…and incredibly happy to be in my own bed once again tonight. Right now I can hear bombs dropping from the IAF a little over a kilometer away in Gaza city. I have guard duty tomorrow, then Thursday night I’ll be catching up on sleep in Tel Aviv while house sitting, Friday I have my friend Efrat’s Birthday Party, Saturday I’ll be sleeping, Sunday is as usual and Sunday night, once again, back at Zikim.

I’ve been writing a pretty large post as I’ve had time to…I imagine that I’ll finish it somewhere around Thursday night…and now…time for sleep.

Just got back in from Shabbat at Shirah’s folks…wonderful as always, though I quite potentially made a total ass of myself. This whole now finally being with Israelis who aren’t immigrants/kibbutznicks on a daily basis and then needing to culture switch between Officers, Soldiers, Foreign Attaches, Israelis, American-Israelis, Americans Living in Israel, Tourists and Kibbutznicks is far more complicated than I had first thought…mostly now because I’m working and hanging out with Israelis on a daily basis where I get yelled at for being “too American” and yelled at for holding anything back…added to that that the Phatics, Politeness and Accomodation and Social Norms that I’ve been accustomed to for years are thrown out the fucking window…it’s sort of like being in a blender…while at work I take a linguistic fieldwork approach to it which allows me to really handle anything, but my general opinion is that without making the mistakes, offending people, and then getting corrected on it I’ll never actually integrate so it’s a bit of a balancing act.

In any event…I’m incredibly tired (I’ve been lacking in sleep this past week) and going to bed soon. I did manage to write the speech in time for Shabbat services (I spoke to my Rabbi from Jerusalem) so he should be reading it to the congregation tonight (I may post it here after I finish writing the travelogue). I’m still behind in emails — I’m sorry…my energy has just been…lacking…it’s been a busy week.

Prof. Roustum (my Arabic professor) once said that culture shock is fine…so long as you don’t get electrocuted…Prof. Roustum is a very, very fine man.

My game plan is to respond to emails/return phone calls, then write a travelogue, then a blog post…and then finally get caught up on everything…I miss everyone! Please don’t take my lack of emailing/communication recently as a lack of caring.

Anyway, assides from writing about the current situation down south and new years resolutions and plans I have a lot to update everyone on (and I’m pretty excited to read about what’s been going on in everyone elses lives).

That said, all my love…rest well…and Shabbat Shalom :o)

I’m still here! Speech is written…travelogue, blog post and emails to people happen tomorrow since it’s 1:45am and I want to go to sleep :o)

Love to everyone!!

- me

Happy New Year!!

I’m still alive…rockets are still landing…I’m on base tomorrow, then Tel Aviv tomorrow night (to catch up on sleep) followed by Shabbat in Jerusalem (to catch up on sleep).

I have so much to write…and right now, not the energy to write it…tomorrow after I get home from base and a nap…there’ll be a few letters, a speech, a post, and a travelogue.

My love to everyone. Goodbye 2008…you had some high points, you had some low points, but all in all, 2009 is promising to be an amazing year…and I’m incredibly excited to wave goodbye to 2008 :o)

- M

Back on the Kibbutz for the night…it’s hard to impose on friends (though I know that there’s more than a few couches with my name on it should I really require it - and you have no idea how much I appreciate it), I desperately wanted to sleep in my own bed again, and (perhaps more importantly) I wanted/needed some things (…like my glasses…which usually sleep in my bag, but that I had left out the night before, my tallis and tefillin which I’ve been planning on moving to my office for a week now anyway…) in order to function at my best (it’s hard to look confident if you keep squinting to make sure what you’re seeing is what you’re actually seeing…).

We’ve had two Red Alerts since I’ve been back.

Tomorrow night I’ll once again be in Tel Aviv, though this time for my friends weekly house party (Black Tuesdays). This weekend - in what will probably occur during more Red Alerts - I will be finishing the last bit of organizing of my room on the Kibbutz and the last bit of unpacking before I start doing things like decorating (scented candles, an indoor zen rock garden, fluffy pillows and meditation space, art, etc.)…since I certainly plan on staying.

Expect a more detailed post sometime tomorrow, and a Travelogue this weekend.

All my love,

Matan :o)

I’m alive…news currently looks scary, situation is a bit tense…an actual post & travelogue later this week.

Right now, bed.

All my love,

M