Australia-New Zealand 1

Australia-New Zealand 5,

Oct. 18, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

”What a day for a day dream”

I woke up early, had a light breakfast, closed up the house and figured out how to put the key in the security box all by myself. I spent 1 hour trying to change my method of payment on the Uber app. AI finally gave me a hand. Some of these apps are not made for people with white hair. I called an Uber and the driver arrived in 15 minutes. He refused to take my bicycle and would not drop down the back seats. He wanted to charge me $8.00 as according to him, I was cancelling the ride. I threatened to give him a bad report so he relented and cancelled the ride himself.

My neighbour offered to drive me to the railroad station but by that time I had already summoned up a new Uber. We had a nice conversation and he told me that he had built the semidetached house and sold the other half for $1.9 million. Real estate is very expensive in this area. The Uber arrived and took me to the railroad station. I had 2 bags of luggage, a knapsack with my souvenirs from the triathlon and a bicycle. It was obviously unmanageable. A nice gentleman of similar vintage to me took charge and helped me get my baggage onto the train. They were doing work on the train line so I had to get off the train and take a bus. The gentleman accompanied me for a few blocks to get to the bus station. People are so nice here.

The first bus was too crowded to take me with my bike. The second bus arrived 15 minutes later and gave me the same lame excuse. By that time I had run out of battery. I went into a Dominos Pizza Restaurant and the waiter called an Uber for me. He would not accept any payment! The Uber arrived and refused to take me with a bicycle. He did accept to call a bigger Uber. I arrived at the train station and somehow boarded the train to Sydney. An Uber took me to my Ibis Budget Hotel. I checked into the hotel and decided to bike from the airport to downtown Sydney to drop off the bike. The GPS lady told me it should take about 35 minutes. That might be possible for an Australian but certain not for a senior Canadian. I ran out of battery life 1.5 hours later, so I stopped off at restaurant to charge up my iphone.

I was hungry so I had some sushi. It was the worst sushi that I have ever eaten. By the time my iphone was charged up, I had to purchase more data. That is not easy to do if you have no data left to go online and buy more data. It was a vicious circle. Eventually, I got in touch with the Livelo bike shop to drop off my bike. The shop was closed. The man told me that he was in Wollongong picking up bikes. He gave me the address of his house which was supposedly 2km away. It turned out to be 5k away through a lovely hilly area of town with much parkland. I dropped of the bike and headed off to the train station to go to my Ibis Budget Hotel. The train took me to Central Station but there were no connecting trains to the airport as there was track work being done. They did supply an airport bus several hundred meters away. The bus dropped me off at the Domestic Terminal and I proceeded to my hotel on foot, 15 minutes away.

I am sitting in an airport hotel restaurant, finishing off a nice fish meal and sipping my second pint of Australian beer. I am wondering if I should have a 3rd one.

Tomorrow, I fly to Auckland, New Zealand.

”What a day for a day dream”

Love,

Brian

Australia-New Zealand 1

Australia-New Zealand 2

Oct. 16, 2025,

Hi Every one,

I arrived in the airport in Sydney with 2 bags on rollers but still rather unmanageable. My Ibis Airport Budget hotel was a few a few hundred meters away, so I rolled and bumped my baggage along for 20 minutes. Needless to say on arrival that my Ibis Hotel with a slightly different name was in the opposite direction. I wanted to check in early but they wanted and extra $30 for the privilege so I just left my bags in the locker. I took a train downtown to visit Sydney.

While in the airport at San Francisco I managed to get my ipad stolen when I looked away for an instant. The plane was leaving in a few minutes so I had no time to make a police report. I went to apple in Sydney and they blocked all the data and locked the ipad. The app ‘find my ipad’ showed me that my ipad was still in the airport. Maybe someone found it and turned it in. In any case it is insured so I bought another one from apple. Apple transferred all the data to my new machine so I was in business. I was rather discouraged and hungry so I drowned my sorrows eit a Caucchino and a muffin. In an hour or so once I started writing on my new toy, I felt better. I switched my sim card for an Australian sim card I minute to late and received a welcome to Australian message from Bell Canada that cost $30.

I picked up my rented bike on the other end of town and bumped along with 2 bags and a bike to a train station that took me to Wollongong, a small town on the ocean where the triathlon is takeing place. I rented a house with another couple about 10k from the village , on the sea. We are staying in a 4 bedroom, 2 story very will appointed house with a garden. The beach is just down the street. My house partners are a couple from Australia who are very nice.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the triathlon site to register. They gave us our tattoo numbers, a large bag, a swimming hat and instructions for the race. We had a meet and greet dinner with the Canadian team at a beach restaurant. Later in the day all the teams got together for the Parade of Nations through town. The streets were lined with 10,000 spectators and there were a lot of television camera. There are 4000 thousand athletes here from 73 countries. There are many races here including the elite race, the age group races , the sprints, the olympics, aqua bike faces and duathalons. I am doing the sprint, age group 75 to 79 race.

For the parade, each nation marched in as a group. We are about 200 on our team. Israel has a small team here. When I saw them, I went over to them, told them that I had been with the IDF and MDA and asked permission to march in with them. They were very. pleased and shock my hand. Some one walked lover to me and asked me if I would wear a ‘free Palestine bracelet .’ I quietly refused telling him that I was on the other side.

Last evening we went out for seafood. I ate burundi fish that I had never eaten before and it was delicious. Today I will go for a swim, relax and catch up on my writing.

Love, Brian

2025-03 Israel

Israel 27,

April 17, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

I started the morning off with 1 cultural event, a visit to Erez Israel Museum. It is a nice museum with many low rise buildings featuring the development of Israel fromprehistoric times to the present day. Over the centuries, following the destruction of the 2nd temple by the Romans and the beginning of the diaspora, there were many invaders of the land. Prior to the Romans, the land was invaded by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Mamyluks, the Greeks, and the Romans to name a few. After the fall of Rome the land was invaded by the Arabs, the Christians and the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. Israel was always a crossroads so many peoples passed through the land. The above list is by no means complete. The final rulers before Israel became a state were the British being given the land by the League of Nations that became known as the Palestine Mandate. I spent 1.5 to 2 hours visiting the museum and as in any museum, one can spend days studying each exhibition.

It was 36C at 1:00 so I went off to the beach for a few hours of sun. As usual I swam out to the breakwater and back, a distance of 500 meters. There was a cool breeze making the day pleasant in spite of the heat. The beach was packed with sunbathers. This is a very different population than what I saw in apartment buildings with MDA. There was 20-25 knots of wind with a westerly wind blowing on shore 1-2 ft waves. There were no sailboats out but the water and beach was filled with kite surfers. At one point I counted 50 kite surfers in the water and flying through the air. It is a wonder that there ropes do not cross each other.

The kite is semi circle about 10 ft long and 2 ft wide. One edge is inflated with air. There are 4 strings attached to the kite which lead into 2 strings that attach to a 1.5 ft bar. The surfer holds onto the bar and also has a belt attachment. The surfer holds board is 4 ft long and 1 ft wide with places for one’s feet. 1 person holds onto the kite and eventually lets it fly. His partner holds onto the bar and puts his feet into the attachments on the board. When the string is taught, the surfer just seems to take off on the water. By switching the bar around, he can control the direction of the kite. Some of the surfers can obtain 20-30 feet in the air. One day when I am older, I must try this sport. It really looks like fun.

Love,

Brian

2025-03 Israel

Israel 26,

April 16, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Last evening when my new friend Boris and his wife left, 2 young girls sat down next to me. As usual, I cannot forego striking up a conversation with fellow patrons sitting at the bar. My opening line this time was ‘are you American?’ As they were both speaking English and were clearly not English or Australian, American was a safe bet. 1 young lady was here for a short visit. The other lady came after Oct. 7, and has been here for 1.5 years. She started a website on Facebook called Sword of Iron, Israel Volunteer Opportunities. It is a very successful website and has become the go to website for foreigners looking for opportunities to volunteer in Israel. I consult the site almost everyday and often read about the volunteering experiences of fellow travellers. I told her that I write a blog on a website and have been documenting my stay of 2 months last year and 1 month this year with the IDF and MDA. She was most interested in my experience and took note of my blog site. She also encouraged me to write my blog on her website which I will do ASAP. It may drive more readers to my site as well as helping me in the sale of my soon to be published book. I have decided that the proceeds of the book will go directly to MDA.

This morning as usual I was up at 5:30 am in order to get to my base on time. The hotel prepares me a breakfast to go as they only start serving at 6:30. It takes me 20 minutes to drive to the base but 45 minutes to return due to the heavy Tel Aviv traffic at rush hour. Rush hour here seems to be any time after 9:00 am to 7:30 pm. I worked with 2 paramedics with whom I have worked before on several shifts as well as the chief paramedic who is very experienced and according to his employees, has seen and done everything. They defer to him for his opinion on many cases. The cases were very simple today so I will not go into details.

The 1st case was a Californian lady who married an Israeli and has been living in Tel Aviv for several years. She is a runner and was suffering from a severe acute groin injury. She could not get out of bed due to the severe pain. We gave her an analgesic and muscle relaxant and her condition improved. I think that she has a coxo-femoral inflammation in her hip. I had a similar condition last month and could hardly walk. The radiologist gave me a cortisone shot in the hip joint under ultrasound guidance and I was better in 15 minutes. She will probably have the same treatment.

The 2nd case was an elderly patient with minimal chest pain that quickly improved when we arrived. He didn’t require transportation to the hospital.

The 3rd case was a young man with a cardiac history. He had midline abdominal pain. We brought him to the hospital for an u/s to r/o an aneurysm which was an unlikely diagnosis. I think that he has a semi acute pancreatitis and will have the appropriate tests.

The 4th patient was an elderly gentleman with mild chest pain. In cases of chest pain we always to the routine tests in the apartment and in the ambulance and then transport the patient to the hospital.

Today we finished on time at 3:30. I said good-bye to my colleagues and we took the usual selfies. I invited them to contact me if they ever come to Canada. I promised to take them skiing if they come in the winter or to go sailing on my boat if they come in the summer.

I cannot leave Tel Aviv without making some comments on the Israeli drivers. I actually find the drivers to be quite civilized as long as you follow the rules. They accelerate fast but rarely go more than 10-15 k/h above the speed limit. They are very much respectful if you have the right of way. On the other hand if you don’t have the right of way, forget about making a turn or changing lanes. It is faster to go around the block. Waze is superb here. Without Waze I could never get from A to B. There are too many one way streets and the streets go in circles rather than straight lines. Signalling is theoretical here if you want to change lanes. The horn is a most important part of the car and is used very frequently. I think that most drivers can hit the horn faster than they can hit the gas peddle. There is a green 2 way lane for bicycles, scooters and small motor bicycles. You must not make the mistake or walking in a green lane. They don’t expect you to be there and will give no quarter. They is virtually no J walking like in Montreal. Pedestrians have a green little man on the traffic light allowing them to cross. This very well respected both by cars and pedestrians alike. Pedestrians will stand for several minutes waiting for their turn to cross even if there are no cars in sight. There are also pedestrian cross walks in the middle of the the street with no lights. Cars jam on their brakes if they see a pedestrian showing an indication of wanting to cross. I rented a small Kia for getting around. You must have a small car here as parking is at a premium here and the parking spaces are very small. Israelis can get into much smaller spaces than I would willing to try. I mostly walk here for short distances or take the bus. A young man rolled down his window and asked me if I wanted to sell my car. He was disappointed when I told him that the car was a rental.

I am sitting outside at a table in a sushi restaurant. The sushi is ok but rather expensive for what you get. It is 20C, very pleasant to eat outside. I am alone at a small table writing my blog. As usual on a Wednesday evening, the restaurants are full and I had to visit several ones before getting a table, as many to the tables are already reserved. People really know how to enjoy themselves here.

Love,

Brian

My new MDA 1st responder motorcycle

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv Hospital

Dizengoff Square, (which is a circle)

My final MDA Team

2025-03 2025

Israel 16,

April 5, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Today was a great day as usual. I woke up reasonably early, wrote my blog on my feelings of the events in Canada, went down to the beach and let my mind wander to pleasant thoughts. It was 21 C with a cool breeze. The beach had its usual amount of people but very few people in the water. It reminds me of what I have heard about Florida in December. The Florida natives are dressed up warmly and the Canadians are in their bathing suits and swimming. Only a small part of the beach was open for swimming, the rest was black flagged.

After lathering up with suntan oil, I lay in the sun on a rented lounge chair until I was warm enough to go into the water. I swam out to the breakwater as usual but I was the only swimmer out there. There were small waves today but there was a strong current blowing in a northerly direction. Although I had no trouble swimming to shore, I found myself blown 200 meters further up the beach onto the black flagged beach. The life guards didn’t whistle or say anything to me. I guess that they are used to me swimming out to the breakwater. I warmed up by taking a long walk on the beach and had my usual Magnum ice cream for lunch.

In the evening I went for dinner at my cousin Rochelle’s place. They bought a new apartment with 3 bedrooms and their own private safe room in the apartment itself. The safe room is reinforced with thick concrete. After a long talk to get us up to date with family news, one of her daughters took me for a long walk to see the neighbourhood called Peta Tikva. The Israel architecture is amazing. The taller build are no more than 8-12 stories high. Each apartment is different although most are built with the same stone. Each apartment faces in a different direction. There are many parks filled with young people playing soccer and basketball. I was very impressed.

Love,

Brian

my Krav Maga team

2025-03 Israel

Israel 10,

Mar. 30, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

We were up early for breakfast and took the prearranged van to the airport where all the Sar-El volunteers meet. The Sar-El organizers register each one of us individually and then send us off to our respective groups. There are about 6 groups of varying sizes that break off and go to their respective army bases. Our group is the same as last week as we are all taking the Krav Maga course. I am happy about this as we are a very cohesive group and everyone is fun to be with. We were introduced to our new madrihot who seems to be very nice. I purchased a new dog tag as a spare in case I loose the one that I have.

We took the bus to our IDF base which is 1.5 hours away. I slept most of the way as I was up late last night writing my blog and I was tired. It is great to be back at the same base. It is just like a home coming. I am in the same room as last time with the same 3 guys. We had a quick briefing of our days chores and then sat down for lunch. After lunch they asked for 4 volunteers for kitchen duty. I volunteered and the rest of the volunteers went off to a warehouse to continue unpacking, sorting and repacking uniforms in the duffel bags.

We met back at the main barracks at 4:00. Although it was 30C with a hot sun and a minimal breeze, I changed into my shorts, a tee-shirt and sandals and ran 6.5 km. We had a general meeting before supper to present ourselves to the new madrihot.

Below, you will see some pictures of my week at the base. You will also see my new boots.

Love,

Brian

2025-03 Israel

Israel 9,

Mar. 28-29, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

We got back to Tel Aviv at around 4:00 pm. Most of the volunteers took a taxi to the hotel. I elected to take a bus as I have a pass and wanted to do some shopping in Dizengoff Square which is a circle. I purchased a few necessities and then walked back to Maxim, a distance of 10 minutes. I was glad to get back to the hotel and get my old room back. At 6:00 we had the usual wine and soup and then 3 of us went down to the beach for supper. As usual in the evening there was a cool breeze and we could hear the waves lapping up on the shore.

Friday morning I usually go to the laundromat to wash my week’s laundry. Friday was no exception. It’s silly I suppose, but I love laundromats. They are always the same, buy the powdered soap, choose a washing machine, and pay for 30 minutes. Usually I go for a cappuccino at the cafe next door. I was disappointed to find that the cafe had closed so I just sat outside on a chair and read my emails. The dryer lasted for another30 minutes and I then I was on my way back to the hotel with a fresh batch of clean clothes.

I skipped lunch and went off to the beach which is just across the street. They were not renting chairs yet so I just found a place on the sand. The beach was crowded but you can always find a 10 ft private space for yourself. I lathered up with lotion and lay down to get my first suntan. When I was hot enough, I went for a swim. It was 30C with no breeze and the water was dead calm. The beach was black flagged, meaning no swimming, or swim at your own risk as there were no life guards. There were no swimming signs everywhere. Every hour or so, there was a taped announcement that swimming was dangerous and prohibited. That did not prevent the Israelis from going into the water and swimming. I swam out to the breakwater twice, a distance of 250m, 1 km in total, not bad for a first swim since October.

The Tel Aviv beach is fabulous. The boardwalk extends for miles with restaurants, cafes and bars all along the way. The Israelis are incredibly fit. I did not see 1 overweight person on the beach. The men are 6ft tall, dark skinned, muscled, and very good looking. The typical Ashkenazie Jew that we think of is long gone. There has been 3 generations of intermarriage between the Ashkenazi Jews from Europe, the Sephardic Jews from North Africa and the Mizrahi Jews from the Middle East. Add to that the new arrival of Russian Jews, Yemenites and Ethiopians and you get an incredible mix of genes and cultures. When you see a French person, you usually know by their look that they are French. The same is true for Italians and Greeks. Now, with the intermarriage there is a typical Israeli look both with the men and the women. The women are relatively tall and absolutely gorgeous. They are usually dark skinned with dark hair. Once again they all appear to be in good shape. The men wear shorts for bathing suits. The women wear strings, front, back and top. Everyone is playing soccer, keep the soccer ball in the air with everyone in a circle, volleyball, paddle ball and frisbee. You have to dodge the balls if you are walking on the beach. I had a Magnum ice cream for lunch at 4:00.

I was invited for Shabat dinner at Vickie’s. As usual she had other invited guests. Her brother and sister-in-law were there. Her sister-in-law is from New York and made Alliah in 1970 about the same time that I came to Israel for the first time. I was close to making a similar decision at the time but in the end elected to go to France to study medicine. A Swiss-American doctor was also invited and is working as a paramedic on an ambulance like me. We had a splendid evening together.

Today was more of the same. I had some business to catch up with with the College des Medecins de Quebec that took several hours. I then headed off to the beach. It was slightly cooler today with a 20 knot breeze on the water. There were many sailboats out and I envied them. There were 3 foot waves and the usual no swimming signs and announcements. There were a fair number of surfers out taking advantage of the waves. I swam out to the breakwater. I had to do a breast stroke to see the waves coming and to get past them. Every time I saw a wave, I dove down and let it go ever my head. Eventually, I reached the breakwater. I was the only swimmer out there and the surfers looked like they were wondering what I was doing there. I will admit that it was a little crazy on my part and perhaps somewhat dangerous, but I felt really good and I was swimming well. After my swim, I rested for half an hour and then ran 10 km along the beach in 1:10. Overall it is not a great time but for me it is not bad. Richard asked me to run a 10 km with him next Friday so I must practice a bit this week.

We sat around the table for for our usual wine and soup. A young German girl told us that she was supposed to go to the Nova Festival but some how ended up giving her ticket to her best friend. Her friend was one of the persons killed at the concert. She is in the process of converting and making Aliah. Her husband who is Israeli and in the army was killed several weeks later. Several persons at the table did their best to comfort her and a few of them were crying with her. What a tragedy. How do you get past an experience like that and continue with your life.

Love,

Brian

2025-03 Israel

Israel 7,

Mar. 26, 2025

Hi Everyone,

Last evening after supper, we all gathered in one room for a get together. We sat on bunk beds, drank coffee and ate cookies and cakes. It reminded me very much of summer camp in the Laurentians when I was an teenager. After lights out for the campers, the councillors would gather around a campfire. There was always someone present with a guitar and we would all sing campfire songs until midnight. Last night was the same, with the same atmosphere but lacking a guitar and an indoor campfire. We chatted about many subjects often telling stories of trips to foreign countries and adventures that we had had. I never have a shortage of stories to tell.

Today we finished off packing the soldier’s bags. Some of the bigger and stronger fellows worked loading and unloading the trucks. I was not chosen for this job. I am not sure why! Instead, I volunteered to work in the kitchen. This was very interesting and rewarding work. We sweeped and washed the floor in the dinning room. We set the table for the officers. We prepared the coffee table. We laid out the plastic dishes for the evening meal. We then did a major cleanup in the bathroom, halls and our bunk rooms. It was over 30C but I still went out for my afternoon 6 km run. It was not easy but I felt good after finishing the run and taking a shower.

This evening we had our last evening together. The madrihots thanked us for the great week that we had together. They will move on to another group next week but we will be coming back to the same base for work and a continuation of our Krav Maga training. The madrihots were wonderful and much appreciated by all the volunteers. Each of us had to give a small speech on their 1 week experience here. Everyone was extremely happy with our group, the madrihots, the base in general and the work that we had to do. The 16 volunteers come from 7 different countries and it was amazing how well we worked together. Of the 5 weeks that I have worked with Sar-El, this was by far the most cohesive and friendly group to work with. I am very happy that we will be together next week.

As usual, when it came my turn to speak, I was not at a loss for words. At first my sentiments echoed the sentiments of the other members of the group as I explained in the last paragraph. There are 4 pictures of myself on the base, receiving my shoulder pads and with the madrihots. These pictures have been posted in previous entries of my blog. I sent the pictures to my good friends and to my hockey team. The majority of them are not Jewish. I asked them discreetly if they would like to join me. I received many positive responses.

This past winter I worked as a ski patroller at Mont Blanc for the first time. The head patroller, Philippe had heard about my experience with MDA as a physician on an ambulance in Israel. When he introduced me as a new patroller in the group, he asked me to say a few words about my experience in Israel on an ambulance. I gave a small talk and mentioned of course that my experience is well documented on my blog which they could read. I never miss an opportunity to self promote. Montreal is a very cosmopolitan city with many languages and nationalities. ⅔ of the city is French speaking. When you leave Montreal and go north into the Laurentians, the population is Quebecois and 100% French speaking. When I spoke I was not sure what the reaction would be as I do not hide my feeling of being a Zionist. I am very happy to say that I received a very positive reaction from the group, many of whom went on to read my blog. Many of the patrollers went on to ask me questions about my stay in Israel in a positive manner. When I finished working with the patrol, I sent an email to the patrollers thanking them for a great season and for welcoming and integrating me into the group I mentionned what I would be doing for the month in Israel. Philippe asked me to post some pictures. I posted the same 4 pictures on our web site on Facebook as requested. Within 12 hours I received 17 likes and several encouraging comments. That made me very proud and happy.

Love,

Brian

This is a shelter. We have 45 seconds to get there. We did not have to use it this time.

2025-03 Israel

Israel 6,

Mar. 25, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Today was a routine day which will be quite similar to tomorrow I assume. We were up at the usual hour, had breakfast and then off to work at the warehouse. We emptied duffle bags, checked the equipment and then refilled them.

I should say something about the food. It is really healthy with a never ending supply of fresh vegetables for the 3 meals. Breakfast is a little different with an egg omelet and delicious cinnamon buns. Lunch is the main meal with an assortment of meats, fish and poultry. Supper is similar to lunch with a different assortment of the above. Desert is always made up of several choices of fruits. I am sure that you could eat as much as you want here and never gain weight.

We have a mixed group of volunteers from Canada, the USA, France, Peru, Estonia and Soviet Union. 30% are not Jewish. The Jews range from very religious and kosher, to conservative, secular and 1 atheist. All are Zionists or they would not be here. The age range is from young to middle age with 1 or 2 seniors of whom I am the eldest by far. Everyone is well educated so the conversations around the table and while working is quite stimulating. We all enjoyed the Krav Maga session yesterday. No one complains about the work or the organization. A few of us go for a walk or a run at the end of the day. One fellow was chased by a few ‘hungry’ stray dogs so I will have to be more careful when I run tomorrow as maybe they didn’t get enough to eat. The weather was hot today, probably hitting above 25C in the afternoon. It was rather hot to run so maybe I sweated more and lost a few more ounces.

Yesterday, my shoes gave out. The 1 piece soles and heels fell off spontaneously within minutes of each other. Perfect built in obsolescence. When our commander saw what had happened , he came over, took my shoe size and promised to bring me a pair of boots today. He was true to his word and this morning presented me with a brand new, black, pair of Israeli army boots. I put them on immediately and received jealous comments from my colleagues. I thanked him and the madrihots profusely. I am so proud to wear them. You can see them in the picture below.

Love,

Brian

2025-03 Israel

Israel 5,

Mar. 24, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

We found out that it was the Houthis that sent us a rocket on Sunday. I guess that we were lucky. We were in the van and had time to file out and get to a shelter. 2 more minutes and we would have been driving along in the van when the sirens went off. The standing orders are that if you are in a car when you hear the sirens, you stop the car, get out of the car, lie down on the ground, on your stomach and cover your head with your hands until all clear. Imagine 20 of us doing this on a major highway. This is an everyday occurrence in Israel that I have not yet had the occasion to try. I have an app that shows where the rockets go off, minute by minute. We have been under rocket fire since I have been here but I only went into the shelter once. We hear the boom-boom several times a day even where we are.

Today we were up bright and early for work. ‘Hi ho,hi ho, it’s off to work we go’. We arrived in the warehouse and worked on army bags. The bags are 3 ft long and 1 foot wide. We had emptied and sorted the equipment yesterday. Today, our task was to fill the bags. We divided ourselves up into several teams to make the work go faster:

1, make a plastic bag, 2, seal 1 end of the bag, 3, put a uniform or jacket in the bag according to size, 4, seal the bag, 5, bring the bag to another team, 6, place the jacket, the sleeping bag and the uniform in the large army bags that someone is holding open, 7, haul the bag to another place, 8, close the bag, 9, put the bag on the shelf, 10, erase the date on the label of the tagged bag, 11, put a new date on the label of the tagged bag

Did I miss any step? I hope not because they are very strict on precision. An improperly sealed or torn bag can mean a wet uniform for a soldier.

In the afternoon we filed into a room for Krav Maga instruction with a young, well built and well trained instructor. He gave us a history of Krav Maga which is an Israeli developed self defence system. We were going to be taught commie, which is a more advanced method of fighting, faster and more adapted to fighting an opponent of a different, usually bigger size. We lined up in 4 lines of 4 and paired off with an opponent of the same size. He then taught us different punches and kicks and how to parry them away and strike back. We took turns as the aggressor or defender saying in advance what the attack would be in order to avoid contact. It was hard work for 1.5 hours, a 10 minute brake and a second 1.5 hour session. I got through the day with all my teeth, no black eye, no bruises and no broken bones.

I did my residency with a fellow who had a black belt with several dans. I asked him what he would do if he were challenged to a fight on the street. He said: ‘I would run away’. I asked him why? He said: ‘I don’t know if he has a gun or a knife and I have nothing to prove.’ That seems to be rather wise position to take and I will keep it in mind.

After work at 4:00, I did a 6 km run for 45 minutes listening to 60s light rock music. After supper we had a 1 hour lecture by the madrihots on IDF slang. The lecture was great and rather humorous but I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open.

This morning we had flag raising and then the singing of Hatikvah. We then received our Sar-EL Volunteer Blue Shoulder Patches. Each regiment has a different shoulder patch. Every time you go up in grade in the IDF or receive a shoulder patch, you receive the traditional punch on the shoulder by your commanding officer. One of the fellows was a football player for Kansas City. The Madrihots really had to reach high to punch his shoulder. The last 2 pictures are the before and after pictures of the volunteers when we received out IDF uniforms.

Love,

Brian