Hello friends. This is my blog that I hope to use to keep in touch with all of you. I will try to post about my experiences as often as possible to give you a glimpse into what life is like for a lone soldier in the IDF.
(Disclaimer: My friend Ori Ramon, also on the program and my soon-to-be roommate, is also writing a blog about his experience. If you read both, you may find that we initially write about similar topics, as we will be experiencing mostly the same events in the first three months. However, later on in the process our experiences will be totally different, as we will in all likelihood serve in different units. So bear with us…)
Now for some background information. I have chosen to pass up the American college experience for now, and serve in the Israel Defense Forces. As military service is mandatory for all 18 year olds in Israel, every kid starts going through exams and tests from age 16. However,
I have not done any of these tests. This is one of the reasons I am moving to Israel with a program called Garin Tzabar. Garin Tzabar enables teens from around the world, mostly from the US, to move to Israel and serve in the IDF. Over the course of senior year, I attended four seminars in New York, during which we were given lots of information about the Aliyah (moving to Israel) and enlistment process. Another major goal of the seminars was to build a group dynamic. I am moving to Israel with a group of 23 kids like myself who want to fulfill their dream of serving in the IDF. On August 14th we will all be moving into our rooms in Kibbutz Bet Zera. For the next three months we will be living on the kibbutz, touring Israel, improving our Hebrew, and preparing for our enlistment. We will go through various mental, intelectual, and physical exams to see which unit we will draft into. More on that when the exams approach.
I have four days left in America. I am desperately trying to see as many of my friends and do as many things that remind me of America as I can. I can barely comprehend that I am leaving so soon. It is so crazy that I struggled for so long with making this decision, and on Sunday it will all start. More than ever, self-questioning fills my mind. Did I make the right decision? Will I be happy in the end? Is it worth giving up college for? For now I am trying to suppress these feelings as much as possible. I want to live with my decision and take things as they come. These next few months are meant to be extremely enjoyable and exciting, and I will try to make the most of them. I will try to put my nerves about enlistment on hold for the moment.
I am reachable by Facebook, Whatsapp, all that good stuff. My Israeli phone will be set up soon.
Next post in Israel-
Shaul
Shaul Armony 