Army Issues

The reason I am currently in Israel is to serve in the army. Really. If you don't believe me just check the title of the blog. To that extent I have to deal with the office of the army that deals with recruitment. My situation is especially complicated because I am technically volunteering and must pass a medical review committee in order to serve. To make matters worse, the recruitment office is incompetent. Because of the aforementioned review committee, it was important to get my file completed in Tiberius so it could be sent to Tel-Aviv (where the committee resides). That is why it was especially frustrating when the recruitment office called last week to ask me to complete some tests that should have been done a month and half ago. In the end, my file was completed and sent to Tel-Aviv. Unfortunately, I was unable to acquire a committee hearing and must now wait until early November when the committee meets next. Until then.....

H.M......Oh

A lot of my time this past week was spent researching various HMOs to determine which would best suite my needs. Because healthcare in Israel is mandatory (yay for socialism) I don't have to worry about getting any "pre-existing condition" BS. It also means that the basic services provided by each of the HMOs is roughly the same. Basically my decision came down to which HMO seemed better managed, had more open appointment times, and gave out lollipops after shots.

On a related note, one of the laws I encountered during my research dealt with the amount of money a patient is aloud to pay for medications. It turns out that the maximum a patient can pay in any half a year period is approximately $350. That means that I will end up paying a little over a hundred dollars per remicade infusion (and pay nothing for other medications). This is remarkably better than the $2000 that I had been led to believe each infusion would cost. It seems strange to me that during all of the discussions I have had with doctors and health care professionals about trying to obtain remicade at a reasonable price, not one of them informed me about this subtlety of Israeli health care law. I have since come to the conclusion that everyone involved with health care in Israel is stupid. Except for the people who write the laws.

Interview #1

This past Tuesday I traveled, along with about ten other Garin members to Tel-Aviv to be interviewed by the Diplomatic Corps. We also had to take an admission test that everyone trying to get into the unit take. The test was basically formality as the unit had already determined that we are all excellent candidates for the position. The interviews were basically brief and were meant to give the commanding officer a chance to meet each of us face to face. In my interview the officer informed me that if I serve in the unit I would be serving in Tel Aviv (at the same base where the interview was being conducted) and working in the research division. Because the unit wants us so badly, it has offered to let us stay on special rooms on the base. Here is the dilemma: Have really interesting job in the army with good opportunities for advancement vs. living on a base with no amenities where everyone else gets to go home after work but I stay on the base. Please direct all comments at the link below.

I Love My Boston Sports

Beyond the people in the States, there is not much that I especially miss. I tend to be relatively Spartan, and while the "American lifestyle" is a little cushier than my small Kibbutz apartment (which I share with my roommate Jason) I find that I can live happily without many of the superfluous perks. However, one thing that I do miss, is Boston sports (and other Boston sports fans). That is why this week has been especially awesome. On Sunday, Middle East TV picked up the CBS feed of the Patriots game and I was able to see the Pats romp over the Buffalo Bills. Even better, on Tuesday night, ESPN broadcast the Red Sox - Angels playoff game live! The only things I was missing was other Red Sox fans to celebrate with and some Yankee fans to mock.

Like....Call Me

Friends, Family, other people with cell phones, it is my proud pleasure to announce that I, Adam Shain, have finally succumbed to societal pressure and have procured a cell phone. What is especially significant about this is that in Israel, there is no cost to receive cell phone calls. I may now be reached anytime and anywhere at the number 052-486-3460 (011-972-52-486-3460 from the states). My family, especially my sisters, are very proud of me.

I-Crazy

Last week, for Sukkot, I traveled to Haifa to visit my friend Avi. For those who don't know Avi, we went to elementary school together and have been friends ever since. He is now in Israel employed by Microsoft Israel and has been living in the Dan Panorama hotel until he sets up his apartment. Speaking of which, one of my primary tasks during my time in Haifa was to help Avi buy furniture for his new place. To that end, on Friday morning (chag is only one day in Israel) we woke up early and arrived at Ikea at a quarter past nine. To put it simply, the place was a mad house. There must have been thousands of people there. Literally. And it only got worse as the day went on. By the time we had selected a recliner, a wall closet, and a tv stand, found the items on the shelves, and checked out, almost four hours had gone by (about an hour and a half of which was spent waiting in line). Like I said, it was a mad house. A crazy Swedish madhouse.