Ilana the Kibbutznik...Who Woulda Thunk it??

Since my last post, my Garin (what we call the group of us from America planning on joining the IDF in a few months) has been settling in and getting used to life of a Kibbutznik (slang term used by Israeli’s to identify citizens of a Kibbutz). Saying that life in the Kibbutz is far different from what I am used to in Oradell is the understatement of the century. Although it is definitely a life that needs getting used to, I am already in love with the Kibbutz. Physically, it is such a uniquely beautiful place and exploring more of it day by day gets me so excited to spend the next three months here.

                We arrived here on Wednesday evening after a long bus ride from Tel Aviv (around two hours from our Kibbutz located in the south of Israel). We were dropped off in the area of our rooms which I like to compare to my apartment back at Rutgers as it has a very similar layout. Our area is a courtyard with two strips of small garden looking apartments facing each other. One side has two long buildings of two floors and the other side is just one long strip of one floor rooms. My room is in the two floor building so my roommate Sarah and I are upstairs which we really enjoy since we can make use of the nice mirpeset (balcony) right outside of our door. Sarah and I were so pleased to walk into our room to find a huge space with a great closet and even better air conditioning! It is a great size for two people and we have really enjoyed making it our own.

                The first night we just enjoyed some pizza and had a small talk with Gila and Ami (the two people in charge of us here at the Kibbutz). Sarah and I unpacked that night and went to bed since we were exhausted from all that had happened since leaving the airport. Before I tell you how my first full day at the Kibbutz was I will tell you that I took 4 showers that day. Yes, four full showers…so that might give you an idea of how hot it is down here in these parts. We woke up at the lovely hour of 6:30 am to go for a run through the Kibbutz. Instead of me telling you how the run went let’s just say…I am screwed for basic training. So yeah, the run wiped me out since it was still boiling hot at even an hour as early as 6:30. After a shower and breakfast we had more time unpack and chill out. Half of the group had to go to the nearby city of Beer Sheva to deal with the government while some already did that at the airport. I unpacked some more and then went  outside to help the boys lay out grass for our courtyard area. This included rolling up individual pieces of already grown grass and laying it out on the ground. Needless to say this is what motivated my second shower of the day. It was really cool to be able to lay out our own grass though and I am excited for when we are able to lay out and enjoy the courtyard!

                After lunch we had more free time and were able to enjoy our first time at the pool! The pool is so so so nice and felt amazing in the heat of the desert. I am hoping that a couple days at the pool will finally give me that tan I’ve been hoping for all summer so…fingers crossed! The rest of the day was low key as we were given a tour of the Kibbutz, ate dinner, and enjoyed a medura (campfire) with baked apples and of course smores—nomnom! We also played a game called “ha yaad ha ba ze…” which translates to “the next direction is” and for those of you who ever played the line game, im going on a picnic, or green glass doors it is very similar and just as frustrating as those games.

                Friday was nice because we don’t run on Fridays or Saturdays so we were able to wake up and just head straight to breakfast. After breakfast we had a couple talks with Gila about security on the kibbutz, geography of the area around us, and played a scavenger hunt around the Kibbutz to help us get to know the vicinity and get to know some people as we had to as citizens of the Kibbutz questions about specific places. After a yummy lunch of homemade felafal and some free time we met with the director of Garin Tzabar in Israel who just wanted us to introduce ourselves and get to know her. She also played a roommate game with us to see who knew their roommates the most and Sarah and I won! We obviously enjoyed that game. We then had a bunch of free time so we went to the pool (duh) and hung out. We then had a Shabbat Circle with Ami where we went around the room and discussed something we are missing from home but also something we found at the kibbutz that we are happy about. I said that although I miss everyone back home I am missing my sisters as it is so hard to not be able to see them and talk all the time. I also said that I found such an amazing community and home here at the Kibbutz and I am so happy to live in a different place and with different people. I am so excited to broaden my horizons and expand myself from what I am used to a bit. After Kabbalat Shabbat (Friday night services) and dinner we had free time and then went to the Pub on the Kibbutz! It was actually so much fun with music, dancing, and casual drinking. I was surprised to see more people other than our group there because we had been warned that there are not many people around our age group living on the Kibbutz.

                Saturdays are so nice because we basically have the whole day free. We were allowed to sleep in since we didn’t have any programming until 11 so obviously I took advantage of that and slept until 10:45…woops. The meeting was to go over our schedule on the Kibbutz which was helpful as I had been wondering that ever since arriving on Wednesday night. It also made me nervous as we started talking about how important knowing Hebrew is in order to get the job I would want in the army. I realized I really need to start speaking Hebrew ALL THE TIME sooo we will see how that goes. After hanging by the pool and chilling in my room Sarah and I decided to go for a walk through the Kibbutz and take pictures since we haven’t seen too much of the area. We walked through the cactus garden right across from our rooms which is so cool. It has areas to sit throughout and an awesome huge bird cage with all different species of birds inside. I loved walking through and hearing the different bird calls…seems like a great place to read or just relax. Our walk got side tracked a bit so we still have to finish exploring the our new beautiful home but so far I really love it.

                This next week includes a trip to Beer Sheva, meeting our host families, and of course more running (can’t decide if I am happy about that or dreading it…probably a good mixture of both) so more to come soon!

And So It Begins...

Although it's been 3 days, 2 nights, 2 ceremonies, and 1 exciting flight later, it still has yet to sink in that the long awaited day has finally come and passed, and that I am a proud citizen of my favorite place in the world. One word to describe my feelings over the last couple days: Wow. As cliche as it might sound these few days have been some of the most exciting, memorable, meaningful, and exhilarating I have ever experienced and I know that there are many more like these that will soon follow. I'll take you through my journey that although has just begun, has been the most incredible beginning chapter to my new life.

I'll start by relaying my feelings and thoughts that were reeling inside me as I was at JFK airport, only hours away from saying goodbye to some of my favorite people in the world and embarking on my own new life. The excitement was beyond anything I could describe to you although I will say that the level heightened as a boarded the plane and even more so when landing. Although I knew that saying goodbye would be the hardest part of this whole adventure, I was still so much looking forward to start this long awaiting chapter. Theoretically speaking, the flight was just the same as any other. What was different, though, was the energy that I am sure every person on that plane felt throughout the whole 10 hours. Just by sitting in my seat and looking around me I could tell that I was on a very special plane. As I gazed around I noticed that every person was different; They looked different, acted different, and spoke differently. All these people, though, had one thing in common that was shining right out of them that no one could miss: Their love for Israel. It was so obvious to me that through this common thread we all had a special connection by sharing this amazing moment together that would probably end up being in my top 5 moments of my life list. While I sat surrounded by people I had hardly known at that point, I felt so warm and welcomed because of the special connection we shared that I knew would never break, even if I never speak to some of these people in my life.

Landing was probably one of the most exhilarating things I have ever experienced. All of the 127 of us who are joining the IDF once here all sat together so right before take off we decided it would be a good idea to have a pillow fight with the pillows they give out. The only thought going through my head was "only on a Nefesh b'Nefesh charter flight". Walking onto the tarmac once we landed in Tel Aviv was really a dream come true. It was  even better than I imagined, a moment I had been playing in my mind for months before. What was even more moving was the amount of people who came to welcome the new Olim. When the buses drove up to the airport there were hundreds of people with cameras, Israeli flags, and signs welcoming us. That was what made me realize how appreciated we are and how much the citizens of Israel care about their new people. 

Once in the airport I was greeted by a great friend, Keren, who woke up at 4 am just to come welcome me! It was much appreciated and so nice to see a familiar face in an overwhelming crowd of people. I then spotted my grandparents walking in and automatically felt at home. Seeing them made me realize how much support I have here and I appreciative I am of that. The ceremony finally begun and it is safe to say that I was on cloud 9. Hearing the Prime Minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu, salute the new olim and especially the ones who were to become soldiers was a once in a life time opportunity and I was so thankful to be part of this experience.

After the ceremony I finished at the airport and met my grandparents back at their apartment in Ramat Gan. I caught up on sleep and saw family which always makes me feel at home even more. The next day was the Garin Tzabar ceremony for the 350 American young adults who came to Israel to serve in the IDF (like me). Although the ceremony was long and included lots of Hebrew speeches I never lost my smile because I had such support who came to watch the ceremony. My grandparents, dear cousins/family friends, directors and staff of my gap year program, and even relatives of family friends back at home came to show their support and watch the ceremony. Just knowing that I have these people surrounding me gave me the confidence I need and reassured my decision of moving to Israel. I always feel at home here but familiar faces always helps.

After the ceremony we drove to Kibbutz Urim!!! So much to tell about that so stay tuned for the next blog post all about my move to a Kibbutz. Sorry for the babbling...just so much to share!