Gadna

Gadna - a week long simulation of basic training - is supposed to be our first introduction into what it truly means to be an Israeli soldier, to don the uniform of a defender of Israel. But there's something oddly unsentimental about wearing a uniform that is a few sizes too big and is missing upwards of 75% of its buttons and has no doubt been worn by countless sweaty people before me (even though somehow, despite the flaws in the uniform, virtually everyone manages to look good in it). And doing the things that soldiers really do during basic training could be much more powerful to a group of soldiers-to-be, if only our commander didn't look like a 12-year-old and his voice didn't crack as in puberty when he ordered us to do push-ups.

That being said, gadna is also really fun. We do it as a Garin, so all the people I've been living with for the past 2 weeks are the people in my "platoon." You never really get to know people better than when you're sweaty and gross and making fun of your prepubescent commander (who, in his defense, is probably one of the chillest, nicest people in the army). Together, we got into more "ח" formations than I can count, we consumed more dust than I can measure, and we slept in conditions that I previously thought would've made it impossible to sleep.

After a day on the gadna base, we went into the "shetach," which is basically just the desert, and roughed it for 24 hours. I don't even know what words to use to describe the shetach, but it was quite an experience. We built overly complicated tents and ate what must have been a bunch of side dishes in between 2 slices of bread (with an extra serving of desert dust). We got yelled at by 20-year-old commanders and learned how to protect ourselves in case of a grenade. Our commander picked up two rocks and told us that it was important that we were able to tell the difference between different types of rocks. After we went in a circle and each pointed out a difference between the rocks, he explained it to us. He held one of them up and said "this rock is just a rock," and threw it over his shoulder. He held up the other and said, "and this rock is--" and threw it in the middle of the circle. "--A GRENADE!!" and we all had 3 seconds to run for cover.

The wilderness, however, was nothing compared to the 5 curtain-less girls' showers on base that were meant for 150 girls. Fighting my way through that crowd to finally scrub off the layer of dirt that made me seem really tan was probably all the army experience I'll ever need.

Overall, it was an incredible week. I got to bond with my Garin, get used to taking orders, shoot an M16, wake up at 5 AM, and train my stomach to digest what I guess passes for food. Obviously it's not the same exact thing as the actual army, but it was good for me to get a taste of what my life will be like in 2 months. Now I just have to stop reciting the count-down to receive the mefaked (commander) in my sleep.

Shabbat Shalom!

The beautiful sunrise of Sde Boker

The End of Week 1

Though I haven't actually been here for an entire week, my first Shabbat on Sde Eliyahu has come and gone. After such a crazy week, it was nice to unwind. I was really nervous before coming about being on an orthodox kibbutz. I was afraid that I'd be much less observant than everyone else and that I'd feel intimidated or uncomfortable. But it's so much easier to keep Shabbat on a kibbutz where everything is a little bit different than during the week and (much like on the main line) everyone you pass will greet you with a hearty "Shabbat shalom."

Because it's so hot here - it was 110 degrees yesterday - after services, a kiddush, and lunch, all I wanted to do was sleep. I ended up napping for most of the afternoon, which was lovely. Then, after Havdallah, my Garin helped move all of the kids' books from the old library to the new library. The librarian was helping us, so when she walked away for a second to take a phone call or something, of course we accidentally messed everything up, and when she saw what we had done, she made that "tsk" sound that only Israelis can make and that is virtually impossible to convey via text. She then kicked us out of the library. Awesome.

This picture was taken right before we were expelled from the library, and it's of me and one of my madrichim who was also my madrich for pilgrimage last summer. He's the best. Anyway, my dearest mother asked for me to post some pictures of myself, so keep an eye out for some of those. Lila tov!!

Eyal and Me

Sde Eliyahu

Kibbutz Life

Yesterday we came to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, our home for the next 2 years. It's a beautiful kibbutz - I haven't had a chance to take any pictures yet, but I'll get around to it. I'm all unpacked, but it doesn't really feel like home yet. We haven't really gotten to interact with the kibbutzniks so we still kind of feel like outsiders. We have, however, gotten well-acquainted with the THOUSANDS of ants that we found in the girls' house yesterday. Ah well, that's kibbutz life. I even almost got a picture of the huuuge spider that startled me to death this morning, but it ran away too quickly.

Luckily, living with bugs is a small price to pay for all of the amazing things that are happening around here. Yesterday I ate a mango and it was nothing short of a gustatory journey. ("gustatory[adj.] - of or pertaining to taste or tasting." It was so good that I actually had to Google a word for it.) American mangoes (mangos?) absolutely pale in comparison. I keep having to tell myself that I'm no longer a tourist, that I don't need to eat my weight in mangoes or hummus or whatever just to get my fill before I return to America. It took a lot of self-restraint to not buy everything in the little kibbutz store today. Instead, I bought only what I needed to make cookies for our Garin's Shabbat oneg tomorrow night. But the word "cookies" is kind of pushing it. We have basically nothing in our little kitchen, so I ended up making kind of a loaf of cookie. Picture a loaf of bread, replace the bread with delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, and slice it. Yum. 

Day 1-3

When you've been planning something for eight years, it's hard to imagine that the reality could even come close to the expectations. But despite my daydreams for the past eight years, I never pictured anything like this. At the airport, they have a bunch of people holding signs that said "I'm making Aliyah for..." and people filled in the blank with whatever drove them to leave all but three suitcases of what they own behind. No two people wrote the same thing, but somehow everyone on this flight came to the same conclusion. We all have different reasons, but we all seem to be fulfilling the same lifelong dream.

Unfortunately, that dream included a 9 hour flight from hell. The two loudest types of people are Jews and Israelis, and this flight had a multitude of both. It was hard enough falling asleep due to nerves, but staying asleep was even harder. Of course, waking up to a beautiful sunrise over Greece and a mere 2 hours left in the air made all the lines, all the obnoxious passengers, all the inedible vegan food worth it.

As you may have seen in one of the shmillion pictures, I was the only one crying when we got off the plane. Even more incredible than the singing and celebrating before our landing was the ceremony upon our arrival. There were so many people who woke up at 4 in the morning to welcome us home. As I walked through the crowd, crying like a baby, some random Israeli girl hugged me and welcomed me home, telling me in Hebrew that everything will be ok. I was the token cryer - pictures of me in all my red, blotchy glory appeared on the channel 10 news last night. The director of Nefesh B'Nefesh gave me his phone and told me to call my אמא, which I gladly did.

After spending a lovely night in Alfei Menashe with my mom's friends, I came to the University of Tel Aviv for Garin Tzabar's opening ceremony, which lasted as long as the flight itself. But it was still amazing seeing all these kids exactly like myself. For the next 2 years and beyond, these kids will be my family. Now we're finally on our way to the kibbutz! Look for some pictures!