Back in the swing of things after Gadna—the army experience at Sde Boker base that gave off such a surreal impression—spending a full week back in Kibbutz Tzuba seemed taken for granted. Reflecting on the short but sweet trip, the long and harsh seeming days at the beginning, and the ironically melancholy ending, I came to appreciate the freedom in our everyday lives. I can still remember the rigidly timed mornings, standing at attention in perfect form, running in two lines for ten seconds, and the air of respect that was present around the commanders. While shooting a military-grade M16 automatic assault rifle, I was intrigued, but the real fun came the following day when we had a field training exercise: covering our faces with mud, learning different variations of army crawling, doing the knife-walk, and working together as a team—I was totally immersed. As the buses pulled up the next morning to take us back to reality, I was relieved to be rid of the rigorous lifestyle, but as I now sit here in nostalgia, the stagnant air that is devoid of training camp bustle emanates indifference and does not fill me with the same appreciation for life that was present at Gadna.