Meet the Press

To our surprise, we have been documented by a few different newspapers, back in Florida and here in Israel. Although we (and others who were contacted for the stories) were quite humorously misquoted, it was still an interesting experience to suddenly get contacted by family and friends, old and new, with well wishes for our immigration and our service as lone soldiers in the IDF.

                           The Sun-Sentinel, South Florida

While there are a few jokes we have taken from our brief stint in the press, here are a few funny examples of the misquotes... in Yedioth Achronot, the Israeli newspaper which ran an article on us, they quoted Brett as saying he is "Darren's number one fan" and that he will most "miss the Beaches" in Florida. For those of you who know us, you will know that while Brett and I do have a great friendship, he wouldn't quite go that far, and I think the beach would be last on his list of things he would miss about Florida... somewhere below humidity, hurricanes, and raccoons.

                                         "Brothers in Arms" 
                         Yedioth Achronot newspaper, Israel

We may be unique in that we have done this together as brothers, but there are thousands of people with much more interesting stories than ours who have come here to serve. Many are heroes of ours, many are friends, and we want to recognize them, as well.

A big thank-you to everyone who sent us luck, well wishes, love and support - we have been overwhelmed by the great people in our lives.

And don't believe everything you read! :)

       -    Darren

Life in Ra'anana

For the last month, I have been living at the Mercaz Klita (Absorption Center) in Ra'anana, studying Hebrew with the Garin Tzabar Ulpan. Ra'anana itself is quiet, for the most part, but has been a welcome home to us, with many friendly (often South African or American) people.

Countless times during a walk on the street or a trip to the store, I have become the recipient of all sorts of meal invitations and words of advice. While we were always told that it is the Israeli way to be so hospitable, it is really something different to experience it. Families we have never known or met have been more than willing, even insistent, that we call their homes our own.

We have developed a routine, here, too, and our lives have slowly started to become more and more "officially" Israeli. The steps have been marked with small symbols, like bank and health insurance cards, and other little things like the familiarity the local restaurant owners greet us with. We really do walk into one of our favorites and ask for "the usual," even though they start preparing it before we can ask, as soon as they see us arrive.

The bus system is an art that needs mastering, so it is as natural now as it could possibly be after a month, but we know how to get where we need to go. We should be familiar with the whole city by now, having walked its length many times on Shabbat with everything closed.

There's our gym, which has some hilarious characters and typically plays the most ridiculous music. For all of the "Zohan" fans out there, the first time we walked in to sign-up, they had an Israeli techno song on whose lyrics were literally, "Disco! Disco! Disco!" And if you ever have the opportunity to take a spin class in Israel, I give my wholehearted recommendation. Imagine a pregnant Israeli woman with a headset microphone screaming and shouting instructions in Hebrew, in-between singing along to both the lyrics and instruments of Middle Eastern electronic songs and remixes. Certainly something not to miss!

It has all become familiar. When our weekends finish and we return back to the good old Mercaz Klita from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or wherever else we've ventured, it does feel a bit like home!

Although we pack our bags in a few weeks and head north to our Kibbutz, Ra'anana has been a great first city for us.
  

          -    Darren

The First Month

My first month as an Israeli has been one of the more fascinating, memorable months of my life.

The best word to describe trying to settle down in the first week is probably confusion. The typical Israeli “bureaucracy” was expected and certainly not surprising, but trying to navigate it has been difficult. Even the simple tasks like opening a bank account or signing up for a phone plan are not so simple in Israel, so it's certainly been an adventure getting it all figured out.

Because all of that may sound a bit vague, I'll give a small example of how a seemingly easy task on the checklist can turn into a multi-day mission: When we landed in Israel on June 19^th, I was given my Teudat Oleh (new immigrant ID). That small booklet contains my Israeli ID number, indicating that I am indeed an Israeli citizen. My first attempt at opening a bank account was unsuccessful on the grounds that I hadn't yet received my Teudat Zehut (Israeli ID card), even though the Teudat Oleh contains the same information.

That led me to the Teudat Zehut distribution ceremony for new immigrants two days later where a bank had set up shop to help all the new Israelis set up accounts! Eagerly, I sat down in front of the bank official with my new ID card in hand, anticipating an easy meeting and an accessible bank account within the hour! But that would be too easy...

While the official informed me that she had opened a bank account for me, she also gave me instructions to report to the branch in Ra'anana, where we would be living the following week, and sign “just a few papers” to access the account. After moving into the absorption center and settling down a few days later, we headed off to the bank, took our numbers and waited. We waited some more...

Eventually, my name was called and I sat down with the bank official, showed her the slip with my account number, and proceeded to do piles of paperwork for the next hour. Finally, the account was opened and I waited a few more days before a representative from the Ministry of Absorption came to collect our account numbers in order to distribute our benefits. Naturally, I wasn't given the form at the airport for the bank to sign that I was supposed to be given, but after some persuasion, the representative agreed to take the papers I had and make it work. All in a week's work!

Frustration certainly hasn't been the dominant feeling so far since I've been here. After moving into the absorption center where I'll stay for the rest of of my summer Ulpan, I've met some incredible friends from different groups within Garin Tzabar. They come from all over the U.S. as well as England, France, Brazil, Russia, Hungary, and South Africa. I've worked hard in my classes: five hours a day, five days a week, running for a total duration of about six weeks. After the first month, my Hebrew has improved drastically, and I'm eager to keep learning.

I've explored the country and met a Garin from last year on their beautiful Kibbutz close to where mine will be. I've spent weekends out in various parts of Israel with some of my closest friends from my Garin and the Ulpan. I've managed to sign up for a phone plan and learned to successfully navigate the bus system, even at strange hours of the night. As I finish off the last two and a half weeks of Ulpan, I'll prepare for the opening of the Garin Tzabar program and the move onto the Kibbutz. Within the next month, I will have taken my first tests with the army (which I'll explain more in depth later.) It's all happening.

The confusion of the first week has turned into satisfaction, joy, a sense of adventure as well as accomplishment, and excitement for what the future holds.

Signing off for my first time as an Israeli!

-Brett