That's Pure Baby!

Because this evening is the beginning of Yom Kippur I thought it would be appropriate to ritually cleanse myself (note: This is significantly different from ethnic cleansing) in order to be pure for the holiest day of the year. For anyone who unclear, this consists of going to a mikva, or Jewish ritual bath. In my case this essentially involved skinny dipping in the Kinneret.

On a more somber note, if I have hurt anyone over the course of the past year I would like to humbly ask for forgiveness. I never intentionally try to hurt anyone, and tend to be oblivious if I have hurt somebody accidentally. I know that this past year was not the smoothest of years and that at times I was overly stressed (read: thesis) and neglected friendships (read: thesis). Thank you all for bearing with me and I wish everyone fasting an easy and meaningful fast, and everyone a g'mar chatima tovah - a good final inscription -this year (read: book of life).

Hour You Doing?

Just in case people are interested in calling (hint hint wink wink), Israel just moved our clocks back an hour. We are now only 6 hours ahead of eastern standard time (until you guys change your clocks). The reason why the clocks are moved back earlier in the year in Israel, in case anyone wants to know, is that now Yom Kippur will end earlier and the fast will be that much easier. So there.

A Little Bit Of Army

I know it was a while ago, but I figure now is as good a time as any to talk about what went on in gadna a couple of weeks ago. First off, gadna is a program run by the army to give 16 year olds a little idea of what they will be going through when they turn 18. Given this, it is not surprising that some of the gadna "mifakdim" (officers) were unprepared to deal with "campers" slightly older than that. In any case, at gadna we learned basic army instructions like how to stand at attention, how to stand in a chet (imagine a square with one side missing) and how to make a bed so that our mother's would be proud. In addition, we have classes on the different army insignias and ranks. We also had a day of field training. We practiced moving in the wilderness, dropping down into a shooting position, and what to do when a grenade is thrown at you - essentially run like hell in the other direction, drop to the ground, and cross your legs to protect your "naughty bits." Oh yeah, and we also got to play with m-16s. I can now take apart and reassemble an m-16, not to mention hit the outskirts of a target some 60 yards away. Unfortunately, this may be the end of Adam's play time with weapons, as the army has indicated that as a volunteer I won't be going through basic training and so will not be carrying a gun. Don't worry though, I still have to have words with the army on that subject.

No Time To Argue

My apologies to all who have been waiting for updates about gadna and other assorted anecdotes. After gadna I didn't have a chance to write before traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate Rosh Hashana (where I still am). I promise to fill in all of the details when I get back to Kibbutz. Hopefully DSL will be up and running by the end of the week.

Arm Me Training

On Sunday our garin leaves for a week of Gadna, or army training. Over the course of the week we get our asses kicked (aka physical training) and learn army terminology and become familiar with the symbols of various army ranks and units. We also play with m-16s to get a feel for the weapon before basic training. I will therefore be out of communication for approximately a week. It's not that I don't love you, it's that I won't have e-mail access.

My Thai No More

One of the reasons why I decided to come back to Israel was the food. While there is no question that Taam China will always be considered fine dining in my book, the cornucopia of Kosher food that Israel offers in unsurpassed. That is why, upon visiting Jerusalem for the first time since I returned to Israel, I couldn't wait to hit up my favorite Kosher Thai establishment. However, much to my dismay, what was once an authentic Thai restaurant, has been transformed into an Israeli run sushi and Thai joint. Honestly, I sat down on the curb and cried. Some dreams die hard.

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