To say that my first week in the
Army was a shock would definitely be an understatement.
Let’s start with day one. My family, friends, and Garin Tzabar family took me on Sunday (April 19) to my Giyus-- the draft where I basically take some pictures, cry a little, say bye to everyone, and load the bus to a building nearby where I get officially registered as a soldier. My dad was in Israel so having him, along with Lilly, my sister who is here for the year, and my boyfriend David made it a much more emotional yet meaningful goodbye. At the Bakum (where they took us after we said bye), there were tons of confused and anxious 18 year old girls going through different stations… Interview with an officer, some shots and blood tests, getting your army ID and dog tags, putting on the uniform etc. We ended up being there for a whole of 12 hours because they were having trouble with the computer system… So a majority of the day consisted of being yelled at, having a 5 minute interview, and waiting for the next station to open. Finally, after hours of meeting new girls and trying to get over the fact that I was wearing an IDF uniform, we boarded the bus to the Negev Desert to my base - Bislach. There, we had to get absorbed and didn’t go to bed until 2 am. I called my mom during our one hour of free time a night and burst into tears because of how exhausted and truly overwhelmed I was. Luckily, there are a handful of other lone soldiers in my unit, so we all were confused and sought translation together.
During the next few days of basic training, we were split up into our classes (12 girls) and met all of our commanders and officers. We sat in classes given by the officers about what it means to be a soldier, the rules on the base, and the importance of being professional and timely. The first week of basic training was not as bad as I had expected, but the hardest part was definitely the language and being far away from home.
Yom Hazikaron was on the first Tuesday of being in the army and needless to say, it was an emotional experience for everybody involved. My unit participated in a tekes (ceremony) for the entire base - a few hundred soldiers, commanders, and officers all stood at attention while we listened to the one minute siren sounded across the entire country to honor the fallen heroes. We then heard some speeches given by officers about the sadness of the day and the responsibility we have as the soldiers of Israel to carry on the fallens’ legacy and mission. During the singing of Hatikva, there was not one dry eye. I kept looking at my surroundings and then down at my uniform in utter disbelief that I now have the privilege of being a part of such an incredible body of people. At that moment, I remembered that although the road has been and will be hard, I am there for my country, for myself, and for the continuation of those heroes’ missions.
The next night was Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence day), and although we had to continue Basic Training, they had a BBQ in our area of the base...But they kept reminding us that this is not something we should get used to! We had a few classes about the establishment and existence of Israel. There was one class given by the head of our unit on what it means to be Israeli - if you can still be Israeli and live in America, or if you have to live in Israel to be Israeli. There were an array of opinions, and although I have never stood up to give an answer in front of everyone, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. I stood up, and in my obviously strong American and Lone Soldier accent, I expressed that being Israeli is something deeper than loving Chummus and Falafel. It’s being counted as one of the souls that live in this land and DO something for it. It is nice to talk about how much we love Israel, but we need to do something for it. I’m Israeli because I made Aliyah and am serving my country - does that mean I have an Israeli accent? No. Do I particularly love Shwarma and Tahini? Probably not. However, I do feel the deep and unbreakable connection to this land and am therefore Israeli. After that class, so many girls came up to me practically in tears, expressing how much my 2 minute rant inspired them. It is moments like these that make this journey all worth it to me.
That Shabbat, we were able to go home, and thankfully, my dad was in Israel! We stayed at hotel, along with my sister, in Herziliya. The hotel found out I was a lone soldier and surprised my family with free rooftop drinks, food, balloons, and lotions! I could not believe how incredible they were to me - every one of their staff came over and thanked me for serving their country. Not only that, they printed a route of the trains and busses I had to take the next morning to get to my base along with a private driver to take me to the train station. I was completely humbled by their treatment, yet it made me recognize how much the lone soldiers mean to the country.
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