Israel Male And Female Models

Cha, cha, changin....

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:37:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:14:00 +0000

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)

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:29:00 +0000

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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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 05:48:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:17:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 13:01:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:56:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:07:00 +0000

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....

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:38:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:57:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:46:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:31:00 +0000

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)

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:36:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sun, 20 May 2007 21:40:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 21:21:00 +0000

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....

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 04:58:00 +0000

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)

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:35:00 +0000

"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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 16:09:00 +0000

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.....

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:17:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 10:54:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:30:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 03:00:00 +0000

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........

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 06:44:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 20:35:00 +0000

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!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Beny_PadaMu) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:56:00 +0000

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!