The New Garin

Well, it finally happened. Garin members are starting to disappear into the vast unknown referred to as the Israeli Defense Forces. Last week 7 guys left to join their combat unit. After futzing around for a few days and having a "gibush" (3 days of absolute physical and mental hell which determines who gets accepted into special forces) the guys are about to start their real basic training. One consequence of their leaving is that the day to day dynamics of the Garin have been drastically changed. Aside from the loss of several great personalities, the Garin now consists of 2 guys and 10 girls - who are not yet in the army. A clear example of this change is that tomorrow night we have a "girl's night" program. I don't care how much they beg, I will not let them paint my nails or give me a makeover. This is a frigging army program!

On a serious note though, this does mark a significant change in the "life" of the Garin. We have begun to transition from a group that lives together and sees each other on a daily basis, to one that consists of people serving in different places in the army, seeing each other infrequently on weekends. We had a great ride together and now our real army experience is beginning. I am sure that in the coming months we will learn to appreciate and grow nostalgic for our carefree time shared on Kibbutz.