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Occupation: Sherut Leumi (National Service)
Industry: Special Education
Age: 19
City: Jerusalem
Salary per month (Bruto or before taxes): ₪1,396 (₪856 from Sherut and ₪540 from Misrad Haklita because I’m a bodedah- I made Aliyah by myself and my parents are still living abroad)

Monthly Expenses

Rent: N/A – I live in a Sherut Leumi apartment with other girls doing their National Service.
Transportation: N/A – As someone in their year of National Service, I get free buses.
Health Care (basic health care is covered for all Israeli citizens through the government, but people may choose to supplement with private insurance): 0
Internet, Electricity, Gas, Water: All included as part of the Sherut Leumi apartment.
Cell Phone: My mom and dad still pay (it’s the only thing they pay for). It’s ₪99 a month because I have an American number on my Israeli phone plan.

The Diary

DAY ONE

9:45 a.m. – Wake up. Sunday is my late day at work. I love coming in and seeing that my class can function without me. I eat a bowl of cereal and milk before I go.

10:27 a.m. – Bus to work

11:00 a.m. – Arrive at work

12:00 p.m. – Hungry so I take a biscuit from the cabinet of snacks in my class.

1:00 p.m. – Still hungry so eat a tiny bit of my lunch while my kids are eating (technically not allowed but sometimes it’s fine). I brought lunch I was supposed to eat on Thursday that I didn’t end up eating because on Wednesday night we were given sandwiches at an event for Bnot Sherut in honor of Ori Ansbacher, a girl in her year of Sherut Leumi who was recently killed in a terror attack, so I took some sandwiches and ate them for lunch on Thursday. So now I have Thursday’s original lunch for today. I eat my usual quinoa, sweet potatoes, and tofu.

2:10 p.m. – Actually go out for my break and eat my lunch

5:00 p.m.– Home!!

5:30 p.m. – Went to Rami levy with my friend (Israeli :)) from Sherut. I go to Rami levy and do a big shop about once a month. I buy a bunch of stuff for the apartment and stock up on things usually because I bring my duffel bag and only go around once a month. Toilet paper and paper towels we usually switch off on buying but this time was my turn so it was pretty expensive.
314.85

7:00 p.m. – Cooking. Made the pashtida recipe Naama (NBN Lone Bnot Sherut advisor) sent us a few weeks ago using the ingredients I bought and some I had. Also made really yummy sweet potato noodle pad thai with sauce my mom brought to Israel for me from America, tofu I bought a few weeks ago, and sweet potatoes I bought today.

8:00 p.m. – My friend I went to Rami Levy with and 2 other friends from Sherut came over and I feed them my pashtida. I love when my friends like my cooking:)

9:00 p.m. – Least favorite part of the night – doing the dishes

10:00 p.m. – Friends leave, I run to shower, and then talk to my parents who are currently at Target.

11:00 p.m. – לילה טוב

Daily Total: ₪314.85

DAY TWO

6:45 a.m. – Wake up and daven

7:06 a.m. – Bus to work. Eat the granola I always make

7:30 a.m. – Work starts

9:00 a.m. – Take a hamentaschen from my kid’s bag as my kids were eating breakfast. One of my kids comes with a full bag of food every day that we call our store. My teacher told me that his mom lets us take because there’s simply so much food!

11:00 a.m. – Morning break. I usually get out at 10:30, but it’s 11:00 every Monday. I take a baguette and cheese from my kid’s bag and make toast. I add an avocado to it that I had ripening from a few weeks ago.

12:30 p.m. – Horses! We go to horses every Monday as a form of therapy for the kids. This time I even rode a horse! It was very exciting.

3:30 p.m. – Bus back to school, I’m hungry so I eat the pretzels I bought yesterday.

4:00 p.m. – Aruchat arbah (afternoon snack time). I eat a clementine from the school.

4:34 p.m. – End work and head to Ulpan

6:00 p.m. – I attend Ulpan which is essentially a crash course in learning Hebrew. In the middle, I get hungry and eat more granola

8:45 p.m. – Finish Ulpan

9:30 p.m. – Home!! Finally! Reheat my quiche from last night.

10:00 p.m. – Shower and bed :)

Daily Total: ₪0

DAY THREE

6:54 a.m. – Wake up, half daven at the bus stop

7:10 a.m. – Bus

7:30 a.m. – Work

10:30 a.m. – Break. Eat my yummy pad thai which I made on Sunday.

3:15 p.m. – Afternoon break. It’s usually at 2:30, but it’s at 3:15 on Tuesdays. I’m not so hungry but feel really exhausted so I drink coffee from the stand in school in the teacher’s room. Then I eat a rice cake from my friend and hummus from the school. Then I eat a bit more of the pad thai.

4:40 p.m. – I finish work and walk to the light rail with the other Bnot Sherut because there’s traffic along our usual bus route. I talk to my friend (in Hebrew) on the bus and then call my dad.

5:30 p.m. – Home!!

6:15 p.m. – On my way to my dance lessons. I’m very excited, I started being a personal dance teacher to a girl with Downs Syndrome :)

7:00 p.m. – Dance starts

8:00 p.m. – Walk/bus to the Tachana Rishona (First Station in Jerusalem). There is a different event in honor of Ori Ansbacher.  

9:00 p.m. – After 45 minutes of trying to get in to the event through gates which were blocked by police, I finally give up and meet up with 2 of my roomates, and we leave the event.  

9:30 p.m. – Home! Eating Ben and Jerry’s I bought on Sunday.

10:00 p.m. – Shower and bed :)

Daily Total: ₪0

DAY FOUR

6:54 a.m. – Wake up (just noticed it gets later every day through the week…). My roommate gave me a cup of orange juice on my way out which was really sweet. :)  

7:07 a.m. – Bus. Feeling a bit nauseous this morning so I don’t eat breakfast.

10:30 a.m. – Morning break. Eat my pad thai.

2:30 p.m. – Afternoon break. Finish my pad thai.

5:00 p.m.– Impromptu outing with the Bnot Sherut at my work. It was really nice! My Rakezet (Bnot Sherut Coordinator) bought us all pizza and we sat around and talked about struggles and strides in school.

6:00 p.m. – We all sprint to get the next bus home.

7:00 p.m. – Today was my best friend’s birthday so I made her chocolate chip cookies with ingredients I keep in my apartment.

9:30 p.m. – Take a shower. For some reason, the cookies are taking a long time to cook. I also wash out the containers I took for lunch the whole week.

10:45 p.m. – My best friend (birthday girl) pulled me out of bed with wine my friend brought home for her birthday.

11:30 p.m. – Going to sleep for real this time

Daily Total: 0

DAY FIVE

8:10 a.m. – Wake up. Yom Iyun (seminar for Bnot Sherut) today so late wake up :)

8:45 a.m. – Walk to Yom Iyun

10:00 a.m. – I can always count on the pastries and coffee stand at the Sherut Leumi events. I eat a pastry at 10 and another at 11.

12:00 p.m. – They serve us sandwiches

1:05 p.m. – Finish my day! So fun to finish so early

1:30 p.m. – Home

2:30 p.m. – Journal from the week

4:00 p.m. – Watch the second half of a movie I started on Sunday and haven’t had a chance to finish until today.

5:00-7:00 p.m. – Nap :) something I never have the chance to do. I was supposed to go to Ulpan but I have 102% attendance and only need 80% to get my money back from the government so I decide not to go.

7:30 p.m. – My friend uses my pasta I keep in the apartment to make both of us a pasta dinner.

8:15 p.m. – Out to meet my friend:) I buy ₪5 ice cream.
₪5

10:15 p.m. – Home. Talk to my roommate for a bit.

11:30 p.m. – Bed.

Daily Total: ₪5

DAY SIX

11:00 a.m. – Wake up :)

11:30 a.m. – Get up, daven, shower, pack for Shabbat, finish doing my laundry (Our dryer is not the most efficient)

12:15 p.m. – My mom had brought me these packets of cake mix that are supposed to be ready after 1 minute in the microwave, but it didn’t work out so well. Instead, my friend’s mom gives me some leftovers from the food she had made.

12:40 p.m. – Leave for the bus. I used to always bring Shabbat gifts but I’m starting to give up on that because I go to the same people most weeks.

3:00 p.m. – Arrive at my friend’s house in Kdumin for Shabbat:)

4:00 p.m. – We go to a really pretty place near her house to take pictures with flowers

5:00 p.m. – Shabbat starts

5:30 p.m. – Shul

6:00 p.m. – Dinner

9:00 p.m. – Go out with her friends. Last time it was boring because I didn’t understand, but this time I actually understood everything and it was pretty fun.

12:00 a.m. – Home and bed

Daily Total: 0

DAY SEVEN

11:30 a.m. – Wake up and rush to daven before the time for morning prayers has passed.

12:00 p.m. – Lunch

1:30 p.m. – Dessert/chill

2:00 p.m. – Take a walk with her dog, her friend we were with last night comes over for a bit.

5:15 p.m. – He leaves and we take a nap.

6:00 p.m. – Shabbat ends :( her mom is the best though and tells me to pack up food from Shabbat for the week :) I always see my friends’ moms food at school and get a little jealous, but this time I also got some.

7:15 p.m. – Bus home.

9:30 p.m. – Home

10:00 p.m. – My friend’s mom who’s staying in my apartment heats up Shabbat leftovers for me. I’m really being spoiled this week.

11:00 p.m. – I talk to my friends for way too long and only shower at 11, put away my clothes, and go to bed.

12:00 a.m. – לילה טוב

Daily Total: ₪0

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