side note: (some of these pictures are really old. you can basically distinguish this by how much clothing everyone is wearing. You are smart, you can figure it out.
A view from my base, Mitzpe Adi, in the very early spring. This photo does the view of Israel no justice what so ever, but it is a glace at what I see. The building in the middle is the dinningroom/kitchen. This is taken standing outside the "hamal" (war room, where I do my guarding shifts)
The mountains in the distance are the Hermon (mentioned in the bible at some point or another) and the highest part is actually Syria. There was snow on the Syrian mountains until April! So think about it: my view at Mitzpe Adi (in Hebrew mitzpe means viewpoint/ lookout) spans from Syria, Lebanon, to northern Israel including the Syrian/African straight, the Golan, and the northern valley.
Just about once a month we go on a trip of different parts of the territories we cover to see the closest live view possible. It is really interesting to see things that you only see on a screen in real life. This is not a picture of my territory, but a glance into Southern Lebanon. Notice the yellow flag in the middle? That's the flag of Hezballah.
This is some of my territory!! Very exciting to see it really exsists! I think this picture was taken in February or March.
This is my room on the base. It is shared by 4 girls. My bunk is the top left one. This photo was taken when we first moved in. It actually looks a lot more home-y, and a lot more crowded. I know probably no one can believe it, but I have become a much more tidy person. I am now a lover of no clutter. And unfortunatly my roommates are lovers of clutter and not clean at all. So a live in a jungle of a room.
This is one of our cameras (probably the most impressive in size. Most of the others, including mine are just a pole and a camera on the top. But she is a big momma. Her name is Tziporen, her nickname, Tzipi ha Katan (little Tzipi)
This is a funny thing. I took this picture a really long time ago, actually last summer. This is my friend Amitai. He asked me to take pictures of him and so we had a little photo shoot in Tel Aviv. I cropped a few of the ones I liked and sent him all do do with as he pleased. This picture was forwarded to me a few days ago by Lerone. I don't remember taking it, and I didn;t crop it. But it just shows what a good crop can do to a picture. I really love it now.
This is my neighbor Richie. He is from Texas and he has been in the army since November. He is Nahal and just now finishing all his training. I really love him. Actually When I heard I was getting an American neighbor I was less than excited. But he is not your typical American Jew Prince. I love to hear all his army stories, some things a simplly can't believe kids go through. For example he just finished his final march, you could say, for his beret. 60 kilometers!!!! This picture was taken before we went to a Reggae concert on our kibbutz, sometime in the spring.
I asked a soldier boy to take this picture. At first I hated it because it is so far away, but I think this will be one of those pictures you look back on as really cool, because you can see life around you. This is the day before Passover. Noa had just moved here and came to my kibbutz to visit. We were both on our way to Passover Seder.
Just a little street in Tel Aviv. Thought it was a nice shoot with all the different colors and angles.
This is my lovely Dora!!! I have been friends with her for 9 months and this our first picture. I don't think it does her justice, she really is one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. Maybe because a picture can not capture the beauty inside too. She is a person that I think God has come into my life and changed my life in many ways. She was my neighbor in my kibbutz but she finished the army and moved to Holon, a neighborhood near T.A. Here we are in Jaffo having a coffee and a bite to eat. It was the cutest little cafe.
This is Shiran. It is a long an strange story, but we were dating. Not for very long because he is now in Canada working to make money, like every Iraeli does. But to make a long story short we met almost a year ago in En HaShofet (he lives there) and we worked together in the factory. We started dating and he was the biggest jerk in the world. I told him off and thought I would never talk to him again. Fastforward about 4 or 5 months, I was in En HaShofet visiting and I get an sms from an unknow number saying: you probably hate me, but I would like to talk. So we met and talked about what happened, eventhough my first reaction was to tell him to fuck off (pardon my French). We made peace, we became friends, and then we tried again. I am not a believed that people can change, but I saw it. We only dated for about a month. But we had a lot of fun. We went to the kinneret together (thats where I took this) and he came to my base a few times. He left about 3 weeks ago. And we have left it as, it was fun and its too bad we won't get to see what it could have been, but we will be friends, cuz I think he is a super cool guy.
This is Yakir, my mit'hangel. I'll explain. There is a lingo in 869 (that is my sector of field intellagence. All the north is 869) that says if you talk on the phone with a random person of the opposite sex during your shift you are mit'hangel or mit'hangelet. Does that make any sense? So this is my first mit'hangel, Yakir.Yakir called late one night probably 1:30 am asking for another girl. I told him she is not here right now.
This is the conversation:
(it starts in Hebrew, I will tell you when it switches)
Y=Yakir
L= me, Liz
Y: Hi, is Tali guarding now?
L:No she is at home.
Y: Oh....are you bored?
L: yeah and tired.
(now I asked him in English, I don't know why even, maybe I was too tired and just slipped back)
How do you know Tali?
Y: (with an Israeli accent) um, eh, I meet her, eh, just like I meet you, eh, on the phone. How, eh do you now English?
L: I'm American
Y: (suddenly no accent) You are!! Wow thats so cool!
L:Why did your accent just change?
Y:what do you mean?
L:well first you were talking in an Israeli accent and now you are taking like an American...
Y:because I am amaerican too.
And so it went. He was born here in Israel to American parents who made Aliyah (they met in the laundry of the army) and his arents moved back tot he US when he was 2 until 13. And then back to Israel. So that is how he has perfect Hebrew and perfect English.
It is crazy to say but I have talked with him so much like 10 hours a day on our weekend shift!! And we had a chance meeting in Kirat Shmona. I really like him and think we could be friends in real life.
Some of the girls in platoon on our "platoon day" last week. It was really fun. In the morning half the platoon went kiyaking and in the afternoon the other half went to pool. It was really fun and relaxing. This is Sivan, me, Ruby, and Rotem.
And that night we had a party, it was very fun.
