MONDAY:
We had to wake up early in the morning and walk to basically the CBS so the coach could pick us up and take us to Har Hertzl. We were walking and then we eventually had to run and it was really hot out and I was wearing a jean skirt that wasn't too flexible. When we finally met up with the bus and got on I was so sweaty. When we got there we were given different tasks. I helped hand out flowers. Others handed out candles or water. I doubt in the U.S. that all of this stuff would be free. It was meaningful to be able to hand out flowers. After doing that for a bit, I walked around with Rachel. When the siren went off for the second time, everyone there just stopped moving and walking. I remember being there last year, but it was not the same. This time we were among soldiers and families, while when I was there on MOTL, yeah we were in an area with families, but only one, small, selected area. Also, we didn't volunteer. Similarly to my experience from the night before, I think I would have found the ceremony to be more meaningful if I understood what was being said. I would understand bits such as how these people we are remembering aren't strangers but our sons and daughters and friends and brothers and sisters. We were there for about 4 hours before meeting back up and then shevet/FZY had our own little activity. We were given about 30 minutes to go light a yahrzeit candle. I wanted to find the grave of the soldier who I came across on TM08, but ended up going to a different one.

When we came back together we got divided up based on if we wanted to go see Michael Levin's grave or Roie Klein's where a family member of theirs would be talking to us. It was weird that we had to decide...I went to Roie's, but I think his sister, wasn't able to make it to speak to us, but was interested in speaking to us another time. People who went to Michael's grave (who also got to go to Roie's grave, just saying) got to see Michael's dad and he spoke to them for a couple of minutes. It was meaningful to go to their graves. After going to another grave we had time to talk in small groups. We talked about how significant it is that this day and yom hatzmaoot are the day after each other and why we think it is that way and how we think people deal with it. It is nice to think that we still are thinking about those fallen soldiers when we are celebrating-celebrating that Israel is a country that those soldiers died for. We honor them by celebrating what they fought for and what they believed in.

Then shevet had the option on going on this short tour. The tour guide showed us before his friend who died in a car accident that was in the same area as Roie's grave. It is so weird and foreign for me to understand and know how to handle being at your good friend's grave. We were given a tour of Har Hertzl and saw how no matter how old you were or what you did in the army or how you died (you are still buried where soldier's are buried if you are a soldier-even if the cause of death didn't have to do with war). We saw that the youngest soldier who died was 10 years old. I was shocked. I can't even describe what I thought about.

After our "tour" I was walking with Katie and recognized the area we were in- right by the grave I wanted to see. After searching and almost giving up, I found it. I was so happy and whenever I go to Har Hertzl I am always going to go visit that grave. We then left the cemetery and waited for a bus to take us close-ish to Katie's. We were all so tired and hungry because we had barely eaten at all that day and it was hot out. When we got close to Katie's we bought food and then ate it at Katie's. After taking a little nap, we had to walk back to beit ar-el where shevet has doing things with shelem-shachariet. After, it was no longer yom hazekaron, but yom hatzmaoot. The transformation is so important, but so crazy. After, shevet (including marva people!!!!!!) all went out for dinner. It was so nice talking with marva people and catching up with them. The dinner was good. After getting back to beit ar-el and maybe showering in my old apartment (where the shelem boys are now) and maybe borrowing someone's shoes and maybe their towel, we left to walk back to katie's. Katie was a little stressed and tired. When we got back we got ready quickly to go to ben yehuda for yom hatzmaoot!

I walked to town with cara and katie and on the way we saw fireworks. There were more fireworks that night. It was funny how I got to town right when last year I had to basically leave (11pm)! There was not as many dance things going on on ben yehuda street, which was a bummer. After hanging out there and seeing people, we went to bar alley and celebrated with friends there. It was fun. It was weird thinking about how happy everyone was, when only a few hours before they were mourning. Later that night I met up with Boaz who was somewhere else and went back with him. I left my phone in the taxi and I realized it after about 2 minutes and when I talked to the driver, he told me if he came back it would have to be in about an hour and would cost me about 100 sheks. So ridiculous, so Boaz talked to him and we were going to meet up with him the next day (so it would be for free.)