So the journey back to my base on sunday mornings (or tomorrow afternoon, for that matter) starts with a short bus ride to a train station with this view of the beach. This is where I was standing on the platform. The beach just taunts me as I have to continue my long journey. There are much better views of the beach from this platform, but it was really early and I was too tired (or lazy, or both) to move from my spot to go chasing "the perfect picture.


So the trains are crazily packed with soldiers on sunday mornings. I am near the beginning of the route and there is already no hope of getting a seat by the time the train reaches my stop, so everyone has to sit/stand wherever they can find space. This is the view of the entrance/exit of the train. A little crowded. No shortage of guns, either.


This is the view facing the interior. The green strings that the two girls in the center are wearing means that they are commanders. Their job is to boss people around all day (like in basic training). Almost all the commanders in basic training and in courses look like this (yet another way the israeli army is different than the american army). The girl in the pink is actually sitting on the table between the seats that face each other. She really wanted to sit. There is a girl on the left who is only represented here by a snippet of arm. She is in the military police and was the cutest of the three soldiers there (you can't really get that from her arm, though)


This picture makes the lunch line look a lot more organized than it ever really is. Never are tensions at the base higher than in this line. Pushing, cursing, yelling, and other forms of intimidation are de rigour here. As a matter of fact, you learn quickly that you will get made a fool if you try and be polite here. I tend to speak english when I want to yell at someone in the lunch line because it will throw them off/confuse them enough to hear it that it will give me the upper hand I need.


So this was my lunch. That drink they give us is the only thing we get to drink in the army besides tea. It's pretty much just like Kool-Aid, and I end up drinking it by the pitcher, usually. The put some sort of eggplant thing in the pita just because I wanted eggplant and didn't have anywhere to put it. I started with more fries and another piece of chicken, but didn't think to take the pic until I had eaten about half of it.


This time I remembered to take a picture before I started eating. Notice the "Kool-Aid" again. I make sure to have that for every meal. Out kitchen favors serving breakfast-y foods for dinner, so the french toast comes with my pasta. The little bag of milk was for the cereal they were serving, but I prefer the milk on its own (and ended up getting another 2 bags of it). I love the kind of vanilla pudding that I got with this meal, too. I buy it when I'm at home all the time. I'm totally in love with army food (and the fact that other people make it for me and then clean all the dishes).


So one of the many "little things" I love about Israel is that there are no rats. None. You pretty much never see them. Instead, we have cats! I love cats, so I find all the street cats quite charming and appreciate the fact that they take care of any rats before I ever see them. This particular cat controls the area near the phones I used to talk to my girlfriend every night, so I see him lots.


Israeli cats don't get a lot of photo requests, so they are a bit camera shy. When this cat saw me chasing her with something bright, she decided to make a strategic withdraw from the garbage can. I had no desire to take her dinner away though, so I promptly left her to finish what she started.

Ok, if posts like this are better than the normal rambling, I'll try and deliver more of them. Enjoy!