. The waiter even said that the coffee is biked in when needed.

And last night we rented a movie that I just thought Jon would love. it is called Imaginary Heros. i saw it in Israel with Iris and she and I loved it. We turned out that no one liked it. NO ONE. But we did end up having an interesting conversation on, 'what is art?' 'what draws one person to something?' That kind of thing.

Oh, we also went to the Mall Of America. That was crazy! It is so big and too overwhelming for me. I was ready to go when we walked in!

Today we are going to do more nature things. So that should be really nice and relaxing.

A Trivia Question....

2006-07-21T07:19:00.000+03:00

So its my second day here with my mom and Hugh. I have a great time. Mom says I need some coffee, lets go to my favorite new coffee place. It is called Caribou Coffee.

Walk in. Study the drink board. A chalk board in the middle of the drinks catches my eye. Daliy Trivia,. OK. Question: What are the names of the two terrorist groups fighting against Israel?

I start to laugh. This is so sick. How can that be a trivia question? Lets think. 300 humans in Lebanon killed. Over 30 killed in Israel. 1000s of tons of explosives. Danger, blood, horror, lives, boys, bomb shelters, sad songs on the radio, mother's worrying, fear, cries.

And yet here I am in this cute little coffee shop in this cute little town. So safe. So friendly. It (the war there) must be so small to most of these people. Well those are just the crazy people in the middle east. This has been going on since the beginning of time. It not new.

I must have said it too loud, "That question is sick!"

And the guy behind the counter pipes in, "well do you know the names?"

"Ya, Hazbollah and Hamas. I live in Israel."

"You do? Its so sick what is going on there. I have friends who live there and you never here of all the daily rocketing and shooting that goes on that the Israeli's live with, only this."

"Wow, thank you. Thank you because no one knows about that stuff", I reply.

Before I left I gave him the link to my blog.

So never mind. I should judge a book by its cover. Maybe there are people who do care. People who do think Israel has a right. Who think that Israel stands for a lot of shit and just stands. Just takes the hits and casulties. And is silent. Now they have "started" a horrible war.

Yes. you read correctly I wrote that Israel started. because that is what critics are saying.

So in the Star Tribune today there was an article written about what s going on in Gaza along Lebanon. A Palestinian legislator, Saeb Erekat was quoted saying "We have a forgotten war in Gaza and the West Bank. We urge the international community to offer direct intervention to stop this Israeli military escalation."

And what did they say in the paper about how the war down there was started? ....Hamas-linked militants captured an Israeli soldier. Captured is an interesting world to use. That gives the idea that there was a war to begin with.

But there was no war. Less than a year after Israel pulled out of Gaza, Hamas tunneled over 900 feet under ground to a military base on Israeli soil. They killed 2 soldiers. Injured others and took another soldier. Kidnapped him. They have been holding him for 3 weeks now. All this after months of daily rocketing into Israel.

So who started it. Who provides the Gaza stip with power? food? water? You have to be pretty dumb to attack your only source of resources. Although they do get rockets from Egypt. But maybe they will realize they can't eat rockets.

My heart goes out to the two soldiers who just died in Lebanon. They could have been one of my friends (I know they are not because I checked the names).

But they are aCHem shelEE (my brothers)

2006-07-19T15:10:00.000+03:00

I have so much to talk about, that I don't know where I should start. Well first off I arrived at my parents house in Minnesoda last night. It is very beautiful. It reminds me something of our old home in LA, but of course it is differnt. It is so big and open.

Now I woke up early and found galgalatz radio after some bad tries. I finall found it. This is the radio that i listen to everyday in Israel. They play a mix of Israeli and Engliah music. But most important they play the news on the hour. So for the first time in over ten days I got to hear the news!! I am happy. If you are interested the link I found is: http://www.surfmusic.de/radio-station/galgalatz-91-8fm,6566.html It sounds a bit like it is coming from underwater, but it is great.

So with great music playing I write.

I will talk about being at grandpa's first. It was such a wonderful visit. And in all honesty I feel my last. He has changed a lot. And stopped hiding his oldness. But what the hell he is 86 and a half. He is old and tired. I did have a great visit. It was very relaxed. Mostly just time around the table listen to stories. I didn't call any family or friends till about 5 days in, because I didn't want my schedule to fill up with that, and not be with grandpa. As grandpa is the reason I came.

But I honestly got to see everyone. I saw a few family members and a few friends and all the visits were very nice. And two days ago I boarded a train for the next leg of my tour.

It was really hard to leave grandpa. I cried so hard and he was the most candid I have heard him be. "Well till we meet again" he said. "I don't know where that will be."

He kept stressing that I came out of my way, and I keep stressing that I wouldn't have come to the country and not seen him.

Now it is time to talk about Israel.

How queer that I come to the US and all this balagan (mess) starts. I have had to defend Israel in a way that I never had before. And also defend myself and my choices. And now I know people who are in this. And people who are going to be called from the reserves to serve.

Interestingly, I had bought a book the first time I was in Israel about a young woman who goes to Israel in 1947 as a student, not knowing of course that the War of Independence is going to break out. She joins the ubderground army and is the heart of the firghting. I never read the book when i got it. I left this book at the farm and found it in the closet. I devoured it is a day and a half. It is told in letters that she wrote almost on a daily basis to her family. Almost forty years later they were found and her kids urged her to get them published.

Letters From Jerusalem 1947-1948 by Zippoah Porath

They are funny and sad. Some of the things she write are still the same today. And this totally ties into me and my situation because like me she is from the US and gives up a lot to stay and fight.

Here is an excerpt:

I look at it this way. I am not a better or worse person, a braver or weaker person than anyone else. As long as they can take it (terror attaks), I should beable to and perhaps, then some. I like living in Palestine. I love Jerusalem. It is my home for now. I don't see why a person should pick up and leave his home because a dangerous madman has gone berserk next door. There is no running away. A couple of miles isn't going to make a differnce. You'd have to run thousands of miles and keep running the rest of your life.

That is really the way I feel. And on top of it, when I signed up for the army I knew I could be in a war. When I moved there I knew bad things could happen. And to leave is not an option for almost every Israeli. There is no where they can go. I have a special pass that does mean i can go. But maybe that makes me want to be in Israel stronger. I CHOOSE to stay.

America, America

2006-07-12T01:04:00.000+03:00

Hey all. I don't have a ton of time to write. I just want to let you know that I am in the US of A. If you would like to call my number is 315-626-6534. I will be at this number until the night of the 17th. From there I will travel to the Twin Cities. I will give my number there too. The culture shock is not as bad a s I thought, but I miss Israel so much!

2006-07-02T12:13:00.000+03:00

I was on the bus the other day going to Haifa and I was overhearing a conversation. They were American and Britiah and they exited onto a kibbutz so my instict says they are volunteers for the summer. Anyway they were talking about the conflicts going on here and friends that they know who have moved here.

One guy said, "yeah, my friend is so sick of all the politacal drama he wants to go back to the states. But I think, what an amazing place Israel is. There is a lot of drama, but you will never find this anywhere else in the world."

It is true, what has been going on now for a week (but in truth for a lot longer)sucks. It is horrible. Lives are being lost. Places distroyed. Young mens lives are being put at risk. But if they were not being put at risk, there would be no more Israel.

It is crazy because I am trying daily to read what is going on in the news. I read Haaretz.com (israeli paper) and latimes.com and aljezerra, an arabic paper. I am trying to pull out the true in all of this. Every side is slanted to their own benifit. I also hear the Hebrew news every hour on the hour. That is how they do it here.

But life goes on here everyday. And if you want to know something, in two weeks our Kibbutz is showing a Palestinian movie in the cinema. It is called "The Garden Of Eden" I will try to rent it when I am in the US as I am missing it. So as you can see not all Israel is against Palistine.

Life: on all scales

2006-06-28T07:59:00.000+03:00

Sometimes you look at things and they seem like such big deals, or so bad. And then you get up in the morning and hear that there is war again in Gaza and, well all that little stuff doesn't seem so bad after all.

Early this morning Israeli soldiers entered Gaza. They are trying to get back the kidnapped soldier. They are only inside the strip about one kilometer. But they have bombed some areas, like a powerhouse, an unused airport (actually the only one in Gaza), and they have distroyed some tanks.

Hopefully this will put the pressure on to get the missing soldier back. But it is still sad and scary. It is sad if more lives are lost for just this one.

Well my little problems is that I was promised to have work here when I return from the US and yesterday, Orly, the director informed me that I couldn't stay. So now I have to figure out where I will be going when I return. I sent a fax to a man that fixs new immigrants on kibbutzim when they are in the army. So hopefully that will be solved by the time I get back.

It does make me mad that this director is just toying with peoples lifes and doesn't really seem to take things seriously and I intend to get the number of the Jewish Agency today and call. Because this is not the first time and I am not the first person. And we who are here are all alone in this crazy jungle.

But I will be leaving in a few days, on an adventure to the US. And I will get to have Hugh's pancakes and salsa, and sit with my family and friends and it will be a good relaxation before the army.

Random Pictures

2006-06-27T07:51:00.000+03:00

Dead lizard, and my realization that I like to take pictures of dead things....

This guy is Rolly and he was getting into the Ulpan trash and I think he got stuck!!!

This was taken as I gwas going up to my kibbutz. Sorry it is so bad. But you can see how beautiful it is where I live.

Take a look at this tree!!

A piece of a giant meduza and Noa and Kim on Ma'agan Michael

So yesterday I went on www.haaretz.com and wwww.latimes.com just for the hell of it to compare how the mess that is going on in Gaza is being rported. WOW. It is like two different world. In the LA times they didn't even say a soldier was kidnapped. They said something like a soldier is supposedly missing and may have been kidnapped.
It is really weird to see the diffence.

I am really excited about coming to the US. Although I think I am in for some culture shock. Everyday as I am making my Israeli breakfast I am thinking, "it won't be the same." I want to make it for my family but it will be different. Oh well, just another lesson on going with the flow.

Look! It the picture you can see my my big bling bling gangsta earrings!

Bad News In Aza

2006-06-26T10:14:00.000+03:00

Yeaterday, there was a sure bad feeling in the air. As two Israeli soldiers were killed, one badly wounded and one was kidnapped. Hamas tunneled from the Gaza Strip to an Israeli Army outpost nearby, roughly 800 meters or 900 feet, and attacked. For the past weeks there have been numerous reports of homemade rockets being fired into Israel. The rockets are powerful enough to reach towns near Ashqelon which if I remember correctly is 12k from Aza.

It is sad. Because there is no one in Israel who doesn't know someone who is in the army. Who is doing something very dangerous for the country. And it is a bit frightening to not know what is to come. Israel has given the strip back and yet the fighting still continues.

postsecret

2006-06-22T10:09:00.000+03:00

my brother has this link on his blog that I never looked at but you all have to. It is so amazing. www.postsecrect.blogspot.com

This is the father's day addition and it just made me cry, some are so beautiful and some are so sad and full of hurt.

I will add this link soon to my blog. The secrets change every week.

Two Funnies

2006-06-20T08:13:00.000+03:00

Funny number one:

I went after work two days ago to Ma'agan Michael because Noa and her friends that are visiting from Sweden went there and told me to come along after I finished. I got there really fast and went down to the beach to meet them. They looked so tired and sunburned from being at the beach all day, but I was excited.

I went in the water alone. It was so nice. The waves were pretty small but still it was completely refreshing. I had forgotten that late June starts the jellyfish or Meduza (in Hebrew) season. So finally I get stung.

As I am limping out of the water in pain telling Noa what happened, she reminded me about the season. "Not only is it on the back of my leg. But worst of all" I say, "I have no pee inside me." (note: if you pee on it it takes away the sting.)

Without missing a beat Noa says:I'll pee on you.

So we went to the back of the beach where there are bluffs and yes I laid down on the sand on my belly and she squatted over my leg and peed on me! We were laughing so hard. We thought it would be so funny if someone saw us. They must think what the hell is that?!

Noa said afterward that I am the second person she peed on. The first being her mother when she was born. So, if I was ever wondering if she was a true friend I guess now I know.

Second funny thing:
After the beach we met up with Roie and went to the dinningroom. A few other people joined us and it was really nice. One of the people was Noa's ex-boyfriend Barnardo (who weirdly, I was with him on the army base near Ashqelon the first time I was in Israel!)

I don't remember how the topic came up but all of a sudden he asked us: Have you guys ever seen the tree here that is shaped like a penis?

So as we were all interested and young, we went on a little trip to see the tree. It was pretty crazy. I didn't have my camera, but I am going back to Ma'agan this weekend for a concert so you bet I will take pictures.

It is hard to discribe, but someone carved out of an old tree penises. Every branch is one. It just shows you that kibbutzniks are pretty weird people.

This was about all the fun and excitement I could handle for on day!

מזל שלי My Luck

2006-06-16T13:25:00.000+03:00

Some of you already know what I am about to talk about.

Last week I was talking on the phone with Mom and Hugh which is something I rarely do, and as I was being passed from Hugh to mom he said, "Look I want to let you know, if you would like to come out here for a visit before the army, do it."

Of course I say, I don't have that kind of money. And Hugh told me if you want to we will pay for it.

A few days later I had to call a third party for advice.

Lerone is basically in the same boat as me. She is one year older, moved to Israel. She is independent, but I am sure there are some things that her parents do for her too. So I told her what was up and what she thought.

Pearls of wisdom.

Don't feel guilty if you deside to go. They are doing this because they love you and they do miss you. And I am sure they would like to come visit you in Israel, but it is actaully cheaper for you to come to them. You deserve it. You have worked hard this year. Parents want to help their children and saving money is great, but if you have been working your whole life, then you should us some of it. Of course it seems like a lot of money to you and me but to them, not so much. Just feel comfortable with your choice.

So I desided it would be a good idea. For a few reasons. Honestly, honestly, honestly, my first reason would be to see my Grandpa Bob. Because I love all my family but he is my number one man. He is the most special person in the world and coming here last year I dreaded the idea of one day getting a call to hear the worst news. If I have the opportunity to see him one more time, I will take it.

And of course I want to see my parents. I miss all my family. I am a cancer after all. A traveling cancer, but still a cancer. My family is very important to me. I don't know if I will be able to see everyone in my immediate family, but I will try.

And so I have had some ticketing problems, but they will be solved by Sunday and I will have a definitve date. But it will be the first week in July to the end of July.

Another good thing about this whole desicion, is when I come back to Israel. I will have a month before I start the army. I had been trying to figure out a nice way to ask my boss to change work to one of the factories, so I can be around people to learn Hebrew. I didn't want to hurt her as she has done so much for me and has given me a lot of personal help.

When I told her about going to the US she said, well that means when you return you will be working in the factory. Oh boo hoo, for me right. OK so I know it will suck to work in a screw or elecrical factory, but it is only for a month and then the army.

I guess I am a lucky girl. And I am greatful to every wonderful opportnity and offer that comes my way. I hope the stars will continue to shine on me so I can do good in this crazy world.

שנת שלום לכולם רגוע וכיף
Shabbat shalom to everyone, relaxation and fun.

שלום

2006-06-11T17:03:00.000+03:00

Change Your Destiny

2006-06-09T12:50:00.000+03:00

I love myself the way I am
But still I want to grow
The change outside will only come
When deep inside I know
I’m beautiful
And capable
Of being the best me I can
And I love myself
Just the way that I am

(This is a song we used to sing when I was a little girl at the Church of Science and Mind with Doctor Tom)

It is time to talk about change, and life and all those great things.

Funny thing. I was just looking at these pictures that my mom took of me on my birthday last year. And I swear to god the girl in those pictures is not the same me that is hear today. OK it is me. It is a facet of me. But god knows it is not the me here and now. First of all I look so tiny and so young and so pure but somehow empty. Not that I am not pure now, but there is something missing in my eyes that is here now. And I look like a girl.

My journey of life has just begun. I know that. And maybe if you are reading this and you are older, you might laugh that such a young person is writing that I have grown so in one year, but I have.

As an example of physical growth, you would never believe how ridiculous my glasses look on me now. I had them for over 2 years and yet, when I put then on, I can hardly stand how I look. They don’t fit me at all anymore. And truly I thought I would have then forever.

But the times they are a changin’

This past Shabbat I met a few people that moved to Israel. There are so many reasons that people come here. For some people they come because they see it as the only way out of a horrible situation.

For us more lucky ones it is different. All three people I spoke with came from countries and situations that were “better” than the life they have in Israel. They all said how they had such made lives in the US/Sweden/England. Good jobs, partying, college, friends, apartments. But somehow something was missing.

“I wanted to be challenged” said a boy from London who is in an elite unit in the army.

Life here is a challenge. Everyday it is. Everyday I am learning and growing and seeing things I had never seen before. And I am putting myself in new situations that I might not have if I was still at home.

Adversity is like a strong wind. I don’t mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterwards we see ourselves as we really are, not merely as we might like to be. -memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden

Getting Out Of The Dark

2006-06-04T12:04:00.000+03:00

Well I am sure you are all wondering how the thing with the army went. It took a few days to write this because of holidays here in Israel. It is the celebration of Shavuot. Which means weeks. To be perfectly honest I am not 100% sure what the holiday is about. I never really remember celebrating it in the US. But this is a pretty big holiday here, and especially on kibbutzim. I know it is an agriculture holiday. Last night we had a very nice meal with all dairy and vegetables. Then afterwards there was a kind of carnival. Today they had a ceremony by the cow barns. They even had a little parade of the farm machinery and some animals! I think my Grandpa Bob would be interested in it.

So now here is the information about the army. To start with, it finally feels like I am getting information. The first few times I had to do anything for it I felt as if I was in a dark room and had to walk from one side to the other. I was so confused. Can you imagine going to the army offices and having to wait hours to take an eye exam and then, “Thank you. You can go now.”

I decided to stay over with Lerone the night before. It was a really good idea and we had a nice time. Her friend Amitai just came into town from the US and we went to a really nice little restaurant for dinner. This place is really cool because all the dishes are 30 shekels, which is about 7 dollars. We had a nice time.

Amitai had asked me to take some pictures of him for his webpage. And I was thrilled, because the first time I met him I told Lerone that I would love to photograph him. To me he has such a great and expressive face. Maybe you will think I am silly to think this, but check this out. On one side of his family he is German. OK. On the other side he is 14th generation Jerusalemite. And before that his people were from Tiberius. Which means, if you think about it. Maybe, he looks a lot like what Jesus could have looked like. OK maybe I am crazy to say this, but who knows…

Regardless, I think he is beauty and a nice and interesting person. So it was great company with the both of them.

So the next morning we woke up and ate breakfast and Lerone was kind enough to make a very extensive map on how to get to the army office Beit HaShirion. It was in an area that neither of us were familiar with. I could have taken the bus, but then I would have had to backtrack to the central bus station (which is a zoo) and take the bus back to the area around her apartment. Anyway, it was a good length walk and I got there a bit late, but it was fine.

When I walked in I was directed to a room in which many girls were seated writing. I handed over the army notice and ID and told the soldier I was an English speaker. She looked through some files and found the form that all the other girls were doing, but in English. She had no Hebrew accent when she talked with me and almost had a bit of a drawl when she spoke, “go sit in the last row in the second seat.”

This form was crazy. It was about 30 pages of questions and writing. If they had asked questions like: When was the last time your mother had a bowel movement? Or: How many hairs are on your father’s head? I would not have been surprised!

I had to write about my life, my health, my thoughts, all the schools I went to, and all the things that impacted my life for good or bad. And then also things about what I wanted to do in the army.

About 30 minutes after I got there a soldier who looked higher up in the ranks came and started explaining something in Hebrew. Seriously it is like this: If Israeli’s speak at a certain fast speed then in the army they speak twice as fast. I sat there in wonder thinking, “I can barely make out ONE word this chick is saying.”

But I could see everyone was turning to the front of the booklet and I could figure out we had 20 minutes to complete some exercise. Good thing on the front there were directions in English. This was the psychometric test that I had heard all about. So you are given 2 pages of incomplete sentences to complete with whatever comes to mind first, but try to have only 2 word answers. Now this is harder to answer with 2 words in English than in Hebrew because words like ‘the’ are just an add on the beginning of the next word.

As I was taking the test I found myself thinking how interesting it would be to be a soldier who corrects these tests, because it is so psychological. The definition my computer gives for psychometric is: a branch of psychology dealing with the measurement of mental traits, capacities, and processes.

It was so interesting. For instance, there were like 4 statements all with _____ is afraid of______. So it would be like: She is afraid of ______. He is afraid of ______. I noticed that on two I wrote the dark. But there were other questions like: A proper gentleman should __________. A good mother/father is ________. A bad mother/father is_________. I am good at _________. I am happy when ________. When the boy gets angry he _________.

We had 20 minutes and I finished in 12.40. There was also a thing at the end of the booklet where you had to look at some image and then close your eyes and try not to do something and do another thing. Make sense. No. Well it was like a big circle, with 5 smaller circles on it and they all got progressively smaller. My job was to close my eyes and try to go clockwise and see how many times I could get x’s in the circles. The first 2 times I only got 2. But the last time I got 4.

Back to the information pages. It was crazy all the things they asked me about. What where the things that changed my life for better, for worse. Write briefly about your life, any major changes, why you moved to Israel. And what you want to do after the army. It was wild.

So when I finally finished all this I waited till the first soldier who helped me (the one with the drawl) came back. I told her I was done but that I didn’t do one whole exercise because it was in Hebrew. She told me not to worry and if I had gotten an interview. No I hadn’t so I had to wait till I was called.

About ten minutes later I was called into a room for the interview. It was the same soldier, which was nice to have someone familiar. She said she would try to give it in English. First thing she asked me was if I knew why I was there. I told her yes. I was there to take tests for the army to see where I would be placed. She said wrong.

She told me that a few years back the army decided that they were going about things wrong. They felt they were not putting to use all the people they could and they were wasting good soldiers and time in crappy jobs. She said all the girls in here today have high profiles and we want to help you so you can help the army. Yes the army is selfish, but as she said, “if you put a rocket scientist to be a dish washer it is a waste of her mind and she probably will no even be a good dish washer because she is so miserable.”

So after taking more of the same personal info she asked me, “What do you want to do in the army?”
Me: What do you mean?
Soldier: I mean what do you want to do?
Me: I thought you were supposed to tell me? Not me tell you!
Soldier: Well, if you could do anything, what would you like to do?
Me: If possible Photography since I am trained in it for 3 years and that would be a waste for the army not to take advantage.
Soldier is writing
Soldier: OK what else?
Me: I really don’t know because I never thought you would ask me what I wanted.
Soldier: OK what I usually say to girls who have no idea, or don’t know a lot about the army is first break it up into two. Do you want and inside job, or an outside job. I am considered inside job and there are a lot of different things to do. But it is not physical. Or do you want an outside job. And that doesn’t mean only combat. You can be an instructor or something combat too, but it is more physical.
Me: I prefer outside job.
Soldier: You can also do something with international relations since you have English. Or even intelligence if your Hebrew gets better, but those are inside jobs.
Me: I am interested in International relations.
More writing
Soldier: Would you ever consider trying out of an elite unit or combat?
Me: Wow. I never considered it even because I never thought I would be good enough.
Soldier: Well you run. You look fit. You are in good health. Would you want to try?
Me: Yes I would be honored to try.
Soldier: I always push the girls who are able to try. I really regret not becoming combat now so I tell them to try.

After this conversation and more writing on her part she asked if I would be will to serve more that 6 months (I think that is the minimum for a girl my age who is volunteering). When I told her yes, of course, the army ulpan alone would be 4 months she got really happy. Then she asked if I had any more questions.

Me: What happens next? I wait to hear from you with my job results?
Soldier: No. First we send all this information we gathered today to offices where soldiers dissect it all and decided according to all the information what would be the best places to use you in the army. Then they will send your info to units that they think you would be good for and then they (the units) will contact you for further tests and interviews.
Me: OK. Wow. Thank you so much. You have given me the most information. I really appreciate it.
Soldier: Of course. It’s my job. Good luck with everything and have a great day.

Truthfully, I walked out of there on a cloud. I don’t know if one thing she said was true. Maybe they say that to all the people. But I do know that I have more information now than I ever had.

And that is a good feeling. Maybe I am not afraid of the actual dark, as I answered twice to in the psychometric. Maybe I am afraid of being in the dark, and the unknown.

"Boweling"

2006-05-30T09:44:00.000+03:00

No this is not a typo. And no this is not another word for going number 2.

It is the way Israeli's say 'bowling'.

For some reason, who ever thought up the spelling of the word in Hebrew added an exra 'aaahh sound at the beginning and now we have 'boweling'.

I went boweling last night and I had so much fun. I went with Irit, her guy Gadi, Craig; a kibbutznik originally from Mississippi (he has lived in Israel since he was 19 and is now 34, so I guess that pretty much makes him an Israel), and a volunteer named Nina from Sweden.

Turned out that Irit was the best at boweling, but it didn't really matter we all had fun. I won the last game.

Before we left I made a huge conainer of guacamole because the week before Irit, Noa and I crawled under the fence signed, "do not enter" to steal some avocados. When i got in the car and said that I made it the the guys teased me the whole way there, "that's a random thing, guacamole and boweling". But then they tried it and they shut-up.

Afterwards Gadi and I played two games of air hockey, because we realized we both have the same passon for it. And he beat me both times, but the second time it was only by a point. You know what he did when we first stated? The air turned on and he said 'hey were is the puk'. I didn't see it on my side, and he said maybe it is by where we put the money, and when i looked he shot it into the goal. Totally not fair!! SO that just made the game more heated.

I think I need to have an air hockey table in my house some day. Maybe I will live in a little shack, but I would like to have one. It is such good fun and it really takes out so much tension.

In other news:
My friend Roie looked around for places for me to move to also. He found a job on his moshav either working in the fields or in the green house. But I called the woman at Bet Oren about the catering and it is a sure thing. And even Roie told me to that one because it sounds like a better deal. Irit's cousin said there is work and rooms. She said there isn't a lot of work in the month of June, but in July there will be tons of work.

So hopefully next week I will be moving on up, moving on out, nothing can stop me. And my darling roommate has went from saying, "what will I do without you." To "when are you going?" Nice, huh? Her friends are coming for a week and I guess I am just cramping her style.

I am not sure Irit will still be coming. She has a difficult situation if she goes away for a few months and hasn't gotten her immigration papers done, then it might be hard to come back here. But I don't mine the idea of living alone for a few months. I even had a few dreams about people telling me, it is better this way.

And you bet I will be posting tomorrow after I go for my army tests. I hope I don't pull out all my hair!

Break Down

2006-05-28T11:13:00.000+03:00

This may sound really aweful to say I had a break down, but I think it was a much needed thing. It isn't good to hold things inside, when things bother you. And now I feel better.

My roommate Noa desided to have a birthday party. I have to say I was very impressed because lets just say she isn't the most organized person on the planet. Everyone did a little to help out. Two of her cousins came, her sister, Lerone, and then some volunteers from here. It was a really hot day as suddenly the weather has changed sharply to heat. And you know how it is, for the first few days it is a shock to the body (I have been drinking over 3 liters of water a day, and think sweating out every drop of it)

So, we were sitting around, the BBQ was warming up. The cousins knew that a few of us were learning Hebrew but understood, so they could talk freely. And Lerone turns to me asks me a question about me staying in Tel Aviv after the army tests on Wednesday. She asked it in Hebrew. And I said, "repeat it." She said it again, and as my usual self I was translating and repeated what I thought she said, "you... want to know...am I, could I??.."

And Noa's female cousin says, "I thought you knew Hebrew!?"
I say, "I didn't understand, and I told her to say it again."
She said, "You just said before you understood. I don't understand you have been here a long time."

And I really tried to stuff it. I said, "I have a hard time." And a few people chimed in: yeah you know it is hard here because we all hear almost only English. But she will be starting the army soon.

But by then I started to cry. And the cousin could see that she had hurt me. And she said," I'm sorry. It seems I said something wrong." And there I was starting to cry in front of everyone and I just excused myself and went and cried in the bathroom till I was good and ready to come out.

Now back up a minute. I can tell you that learning has sometimes been a great sensitive subject for me. I have grown up with an older brother who excelled in school for many years. And a younger brother who slide by with decent grades most of his acedemic career really without studying. I shudder to think how brilliant he could be if he put in more effort. And me who had always had to struggle and study to get good grades. I never excelled in my music or in running although I loved both of them. My one great triumph was with photography, in my opinion.

And also I my head, I think, "Wow Ben was in Germany for one year and can speak the language basically fluently, and here I am almost at the one year mark and I get by."

I know statics show what with most Americans that move to Israel it takes 2 and a half years to speak the language, where as most other immigrants can speak fluently in 1 and a half. But still eventhough I know all this, it still is a thorn in my side that I am so far away from speaking well.

Thank goodness Noa wasn't there when the whole thing happened, but when I came back of course my face was all puffy and red and my eyes were blood shot. And for a while she wouldn't leave me alone, "what happened? what happened? Did you get a bad phone call?"

I didn't want to ruin her party after all. Later that night I told the cousin that I am a sensitive person and my language barrior is a sensitive subject. And she said, "I am sorry I should have known better, I too am a very senstive person." She has stuggled with Anerexia almost her whole life. So I can imagine how her self-esteem must be. We were able to kiss goodbye and I am sure I may one day see her in the future.

But she is not the first person to say this type of thing and it is a very big blow to the ego and self esteem. If you are trying to do something, the worst thing to hear is that you are doing the something badly.

So the moral of the story, stop holding things inside when they bother you, and think of others feelings before you open your mouth. And I will keep studying my words.

2006-05-21T10:45:00.000+03:00

This is a picture of an article from the newspaper we get in class. It is an easy news paper special for new immigrants. The article was about tourism to Sinai over Passover. And this picture was taken at Rasa Satan, where we stayed. Actually it was just 2 camps down from us!!

This picture is of Noa and I on Israeli Idependence day a few weeks ago.

Goodbye Jora!! My friend Jora from Belgium left last week. Here we have Jessica from the US, me, Jora from Belgium, Daniel from Sweden in the back and Simon also from Sweden.

"Like, I'm like, living like right near, like the valley. Like totally not the valley in LA. Been there done that. this is like, a much prettier valley in like, Israel."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK, OK, enough of these little five minute writing sessions. Its not like I have no time to write. But sometimes I forget what I want to write, or what is important.

More about Bet Oren, what I know is this: it used to be a kibbutz, but now is not, but it still is a community. There is no dinning room and all the homes are privately owned. But they still have shared childcare, like a kibbutz. There is a store there too, but if you saw how far away from everything it is, you understand it is a must. It is way up in the mountains of the Carmiel and is a bit isolated. There is only one bus a day that goes there. But then again there are only two that come to En HaShofet, but I still manage to escape now and then.

It is so high in the mountains. It has the most beautiful view of the land, trees and the sea past that. It is breathtaking. It was cooler up there. So they have an area that is famous in Israel for Weddings, Bar-Mitzvahs, and other celebrations.

The friend I am planning to move there with is Irit.

She is a really amazing person. She is my age and has been trying to get Israeli citizenship for over 2 years!! She has the same problem that my cousins had with their daughter. She is adopted. And Israel, for all the great things it stands for, sucks in this area. It is not fair. Her father is Israeli, her mom is from Finland. They adopted her from Brazil and moved to Sweden. How confusing can you get. No it does get more confusing. Her parents divorced, mom is back in Finland, dad moved to Thailand. And she wants to live in Israel. And her citizenship is almost finished, her dad came here to sign some papers and finish it up with her, and he had a stoke! Thank god he is healing fast, but can you imagine how much patience this girl has.

She just got her first work visa. All this time she has been living on the kibbutz working 6 days a week in a factory as a volunteer. So basically she has gotten room (not a room alone mind you) and board and about 100 dollars a month for the last 2 years.

Believe me, when I hear things like this, I don’t take my citizenship for granted I had it so easy in comparison. And also it makes me think how impatient I can be, when things aren’t going the way I want them to go. Like moving for instance. I want to go now I don’t want to have to wait and wait. Because also I don’t have much time before the army starts…..3 months, can you believe that!

Speaking of the army, I had to go in to the draft office on Monday. Honestly I hate that place. I get so nervous inside before I go. Not because I am scared, but because I am embarrassed. Every time I go, there are these little 18, 19, 20 years olds there that mock me because either my Hebrew is wrong, or I don’t understand and ask if they know English. And it makes me so mad. It is not fair. Here I am trying to speak, and trying to serve the country and these little brats are mocking me or laughing at me.

So I go. I get my magnetic card and go up to room 302. There a million people there so I figure I will have to wait forever. You slide the card in a computer and then it puts you into a list. I was confused because I had been to room 302 when I first came to the draft office. But I wait only five minutes and a soldier calls me. She just had to check all my information and that was it. Then I went down to room 131 to wait for 2 1/2 hours. Wait and wait and wait. And mind you I had to pee really bad, but the thought of going and missing my turn was not worth it. In this room I didn’t know what I was supposed to do because there was no computer to slide the card. So I waited and waited. Then I went up to this window that was sometimes open and asked the soldier what I was supposed to do.

“Do you want the money?” she asked. “I don’t understand what I am doing here.” I say. “OK” she says holding my papers, “go in that room and give them your ID, then they will call you.”

So I give it to them. When I came out I went over to the only girl that seemed nice and asked her what we were waiting for. She said it was just an interview to see how you will be living in the army. Like close to home, a closed or open base, that kind of thing. So I waited and waited. Finally I was called. Thank god the soldier that interviewed me was the nicest one so far.

First thing I say to the soldiers in Hebrew is, “I speak English. My Hebrew isn’t very good. Please talk slowly.” And usually they pay no attention and go on as if no one said anything to them. So I say it to her and she asked if I would prefer to do it in English. So at this point with my about to explode bladder, my growling stomach, and my tired mind, I said OK.

All she did was take down info about all my immediate family, mom, dad, my brothers. Where they live, age, health, that kind of thing and then I signed papers asking to recognized as a “lonely soldier”. Which means I have no family in Israel and can get a little bit more money and hopefully a lot more help. They usually help you find a place to live and you get a bit more time off than regular soldiers. But it is help and I will take it as I am a bit lost on the whole army thing.

Also some good news is one of the girls that is a volunteer here will be going into the army with me. I am really happy to know someone else. We will be doing the Army Ulpan together. It is a good feeling to know you are not alone.

More things I am slowly finding out about the army is this: If you enlist as a volunteer your schedule of getting information and doing things is completely different than if you are automatically drafted. So for example, if I had come here when I was 18 and had to do the army service, I would have done things in a very different way than I am now. This had been confusing because some information that seems very important to me, like where I will be or what I will be doing I still don’t know about. I never got this very important paper telling me my choices for a job in the army. But I think that is about to change.

I got a letter a few days ago that I am supposed to go to Tel Aviv to take placement tests. I am glad this is finally happening because I was starting to get a bit worried. So Iw ill take all these tests and probably get an interview and then in a few weeks I will get the important paper I was waiting for. On the paper will be 4 job options, then I have to rank them and hopefully I will get my first or second choice.

It is all a bit crazy but it is becoming more real every day. The other day I was with my roommate Noa at a cloths store. She wanted to buy something for her friend. When I was waiting I over heard a woman asking the clerk if they had a lot of plain white undershirts because her daughter was entering the army soon. And it was just a mental note for me: Better buy some white undershirts soon.

Now that I am sitting here writing I don’t remember if a wrote about the fact that I pierced my ears. But I did. And here is a picture of the earrings that basically made me do it. I just feel in love with them. So soon I can wear them. The healing process had been very good. My ears are still a bit tender, but nothing bad.

I guess that is all my news. …..

That's Funny!!!

2006-05-17T08:00:00.000+03:00

So Jonathan, my brother, thought that I was talking about him when I was writing about the big mess with the rape charges. He wrote a comment, are you talking about me?? No silly!!

Well I think good things are in the works. I friend of mine are just waiting on a room to rent, but we are looking at living on what used to be a kibbutz and being waitresses. The money is good and the area is beautiful. It is called Bet Oren. Mom, do you remember when we were driving in the mountains to get to the druze village and we passed a huge prison? Remember that the tour guide said they are the luckiest criminals, because they have the most amazing view? Well Bet Oren is right next to that jail. It is the most amazing view.

I will give more details later but I have to go to class. I am worried, because I had a dream that there were no rooms availible. But that is just a dream.

Middle Eastern Life.

2006-05-12T22:41:00.000+03:00

Sorry I have been so delayed in my writing. There has been a lot going on. Along with me trying to find a new place to live, Yora, basically my best friend on this kibbutz, is leaving in 3 days. It sucks, it is not fair. She is not Jewish, so boot her out of the country. And she loved Israel so much, she loves the language so much. She is so much of a better student than I am. So today, we were bad. We ditched class. We went to Afula. And we got some piercings!!!

Don't worry. Its not as bad as it seems. She got her nose peirced and I got my ears done finally. Alfter all these years. The reason I did it, is a bought a pair of earrings I just feel in love with. These were made by someone on my kibbutz. And then I was like, "Oh, no, now I actually have to do it." So I did it and I actually survived. Yora held my hand for the first one and then I was like "Oh its ok I don't need it after all." It really barely hurt. So now I just have to wait 3 weeks and then I will be wearing my beautiful earrings. I will be sure to take pictures.

In other funny news....Yora and I went on a little outing to Daliat Al Carmel, which is a close by Druze village. In this 3 hour visit we got to see the best and the worst of middle eastern culture. Let me enlighten you. First we were sitting in this really nice restaurant eating shawarma. Enjoying, peaceful. When this guy comes up (we were sitting outside) and is talking loudly and very close to the guy working there. Mind you they were standing right in front of our table. I thought they were going to get into a fight. But I was relaxed, comfortable. So the guy leaves to his car parked in front. And maybe ten minutes later he starts yelling in Arabic. Fortunatly Yora knows some Arabic. He was saying come here to my car. And the next thing you know an all out fight had broken out. There was punching, a wooden plank, someone trying to smash someone else between the door of the driverside. The engine starts, screetching tires. The other guy runs after the car. Is in front of a storefront and grabs a Darbuka drum and throws it at the car. The car speeds away and may men go running after.

I who don't like fights am up on my feet saying lets just leave some money and go. Yora who isn't bothered by fights is siting there laughing hysterically.

Then we walk around. And after a while decide to sit for some coffee. It was quiet, peaceful. Nice guy working there. Then one of his friend passes, a girl, beautiful, and hands him a photo album. So we are sitting craining trying to look at them and finally he noticed and came to sit with us so we could see them. It was her before wedding pictures. He said her wedding would be in about one year, "first the house has to be built." It was great. So sweet and nice.

The worst and the best of Middle Eastern mentality.It was great fun.

Shabbat Shalom to all.

Its getting better all the time

2006-05-10T07:51:00.000+03:00

I do have some pictures to put up, but right now I don't have the time. I had a wonderful weekend in Tel Aviv with Lerone. I will write more about in in a bit, but lets just say I had the best homemade meal, in my life. She moved into an apartment and it is so nice.

Things are getting better all the time. I have been asking questions, getting opinions and going to kibbutzim in the area to find out what to do next. Right now it looks like it is possible for me to rent a room for not that much and find work. But I think the finding work will be harder than I think. I spoke with a guy I know on another near by kibbutz. He is in the same boat as me. He is a volunteer there and is trying to work for money, but they don't want to give it to him.

But volunteering on that kibbutz, would be much better than on this one because, I would have my own room, I would only work 5 days a week instead of 6 and the pay is almost twice as much. So basically at this point it looks like the best bet. Also he told me I would be working in their factory, which is a soap factory and the up shot is that all the workers there are Druze. And he said I would be speaking only Hebrew, cuz they don't speak English. This is what i want most of all.

I am going to look into a few more possiblities, but this looks like the best solution to me. Well I have to go to class. Till next time.

With Honesty I Write

2006-04-30T10:44:00.000+03:00

So last night of course I sleep so shitty. How can you sleep good with all the bad thinks that are happening around you. I think my brother Jonathan's blog almost always had this undertone of darkness, a bit bitter. I have tried to maintain a nice happy blog, even when I have to say things like "there was a bombing, I'm OK." But there are somethings that I don't write home about and maybe I should.

In truth this Kibbutz is not all it should be and has left much to be desired. Let us start from the beginning. Of course when I came I wondered a little : what is wrong with this Ulpan that everyone has left and they or look for other people to come. But I figured life happened and that is all. My first week here there was a huge physical fight. I was not there thank god. It was for a guys birthday and he even came by my room and told me to come to meet everyone. I didn't feel up to it. I fell asleep and the next thing I knew there was tons of screaming outside my window. A guy got a black eye and another got kicked out. It was a huge mess. Nice welcome to the kibbutz right?

Then there was the volunteer who said that I slept with him. After a night at the pub where I couldn't get away from him. I went home, he did too. So that means we left together. The next day he told a bunch of the guys: yeah last night with Liz there was a little of this, a little of that and her pussy smells like strawberries. Even worse is the fact that no one had the nerve to at least tell me. SO I am walking around saying hi to him because I don't know about it.

And now this with Jonathan. I am really upset by the way everyone is taking it. It is so disturbing the things I have heard people say. I really don't know what to think about the human race anymore. Basically the guys here are more concerned with the fact that they might face drug charges, because of course there were drugs involved. It is really sick.

There is part of me that thinks I should leave and go to another Kibbutz, because after all I have 4 more monthes before the army and it don't feel like a healthy place to be. But I don't know if another kibbutz would be any better.

Last night I called Grandpa, my only voice of reason. It is really strange how he has an effect on me. He really is soothing. Maybe because as far as I can tell he is one of the best, most righteous people I have ever met. Of course he is human and has his faults, but he is a dimond in this sea of coal.

Of course I couldn't really tell him what was going on, but just to hear his voice ramble on about life in Cato, somehow made me feel so much better.

After that they were playing the movie, "Match Point" so I watched i. It was the first Woody Allen movie I liked. But i have to say it reminded me a lot of "A Place In The Sun" (if you have not seen it, go get it, it is my favorite) It was actually nice to watch a sad movie.

I talked more about the whole thing with a girlfriend and then finallty went to bed around 2 am. My body is so sore today, it feels like I was running fifty kilometers yesterday.

My Last Entry

2006-04-29T20:07:00.000+03:00

Who write the comment on the last entry. I have to be honest, it is a bit strange. Of course eveyone will die one day or another. As an Israeli guy told my friend Yora and I "one day your here, the next your on the bus and BOOM." That is a bit of Israeli black humor. I guess if they don't laugh they will cry.

After hearing of the bombing in Sinai I went on the net and tried to find out more about the bombing in Rasa Satan. It was in October 2004 and many people died, but I could not find out what camp it was in. Not that it matters, but I wonder.

Rasa Satan means the head of the devil in Arabic.

I feel so strange right now. I just found out that a volunteer that was here and just left last night, is now in jail. Why? He moved to another kibbutz (Daliya, in walking distance from mine) yesterday. And as I have heard he got drunk and now is in jail for sexual assult. My heart fell. Horror. This is going to sound weird or maybe you won't believe it. But for the past week I have been saying to friends what is wrong with Jonathan. He is so different than when I first came. I never would see him in the dinning hall and he was loosing weight when I did see him. When I first came he hung out a lot with Noa and I because he and Noa both speak Danish, the only two Danes. And even weirder so much about him and the way he talked and acted reminded me of my brother Ben.

And this "sexual assult" comes in the time that I am reading "We Were The Mulvaneys" which is so sad and interesting and breaking my heart completely. Mostly it is breaking because it is so much like what happened to two high school friends. Rape, or well, we can't even say that word, so better yet sexual assult. And how the whole community shunned the girl it happened to. The book is set in upsate NY in the 1970s, but it is crazy because it sounds like when I was there.

So, truthfully tonight I am a bit sceptical of humans and I am sad at the way we act sometimes.

Sad Things

2006-04-25T08:53:00.000+03:00

Well, just a quick THANK YOU GOD. Last night I was laying in bed reading and get a phone call from my boss: Is anyone from the Ulpan or volunteers in Sinai? Because there was a bomb right now. That's why I told you not to go!

Well of course, she is right. But then again. What if I didn't go and lets say went to Tel Aviv instead. I would be more likely to be in danger there. SO what can I do. I just try.

The Israeli government doesn't think that any of the dead are Israeli as now everyone is back to there lives. But most are Western travellers. It is very sad.

Last night was also the beginning of the Rememebrence day for those that died in the Shoah. Just one more sad thing.

A Passover Message

2006-04-20T12:36:00.000+03:00

Literally it says:

HOLIDAY

PESACH (PASSOVER)

HAPPY

AND KOSHER

Just thought it was funny and a little blunt.

WELCOME BACK TO EGYPT JEWS

2006-04-19T10:57:00.000+03:00

Sinai was one of the most beautiful places I have experienced, and I was only one hour’s drive in from the border. If you look on a map, you will see how huge Sinai is and what I am talking about. I just got to see the tip of the iceberg.

First off, it was an amazing time. The amount of relaxation and calm I felt was unreal.

I think I would like to go there for my honeymoon. It feels like you are returning to a natural state. And Noa’s dad told her he would like to be buried in Sinai. Being there is like going back in time.

The journey began with multiple bus rides. We took the night bus to Eilat. All the way the moon was shining over the desert. We got to Eilat at about 5 am. We took a cab to Taba, which is the border crossing. Crossing was pretty easy considering. We changed money to Egyptian pounds. I called my Dad from Taba right before we left since I still had Israeli reception and I would miss his birthday.

Then we bordered a van with a bunch of other people and left. The drive was beautiful. The area that we stayed looks a lot like Arizona, except there is the huge sea.

We were the second to last to leave the taxi. It is funny because we really didn’t know where we were going. Noa’s cousin recommended a place, but it is actually just the area, not a specific place to stay. And I think the taxi picked the best place to stop. We stayed at Ramadan Camp in Rassa Satan.

Let me do the math for you. Egyptian pounds are a little less in value than Israeli shekels, but not much. So to stay in the youth hostel in Eilat (it is more expensive than the rest of Israel) costs you about 100 shekels a night. To stay where we slept was 15 pounds a night. See the difference. Also the peace and quiet cannot compare to Eilat. Eliat is like Las Vegas in my opinion.

We slept in a little hut with no electricity. Actually our whole camp had no electricity; they cooked with gas I guess. They were so nice and charged Noa’s phone in their car.

Some things I learned about myself those four days:
I really would like to not have a toilet, but rather just a hole in the ground. There were porcelain things, with a hole and a hose to wash the bowl when you are finished. I am sure this isn’t what you want to hear all about, but it is so much easier to go tot he bathroom in that position.

Also I really like sitting on the floor to eat. It is so relaxed and calm. And when you are too full, you can just lay down a bit!

Now a bad thing:
Many of the Israeli’s there (really only guys) were very rude to our hosts. If you don’t know Hebrew you might not notice. But they would talk to the workers in the female form and make fun of them to their faces. They really treated them with little to no respect and that was hard to see. Then you can wonder why they hate Israeli’s.

Not all the people there were rude. There were many Israeli-Arabs in our camp. And a woman who really got pissed when she heard some guys talking badly.

I think the Egyptians who worked in our camp were the best. We went over to another camp one night and it felt like they were so drugged out. The workers kept sitting asking us questions. In our camp, of course they talked to us, but they didn’t bother. The food was really good. No one got sick, so that is most important. For breakfast we ate fried egg, Israeli salad, a falafel, that tasted different than in Israel, eggplant, and this flat Arabic bread that is like a cross between a tortilla and chapatti. For the other meals we either had salad, shakshuka (Yemenite style eggs), or some times meat. They had really good meat there. Fresh fish, chicken, or lamb kabobs. I had saklab for the first time. I am not really sure what it is. Someone said it is actually made of a type of flower. I think it tastes like porridge that was sweetened and with banana, coconut and chocolate sauce.

One day Noa and Yora ordered saklab and the waiter brought it with strawberries and lots of chocolate, really nice ok. And some guys sitting next to us said, “Oh, we want it too.” As the waiter was walking away he said; “Only for the girls.” And when he brought theirs out they had ONE strawberry in it. We laughed so hard.

There were woman walking around selling jewelry they made. It was sad to see because I think they were really poor. Yora speaks a bit of Arabic and she talked to most of them and promised to buy from them. I wanted to buy something on the last day from one of the little girls in exchange for a picture, because she was so beautiful. But I couldn’t find her so I bought an ankle bracelet from this really funny lady, who couldn’t stop laughing. It broke already, but it’s the thought that counts.

It was funny, because on the first day I thought:
This place is so great, because you know they would never bomb it. I mean two years ago there were bombs in Sinai, but I am sure they were only in hotels where there could be great damage. In these little places it would be harder to kill a lot of people.

Then I found out that a few camps down, two years ago there was a bomb. So there went my theory. I can tell you I didn’t feel scared after I heard that, just sad. There was a police force around checking up on things.

I didn’t meet any girls, but I met a few really cool guys. The first two were Germans. They were in Israel for a year doing their Civil Service. In Germany if you don’t serve in the army then you have to do something to help for a year. They picked to come to Israel. One of the guys Freedman, works on a mosav that I read about and really want to visit. This is the only moshav that is Arab and Israelis working together, sending their kids to school together. I thought of volunteering there when I first came to Israel. So this guy is a volunteer and works in the school. He had such great opinions on both Arabs and Israelis. He loved Israel and said it was nothing like he imagined.

The other German, Oley (he looked like Tzvi with dreadlocks!!) was working with blind people in Jerusalem. He said he loved Jerusalem and as a person with no religion spoke so beautifully about the power of the city. He said he loves to go to the wall.

Yora and were blown away at how mature these two 18 year olds were. We exchanged numbers and are going to get together since they are only in Israel for 3 months. I told them they are the most amazing ambassadors for Israel. The one working on the moshav asked, “Have you ever been to the West Bank? Ramallah is great!” I have never heard of Ramallah as being “great”.

On the last day, Noa got really sunburned. Luckily I didn’t get burned at all. Now I am a brown bear. But it is funny, I didn’t take one picture.

I wish I could have stayed longer, but all things must pass.

Yora left a day and a half before Noa and I. We left on Monday at 6pm and got to Tel Aviv at 1 in the morning. We walked to Noa’s sister’s apartment and slept there. Boy were we surprised to hear there was a bombing in Tel Aviv. The next day Noa went around Tel Aviv a little bit and you wouldn’t even know there was a bombing. The streets were packed, there was no fear in the air.

And that is Israel for you. Some things are not as they appear.

Back From Sinai

2006-04-18T23:05:00.000+03:00

Just wanted to let you know I am back safe and sound. I had the most amazing time in Sinai. It is so beautiful and special. I will write more and post pictures. I just wanted to say something, as there was a bombing the day I got back to Tel Aviv in the old bus station. Seven people were killed. It is a strange feeling since people here were a bit nervous about us going to Sinai.

Happy second Pesach.

2006-04-13T17:31:00.000+03:00

Well my dear family and friends, it is time for the Jews to return to Egypt. Tonight I board an all night bus with Yora and Noa. As the sun begins to rise we will be in Eilat, the most southern point on Israel’s map. Geographically it is a really cool spot. Check it out. If you stand in Eilat, you look out over the Red Sea. At night you can see lights from Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. That is pretty cool.

From Eilat we will probably wait a very long time to cross the boarder into Egypt. Once in Egypt the world is ours. We have a few places we have looked at in the tour book, but we are planning to play it by ear. One of our friends was just there and he said everything is so cheap. He said an hour and a half cab ride cost about ten US dollars. We have decided we want to stay pretty cheap. There are places were you can sleep outside or in little shacks. We are bringing sleeping bags.

Unfortunately Yora has to leave on the 17th because her mom is coming to visit. Noa and I are going to stay on till the 19th. On the 20th work and school starts again.

So, I just experienced my first Pesach (Passover) in Israel. I have to say I was very excited as it something we say at the end of the meal, “Next year in Jerusalem” I am not in Jerusalem, but I am pretty close.

I stayed on the kibbutz and I didn’t know how it would be, as this is not a religious kibbutz.
In the late afternoon there was a little festival out in one of the fields. There was singing and Israeli dancing. Afterwards all the kids started to run around in the field. It was so beautiful to see.

The meal was so nice. The dinning room was full and all the families of the kibbutzniks came. There was a lot of singing and many children performed. They sang a lot of the songs I know for Pesach and some I had not heard. There was wine and matzos. Haroset (a nut, fruit, and wine mixture. My mom’s is much better) and marror (horseradish).

The meal was really good. We had chicken, beef, potatoes, rice, and salad.

Maybe it was Bencio's first taste of Matzo. Who knows!!!

I wore I pretty skirt I bought in Holland and for the first time I wore the green stone necklace I took from my Grandma when she died. I had tried to wear it many times but every time I put it on it just felt wrong like, “Nana is supposed to wear this.” But I did it and wore it for the first time and it felt good.

There was a party in the pub afterwards. I was going to go but first I wanted to take a nap…. and well I never made it. But I slept really well. I found out this week that I am anemic. I went to give blood at the blood drive they were having on the kibbutz and they told me I couldn’t. I was really sad, as I have never not been able to give blood. But I do have to say knowing this makes a lot of sense. I would say in the last 2 almost 3 months I have been extremely tired. I can sleep anytime and I almost always wait up tired. So the first thing I did is get some green leafy vegetables. I thought they were spinach, but it isn’t. I am not sure what it is. It is similar but the leaves are thicker. I ate the whole package in 3 days. I am going to go online and find out what the foods are that are the highest in iron. It is hard on the kibbutz because if you eat in the dinning room the main veggies that are served are tomatoes and cucumbers. I know tomatoes are really healthy, but I don’t know if there is much vitamins in cucumbers. I have been doing more cooking for myself lately. I bought brown rice and have been eating that.

On Monday I went to Tel Aviv for the day. I had the day off and I really wanted to get away for a day. It was really nice. I caught a sherut (mini-bus/taxi) all the way into the city. It was actually really fast, maybe only 45 minutes. I got off in Azreali Center because that is where Lerone works and we had planned to meet up. I hung out in the mall there for an hour, till she got off work. I bought two CD s. One is an Israeli singer named Liraz Charchi. She is an actress in the Israeli movie “At The End Of The World, Turn Left”. Also her cousin is a very famous Israeli singer named Rita. And I bought a Roy Orbison CD because I have been in Roy withdrawals. It was so nice to listen to Roy again. And this CD is great because it has all the songs I love. It is really funny to say, but his music is such a part of my childhood memories. I remember when Mom and Hugh first met and we would all pile into Hugh's little white VW bug and go to the beach. This is the feeling I get when I hear Roy. It is funny how music can take you back like that.

So back to Tel Aviv, Lerone and I had a nice lunch of shawarma and falafel (it was my fault, I was really craving it!!) We caught up on everything. Lerone just signed for her first apartment here and is so excited. Then she had to go back to work and I continued my adventures. I walked to the beach, and on my way by the Dizengoff Center saw the bomb squad had closed a street and were about to blow up something that looked suspicious. I sat on the beach for a long time. It was really warm and there were a lot of people out. Then I decided to slowly make my way back to where I started so I could go home. Once I got to Azraeli Center I couldn’t find the same bus line back. So I ended up waiting an hour for the bus that passes by Ma-Agan Michael. That route is so long. It took 2 1/2 hours. In Hadera there was a car accident right in front of us. Thank God it was not bad. And some of the passengers got off the bus to move the car so we could pass. I finally got home almost at 10. It was a very exciting day. In some ways these strange events are becoming less strange. Bomb squades, sick people on the bus, accidents, it is life in Israel.

Yah Baby!

2006-04-08T09:21:00.000+03:00

This was on the first day we got to Drontan in Iris's house. The houses are cool because the kitchen/living/dinningroom are completely separate from the rest of the house. You walk in the house and there is a door to that area, or you can walk up a spiral staircase to the bedrooms. Her parents cooked a wonderful meal and Roie and I sleeped up in the attic. In the morning when I woke up all I saw was sky. One wall was just windows.

After we ate with Iris and Yoni's parents we went to a little town near by. We met up with another friend from the Ulpan, Aviva. And we also got to meet her sister. It was a really old town, hundreds of years old and a really old pub.

On our mellow boat tour.

This is at the town with all the windmills that i posted pictures of before. The air smelled like chocolate, I swear.

Well here I am, one week later still putting up pictures. What have I been doing you might ask? Taxes!!!

It is really hard to taxes from in Israel. First of all I can't file online because my bank card can only be used within Israel. So I had to print all the forms and pray that I am doing it correctly. I have a pretty big refund, but I am not sure how they will send it to me.

This week Iris celebrated her birthday 19! And I returned from Holland saying her famous phrase: Yah Baby! Even my friend from Belgium is saying it now!

My classes are pretty boring I can say. We actually only have 3 people in our class and one will be leaving us shortly. Instead of moving fast and learning more, it feels like the class is really draging. It is a problem. I actually have been doing a lot of study on my own. I am translating songs like mad. I really think it is such a good way to learn, because if you like the song then you will hear the words all the time and learn it. Now we are out of class from the Passover vacation for two weeks so I have to stick with it.

On next Thursday, the day after every Jew in the world celebrates Passover, our Exodus from Eygypt, I will be going to Egypt for 5 days! Me and almost every other Israel! This is not a strange practice at all for Israel. It is just ironic. Noa, Yora and I will be staying pretty much right across the border in Sinai. We are just going to stay on the beach and relax. It is just dollars a day so it is well worth it.

Amsterdam Pictures part 1

2006-04-01T11:05:00.000+03:00

These are the pictures I took. Later I will put on the ones that Iris took.
Our story begins with my friend Yora throwing water behind me as I leave. I can't remember but I think it is a Turkish thing to bring you back home safe, before a trip.

Noa and I went to the beach at Ma-Agan Michael before I left.

This is my sick humor but I thought it was funny. We had just visited the duty free and were waiting for the flight.

Roie wanted me to take a picture of the quiet orderly travels in Budapest, Hungery. He couldn't get over how polite they were in comarrision to Israeli people.

On the train from Iris's house in Dronton to Amsterdam the next day. I liked the graffiti up above.

OK a bit backward, but we were waiting for the bus in Dronton.

Amsterdam!!! The buildings and canals were so beautiful.

One day we went to a little village that was modeled after the old Dutch villages. We got to go inside the windmills and see how they worked.

OK, OK we are all adult. We went to the Amserdam Sex museum. It was funny but after seeing so much sex, you are actaully a bit turned off. I thought it might be a little scaary but it was clean and didn't feel creepy. BTW the guy sitting with Iris is Yoni her older brother.

In these last picture we are in coffee shops, but they are real coffee shops, not the special kind. I had a lot of fun and don't worry I will write more, but I just wanted to get some pictures up before I never do it.

Finally Some Pictures!!!!

2006-04-01T10:29:00.000+03:00

Most of these pictures are so old. But I want to publish them anyway. I really have been lagging on posting photos. All the natures pictures I took around the land outside the kibbutz. This really is an amazing landscape.

This is Charlie the little dog of my boss. He is so cute and gets so much love. One funny thing though, is a volunteer from Korea was petting him one day and said, "In Korea, we eat dogs like this. They delicious!"

Horse in the petting zoo for the Kibbutz kids.

Pictures form Purim. Check out the old couple. I thought they were sooooo cute!!!

There is the snake in my toliet I was promising!

I took a picture of the sign because I thought the Arabic spelling of En HaShofet was so beautiful.

Picture of someones yard on the 'butz

I found this picture from so long ago at Simcha Torah. This is Roie, Iris, and I. Do you think we had to much to drink?

And this one I love. This was taken two months ago right before Iris left to go back to Holland.

No Pictures!! Sorry

2006-03-22T21:45:00.000+02:00

I am at my friends house right now. I was able to load my writing to the net, but not the pictures. I think because the writing is a PC program and the pictures are from mac, I'm not sure.

Anyway, all my love and hope to have some great pictures and stories when I return on Tuesday.

TTFN ta ta for now.

2006-03-22T21:34:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I have had a few days to process Gadna, and now it is time to say a few words. The thing about it, is it wasn’t that it was grueling or really horrible; but it did scare me a little about doing the army. I do know that this part of boot camp life will be for only anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months at the most. I will explain.

If Israeli bureaucracy is a crazy and well, a bureaucratic cake, then the army is the whip cream on top. For instance when we arrived to the army base, we sat outside for two hours while all the other groups went in. Why? Because we were supposed to have 2 people come from the kibbutz to make sure everything is ok for the week; we had one lady. Basically she gets a week vacation and has to show her face a few times a day so she can make sure we are all alive. So we sat and waited while all the other groups went in and got started. All we needed was a fax from a government agency but we waited. Finally 2 hours later we got the clearance and went in.

The army base is Tzalamon base in the north about a 2-hour bus ride away from out kibbutz. It was really beautiful. We were in the mountains with all rolling hills. When the weather was clear you could see the Kinneret. There were all these Arab towns around. It was so beautiful to see their villages coming down the mountains. At night they were really special. There was quite a mix of Arab, Christian, Muslim, and Druze villages. There was one small Jewish town.

On one of our exercises outside the base our high commander told us about the geography. As we stood on a mountain looking at everything he pointed out all the towns. He told us that there was a mini-Intefada in this area, when the Second Intifata broke out. He said now there is peace with the neighbors and the number of non-Jews that volunteer for the army is growing every year. Interestingly enough, at the end of the week, or sergeant told us that commander is Bedouin, and didn’t we notice his accent was different. That was something great to see. You can be a minority and still rise in the army.

So back to the beginning. We finally get the bus inside and our Mifa-ked-et (sergeant in Hebrew) greets us with yelling. Get off the bus, stand in this certain was. All that blah blah blah. Of course the blah blah blah is in Hebrew. I can tell you that after this week I can understand so much more. Also when people speak to me in Hebrew I don’t have to tell then to slow down as much because she yelled so fast. We did have two people designated as translators, one English, one Russia. But at times of course there was no time to translate.

We went to an area and got uniforms. Now for anyone who has not had an army experience everything is timed. Go from po (here) to sham (there) in blank seconds. You say, “move” in the command form in Hebrew: zoo-zoo. So can’t you see this: groups of kids running around “Yes Commander. 20 seconds.” In some ways if felt that that was what the whole week was.

After we all changed into our uniforms we lined back up and went to our rooms to dump our luggage. Some of the girls brought SO much stuff. Its not like we had to have so much, just underwear, socks and t-shirts. I brought my sleeping bag. I was really glad I did because army blankets are so scratchy and God only knows the last time they were ever washed.

In a lot of ways this army experience felt like it was really about preparing us to shoot the M-16 at the end. We did have days with lectures on the army (all in Hebrew remember). We also had times where we went on drills outside. On the first night we went for a run outside in the dark rocky fields. But some how you don’t feel so bad having to run, when the officers are running with their guns and first aid gear.

Once we went up to this mountain and put dirt on our faces and leaves in our hair and ran around crawling on our stomachs. On the way there I had to carry the radio pack on my back. I was up front and had to keep up with the officer. Then on the way down I carried the jerry can of water. That was at least twice as heavy. And we took turns carrying a girl on a stretcher. It was pretty hard to hold the water and the stretcher. But all this stuff, just made me think, “OK, Elizabeth, the real army will be much harder.”

The little interaction that I had with Israelis that were on the Gadna also scared me a bit. There was one bathroom for all the girls. And at night we had an hour to get ready for bed. None of the showers had curtains. And these girls would stand and ask us to hurry up, staring at us naked, even when there were 4 more showers they could use. When they finally took their shower they wore bathing suits! And these are the same girls that were plastering on make-up at 4: 30 a.m. So they looked like really mature and worldly creatures, but in truth they were just a bunch of 16 and 17 year old kids. So this scared me a bit, because I am not 17. When I enter to the army I will be 23, which is pretty old.

The good thing was, although they looked really tough and bitchy; they were really nice when you talked to them. They call Israelis sabras, which is a kind of cactus fruit. Because Israelis are hard on the outside, but once you break that, they are soft and delicious on the inside. This one girl who had been giving me dirty looks ever since we came, sat next to me one day and we started to talk. Turns out her mom is Canadian and she lives in Benyamina, which is right next to my old kibbutz. She told me how hard she is trying to loose her Israeli accent when she speaks in English.

Or sergeant turned out to be really nice. On the first day, one guy from our group didn’t get any clothes that fit and he was standing in the cold with shorts and a t-shirt freezing. Finally he called her over and said: Look, either you get me something to wear or I am going to go back to the room. And she answered him in almost perfect American accented English. A few of us started to try to guess where she was from. At the end of the week she told us about her self. Her mother was American and she was born in Texas but her family moved back to Israel when she was one. She told her mom about us, that we were new immigrant and had no family and her mom told her to give us her number and if we were in the Tel Aviv area to call. It was really nice. She was very nice and very helpful at getting us the information we needed.

It was really fun to shoot the gun. It was also a bit scary. I have shot rifles before at my grandpa’s farm. But shooting the
M-16 is very different. There is much more power in this weapon. It was very loud on the shooting range. We wore ear protection. I did OK most of my bullets were near the center. Some people did excellent. This Russian couple were both trained in shooting and they did amazing. But some people who had never shot before did really good too.

The food was actually not that bad. The breakfast was a real disappointment. The hard-boiled eggs oozed this gray liquid and the vegetables looked beat. But lunch and dinner were eatable. The worst thing about the food to me was the fact that you have to hurry. I am such a slow eater. It really gives me a stomachache to eat fast, especially when I am hungry. One morning we worked in the kitchen. I had a lot of fun. It really reminded me of the time I spend on the army base with Sar-El the first time I came to Israel. I think everyone actually had a pretty good time with it.

I guess I could talk for forever, but I won’t. It was an interesting time and I learned a lot. The most important thing I learned was I have to find out about what job I will be doing in the army. If I wait to long and don’t push, I could get put in a really bad desk job or something stupid like guarding storage containers in the dessert. So this is the biggest project I have after I come back from Holland.

The pictures are such a mix and I have waited way to long to post anything. The nature pictures I took 2 weeks ago. I went on a walk with Noa around the kibbutz.

The snake in the toilet is …..well, a snake in the toilet.

I was a cowgirl for Purim. And there are pictures with other friends. Noa was a Hari Krishna.

And of course I will have so many pictures to post when I get back from Holland. It is a strange time in the life of my family. Mom and Hugh are moving right now. So is Jonathan and Ben will be traveling for his birthday.

If there is an emergency, I am bringing my cell phone. 972-052-3795332.

Hugs and kisses. I will be back on Tuesday the 28. I will try to post from there, but no promises. I hope it will be a good week for everyone.

Time Keeps On Slippin' Into The Future

2006-03-18T08:47:00.000+02:00

How, when it feels like I am doing almost nothing, do I not have the time to post every few days. I have picture and a story I have been writing about Gadna, but somehow??? The pictures are on my computer...So is the story. OK I will do it, I promise.

Here are somethings going on:
This week was Purim. A crazy holiday in Israel because honestly it is just an excuse for people to get shit-face drunk (pardon my French) But it is true. The funny thing about it is that it is not really an excuse. It says that on Purim you are supposed to drink so much that you don't know the good of Mordichai from the bad of Hamon. So all week we have been waiting for this huge party at the kibbutz. It was fun, and I don't think anyone got that drunk. Everyone dressed up. I will have to put up those pictures too someday.

Going to Gadna answered a few questions I had and of course made me ask a few more. I found out what vaccinations I will get. As I have never been vaccinated and I don't want to be, this has been a concern. First it turns out that I do have to be vaccinated. But the good news is, that they won't be much because they are expecting that everyone has already gotten them. So I will get tetanus (that can't be spelled right) and Hepatitis and probably the flu shot. But that is it.

Next I found out that I should have received a thing called a "Manila". A Manila is the paperwork you get after taking the phycometric exams. Then based on all the info they have on you, they give you a list with 4 choices of were you will be in the army. I asked what it meant that I didn't get it. The soldier told me it is not good that I need to get it as soon as possible. Because when I first enter I will be in an army immersions course with other new immigrants for 2 months. After this they disperse the soldiers. If I don't have a place to go, because I didn't decide on my Manila, I will go wherever they think they need me. Which would be a shitty desk job. Yuck.

Also regarding the army, I called a guy whose soul job is to help new immigrants in the army and specifically put them on kibbutzim to live. He is getting together a group to live on the Kineret (Sea of Galilee aka the Lake that Jesus walked on water). If I was there I would be in Nahal. Which is a very good unit in the army. It is also considered a fighting unit, so I don't know what that means for me. But I will find out more and keep everyone posted.

I definitely have had my thoughts of "Oh girl you are crazy" But my roommate has been very encouraging. She told me that when she first hear that I was going to do the army she thought I was crazy. But now she said she is really thinking of doing it to. She is from Sweden and her dad is Israeli. She said she thinks her parents would kill her. But it is good to hear someone say I'm not crazy.

I switched jobs. I now work in the Ulpan Office. Everyone calls me either the Ulpan Maid or the Ulpan Bitch. It is actually a lot of work, but I get to work on my own schedule for the most part. I do all the cleaning and I take out everyone's garbage. Also once a week I do the laundry for the Ulpan. And I help out with emails and such. It is really nice for a change.

The days are funny here. During the day it is warm enough that you could wear your bathing suit but at night is is cold enought that you need your winter jacket.

I'm Back??!!!

2006-03-09T23:08:00.000+02:00

Hey all! I survived Gadna. I can't lie. It was a bit of a wake up call as to how the army will be. I am scared some, but I know that will just be boot camp. I learned a lot about the army and about some big questions I have to have answered and cleared for me. I was fun though. Once I adjusted the last two days were a lot better. I will write more later. Right now I am going out to dance and a club. Now I understand why soldiers always want to go out and party. Because you are so sick of everything army and dancing is fun and a bit like meditiation and quiet time. I know that sounds crazy, especially seeing as I was only in a "army program" for 4 days. But all you want to do is dance after that. I promise to write more in the next few days. Love you all. Kiss.

2006-03-04T18:01:00.000+02:00

One of my favorite things about Israel is how quickly things change, plans are made and suddenly you are with people you have never met before. Yesterday my friend Roie (I am going to Holland with him) called and asked if I would like to go to Ma-Agan Michael for the weekend. He would be going to his parents Mosav for dinner and then would pick me up on the was back. Of course I wanted to go. I thanked him "Yalla, bye." A about an hour later he called and asked if I wanted to go to his house for Shabbat dinner. Then Noa's plans changed so less than an hour later Noa and I went from sunbathing outside our room to Roie's house.

Roie lives in "the valley" ha emek. The valley in Israel is so beautiful. I told him that if people from the US saw it they wouldn't believe that it was Israel. Noa agreed that in Sweden people think that Israel is just a dessert. All the pretty yellow wildflowers were out. There is different flora and fauna in the north and south of Israel. Or maybe it is differnt because last time I was here I left in March, so I didn't really get to see spring in all its glory. But wow, it is really nice here in spring.

It was my first time on a mosav. I really don't know enough about mosavim to write anything. I think they are similar to kibbutzim, but they are not really shared in the same way.I am pretty sure that idividuals own their own houses and such.

Roie's family was really nice. His house was so pretty, it looks very rich. A huge kitchen and a very warm feeling. His mom cooked this amazing dinner. Homestyle potatos, two kinds of chiken(both yummy)and ravioli with mushrooms. For dessert we had fruit salad. It had fresh and dried fruit in it and she put vanilla in it too.

I met some of Roie's mosavnik friends. One guy named Shahaf (which means seagull) built his own cabin type house and is an Israeli cowboy! He was just in Japan for 3 months working braking horses.

Everyone was so friendly, hugs and kisses and then back to Ma-Agan Michael. I haven't been at my old kibbutz for 3 weeks and I hadn't been to the beach in 2 months.

The pub was fun. We danced all night and Roie and I kept saying, "only two weeks till we dance in Holland!!!" I love the was Ethiopian guys dance. They really have this almost tribal style of dance.

We slept in till one today and then Noa and I went to the beach for a few hours. There were so many people at the beach and it was such a nice day. It is amazing to note. But I actually noticed that the seashells have changed! There are the same ones as before, as always. But there were all these different styles of shells. Maybe a winter current has brought in different life. It was good to get some sun too.

Then Roie made us shnitzel (breaded and fried chicken) with hummus sandwiches. And now we have just been dozing all after noon. This is what the weekend is all about.

Tomorrow I start the week long boot camp. I am glad I got to rest before that.

A Trip

2006-03-02T22:33:00.000+02:00

I don't know how I keep forgetting something very important. I am going to the Netherlands ie Holland for almost a week. To be honest I think it might be my subconscious embarrassed, what will people think? Everyone knows what Amsterdam is known for. Well oh well. To bad. Yes I am going to a place where pot is legal. And yes I am going to visit a friend, Iris.

Iris was on the Ulpan with me. And strangely enough I didn't realize how much I loved her till after the ulpan. She stayed with Noa and I for a week and then I really got to know her and how special she is. She has this mood that changes the moods around her. And I don't think she does it to please, it just is her. She is a great person to talk to and I remember when she left to go back to Holland I was so sad, because I just got this taste.

Then our mutual friend Roie, who is on the Kibbutz told me he got a good deal on a flight there in March and did I want to go. Of course but I gave it some thought as even a good deal is a lot of money. But I decided yes since I have been spending almost no money living on the kibbutzim.

We go from March 20 tot the 26. It will be my first time in Europe and I am very excited. I wish I could see more than just one country, but this is a start and God willing I will have many opportunities to go back. It should be a lot of fun. We will probably stay half in Amsterdam and half at her house which is close by.

I had to get a temporary Israeli passport to go. But it was not a big deal.
I feel very lucky to see her again so soon.

M.I.A.

2006-03-01T07:47:00.000+02:00

Next week I will be Missing In Action. On Sunday all the Ulpanist will go to the Galilee for a program called Gana. Gana is a week long boot camp experience. Most Israeli kids do it when they are 16 or 17 as a bit of a wake up call to what is in store for them. As for us in the Ulpan, many are girls that are too old to serve or guys who are old enough that they might get 3 months in the army and then have the reserve month every year. I am one of the only people who has a date for when I am going in. I guess we will be doing all sorts of boot camp things ie, running, shooting, running, sleeping in a tent, running, eating crappy food, running. But I think it will be a good experience especially since it will be only in Hebrew. I really want to bring my camera, but a few people who have done it before say doing bring anything of value, cuz it will be gone. But it would be fun to take pictures.

In other news the weather is starting to warm up a bit. Having sun always makes me happier inside. All the pretty spring flowers are out and the sky is a very brilliant blue. Noa and I have found avocado fields (free avocados!!!) lemon trees, and a wonderful pamello tree. The birds are very frisky and it is getting dark later now.

I still am getting over a lingering cold. But now I am just in the cough in the morning period so in a day or two it should be gone completely.

I met a nice old lady in the laundry yesterday. She started talking to me and has invited me to her house to eat. She took me from work in her little scooter to show me were she lives. She moved to Israeli in 1948, so I am sure she will have some great stories. I told my roommate about my adopted or step-grandparents, so when I told her about this lady, Noa said, "another one?! Wow old people love you Liz!" It is true and I like old people. They are very special.

I am reading, almost finished with one of the most amazing books. I want to write a proper review. Lets just say I have never cried more than once for a book. In this book I have cried like four times. I am now trying to read as little as possible so I don't have to finish it. And I really think I am going to reread it right after I finish it. It is that good. All I will say is the title is "The Kite Runner" I will say more when I finish.

Ok I got to get to class.

Tu-Bishvat: Trees, its your birfday, we gonna party like its your birfday

2006-02-19T23:22:00.000+02:00

Hope someone gets that bad song refrence.

Finally a few pictures and none are from the Kibbutz.

I put the picture of the map so you can try to find where I have moved. Here's a hint: Ma-Agan Michael is on the left on the coast and En Ha-Shofet is in the right top corner of the picture.

The other pictures are from our trip on Tu-Bishvat. The one of me and my two friends we are showing our dead branch that we planted cuz there were not enough trees for everyone. The vistas were amazing. One is looking over the Sea of Galilee and another, if you could see, in the distance on the mountains is Tzfat. I love the spring beauty in this country.

Shabbat Shalom in Hebrew

2006-02-17T18:56:00.000+02:00

Sorry I have not written in a bit. Tomorrow I promise, no matter what I will figure out how to upload pictures. I think that I can actually use my computer here. But either was I will put something up so you can see my pretty Israel.

Some wonderful things happened this week. First was I got a bit homesick! Wonderful you ask? You can't live on this high cloud all the time. One must come down. And for some reason, this week I was a bit blue. But it is good. It made me examine the people in my life and what I am doing about my relationships. I wrote a lot of letters and such.

Another great thing. Tu-Bishvat. That is Hebrew. That is a holiday. Only to celebrate the trees. Israelis are crazy about the nature and trees. So on Sunday, or Yom Rishon, the first day, we went to an army base and planted some trees and then we went all around the Sea of Galilee and saw some of the most beautiful views. It was great to get out of the butz and have some fun.

I had a wonderful phone call with Nancy too. It was so good to catch up, since we really had not talked since God knows when. I hope to make my rounds and call a few people that I have neglected a bit.

So that is all. The weather is freezing and I miss the sun. This week there has been no sun and only rain and even hail. In Jerusalem it snowed! Life without the sun can make you pretty sad. Today I cleaned the room and the bathrooms and kitchen so they are all nice for Shabbat. I went for a run and then took a nap. Probably tomorrow will be just as quite.

Wishing you all a peaceful weekend.

Oh, by the way. One of the greatest things about living in Israel in the modern age. Right before Shabbat begins, everyone text messages "Shabbat Shalom" in Hebrew to everyone. It is great!

This Life

2006-02-05T18:55:00.001+02:00

So first off, I just need to make a shout out to my buddy Lerone, who lives in Petach Tikva right now. And rides the mini buses on line 51. Hell, when I stayed with her we rode them togther. So here is the deal. Lerones parents told here how much they would rather she ride the mini buses called Moneit Sherut than the big bus. Technically the Sherut is safer, and better yet, quicker. But as you can see by a crazy feak stabbing on one today, you never know. I think when God or whatever you want to call that force that gives and takes, is ready for you, there is no stopping it. So she is safe, her family is safe, and I am safe.

The "butz" as some old Ulpanist liked to call the kibbutz, is treating me well. I like the food a lot more here. (Really, lets talk about the important things first!) On Fridays they make this huge breakfast with scrambled eggs and burekas and pasteries. It was really special. I think the food quality is better because they can cook on a smaller scale.

This butz is so quiet. It is far from any roads and highways. It is so peaceful and at times a bit too quiet. There is talk, through the ulpan that kibbutzim are just "funny farms". I hope it is just a joke, hee hee.

My friend Roie, from Ma-Agan Michael (yes Hugh, I have friends) came to visit on his way home for Shabbat dinner. We walked around and he pointed out all the places I should know about. Did you know that I am about as close as I could get to the mountain they talk about in the bible as Mount. Arrmagedon. So guess who goes first guys? In the distance I can see the place Jesus was born and Jennin. What history.

I am actually studying a lot so far. Slowly slowly things are starting to sink in. I am really paying attention to the songs on the radio at work to understand the lyrics. Work is fine too. Today I worked in the clothes store and folded and straightened everything. It took about 4 hours, but it sure looked nice.

My Shabbat was peaceful. There was a party at the pub here. It is a lot smaller than at Ma-Agan Michael. They had free alcohol too. I danced till about 2:30 and then was tired. On Saturday I slept till 10 and then read for about two hours. I am almost finish with "Narssicus and Goldmund" by Hearmann Hesse. I really love it. My mom gave it to me when she was here and I would really recommend it too. I found a copy of "Sihdartha" also by the same author and that is next. Then I ate lunch, studied for a while, took a nap and then went for a run. That is how a weekend should be, nice and easy.

My mom told me in an email that she saw two movies that I actually just saw last weekend. I was staying with Lerone till I came here. And one day she had to work so I spent the day in Tel Aviv and saw "Memoirs of a Geisha" and that night saw "Brokeback Mountain" with Lerone.

Memoirs was beautiful, but really not as beautiful as the book. I think the book is so much more rich and visual. In the book you learn so much about their culture and ritual. And also the romantic story in the book is better. It seemed to me that the characters in the movie didn't really love each other, that much. But the movie is good at demonstrating how being a geisha before was not a kind of prostitution. And it showed how it changed. The woman are so beautiful in the movie, especially in all their costumes. But I think I would call it a rental.

And Har Brokeback, as it is called in Herbrew. Wow. I think it was an amazing story. I don't think it was exicuted as well as it could have been, but it still was amazing. I think all the isssues it brought into the open about forbidden love and unhappiness, was stunning. There was something very raw about how no one had a happy ending. The scenary was amazingly beautiful. And I think the acting was good. One of my biggest problems was the characters were supposed to be aging, but they never did. And that was a bit distracting. The two main characters are such young guys in real life. And I could totally see Monty Clift in one of the roles!! But it still is a beautiful and powerful movie and I would recommend it.

Ok Ebert, the balcony is closed.

This Life

2006-02-05T18:55:00.000+02:00

When It Rains, It Pores

2006-02-02T14:39:00.000+02:00

So I got to my new kibbutz less than 72 hours ago. I have been warmly welcomed by the Ulpanists and volunteers. They are a tight bunch of people. There are maybe 60 people all together. And again they are from all over the world.

This Kibbutz is different but beautiful. I will take some pictures soon. If you were to find Ma-Agan Michael on a map (that was my former kibbutz) and follow in a straight line east, just a few centimeters you would find Kibbutz En Hashofet. It is much colder here because there are no warm sea breazes to warm the land. This kibbutz is in the mountains and looks out over everything. It is stunning. My room is right in front of the ref-et (open dairy barns) and the zoo. So in case you were wondering there is a lovely smell coming through my windows. I can't imagine how bad it will be in July!!

My cousin Dawn sent me an email that En Hashofet was the kibbutz that she did her summer ulpan may years ago and fell in love with Israel. She ended up married to a wonderful Israeli, named Yoram and they lived in Israel for something like 15 years. Had a daughter, Noa and now are living in Oregon. So I wonder what she will think when she sees the pictures. Probabaly not much has changed since then.

I am again working in the laundry. It is much smaller here. There are maybe only 600 people on the kibbutz as oppossed to 1500 in Ma-Agan Michael. Also they don't iron all the pants and sheets and pillow cases and they just throw the baby clothes into bags and let the parents fold it. So that makes for less work.

I have had one class already and it seems right. It is hard to follow, but good. I got homework and am studying, so far so good. The teacher is beautiful. She must be close to 50 and has 4 children and has the most beautiful body and face I have ever seen. She is Yeminite, I think and in my opinion Yemini people are some of the most beautiful in the world. My friend Daniel and I used to call them "Yummy-Yemmies" when we would see a cute one!! She is a good teacher. She speaks at a normal pace and has a wonderful pronunciation (I probabaly butchered that word, right? SOrry no spell checker).

So again 72 hours here and I get a letter from the draft office. I am to show up for the army on September 11, 2006 in Haifa. Wow. or as Israeli's say :OOuu-aWOW. Thats right. I have a little bit more than 7 months of freedom. But it is all good. I am happy. And very motivated to learn. I feel like I need to verbally and physically get in shape. I know I will be hearing more in the coming months but as of right now, you know what I know.

So just in case someone out there would like to send me a letter. I post my address for you:

Elizabeth Schecter
Ulpan
Kibbutz En Hashofet
19237
Israel

Well that is about it. I will write in a few more days and hope fully have some pictures to show you all. All my love.
Cheers.

A Gypsy

2006-01-25T21:26:00.000+02:00

These days I feel like a gypsy. It is strange to move from place to place with little worldly belongings (although I must say I have more stuff than when I came here!) It's funny how stuff adds up. But you don't move to Israel with peanut butter, cereal, an extra coat, all the beauty products I inherited from my old roommates (I look like a Supper-Pharm **Israeli drug store chain**).

I am more a modern day gypsy who can't carry everything I own on my back, but compared to everyone but Jonathan I have less stuff than the rest of you. It actually feels really good to have such a small amount of "crap" as Hugh would say. It makes you love the things you do have more.

Good idea, bad idea. I got two posters since I came to Israel. Now I had a few really nice posters in the US, but I never framed them, so I never put them up. So once I got these I framed them. Good idea. Moving around the country with two glass frames. Bad idea. But oh well.

One is a cool old poster from the days of Palestine. It says come to Palestine and has a verse from the Song of Songs. I got that with mom, somewhere around the Dead Sea. The other is a stolen item and I have no shame what so ever. In November I went with friends to an Idan Raichel concert. He is so good. I think most everyone in the world would like his music. He mixes Hebrew with the most used Ethiopian language, I am so bad at remembering what it is called. He has many other singers on his albums and he is one of the most popular in Israel. The music is so beautiful. Anyway I stole a poster off the wall after the concert. My friend Lerone covered me with her jacket and I pulled out the tacks. But now it has a better home ....mine. And he is so beautiful also.

Today I went to Hadera, a near by city, the one that was bombed in September I think. I went to the unemployment office. It made me think of Ed and the Everclear song "Unemployed Boyfriend" So yes I am collecting. It was a dilemma for me at first because I figured of course I could use the money, but there are others who need it more than me. But after speaking with some folks here I decided to take it. I will be paying really high taxes here once I start working to help others like me. So that's the store. I can collect for the next 6 months while I am in another Ulpan. Which is great because that means money that I am just putting away and it is about 200 US dollars a month.

Speaking of another ulpan. I took a trip later today to Kibbutz En Hasofet. It is about a 20 minute drive east of my current kibbutz. It is smaller and has a smaller Ulpan. What is unique about it is this. All the Ulpanist are new immigrants and it is actually a 10 month Ulpan. I am just starting half way through. I didn't see much of the kibbutz because it was night once I arrived. It is a bit out of the way. There are only two buses a day that go by. So once you get to a certain junction, its time to use the finger and hitch a ride. The good thing is that there are about 4 kibbutzim in that area, so it shouldn't be to hard to get a ride.

The Ulpanists and volunteers I met seemed really nice. Very friendly and a bit older. Most were in their late 20s instead of late teens. And to my surprise the Americans also seemed really nice. Sarah a girl from Wisconsin and another girl from Belgium took me around. They told me all about everything. The rooms are bigger. And I might not have to share a room for a while, which would be wonderful.

I will work in the laundry again on this kibbutz. And classes start on the first of February. The classes are one full day of class, one day of work. So that is a bit different. The rooms are right behind the cows, so they smell a bit. That is all I know so far. I will go there on Monday. The director seems really nice and helpful. He is willing to pick me up and shlep all my shit to the kibbutz, which is really generous.

And thats the story. Morning Glory.

Another Smorgusborg

2006-01-24T21:42:00.000+02:00

More picture that I found that didn't make the first cut. Ok some of them have nothing to do with the cut. Some are new pictures and some I just forgot to put on the site.

For the past week I have shared my room with Noa and Iris. It has been a lot of fun to really get to know these two girls. Noa had the good idea to push two of the beds together to make a big one that we hang out in. It is very cozy and it makes the the room feel a lot bigger.

I love this picture it looks very fall (eventhough it is winter) and very 70s eventhough.....

Puppies!!!!! These are Kibbutznik dogs. They are so cute. They are always together and when they walk around their tails are high in the air. You can hardly see their eyes.

This is Eviva from Holland. I think she is so beautiful.

Stunning sunset in Druze village, Daliah.

Views from the bus.

In Tzfat with my mom, she loved this and told me to take a picture. It is kind of a strange juxtapostion of ancient building and modern internet cafe.

In Jerusalem at the Kotel soldiers come and visit all the time. It looks like these are younger cadets.

And this is Roie. Noa took this some time in the summer.

Aughhhhh the Israeli Army:
I went back to the draft office this morning, waited a very long time, got an eye exam and left. It is frustrating how slow things are moving.

Radio

2006-01-22T22:07:00.000+02:00

This morning at work I heard that dumb song from so many years ago about "Don't forget to where sunscreen. And and other lessons not to life by." It was funny cuz I haven't heard it in so long. The radio in Israel is cool, because the stations change there music depending on the time of day. In the morning it is mellow older stuff. In the afternoon it is more up beat and at night it is usually party music. Also depending on the weather they play songs to go with it. If it is sunny happy sun songs. When it rains they play rain songs. Now in the winter they are playing a lot of "California Dreaming"

There was a Bomb, I am OK

2006-01-19T21:09:00.000+02:00

It is one of those things that I hate about being here. But I tell you I am fine and safe and warm. There was a suicide attack in the Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv. No one except the bomber died. I bit scary when you know that that is a place you pass through all the time. But I am fine. I love you all.