*FROM 11/27*
I don’t know how this happened but as of today we only have one month left here! This morning I slept in, skipped breakfast (I ate a chewy bar I had brought), started my JHist. Essay, and got ready for services. At 10:45 we had services on the balcony facing the water (it was an extremely pretty view). After services we had a few minutes to change and get everything we would need for our hike. After lunch we left for our hike of the red canyon. We walked through most of it on our own, taking everything in (it was nice to have peace and quiet during an activity). Everything was so peaceful and calming…and red. Then we hiked up part of the canyon and back to the bus. When we got back to the hostel we had an hour and a half to pack up and shower. Then we had a long drive to the Bedouin tents. When we got there we were greeted with tea and coffee (I didn’t have either) and then a really good dinner. Then tents weren’t what any of us were expecting b/c we went to ones that had been made for tourists and to give a taste of the Bedouin life (but there wasn’t even a place to buy Israeli puffy pants ☹). Then we had time to relax by the fire or in the tent and then we all went to bed in the big EIE Fall 2010 tent.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Swimming with the fishies
*FROM 11/26*
This morning we woke up, had a really good breakfast, and then went to learn about coral reefs. We learned about different fishes, coral, and reefs in general. Then we walked across the street and went snorkeling! It was so cool! We saw all the fish we had learned about and more (it really made me want to go to Australia to go to the Coral Reefs there). When we got out of the water, we had time to relax on the beach. Then we ate lunch and went back to the hostel. When we got back we had around 4 hours of free time. So I talked to grammy and poppy, slept, and got ready for services. We went to the only non-orthodox (it was conservative) synagogue in Eilat. Services were ok and the people there were really nice (they made sure each of us had some grape juice for Kiddush and I even met a women from the Bethesda area). We then rushed back to the hostel b/c they were waiting for us to eat. After dinner we had some free time and then had oneg. Oneg was another improv night. It started off not being fun, then got really funny, and then went back to not fun. Now er have free time until midnight but I don’t think I will make until then. I hope everyone had a good black Friday ☺!
This morning we woke up, had a really good breakfast, and then went to learn about coral reefs. We learned about different fishes, coral, and reefs in general. Then we walked across the street and went snorkeling! It was so cool! We saw all the fish we had learned about and more (it really made me want to go to Australia to go to the Coral Reefs there). When we got out of the water, we had time to relax on the beach. Then we ate lunch and went back to the hostel. When we got back we had around 4 hours of free time. So I talked to grammy and poppy, slept, and got ready for services. We went to the only non-orthodox (it was conservative) synagogue in Eilat. Services were ok and the people there were really nice (they made sure each of us had some grape juice for Kiddush and I even met a women from the Bethesda area). We then rushed back to the hostel b/c they were waiting for us to eat. After dinner we had some free time and then had oneg. Oneg was another improv night. It started off not being fun, then got really funny, and then went back to not fun. Now er have free time until midnight but I don’t think I will make until then. I hope everyone had a good black Friday ☺!
This thanksgiving i am thankful that we are leaving the army
*FROM 11/25*
Happy Thanksgiving (for everyone in America cause we don’t celebrate it here ☹). When we woke up this morning we immediately started cleaning. We piled up every blanket, sleeping bag, and mattress. Then we walked over to Ben Gurion’s grave for our closing ceremony. During the ceremony the sergeant and a commander were promoted and we were all given certificates of completion. When we got back to the base we cleaned more (shock) and then we finally got to take off our uniforms! It was so nice to have normal clothing and flip-flops on again. Then we waited while all the uniforms were folded and accounted for. Then finally the moment we had all be waiting for…the breaking of the distance (a.k.a. we got to actually meet our commanders). For the first time all week we got to have a real conversation with Maya (our commander). She was the best commander we could have asked for (and she said we can all friend her on facebook and e-mail her whenever). We also found out that we were her first group ever and were her “final test” to become a real commander. Then we got to take pictures with her, the head commander, and the sergeant (which we were all ecstatic about). Maya also gave us our hats back (they had been collected with our uniforms) and we noticed she had written a note to us on each one. Sadly though we had to say goodbye to her. But we were happy to be leaving Gadna and going to Eilat. We had a half hour drive to a restaurant area for lunch. Izzy, Sydney, Larissa and I were very excited when we went into the gas station across the street to use a real bathroom (and for a gas station they were actually really nice bathrooms). Then we got back on the bus and had a 2 hour drive to the hostel. I called mommy and then slept for the rest of the ride. When we arrived at the hostel we got our rooms and I jumped into the nice, warm, not crowded shower. My rooms for the weekend is Sivan, Larissa, Yael and I but Yael is with her family so there are only 3 of us. Before she left, after I showered, she told Sivan and I to close our eyes. Next thing we knew she was trust walking us to the balcony that overlooks the water and boardwalk. After dinner we went to the boardwalk and had time to walk around. Then we went back to the hostel and slept in real beds.
Happy Thanksgiving (for everyone in America cause we don’t celebrate it here ☹). When we woke up this morning we immediately started cleaning. We piled up every blanket, sleeping bag, and mattress. Then we walked over to Ben Gurion’s grave for our closing ceremony. During the ceremony the sergeant and a commander were promoted and we were all given certificates of completion. When we got back to the base we cleaned more (shock) and then we finally got to take off our uniforms! It was so nice to have normal clothing and flip-flops on again. Then we waited while all the uniforms were folded and accounted for. Then finally the moment we had all be waiting for…the breaking of the distance (a.k.a. we got to actually meet our commanders). For the first time all week we got to have a real conversation with Maya (our commander). She was the best commander we could have asked for (and she said we can all friend her on facebook and e-mail her whenever). We also found out that we were her first group ever and were her “final test” to become a real commander. Then we got to take pictures with her, the head commander, and the sergeant (which we were all ecstatic about). Maya also gave us our hats back (they had been collected with our uniforms) and we noticed she had written a note to us on each one. Sadly though we had to say goodbye to her. But we were happy to be leaving Gadna and going to Eilat. We had a half hour drive to a restaurant area for lunch. Izzy, Sydney, Larissa and I were very excited when we went into the gas station across the street to use a real bathroom (and for a gas station they were actually really nice bathrooms). Then we got back on the bus and had a 2 hour drive to the hostel. I called mommy and then slept for the rest of the ride. When we arrived at the hostel we got our rooms and I jumped into the nice, warm, not crowded shower. My rooms for the weekend is Sivan, Larissa, Yael and I but Yael is with her family so there are only 3 of us. Before she left, after I showered, she told Sivan and I to close our eyes. Next thing we knew she was trust walking us to the balcony that overlooks the water and boardwalk. After dinner we went to the boardwalk and had time to walk around. Then we went back to the hostel and slept in real beds.
Janitors who shoot M16s
*FROM 11/24*
This morning we woke up at 5:40 and no one had enough time to get ready (especially when only 2 of 4 toilets in the bathroom worked and there were over 100 girls who needed to use them). After cleaning we went to breakfast, which was not good at all. After breakfast we got on a bus and went to the shooting range. We went to shoot in groups of 15 (I was in group 2). Shooting wasn’t actually as scary as I thought it would be. However, I forgot to aim for my first few shots and eventually just went by the theory of wherever the bullet landed was where I had aimed (unsurprisingly I didn’t really get any on my target). When we got back to the base we ate lunch and then had 4 hours of kitchen duty (we felt like janitors). It was tons of fun being yelled at and not having Israelis listen to you when you say you can only have one hamburger or you can only have one breka (not). After we served the food we had to clean the entire dinning hall, which took forever! When we finished cleaning we had a short break and then a lesson on the purity of arms. Then we had dinner, which wasn’t good, but at least we didn’t have to clean up after that meal too. After dinner half of our unit cleaned guns with the head commander while the rest of us talked with our commander about EIE and our army experience. Then we had our mandatory hour break. When we met with our commander we thought we would be going straight to bed but we were wrong. Instead we had a lesson (which was more like story time) with the head commander. It was about a soldier named Michael Levine. When story time was over we went to bed and even though story time was spur of the moment and they said they wanted us to get 7 hours of sleep, wake up time didn’t change.
This morning we woke up at 5:40 and no one had enough time to get ready (especially when only 2 of 4 toilets in the bathroom worked and there were over 100 girls who needed to use them). After cleaning we went to breakfast, which was not good at all. After breakfast we got on a bus and went to the shooting range. We went to shoot in groups of 15 (I was in group 2). Shooting wasn’t actually as scary as I thought it would be. However, I forgot to aim for my first few shots and eventually just went by the theory of wherever the bullet landed was where I had aimed (unsurprisingly I didn’t really get any on my target). When we got back to the base we ate lunch and then had 4 hours of kitchen duty (we felt like janitors). It was tons of fun being yelled at and not having Israelis listen to you when you say you can only have one hamburger or you can only have one breka (not). After we served the food we had to clean the entire dinning hall, which took forever! When we finished cleaning we had a short break and then a lesson on the purity of arms. Then we had dinner, which wasn’t good, but at least we didn’t have to clean up after that meal too. After dinner half of our unit cleaned guns with the head commander while the rest of us talked with our commander about EIE and our army experience. Then we had our mandatory hour break. When we met with our commander we thought we would be going straight to bed but we were wrong. Instead we had a lesson (which was more like story time) with the head commander. It was about a soldier named Michael Levine. When story time was over we went to bed and even though story time was spur of the moment and they said they wanted us to get 7 hours of sleep, wake up time didn’t change.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
How to play with guns
*FROM 11/23*
Last night we were about to go to bed when we were told that we had to clean the bathrooms…again. They were still extremely gross! Finally though we finished cleaning them for the last time! As we were getting into bed our commander tried to fix our broken heater. However, instead of fixing it, the heater sprayed Kendra, Yael, and I and all of our stuff. SO we went to bed with wet hair, went sleeping bags, and no heat. This morning we woke up freezing at 6 am, cleaned our tent and surrounding area, and had breakfast. Which was surprisingly good. After breakfast we had a base wide ceremony to raise the flag. Then we had class. Our commander taught us how to properly hold a gun, the parts of a gun, the history of M16s, how to load a magazine, and the parts of a bullet. We also played a game to learn how to put together and take a part a gun. Then we played a few games (aka Tag) for exercise. Then we proceeded to stand in line for 40 minutes to get into the dinning hall. (It was ridiculous!). Lunch too was actually pretty decent. However, it wasn’t good enough that it stopped us from buying ice cream, Luckily we had plenty of time still to buy the ice cream b/c we had a little over an hour for lunch. After lunch we cleaned up around the tents again (we did that a lot). Then we had a short lesson on ranks and symbols in the army. When we finished we were given a half hour break. Then we had a lesson with a different commander going over everything we had learned about guns. She also taught us the commands we will need to know for the shooting range tomorrow. Then the head commander led a lesson with both EIE groups going over what we had just learned. After that we did a few activities with our commander and then headed to dinner. Where Noa, Lior, Judy, and D Sol greeted us. Dinner wasn’t good at all. Which in a way was helpful b/c I ate quickly and had enough time to go back to the tent to get a jacket b/c it was freezing out! When we met with our commander after dinner we went into a classroom and sat in circle. We then went around summarizing our feelings on everything we had done so far. Our commander isn’t allowed to laugh in front of us but that didn’t really work well for her (as hard as she tried to cover it up). We also talked about how we were feeling about shooting M16s. Then we met up with a few other units and watched the sergeant be promoted. Then b/c we have been so good these past few days we were given an hour and 40 min off (instead of just an hour). Our heater was still broken at the time so we spent a great amount of time trying to track down a staff member to fix it. But they couldn’t figure it out. Lucky for us thought, Rachel R. eventually did. So we went to bed with a working heater.
Last night we were about to go to bed when we were told that we had to clean the bathrooms…again. They were still extremely gross! Finally though we finished cleaning them for the last time! As we were getting into bed our commander tried to fix our broken heater. However, instead of fixing it, the heater sprayed Kendra, Yael, and I and all of our stuff. SO we went to bed with wet hair, went sleeping bags, and no heat. This morning we woke up freezing at 6 am, cleaned our tent and surrounding area, and had breakfast. Which was surprisingly good. After breakfast we had a base wide ceremony to raise the flag. Then we had class. Our commander taught us how to properly hold a gun, the parts of a gun, the history of M16s, how to load a magazine, and the parts of a bullet. We also played a game to learn how to put together and take a part a gun. Then we played a few games (aka Tag) for exercise. Then we proceeded to stand in line for 40 minutes to get into the dinning hall. (It was ridiculous!). Lunch too was actually pretty decent. However, it wasn’t good enough that it stopped us from buying ice cream, Luckily we had plenty of time still to buy the ice cream b/c we had a little over an hour for lunch. After lunch we cleaned up around the tents again (we did that a lot). Then we had a short lesson on ranks and symbols in the army. When we finished we were given a half hour break. Then we had a lesson with a different commander going over everything we had learned about guns. She also taught us the commands we will need to know for the shooting range tomorrow. Then the head commander led a lesson with both EIE groups going over what we had just learned. After that we did a few activities with our commander and then headed to dinner. Where Noa, Lior, Judy, and D Sol greeted us. Dinner wasn’t good at all. Which in a way was helpful b/c I ate quickly and had enough time to go back to the tent to get a jacket b/c it was freezing out! When we met with our commander after dinner we went into a classroom and sat in circle. We then went around summarizing our feelings on everything we had done so far. Our commander isn’t allowed to laugh in front of us but that didn’t really work well for her (as hard as she tried to cover it up). We also talked about how we were feeling about shooting M16s. Then we met up with a few other units and watched the sergeant be promoted. Then b/c we have been so good these past few days we were given an hour and 40 min off (instead of just an hour). Our heater was still broken at the time so we spent a great amount of time trying to track down a staff member to fix it. But they couldn’t figure it out. Lucky for us thought, Rachel R. eventually did. So we went to bed with a working heater.
Field Day
*FROM 11/22*
This morning we woke up at 6 am. I woke up with 2 cats standing on the floor right across from my head. But luckily Sivan came in the tent to get her stuff out of our bag and scared them away. By 6:20 we had to be outside and completely ready. Then for a little more than an hour we cleaned the bathrooms. Apparently Israeli girls don’t understand the idea of a trashcan, which wasn’t good for us. When we finished we had breakfast. Then we got on the bus to a park. While we were there we learned how to crawl with and without a fun, different hand signs, how to create a vantage point and a lot more. In order to learn all there things ewe played games ☺. We also learned how to paint our faces with mud (I didn’t really enjoy that). The entire day our commander was throwing fake bombs at us and we had 3 seconds to run a way and duck. After all the learning, we had the opportunity within our groups to create a vantage point. When we were done and the head commander and sergeant came to check our vantage point, they thought it would be fun to throw a bomb. Thanks to instinct, Yael and I turn around and ran. However, we didn’t realize until we had landed that in order to run and duck we had jumped on a cliff. After all that we started our Masa (march) back to the base (it wasn’t much fun). When we got back we had a short break and then a lesson with the Sergeant She taught us why we have an I.D.F. and also who is and who isn’t allowed to join (there are few people who aren’t allowed to join). We had to wait for dinner, so we did some exercises. Then we ate. I ate quickly so I had extra time to relax (so I started writing this). Then we had a lesson with the head commander on guns. During break we all decided that “field day” had made us to gross and dirty and that we had to in fact use the gross showers. Then we had a snack that Noa and Hadas brought us, met with our commander, and went to bed.
This morning we woke up at 6 am. I woke up with 2 cats standing on the floor right across from my head. But luckily Sivan came in the tent to get her stuff out of our bag and scared them away. By 6:20 we had to be outside and completely ready. Then for a little more than an hour we cleaned the bathrooms. Apparently Israeli girls don’t understand the idea of a trashcan, which wasn’t good for us. When we finished we had breakfast. Then we got on the bus to a park. While we were there we learned how to crawl with and without a fun, different hand signs, how to create a vantage point and a lot more. In order to learn all there things ewe played games ☺. We also learned how to paint our faces with mud (I didn’t really enjoy that). The entire day our commander was throwing fake bombs at us and we had 3 seconds to run a way and duck. After all the learning, we had the opportunity within our groups to create a vantage point. When we were done and the head commander and sergeant came to check our vantage point, they thought it would be fun to throw a bomb. Thanks to instinct, Yael and I turn around and ran. However, we didn’t realize until we had landed that in order to run and duck we had jumped on a cliff. After all that we started our Masa (march) back to the base (it wasn’t much fun). When we got back we had a short break and then a lesson with the Sergeant She taught us why we have an I.D.F. and also who is and who isn’t allowed to join (there are few people who aren’t allowed to join). We had to wait for dinner, so we did some exercises. Then we ate. I ate quickly so I had extra time to relax (so I started writing this). Then we had a lesson with the head commander on guns. During break we all decided that “field day” had made us to gross and dirty and that we had to in fact use the gross showers. Then we had a snack that Noa and Hadas brought us, met with our commander, and went to bed.
Welcome to the Army
*FROM 11/21*
This morning we got up at normal time and at 8:30 put our final few things in the library and cleaned out our rooms. Then David, Baruch, and Judy dud intense checks of every room to make sure we had cleaned properly. Then we got on the bus and headed down south. Around 11:30 we stopped at a mall for lunch, where Sydney and I shared a salad and a frozen yogurt where they basically create the flavor by mixing in whatever you want. (Ours was pretty good). Then we got back on the bus and around1:30 we arrived at the base. Immediately we were split into 2 groups and put our bags in our respective tents. Luckily all the girls in our group are in a tent with just us (the other EIE girls of Israelis). Then we got our mattresses, sleeping bags, and blankets. None of which were obtained easily. We were constantly being timed and running in to 2 lines or a het. Then we got our uniforms. We went back to the tent to change I found a cat sitting on my mattress. I freaked out a bit (of course the cat would sit on the bed of a girl who dislikes animals). Then we learned some commands, went over rules, learned the “red lines” and ran a little more. Around 6:40 we had dinner (it wasn’t very good). After dinner we met in our groups and played a few games until opening ceremony. The ceremony wasn’t anything special; we legitimately sat there for an hour. After that we had our hour off that every solider is guaranteed. We set up our beds, had a snack, talked to our madrachim, got ready for bed, and I wrote. Our hour off is also the time for us to shower but the bathrooms are a tad gross so we decided that we wouldn’t be using them all week. At 10 we met with our commander, cleaned up some trash, and went to bed.
This morning we got up at normal time and at 8:30 put our final few things in the library and cleaned out our rooms. Then David, Baruch, and Judy dud intense checks of every room to make sure we had cleaned properly. Then we got on the bus and headed down south. Around 11:30 we stopped at a mall for lunch, where Sydney and I shared a salad and a frozen yogurt where they basically create the flavor by mixing in whatever you want. (Ours was pretty good). Then we got back on the bus and around1:30 we arrived at the base. Immediately we were split into 2 groups and put our bags in our respective tents. Luckily all the girls in our group are in a tent with just us (the other EIE girls of Israelis). Then we got our mattresses, sleeping bags, and blankets. None of which were obtained easily. We were constantly being timed and running in to 2 lines or a het. Then we got our uniforms. We went back to the tent to change I found a cat sitting on my mattress. I freaked out a bit (of course the cat would sit on the bed of a girl who dislikes animals). Then we learned some commands, went over rules, learned the “red lines” and ran a little more. Around 6:40 we had dinner (it wasn’t very good). After dinner we met in our groups and played a few games until opening ceremony. The ceremony wasn’t anything special; we legitimately sat there for an hour. After that we had our hour off that every solider is guaranteed. We set up our beds, had a snack, talked to our madrachim, got ready for bed, and I wrote. Our hour off is also the time for us to shower but the bathrooms are a tad gross so we decided that we wouldn’t be using them all week. At 10 we met with our commander, cleaned up some trash, and went to bed.
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