I'm leaving for the airport around nine tonight, and taking off just after midnight. This time, I won't be jumping out of the plane.
I have not stopped smiling since Monday morning. I knew I was gonna be leaving the base in Jerusalem to get a ticket in Tel Aviv, but my pure, unbridled excitement started when my commander, before giving me some last few words to send me on my way, asked me where was all my equipment? Excuse me? "Daniel, you're done, you're not coming back here." Within minutes, I had my personal duffel bag, my large army bag, my combat vest and my sleeping bag all set to go. I was told to have fun, not drink too much in Vegas, and remember to come back....ok, maybe not all of that was true. Anyway, I said goodbye to my buddies in my unit and got the hell out of there to Tel Aviv.
(New popular song, been in my head since I first heard it months ago, and on repeat since I got my ticket)
I dropped my stuff off at David and Amy's apartment and went to the office to get my ticket. I gave the cute girl at the desk my military ID and passport, told her my dates, asked her out that night, and waited for her to get back to me. Ok ok, so I really didn't ask her out, but I should have, I was flying on Cloud 9 all day! An hour later, she had heard back from the travel agent and told me my flights: leaving at midnight Wednesday evening! Literally forty minutes into my break, I'm in the air. I land in Chicago at noon on Thursday; how awesome is that for timing! And I return on January 5th, again in the morning. I got really lucky with the airlines: flying El Al to and from Israel, and then American Airlines from Newark to Chicago. I know a few buddies who had to fly Ukrainian airlines or somethin' and had a layover in Kiev. The thought makes me shudder.
(Real nice, acoustic song, from a favorite band in high school)
I was back at the apartment having a beer and catching up on the internet when my commander called and said I had to go back to Shchem that night. Kinda inconvenient, but it actually turned out to be golden. I needed to return all of my equipment to the army, that's why I was traveling all over Israel loaded down with bags and equipment. I heard that turning in equipment could be an all day affair. I got back at night, talked with some friends I hadn't seen in a while and went to sleep. By 8:30, I had eaten and was dressed for the day. By 10:30, I was out of there! Turning in my gun, my Bet uniforms, sleeping bag, vest, magazines, helmet, jacket, kneepads, and everything else took about two hours. Bada bing bada boom thank you for playing. (Maybe you prefer 'wham bam thank you ma'am'?)
(My dad will appreciate this song, always the first one to be played on our family road trips.)
My last day in Israel. I've got next to nothing to do today. Some last few things in the laundry. Maybe walk around Tel Aviv for a bit. And goin to the airport at nine tonight! Haven't stopped smiling.
(I love the piano part, and my brother hates it, which makes this song a classic. Is this borderline overkill now?)
(I don't care, because we gotta end with a great one!)
(Ok, maybe one more. Too much of Chicago to pass up.)
Since you have been serving in the West Bank for a bit, do you have an opinion on the 'price tag' attacks against mosques? It seems like there has been a huge increase in the past few weeks. I was wondering if you feel tension between soldiers and settlers?
ReplyDeleteToda
Concerned Israeli,
ReplyDeleteI have not noticed any tension between soldiers and settlers. The only interaction I have with Jews living in the West Bank has been from sitting beside them on buses to and from my base in Shchem. I have not been involved in any retaliatory action on the part of the IDF to obstruct or minimize these radical settlers' actions.
Settlers (or Jews in general) often try to get into Shchem to visit Joseph's tomb, which is literally in the center of the city. There's a checkpoint they have to pass through, and it is usually not difficult for Jewish travelers and vehicles to pass through checkpoints. We have often been told to be on the look out for those who want to disregard the IDF's approval to visit the tomb, and head on into the city. That has often led to tension between the IDF and settlers...at times leading to physical confrontation.
Personally, while I certainly agree that I believe what we call the "West Bank" is nothing more than a 20th century political term to define what is still ancient, biblical Jewish land. However, I certainly do not condone these acts of violence and intimidation. We are better than that. Let's not lower ourselves to their level.
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