And Now Begins the Reason I Came

I know it's been a while since I've posted and I have a lot to share so bare with me! After a fun and relaxing free weekend spent at my grandparents in Ramat Gan visiting with cousins, spending time on the beach, and of course, eating, it was time to get down to the real reason I made the move to Israel. Tuesday September, 4th we had what is called our Tzav Rishon. Tzav Rishon is a day filled of tests and interviews with soldiers in the army to help determine what units we are eligible for. Leading up to the day I was extremely nervous and anxious as I heard that the results from the Tzav Rishon have a huge effect on our future position in the army. I also knew that it was important to speak the best Hebrew possible and since I am still learning the language I knew I would have some slip ups.

If I were to choose one word to describe what we did during our Tzav Rishon it would be: waited. If you thought the line at the DMV was bad...just go to a Tzav Rishon and you'll be wishing you were at the DMV instead. The day consisted of a bunch of different stations including a physical with a doctor to determine your physical profile (more on that in a bit), an interview with an army social worker to establish your status as a lone soldier (which allows you to have more benefits than usual), an interview with a soldier including a Hebrew language test, and an IQ test. Because there were many of us there and not enough soldiers doing the interviews and administering the tests, the day dragged on and took about 9 hours to complete. I started at the doctor where I received my physical profile. The highest physical profile a soldier can recieve is a 97. The profile helps determine what units you are eligible for in terms of physical health. Some soldiers might have certain health issues that might lower their physical profile in which case would eliminate the eligibility of certain units for them. After the doctor I waited for about 2 and a half hours to go on to the next station. Both interviews went well except I definitely struggled with my Hebrew a bit. The Hebrew exam was tough and I am still awaiting my results of that. After I took my IQ test which included two different sections that took about 25 minutes all together I was relieved to be done for the day. After the bus ride back we enjoyed a hearty meal and wiped out from the exhausting day of mostly waiting. Tzav Rishon definitely gave me a good and accurate taste of Israeli bureaucracy and what I am in for as being a citizen of the country!

I was happy to have started my army journey and was nervous and anxious to continue. Our next army related day is something called Yom Hameya which is a day just for a girls that consists of more interviews, team work related activities, and a speech I have to deliver. This day helps the army determine if we are fitting for specific jobs such as an instructor or teacher of some sort. More on this day when it actually happens!

The rest of the week went by quickly and led up to an amazing and fun filled weekend which you'll be hearing about in my next post...until then!