Below: A nice shot of The Kotel and one of the two famous mosques in Jerusalem.
In this one picture you have Americans, Canadians, Frenchies, Russians (and to be quite honest I know that at least one of them is not from Russia, but I don't remember where, and sadly we just group them all together. Eventhough she told me that she had to learn Russian when she came to Israel, because they don't speak it in the country she came from!), and a Holland chick.
This is at The Wall where we had a little ceremony. Everyone gathered around to see and listen, it was a bit embarassing and cool at the same time. I remember coming to the wall and seeing groups from the army and waiting and photographing them and now I am the one being watched and photographed!
This is at the look out point where Israel fought to regain Jerusalem. Walking through the trenches this time I had a whole new feeling than I did 3 years ago when I went there. Now after having to wear just some of the army gear I can't believe how skinny they built them, without the gear you could barely walk through!!!
This is me, Susy, and Gila.
Gila and the Latina's. BTW the girl in civilian clothes beat me in the oldest person in our group to volunteer....she is 24!
Goofing around!!
The second from the left was my Hebrew Officer/Teacher, Neta-Li. She is such a sweetheart. At the end we broke the distance and really got to talk and be normal, she told me how much she liked me and I told her the feeling was mutual. She made me a CD of Israel music that we had studied in class and we had a little cry over my finally getting Hebrew. When I told her how much it meant to me she was like: Oh god I am going to start to cry. Which made me cry! And then she did cry!
And just as we were sitting crying the Mem-Mem (I have no idea how you say her title in English, but she is two ranks higher than an ordinary officer) came by and said: Oh little Elizabeth, you are so sweet don't cry. You were always so quiet (then mocking me kindly) 'Ken ha Mem-mem'
And this is the Semelet who is one ramk below the mem-mem. She is from the Ukraine orginally and I liked to think of her as The Ice Queen. She was so good at disipline because she was quite scary. But I always thought she was so beautiful and I would have loved to photographer her. She just looked like what an officer should be: tough and stone cold. Even when we broke the distance at the end, she had more distance and self restaint than all the other officers.
Well my darlings I finished my basic training/Hebrew course this week and tomorrow I am moving on to bigger and more challenging things. I have recieved my job in the army. It is something within Intellagence called Titzponit. To be perfectly honest I know very little about it but it has mostly to do with guarding the boarders using computers and other instuments, by seeing if people ar trying to tunnel into the country or what not, entering illegally.
My neighbor and both my officers said this is an excellent job and they all have friends that are in it and really enjoy it. It is a lot of secrets, but they say it is a lot of fun too. In the dictionary the definition for my job is observer.
Meanwhile right now I have to take another basic training, this time one level higher which means it is a full 2 months of training. And I was informed that I would learn how to throw grenades. Mom said this isn't something she will tell most people, but I think she should. How many mother's in the world can say their daughter knows how to throw a grenade??!!
Anyway I will be gone for two weeks, unless there is some kind of miricale and we get to go home earlier.
