Almost there

I have four more months of service.  Two of those months I will be in a course called Nativ which deals with new immigrants and non jewish soldiers to teach them more about jewish roots and israel.  It includes lots of fun trips and I hope it will be a nice bang to end my army career. I have been having a pretty hard time in the army recently.  I am pretty fed up with the beuracracy of it all. It is based on protection about who you know and not the effort you put in.


I dont know if my service has been exactly how I imagined it.  I know I have prepared thousands of soldiers, but I have also been screwed over a lot and see the guys in my garin constantly fall victim to unfair treatment.  They close their mouth and carry on.

I dont know if it made me bitter but this week I get to see the progress and exactly how everything is sought out. How each unit has a part in the IDF.  I am going to a base down south and they are doing a demenstration- so it will be cool to see how the infentary troops and tanks and missle and sharp shooters work together.
then I get out on tuesday and my roomie is going to meet me for a vacation the rest of the week of tuesday-friday.

in eilat!!!
I am so excited I have never been. I really need some r and r and to get away from everything and everyone .
 wishing everyone a lovely weekend,
heading back to base.
Michali

hello again

Shabbat Shalom!!!!
I just came back from a wedding.  It was my best friend's mother's wedding and it was really nice.  This whole week off for shavout could not have come at a better time.  I spent the chag with Ayelet and her family in Jtown.  While i had a great holiday I can not explain enough my lack of love for Jerusalem.

While I know it is a very holy city and it has a huge history with various people, I truly would like to exam my lack of love for the annoying young Taglit and Jewish Americans who come and drown the city with alcohol and gawk at every person in uniform. I  also cant stand the charidi jews who throw rocks at you for driving on shabbat or spit on you for not being in a skirt.  I do not mean to make asumptions because that is not my nature.  In my nature I do love everyone and I am sure that there are people that do not fit into that criteria.  However the overwhelming sense of yuck i get when there outweighs this.  I am sorry for sounding ignorant but I could never possibly live there or would want to visit there for long extended periods of time. end of rant.

On another note Ayelet;s family hosted us so nicely.  I love that Israelis are very warm and gracious people.  Strangers often go out of their way to help.  An example of this is when we were eating in a cafe and woman in the near by table offered us a place to come eat meals and meet her family. Just because we were lone soldiers.  That stuff never happens in america.
I love Israel,
Soon I will be going into the job market and finding my own place and that is truly scary.  But I know I can do it,
Lots of Love,
Michali

Inspiration.

I am back at Regba.  Everything went back to normal.  The boys are all talking about sports and roughhousing and we fight about the laundry and go to each others host families.  I try and do Pilates and Yoga outside but its impossible when your friends try and make faces and throw socks at you to distract you. God your annoying.  But what can I do . I love them . they mean a lot to me and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

I am reading a lot recently and also have been thinking about the founding of the country.  Today we went to a lone soldier day in Ramat Gan.  It was nice to hear all the thanks.  I really don't know how much sacrifice I made . I am just doing what is right for me.  It doesn't feel like anything special.  Michael Levin's father spoke.  Michael was an incredible person who has always fascinated me. He made Aliyah and joined the IDF and gave his life.  He was killed.  He was inspirational not because he is the only person I know that actually died for something he believed in, but because the type of person he is said to have been before his death.  The type of person that gave himself over to helping others and tried to make Israel a better and different place.

I knocked a whole bunch (don't worry) but still I looked at the other lone soldiers that all together make up a pretty high percentage in the army and thought , damn we are fools to our convictions.


On that note,
I wish you a Shabbat Shalom,
I hope one day you will find a passion that drives you.
Love,
Michali

P.A-post army ideas

In the states it is a little hard to realize that my life is Israel.  Everyone here keeps asking what is life going to be after the army. The truth is I have seven more months and then I am totaly stumped. I sound  crazy when I tell people what all my ambitions are and the truth is that after the army I really just want to be happy.  I want to continue to meet new people, do new things and really just prove that I can do things I never thought were possible.  In order to finance these dreams is another thing.  Right now the most appropriate thing would be to persue a career in Art Therapy.  This is not my exact dream.  That would be to be an artist.  I think it is safe to say that Art does not pay the bills right away so at least it would be something related to the art field. 

 Being back in Brewster went by really fast.  I am sure i gained at least 10 lbs and am ok with it.  It was good to see the people I did and I am honored that the people that stick by me and my life decisions really care about me.  

I am nervous about going back because as soon as I get off the plane the day after im on base teaching commanders how to fire automatic machine guns and that is a terrible ordeal with jet lag. 


But in any case I am going to look at the challenge of finding out what to do with my life. p.a (post army) as an exciting journey of growth. and when that doesn't work I will just eat lots of ice cream. 
Love you all a lot, 
Happy Pesach,
Michali 

usa here i come... again

This coming week I am flying to the states for a month : ) I am so excited.  My best friend is getting married and I am a bridesmaid.   It was a hassle getting my ticket as most things are in the Army.  I am greatful to be home with my garin family and it is a weird feeling to leave these people for a month.  Once I am done with my service I am not sure how I am going to live without fighting over laundry machines, hearing about girls and complaining about how much balls itch.

This past week I was in a base for reserves. I had the best time- the thing about coming back for reserves is that you are not actually in the army. You leave your life and come for a week with your army buddies to learn about newer weapons and camp.  You cant take it seriously that a younger instructor is teaching you and suddenly you take everything as a joke.  I learned about how to interact with people this week.  You can no longer open times for them, but ask nicely if they can finish their ciggerate and continue shooting.  The answer is always no and you settle for them smoking while shooting with their uniform coming out of their pants above their bellies.  And that is ok.  These are the people that in real times of danger will save us- hopefully.

I am going to pack,
Lots of love,
See you in USA,
Michali

and then there was snow

This week was terrible.  The entire country went on lockdown.  It snowed it hailed it rained it sandstormed and those were the good days.
I was in the shooting range while it hailed on us and the winds were so intense that sand blew over the targets.  The sharpshooters looked at me and I didn't know what to say except for "it's only a little wind". um -yea sure.

The army is not a logical place.  The officers are children and the conditions are less then ideal. that being said- I am excited about going back to the states in two months. My mother left and i got really sad thinking about it.  I can't help picturing what my life would be like if my parents would sell the house and relocate to here. i dont know . Its not practical but it would be really great.

I hope to get some job like an el al flight attendent so that way I can fly to Israel and the states all the time and have the best of both worlds. Thats right quoted hannah montanna.


The weather is storming outside but at least I am sitting with my best friend and eating soup and we are comparing stories about how dumb our officers are and how crappy our weeks were and it doesn't seem too bad.
Lots of love,
Stay dry,
Michali

Mommy Visit

My mother is coming to visit in two weeks! I haven't seen her in 7 months. and I guess that is the toll to pay for being a lone soldier. I am so excited I could burst.  You don;t realize how much you need your mommy till she is not there to make you fake chicken soup and buy you nice clothes and listen to you complain and give you her love in hugs and kisses.  I don't care I sound like a 5 year old sometimes you just need a taste of home.

This week I was in Ghivati.  My least favorite Army unit.  Though they do wear beautiful purple barrrets.  Most of the unit is filled with Arsim= guys who will try to sweet talk you while having a ciggeret outside their mouths, and think they are god's gift to humanity. I am not interested little 18 year old, shut up and shoot .  
My army job allows me to meet a lot of people in the infentery unit.  Sometimes I think- god we are an army of children. 


In any case this weekend is going to be dedicated to making art, and complaining since I have to return to Ghivati this week. oooooooooof

Love,
Michali