December 20.
A week and a half ago I completed the last part of the Tsav Rishon and subsequently received the last of the three scores through which the army assesses recruits. The highest score you can receive is a 97, the next highest is an 82. They gave me an 82. I later discovered the reason as to why I didn't get a 97: the vision in my left eye is just barely bad enough that it knocked me down a full score (my contact prescription in my left eye is -4.0). This 82 is great news for me! It doesn't disqualify me from any of the roles in which I am interested.
Other than my actual draft date I have not an ounce of information. I haven't been invited to any tryouts. I don't know if I will have to do the army ulpan. I haven't received anything in the mail.
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| This is literally all the information I have regarding my army draft. A date. תאריך גיוס = draft date = tah-ah-reech ge-yoos |
Until December 20 all I really can do is try my best to get in better shape, keep working on my Hebrew and enjoy having free time. My ulpan finishes this coming week. Later in the month I'm spending two weeks in Italy with my parents and then going home to the U.S. to visit for a few weeks. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Ashley Lessans, is getting married so I'm thrilled that I will get to be there for her wedding in Baltimore!
I'll be back in Israel at the end of October and maybe will try getting a job at a hotel to earn a few sheks (bucks) to offset my almost one year of "funemployment" ;-)
For now I'm quite happy though. It's a relief that I have officially been accepted into the army. A lot of people (especially those who are volunteers like me) have to harass the army repeatedly in order to get the process moving. I really don't feel as if I've had to be that much of a nagger.
The process pretty much went like this (I pretty much began doing these things in May/ June):
1) Become Israeli citizen
2) Call IDF to officially request to volunteer and be added to the army's database
3) Send letter to IDF in Hebrew telling why you want to serve and how you can be an asset
4) Call to follow up
5) Get Tsav Rishon date
6) Go to Tsav Rishon
7) Call to follow up
8) Get army draft date
I'm half considering trying to push for an earlier draft date but the other half of me says to let it be. Until then, Italian adventures, among other, await me!
