"ani metnadevet"

So, I am just getting to write in this thing because I have not been back in my regular routine since i got back to Israel until now.

When the situation with Gaza broke out, a branch of the I.D.F. called "Sar-El" contacted Young Judaea Year Course (my program that i'm currently on). "Sar-El" is basically a program for volunteers from around the world to come work on an army base for however much time they'd like (one week minimum). Sar-El has worked with my program before and with the situation in Gaza they asked for some volunteers as they were really needed. 

It was amazing how many people from my program were ready to just drop everything for the chance to give back to the country. Last week from the 11th- to the 16th I was on a base between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem called Nachshoanim. As you can see from the pictures we were required to wear uniforms at all times other than in our barracks. During the day we either cleaned guns, packed packages for soldiers in Gaza, sorted bullets- things of that sort. Most of the days I cleaned guns along with many other soldiers my age.  Now think to yourself how many guns you think you could clean in one day. The average was about 4- it was hard work and i found my self saying "libduk?"- (check) and having the answer be "lo naki" (not clean) a LOT.  We worked with the soldiers, ate the same food, had the same break times and slept in the same buildings. It was a very real experience.

The most amazing part to me was that I was there in the middle of the Gaza situation. My "Sar- El Madricha" (counselor for the week) who is currently working for Sar-El as her army service once said to us, I guarantee you that every soldier on this base knows at least 5 people in Gaza right now. After hearing that you would expect the general attitude to be very down on the base. This is what I love about the Israeli people- everyone know's the reality but doesn't let it control their lives- if they did no one would ever be happy. The soldiers I cleaned guns with used the open and non loaded guns as slingshots and they goofed off and shot cleaning supplies around the room. I could just see young Dad and Larry like those goofy soldiers just trying to make their cleaning job a bit more enjoyable. I could see Michael as my commander for the week who had to tell the soldiers to stop using the guns as slingshots, but turned around and started cracking up at the humility of their actions. I could see Marjie in my cheerful Sar-El counselor, who while her boyfriend was fighting in Gaza, she was making friends with us and kept a smile on her face the whole time. 

The thing with Israel is that while the constant fighting hurts the country and the rest of the world's perspective, the people here are unlike any other people in the world. The country continues, up here in Tel Aviv you would never know about the war on the South on the streets in peoples attitudes, but there are signs of support everywhere. Right now I even wear a bracelet that says "Levi bedarom" (my heart is in the south). 

Each morning the soldiers lined up for flag raising- as we did alongside with them. One morning i was given the opportunity to raise the flag (shown in a picture above). It was a very amazing experience standing up there in front of a group of soldiers about my age in my uniform and madricha's buret, raising the flag and the saluting the commander. 

I am back to my normal schedule of working in a school and going to school myself and I am still a metnadevet (a volunteer) here in Israel everyday. Every citizen here serves their country in some form of the army- and while I can't just drop everything and go to the army like Israelis my age it feels good knowing that I am at least serving the country as much as I can in this one year being a "metnadevet".