The Challenges and Appreications

If it hasn't been noticeable, it has been about a month since I wrote last and shared about my experiences. However, understandably so, it hasn't been without reason. This past month, and especially this past week, has shown me the intensity of the army and its training, getting to the point where if I haven't felt it already, I can confidently say that I am in the army now.

Since Yom Ha'atzamaut (Israel's Independence Day), I have spent two weeks on base, a short weekend off, and then another two weeks. Now I have off for Shabbat and the day of Shavuot, and will be heading back to base on Monday for another two weeks. The training and intensity is certainly ramping up, and I am feeling what it's like to be worked hard in the army.

Between all the challenges I can talk about, I will choose to talk about this past week and what it was like to live off the grid for over the course of four days. This past week was called "Shavuah Sadaut" which is essentially our first full week living in the Shetach. The word "Shetach" refers to being off base and being in the environment that a unit will operate. This means that the entire week we were living in the thorny and rocky hills outside our base, near no buildings or man-made structures. We were essentially living in nature and off the grid.

The point of this week is to learn about the shetach and what it's like to live and operate out in the fields. This includes learning about formations we walk in, what food we eat, the different types of terrains we can come in contact with, how to tell the direction based on the sky, and many other things. The middle of the days, when it was super hot, we spent time under a tent primarily learning. When the sun started to go down, and when the heat was withering away, that's when more physical activities began.

If you take away the learning, this is a week where we eat solely out of cans, use the outside as our restroom, can't change our clothes at all, and do a multitude of physical activities.These activities include crawling on rocks and thorns, digging areas to create lookout points, practicing carrying individuals up a hill (with all their gear) in the case they get injured, running from place to place with our full gear, and ending the week with an 8 kilometer masa (fast march) where we carry full gear and a stretcher for part of it.

*How I looked Thursday morning at 3am when I came back from the Shetach

Despite the fact that I know training will get harder, and it is a little hard to imagine that, the hardships and challenges this week were very prevalent. Furthermore, there is a lot I didn't even mention, and if I did I can go on forever. Despite this, one thing was certainly clear, and that was my appreciation for the little (and some big) things throughout the week.

This past week I dreamed of stepping into a shower, just to wash all the dirt and thorns off my skin. I dreamed of being able to change my clothes. I dreamed of any bed, and it didn't even have to be mine or one with a thick mattress. I dreamed of the ice cream cone I was going to buy myself at the end of the week. I dreamed of some hot food, and not just food from a can.

*The ice cream I bought myself at the bus station right after leaving base

It's very weird to think about it, but as I'm sitting here right now, in my room on the Kibbutz, all the things I dreamed of just a few days ago, I have so easily at my disposal as I write this post. Furthermore, I have the freedom to essentially do what I want, and this is a feeling I didn't have a few days ago, and one I unfortunately won't have tomorrow and for the next two weeks.

Despite the demanding and challenging nature of the army, and the fact that I don't like it 90% of the time I'm there, as most people do, I have gained an appreciation for the little things in life, and have learned to live without them even when I most certainly want to live with them. This is an appreciation I can only get from this type of experience, and I guess in the end it's good that I'm going through it.

Oh and did I mention, I also didn't have my phone for five days, but I assumed that was a given.