3 Day Week

So this week was pretty sweet because it was only 3 days. I've been enjoying the last 2 weeks because I have spent more time off base than I have on base. However, obviously good things must come to an end as next weekend I am on base again doing guard duty - which means 12 days on base doing guard duty and not sleeping much. I originally thought that we would be let off base on Wednesday at 6AM - similar to when we get off for shabbat on Friday. However they didn't let us off until 1PM, so I had to alter my weekend plans. I had to eliminate the only thing on my to do list: go to the bank. It isn't urgent, but its something I should get around to doing. Looks like it will have to wait another month or so. Seeing friends is more enjoyable than arguing with people at the bank. Despite the long weekend, it was still jam packed. The best part of the weekend is the exact instant that the weekend starts. We stand in formation and the mem-mem (mefakedet machlakah - commander of the machlakah) is reading out the list of people who have punishments and have to stay later on base. When that is over she says to the rest of us 'shabbat shalom machlakah 2', and we respond 'shabat shalom ha-mem-mem' and that is the best part. Then the weekend goes downhill because its a 20 minute walk with my massive bag to the bus. Then I found out I just missed the bus and had to wait another 40 minutes. Three busses later I finally get off the bus at my kibbutz, and then its another 15 minute walk uphill to my room. So even though I got 'free' at 1PM, I didn't get back to my room until 430.

So back to my week...
Did not start off well. Saturday night before bed I was getting my things together for the morning, and spent half an hour looking for my dog tag. I keep my keys that lock my bags attached to my dog tag so I don't lose it. I couldn't find it for the life of me. I thought that maybe I had left it in my pants that I put in the laundry. So after ripping apart my room, which still wasn't unpacked I gave up and went to bed figuring I would have to run to the laundry room in the morning and hoping they would have found it. When I woke up I thought, 'gee, maybe the dogtag is attached to the lock on my bag'. So obviously it was in the last place I left it, and the first place I should have looked. My day didn't get much better. I didn't have a baret for almost 2 weeks becuase I lost 2 of them already. I thought for sure I would be stopped by the fashion police (yes, there is such a thing). They give out fines and court dates for things like not shining your boots, not shaving properly, and having your hair too long. Needless to say they are hated. there are stories of the police having the nerve to stop combat soldiers who just came back from war for things like not shaving. They hang out at bus stations when there are lots of soldiers there. So just my luck, someone stops me because I don't have a baret. So I pretend to not speak hebrew at all, and get off with just a warning. Then someone else gave me an extra baret they had.

We had our second of 3 baror tests (fitness) - one at the beginning, middle and end of the course. A perfect (and benchmark) score is 86 consecutive stiups, 75 consecutive pushups and 2km run in 8 minutes. I improved a lot in only one month - I figure by the time we do the last test I will pass it. This time i did 81 situps (60% improvement since the first test), 51 pushups (25% improvement) and the run in 8:26 - 40 seconds faster. During our free hour and a half we get at the end of the day, there isn't really much to do at all, so I'm trying to go for runs regularly and work out.

hebrew classes are boring as hell. we spend about 7 or 8 hours a day in the class. People act like they are 6 years old, and I have no patience for it. After going to university, it definately feels like im back in grade 3. It's also easy as hell. They give us an hour at the end of the day to do work alone in the classroom - i finish on average 4 worksheet, while people are still working on one.

I was excited for lunch because there was shnitzel. Shnitzel day is a good day - its never a specific day during the week, but whenever it's served the day is a good one. So as I was sitting down I saw my friend's plate piled high with 4 or 5 pieces of shnitzel (you are only supposed to get one serving of meat). I said 'How did you get so much shnitzel'. He responded 'it's not shnitzel - its fish'. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! So much for the good day...

I finally screwed up. During our free hour and a half before bedtime I was bored and had nothing to do so I was lying down in my bed and fell asleep. I somehow woke up on my own exactly 2 minutes after I had to be outside in formation for the samelet to tell us to go to bed. I look at my watch and then ran outside. For my punishement she gave me 7 minutes to get dressed into my uniform and then made me run around and do pushups for about 10 minutes. It wasn't that bad except for the fact that once I was finished with my punishment and in bed I was still sweating for the next 15 minutes and couldn't fall asleep.

So now to the weekend. 2 friends are visiting in Israel, so I had to see them this weekend because I won't be free next weekend. Luckily they were both in Herzliya. Once I got back to my kibbutz I packed for the next 2 and a half weeks and rushed to meet Yuval in Herzliya. We went out for a beer and then then in the morning I met up with Kaplan for lunch and then met up with the AEPi guys in the IDC Herzliya colony and chilled with them for the day. Definitely missing the AEPi chills back home :-( In the evening Yuval and I went to Jerusalem to hang out with Matthews, for some AEPi waterloo chills. Friday I am off to visit relatives for shabbat and simchat torah. Sunday morning back to base for 2 straight weeks.