Vacationing in Toronto

*Sorry for not having written this earlier once I returned from Toronto.

After a year and 5 months in Israel, I finally got a chance to go back to Toronto for a short but sweet 2 week visit. It was great to get a break from the army where I didn't have to do any guard duty, and I was able to catch up on some sleep. I was able to eat what and when I wanted, sleep indoors in a bed as opposed to outside in a tank. For the first time in about a half year on any given week I spent more time cleaning myself rather than guns (and the rest of my tank for that matter). I was able to dress myself how I wanted, get changed into clean clothing and not have to sleep with boots on.

During the 2 week visit I managed to avoid a heat wave in Israel, but back in Toronto it endedu p raining 5 or 6 of the 14 days I was at home. Without getting into too much detail, some of my highlights back at home were:

• Attending a Friends of the IDF fundraiser as an honoured guest.
• Going to a Leafs game - they lost in overtime but it was a very exciting game.
• Playing ice hockey for the first time in over 2 years and playing squash with my dad.
• Going back to my university to party with my fraternity brothers and celebrate a friend's birthday.
• In between all these I managed to spend time with lots of family and friends I hadn't seen in ages.

Most importantly while I was at home I spent lots of time eating lots of delicious food prepared by moy mother, sister, and grandmother. In this situation lots is defined as gaining about 10 pounds in 2 weeks. In order to satisfy my dietary needs I had to go and play lots of sports so that I would have room in my stomach to eat more. I managed to spend more time playing sports and being active in the 2 weeks at home than the last 4 months I have spent in the army while sitting on the border with Lebanon. Once I returned to Israel, put on my army pants and attempted to button them up I encountered some difficulty.

After 2 fantastic weeks at home it was time to say goodby andhead back to Israel to complete my last 4 months of army service. I landed to a nice sunny Friday afternoon. I only had to return to base on Sunday morning so I was able to spend Shabbat with a cousin. After Shabbat I headed to Jerusalem but beofrehand I was able to take a spin on one of his Segways which he happened to be s toring at his house for his business. I took about a 20 minute ride around the neighbourhood - it was easy to handle and a lot of fun!