I just finished bootcamp. that might be one of the most exciting things so far in my new life here in Israel. The ceremony was simple - dress in your uniform stand in attention and go to the commanders . scream i vow i vow i vow. It was emotional even though our parents and friends were not allowed to come. This symbolizes that I have overcome a hard part of the army.
Some of my experiences in these 3 weeks of Bootcamp include :
Kitchen duty- where i feel into a huge bathtub container filled with disgusting dishes from the day before, soap and a little water. I came out drenched , with bits of food on me and a whole new outlook on life how to do everything to get out of kitchen duty....
Shooting Range- It was one of the coolest things I have done in a very long time. We did night and day shooting. I would get 5 out of 5 bullets in my target everytime at 25 meters from laying down, crouching, and standing up positions.
Losing parts of my gun - the M16 is a very complicated weapon with very small parts. Yours truly lost a very valuable part when I was cleaning my gun and then when I went to shoot it didnt work and my comanders and I couldn't figure out why - turns out you really need these parts to make the gun work- go figure.
They laughed at me, how can you not only I would do something so silly.
Going into the ABACH tent. In Israel sadly there is a very real posibilty of nuclear warfare. Being prepared accoridingly is a must. We underwent lessons on how to put on our gasmasks, how to stick ourselves with a sort of anti chemical epi pen and finally the time came to practice what we learned. We were lead into the sand and saw two small tents piched before us. We were told to make a chet- the formation we stand in that looks like half a table . (the letter Chet) and told we were not allowed to look back until it was your turn. I was scared but didn't think much of it . I had already undergone runs and pushups and it wasn't too bad. They made us put on gasmasks run sprints and pushups with it on. Then they sent us into the tent with a very concentrated form of tear gas. This was one of the hardest experiences I have ever gone through. With the gasmask on you feel a stinging but nothing too bad. They make u run around the tent and then they order you to take off the mask. As soon as you do you panic. The air is unbreathable. Your eyes sting and shut and tear. Your throat closes up. You cough and want to vomit. Your nose runs. You have no control over your senses . They tell you to sing to them . You choke up and panic and wheeze while coughing. After 15 seconds of hell they tell you to run out. You still cant breathe it is the most paniking feeling. I vomited as soon as I left the tent and started shaking. It is amazing how much gasmaks will help us but it is terrifying to think of the warfare that inspired them.
Being constantly reminded of me not understanding things. Meeting amazing girls. Remembering that I am older then the MP and every other girls . I am learning a lot. I am growing a lot. i am doing a lot of pushups.
The girl with the muscles,
Michali
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