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Monday, September 27, 2010
Back to work
We woke up around 7am and went to the Kotel.
After minyan we had breakfast, it was bad with no protein and I need protein.
After breakfast we had Ulpan for 3 hours and then lunch.
Since its Chol Hamoed we get a little break during the day and had some time to get personal things done and since I might still have mono I went to sleep for a few hours.
When I woke up I went to dinner and there was dancing and singing for Succot.
After that we were told to go to our rooms and to be in bed by 10:25.
I didn't go to sleep. I knew they were going to wake us up and in 20 minutes they did.
They told us we are being punished because the night before someone fell asleep on Shmirah (Guard Duty).
The commanders took us to the fields. We started our "punishment" with one of our Krav Maga trainers, Rami.
He made us do the usual, lots of running,crawling, pushups and staying in Masav Shtaiim (pushup position) and closing our eyes and having our hands on our heads so he can hit us.
Since I might still have mono I cannot get hit in the spleen because it's enlarged when you have mono and if it gets hit it can rupture.
So the first time he kicked me in the leg the second time the cheek and the third time the other commandeer got on his knees behind me and Rami pushed me over.
All of this is unexpected because our eyes are closed. We had to crawl, run and crab walk. Shesh al Shesh (six times back and forth) for each exercise a few times.
After they put the two heaviest guys on the floor and made us carry them around the grass for a while through the sprinklers (which felt amazing) and around the field.
We finished it and then we did them a few more times. It was like almost 3 hours long and they told us we will not be done until the sun comes out.
And then asked us if we knew why. We had to give them reasons why we were punished.
As a group we are getting stronger, smarter and more responsible.
Around 2AM they then told us to get in our beds and go to sleep.
I need to take a shower sometime. It's been two days and I"m pretty sure they are going to wake us up soon.
After minyan we had breakfast, it was bad with no protein and I need protein.
After breakfast we had Ulpan for 3 hours and then lunch.
Since its Chol Hamoed we get a little break during the day and had some time to get personal things done and since I might still have mono I went to sleep for a few hours.
When I woke up I went to dinner and there was dancing and singing for Succot.
After that we were told to go to our rooms and to be in bed by 10:25.
I didn't go to sleep. I knew they were going to wake us up and in 20 minutes they did.
They told us we are being punished because the night before someone fell asleep on Shmirah (Guard Duty).
The commanders took us to the fields. We started our "punishment" with one of our Krav Maga trainers, Rami.
He made us do the usual, lots of running,crawling, pushups and staying in Masav Shtaiim (pushup position) and closing our eyes and having our hands on our heads so he can hit us.
Since I might still have mono I cannot get hit in the spleen because it's enlarged when you have mono and if it gets hit it can rupture.
So the first time he kicked me in the leg the second time the cheek and the third time the other commandeer got on his knees behind me and Rami pushed me over.
All of this is unexpected because our eyes are closed. We had to crawl, run and crab walk. Shesh al Shesh (six times back and forth) for each exercise a few times.
After they put the two heaviest guys on the floor and made us carry them around the grass for a while through the sprinklers (which felt amazing) and around the field.
We finished it and then we did them a few more times. It was like almost 3 hours long and they told us we will not be done until the sun comes out.
And then asked us if we knew why. We had to give them reasons why we were punished.
As a group we are getting stronger, smarter and more responsible.
Around 2AM they then told us to get in our beds and go to sleep.
I need to take a shower sometime. It's been two days and I"m pretty sure they are going to wake us up soon.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Succot
I was in Herzlia for the weekend and I had Succot dinner by my cousins friends house. The food was great and they spoke English so it was all good. Thursday night wasn't holiday anymore in Israel so I went to my friends apartment in Tel Aviv . We were 9 guys in 1 apartment . Huge mess!
We hung out by the beach and went out out that night.
Had a sick time and Tel Aviv is great. Friday and Saturday we were by the beach all day. The ocean was perfect, clean and warm. Enjoyed our last day off and Saturday was my 18th birthday. At night we all left and went back to Jerusalem. I met up with a bunch of my friends and we had a good time. It was a fun weekend overall. Perfect for my birthday .
Now we are back in Aish. I got a lot of rest last week and I feel better so I'm going to start doing all the physical work again and really see how I'm feeling.Looking forward to it.
We hung out by the beach and went out out that night.
Had a sick time and Tel Aviv is great. Friday and Saturday we were by the beach all day. The ocean was perfect, clean and warm. Enjoyed our last day off and Saturday was my 18th birthday. At night we all left and went back to Jerusalem. I met up with a bunch of my friends and we had a good time. It was a fun weekend overall. Perfect for my birthday .
Now we are back in Aish. I got a lot of rest last week and I feel better so I'm going to start doing all the physical work again and really see how I'm feeling.Looking forward to it.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
This Week
Finally I got some sleep Friday before Yom Kippur and after we went to the Kotel. Fri night I went right back to sleep. The Kotel was so packed Fri and Sat.
We went out after with all the guys after Yom Kippur and got back to the room around 12 and the commandeer came and told us we have to be in bed at 1 and he said were waking up 7.
My problem was I had mono before I got to Israel and it was getting better but because the week was so physically exhausting some of the symptoms came back like being extremely tired. One or two kids got pneumonia and many are coughing but in the end it's all good for us as we learn how to push ourselves more and more and do more difficult things.
We started Ulpan and thats good. On Mon. I went the hospital to get a checkup. They gave me a blood test and they keep the needle in my arm until I could see the doctor.
I ended up being perfectly healthy.
I've been in touch with my doctor in NY, Dr. Wahba who has been helping me understand the results of my test. Thanks Dr. Wahba!
I just have mono still. It makes me tried a lot and I have symtoms somtimes . Usually takes a few months to heal but I'm had it for more than 2 so hopefully I will be fine soon so I can get back to work. I just go watch every class and so I can listen to the hebrew and pick it up more. I stay out of the physical activities for now.
We had a guest speaker this week. He graduated top in his class in Harvard Law School and now he's a Rabbi in Israel. He spoke to us for a while about random smart things that we didn't understand lol, but he was very interesting to listen to.
On Tues everyone woke up at 4 for a Masa Alunka (stretcher march ) and they all went to the bus. Someone ran back and told me to come. They put me on the stretcher for the entire march and carried me. I wish I could of been running with it but somebody has to be on the stretcher.
Towards the end they ran into a pole with the stretcer with me on it and it broke . So when they ran it squeezed me a lot it hurt but its all good, it was fun.
Going to Herzliya for Succot. Back at Aish Sat night.
Chag Sameach.
We went out after with all the guys after Yom Kippur and got back to the room around 12 and the commandeer came and told us we have to be in bed at 1 and he said were waking up 7.
My problem was I had mono before I got to Israel and it was getting better but because the week was so physically exhausting some of the symptoms came back like being extremely tired. One or two kids got pneumonia and many are coughing but in the end it's all good for us as we learn how to push ourselves more and more and do more difficult things.
We started Ulpan and thats good. On Mon. I went the hospital to get a checkup. They gave me a blood test and they keep the needle in my arm until I could see the doctor.
I ended up being perfectly healthy.
I've been in touch with my doctor in NY, Dr. Wahba who has been helping me understand the results of my test. Thanks Dr. Wahba!
I just have mono still. It makes me tried a lot and I have symtoms somtimes . Usually takes a few months to heal but I'm had it for more than 2 so hopefully I will be fine soon so I can get back to work. I just go watch every class and so I can listen to the hebrew and pick it up more. I stay out of the physical activities for now.
We had a guest speaker this week. He graduated top in his class in Harvard Law School and now he's a Rabbi in Israel. He spoke to us for a while about random smart things that we didn't understand lol, but he was very interesting to listen to.
On Tues everyone woke up at 4 for a Masa Alunka (stretcher march ) and they all went to the bus. Someone ran back and told me to come. They put me on the stretcher for the entire march and carried me. I wish I could of been running with it but somebody has to be on the stretcher.
Towards the end they ran into a pole with the stretcer with me on it and it broke . So when they ran it squeezed me a lot it hurt but its all good, it was fun.
Going to Herzliya for Succot. Back at Aish Sat night.
Chag Sameach.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Hiking
Today we went to hike the mountains around Jerusulam. For the first 15 minutes we ran, walked, climbed and did pushups on our knuckels, then we had a break to jump in some dirty green water and it was so refreshing,then we started going again all the way up th hill,we had to hold each others bags at different times and walk in a line or in two lines or make a 360 degree circle to cover all areas,get on the floor, walk quiteley, if the commander throws a "rock"(he makes it like its a grenade!! You have to scream AZAR!! And run and dive on the floor wherever you are and cover your head while counting "21,22,23 (how long it takes for a grenade to explode) if he says "avir or helicoprter" youhave to dive on the floor and crawl..after that you get up and keep running and climbing. We finally got to the top of the hill and we got to jump in another small lake for 10 minutes and started our descent down the hill. During the hike we all had bags on. I had to help someone that couldn't walk anymore and put him on my back. he weighs 245lbs and my bag and someone elses bag I was holding was like 70lbs. I had 300+lbs on my back. Some kid was being a wiSeass so thecommander made him carry 6 bags.He could barley walk. On the way down we saw thorn bushes. They made us crawlon themand make them flat for 2 minutes . We all ended up with thorns in our arms legs facestomcachs and some other places!!! It doesn't really hurt its all in your head. After we went down and another commander came in a car in front of us. I saw meat and drinks in his trunk and the other commander said follow the car. We followed the car and ended up making a bbq!I never wanted food more. That was at the end of our 8 HOUR HIKE!! I had 7 hamburgersand a lot of drinks. This whole time we all had like 6 liters of water. The bus came and our eyes light up. We got on and went back to Jerusulam and got to our rooms .Best shower of my life. were all going to go out tonight we deserve it!!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
More Pushups and No Sleep
We woke up at 730 AM and went to pray by the kotel and then had breakfast. Right afterwards we went for a run to the Jerusalem gates. The commander told us a few stories about the wars of Israel and then we were given free time to open bank accounts. Since I already opened one I used my free time to sleep until
1230 and went to lunch and then we were able to get to rest more thank g-d.
When we woke up we were supposed to have our Ulpan classes but that was canceled as we opened cell phone accounts with special army rates.
We are going on a long hike tomorrow so we hope to get some good sleep tonight,so now they obviously wake us up 5 minutes after we got into bed and made us go to a 2 hour krav maga class.
Crazy workout, then we had until 1220 to get in bed and we got in 2 minutes late so after we fell asleep they woke us up for the second time and we did at least 200 pushups each and ran back and forth and climbed things.
Now were in bed with a hike tomorrow and we won't be well rested which is the entire point.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Two Days In A Row
I slept for an hour last night,woke up around 630AM, went to pray then had breakfast.
Afterwards we went straight to the field. We had to do a 2K run. Special Forces units have to run it in under 7 minutes!
I got it in 10:23 and need to work on that!
I did 84 push ups in the test and around 70 sit-ups but I stopped because my legs cramped up.
We walked to Ben Yehudah St for a little while and on the way back somebody got lost and we didn't know until a little while later so we got a important speech about being responsible for one another.
When we got back to our campus we went to a Krav Maga class (Israeli self-defense).
The class involved a lot of cardio conditioning and learning the basics.
If you don't keep your hands up in the class our instructor hits you in the face.
If you speak in English, it's 30 push ups.I ended up doing 120 pushups that class!! Not Including the ones they make us do anyways.
After that we ran back to the lunch room and we had 7 minutes to get there but we did it in 5.
So basically the whole day my heart was beating faster then usual.
My legs, back and arms are more worn out then ever before.
It was great though.
Going to sleep at 9:00pm right now and we need to be in front of our beds for a 4:30AM run.
So they woke us up 1030pm instead as a punishment and lesson for leaving someone behind.
We ran to the feilds and got in formation. We started with having everyone in a circle surrounding me.
First 1 person had to knock me out of the cirlce, he couldent then , second it was 2 people on me they couldent, then 3 people on me and that is when they got me out on their second try.
Since there was an odd amount of people the commander picked me out and after that and wanted me to work seperately with him after seeing that.
First I had to crawl dragging my kneees behind me for 50 feet and back 3 times. Then 30 knuckle pushups. Then I had to stay in Masav Shtiam (Up in the pushup position) for a while. Then he made me crawl back and forth one more time. He told me i would be done after that but i wasnt. After he made me jump on my knucles in the pushup position on rocks and dirt grass 50ft and back (so painful) The second I was done he made me do pushups on my knuckles and then made me repeat some of the things i just said a few times. Just when i thought i was done again he told me to get the sandbag.I got it and ran back and forth a bunch of times then I had to squat with it on my back. Until the point that i dropped and he said ok thats it. Then obdviously when i stood up he made me run and put the sandbag back and go back with everyone. All this was in less than an hour.
My knukcles are bleeding and cut up same with my elbows and knees. .
Around an hour and a half later. We ran back to our rooms. I thought we were done.
My commander made me and another guy stay on our knuckles in pushup positoin for around 5 minutes on hard bumpy stone in the old city.
I took another shower in the sink and I'm going to sleep now for real I hope. All of this has been on on 2 hours of sleep since Sunday.
Its wedneday midnight and another great day.
Good night
Afterwards we went straight to the field. We had to do a 2K run. Special Forces units have to run it in under 7 minutes!
I got it in 10:23 and need to work on that!
I did 84 push ups in the test and around 70 sit-ups but I stopped because my legs cramped up.
We walked to Ben Yehudah St for a little while and on the way back somebody got lost and we didn't know until a little while later so we got a important speech about being responsible for one another.
When we got back to our campus we went to a Krav Maga class (Israeli self-defense).
The class involved a lot of cardio conditioning and learning the basics.
If you don't keep your hands up in the class our instructor hits you in the face.
If you speak in English, it's 30 push ups.I ended up doing 120 pushups that class!! Not Including the ones they make us do anyways.
After that we ran back to the lunch room and we had 7 minutes to get there but we did it in 5.
So basically the whole day my heart was beating faster then usual.
My legs, back and arms are more worn out then ever before.
It was great though.
Going to sleep at 9:00pm right now and we need to be in front of our beds for a 4:30AM run.
So they woke us up 1030pm instead as a punishment and lesson for leaving someone behind.
We ran to the feilds and got in formation. We started with having everyone in a circle surrounding me.
First 1 person had to knock me out of the cirlce, he couldent then , second it was 2 people on me they couldent, then 3 people on me and that is when they got me out on their second try.
Since there was an odd amount of people the commander picked me out and after that and wanted me to work seperately with him after seeing that.
First I had to crawl dragging my kneees behind me for 50 feet and back 3 times. Then 30 knuckle pushups. Then I had to stay in Masav Shtiam (Up in the pushup position) for a while. Then he made me crawl back and forth one more time. He told me i would be done after that but i wasnt. After he made me jump on my knucles in the pushup position on rocks and dirt grass 50ft and back (so painful) The second I was done he made me do pushups on my knuckles and then made me repeat some of the things i just said a few times. Just when i thought i was done again he told me to get the sandbag.I got it and ran back and forth a bunch of times then I had to squat with it on my back. Until the point that i dropped and he said ok thats it. Then obdviously when i stood up he made me run and put the sandbag back and go back with everyone. All this was in less than an hour.
My knukcles are bleeding and cut up same with my elbows and knees. .
Around an hour and a half later. We ran back to our rooms. I thought we were done.
My commander made me and another guy stay on our knuckles in pushup positoin for around 5 minutes on hard bumpy stone in the old city.
I took another shower in the sink and I'm going to sleep now for real I hope. All of this has been on on 2 hours of sleep since Sunday.
Its wedneday midnight and another great day.
Good night
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tues Sept 14th early am
They woke us up 2 minutes after we went to sleep @1AM.
We went straight to the field to run, do more knuckle pushups, running with people on our backs, running with sandbags, all of this is timed and if we don't do in the time we do it over again.
We did all this for 2 hours finally going to sleep at 3AM.
Don't know when they will wake us next.
We went straight to the field to run, do more knuckle pushups, running with people on our backs, running with sandbags, all of this is timed and if we don't do in the time we do it over again.
We did all this for 2 hours finally going to sleep at 3AM.
Don't know when they will wake us next.
Monday Sept 13th 2010
Woke up early today, made a quick visit to the doctor and then went to the beach and had breakfast with Toby and Nava, my cousins. I have been staying by their house and they along with my other cousins Ofer and Sharon, have been very helpful to me since I arrived.
After breakfast I went to the train station to o make my way to Aish in Jerusalem.
Got there and met everyone and found one kid with OCD too so we made our sections in the room really neat.
There are around 20 good guys here from America, all joining the IDF in Oct.
I didn't expect to do anything much today.
We had dinner then we met out first commander, one huge guy from a special forces unit for 4 years and one smaller guy not sure where he's from.
He was talking to us and randomly told us to drop and stay in the up position on our knuckles, and we held that for a minute and this is in the old city so its all uneven stone.
Knuckles were bleeding, and then second we did push ups like that Then we did like at least 10 sprints, and ab workouts.
All of this unexpectedly.
If you laughed, put a smile on or spoke english you would have to do all that stuff over.
We finished and took 5 minute showers.
We don't even know what they are going to do to us tomorrow but the day starts around 3:30 AM
I'll explain more at a different time I need my sleep!
Great day today!
Goodnight.
(Sent to my father to post 12PM Israel time)
After breakfast I went to the train station to o make my way to Aish in Jerusalem.
Got there and met everyone and found one kid with OCD too so we made our sections in the room really neat.
There are around 20 good guys here from America, all joining the IDF in Oct.
I didn't expect to do anything much today.
We had dinner then we met out first commander, one huge guy from a special forces unit for 4 years and one smaller guy not sure where he's from.
He was talking to us and randomly told us to drop and stay in the up position on our knuckles, and we held that for a minute and this is in the old city so its all uneven stone.
Knuckles were bleeding, and then second we did push ups like that Then we did like at least 10 sprints, and ab workouts.
All of this unexpectedly.
If you laughed, put a smile on or spoke english you would have to do all that stuff over.
We finished and took 5 minute showers.
We don't even know what they are going to do to us tomorrow but the day starts around 3:30 AM
I'll explain more at a different time I need my sleep!
Great day today!
Goodnight.
(Sent to my father to post 12PM Israel time)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
This Monday Aish Machal Starts
This Monday I will be in starting a program called Aish Machal. The program teaches you a better understanding of hebrew with Ulpan Classes, some learning, survival skills, training with paint ball guns, Kickboxing and alot of running to get you into shape. It prepares you phyically and mentally for the army. The program is six weeks long, half of the program in Jerusalem and half in Tel-Aviv. They help you with all the paper work and everything you need to do to enlist in the IDF since its a little harder for an Lone Soldier( someone from outside the country that is joining the IDF). For more info on the program go to http://www.aishmachal.com/
Israel Photos From August 19th To September 5th
These are pictures from me packing, in the airport, airplane, voulenteer work, hiking and just hanging out.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
So the next week on the army base I left for the station early in the morning and went to Be'er Shevah to meet the rest of the volunteers. This week the work was kind of the same. We unloaded trucks, organized sheds, and covered tanks; which is harder than you think. We went to the air force museum and visited Bedouin tents. The Bedouins are such nice people you walk in and sit down. They gave us coffee and tea. If you get a full cup of coffee it means that's you are not welcome there and you should leave now. But we all got a small amount. on the last day on the base we got random gifts and said goodbye to everyone. I have until September 13th before my Aish program starts.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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