A trip down memory lane..
I started reading back my entries yesterday, and ended up reaching all the way back to the first entry I - or rather, Michelle - wrote in March of 2003. Hard to believe I've had this thing for nearly 3 years.. though it seems natural to me that we have known eachother for some 4. I wouldn't quite call them 4 years as they have been so fractured. After most of us finished high school we rather dispersed, but the internet offers an easy way to keep in contact so we still do even though our lives are so different now. I wonder if we even have any common language anymore. As I read the entries, I saw how more and more political mine became, describing a world so alien to you, while yours went down a path so largely alien to me.. maybe to each of you as well. There was once a time I was afraid to bring up the subject of politics or current events in my region as I figured it would turn people off because people were either uninterested or didn't know what to say, or both. Then ocassionally I let it slip in, with a sort of "in your face" attitude I am now a bit abashed at. While I regret the attitude I took, current events in my region are a major part of my life, and while it still might be true that people either don't care, or don't know what to say, or both, being Israeli is who I am and this journal couldn't presume to represent any even fractured part of myself without giving mention to those subjects, at least from time to time. Much as you must share your preoccupations, if sometimes alien to some of us, for your journal to hold any semblence of honesty. I hope you can understand and accept that.
I was also interested to see what had taken place in the past three years. It has been quite a time. I hadn't realized it then, but looking back these years have been rather full of dramatic events - my grandfather dying, the trip to Poland, renovating the house, Larry's stroke and the ensuing period of illness, finishing high school and final exams, all the pre-army jitter from exam to exam, position to position I tried out for, the changing draft dates, working three jobs, a break-in, nearly losing my mother to anaphylactic shock, Larry passing away, my parents kicking my brother out of the house, my grandmother dying, being drafted into the army, the ever-intensive course, my cousin Jay dying, all the endless training, falling in love for the first time, army service and the incredible world I gained entry to: the joy of the people, the work, the world, the professionalism and yes, the esteem gained from both my peers and commanding officer.
Its been such a busy past 3 years I can only imagine what the next hold in store. For now, what's on the table post discharge is a little bit of rest, followed by getting my driver's license and then working in the US for the next six months. I might be going with a friend, I might be going with my brother, I might be going alone. But it definitely appears I will be going - though where specifically to in the US, I do not yet know. After that period, I will use the money saved to travel - I think perhaps to England and the UK, maybe other places in Europe as well. I also still wish to travel to South America some time, so I might have to save up for another 6 months or so so that I may lose myself in South America for some 6 months. By the end of it all I plan on beginning my university studies in October '07 but that might turn into '08.. we shall see. If this is still up by then it will be intersting to look back and see how I had planned my life to unfold in the coming years.
Of course, this is all subject to change. For now I am content with the knowledge of my impending discharge.. just little over a week left until I enter the civilian world.
Life, here I come.
I was also interested to see what had taken place in the past three years. It has been quite a time. I hadn't realized it then, but looking back these years have been rather full of dramatic events - my grandfather dying, the trip to Poland, renovating the house, Larry's stroke and the ensuing period of illness, finishing high school and final exams, all the pre-army jitter from exam to exam, position to position I tried out for, the changing draft dates, working three jobs, a break-in, nearly losing my mother to anaphylactic shock, Larry passing away, my parents kicking my brother out of the house, my grandmother dying, being drafted into the army, the ever-intensive course, my cousin Jay dying, all the endless training, falling in love for the first time, army service and the incredible world I gained entry to: the joy of the people, the work, the world, the professionalism and yes, the esteem gained from both my peers and commanding officer.
Its been such a busy past 3 years I can only imagine what the next hold in store. For now, what's on the table post discharge is a little bit of rest, followed by getting my driver's license and then working in the US for the next six months. I might be going with a friend, I might be going with my brother, I might be going alone. But it definitely appears I will be going - though where specifically to in the US, I do not yet know. After that period, I will use the money saved to travel - I think perhaps to England and the UK, maybe other places in Europe as well. I also still wish to travel to South America some time, so I might have to save up for another 6 months or so so that I may lose myself in South America for some 6 months. By the end of it all I plan on beginning my university studies in October '07 but that might turn into '08.. we shall see. If this is still up by then it will be intersting to look back and see how I had planned my life to unfold in the coming years.
Of course, this is all subject to change. For now I am content with the knowledge of my impending discharge.. just little over a week left until I enter the civilian world.
Life, here I come.