First time evacuating to a Bomb Shelter.

Shalom everyone,

Today, I am going to share my experience in evacuating to a bomb shelter for the very first time, just so you know a little bit of what it is like over in Israel. Obviously, this case is not representative of everybody's sentiments or situations in evacuating, so by all means, take this as an individual narrative from yours truly.

As most of you already know, and for those of you who don't, rockets have been targeting Tel Aviv for about two and a half weeks. This has caused many people to worry over my status and whether I will be staying in Israel until the end of summer. I, myself, have never been in a situation where I have had to evacuate and update others over my status, with the exception of short, nonthreatening fire drills at schools; so, suffice to say, it was a bit of a shock to me when I woke up at 10:35AM to loud sirens blaring over the dorms of Tel Aviv University, warning of rockets approaching.

In all honesty, it took me a few seconds to enter reality, especially waking up in a groggy state. However, when first hearing that siren, I knew that I had to bolt down to the basement of my dorm building, and because it was my first time, although I was calm for the most part partially due to being warned about the proper protocol for these situations, I was still a little bit nervous. When you're in these kinds of scenarios, you never know what to think or predict, you only see yourself in that moment, adrenaline-equipped, making a quick decision, no matter what happens.

After rushing down to the basement of my dorm building, I entered the bomb shelter. There were others like me, simply waiting for what would happen. The shelter, coincidentally, also functioned as a storage room; to pass the time, I would look at books, artwork, pots, pans, letters and whatever there was to ensure a distraction. However, despite my calm state and my preoccupation, nothing could take my attention away from the loud explosions overhead in the sky, stopping me from whatever I was doing. Even though there was small chatter among others, there was tension hanging over the atmosphere.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the sirens died down, no other instructions had been given, and I returned to my flat to begin my day.

That was my first experience in a bomb shelter. Past that time, I have had to evacuate from threats once or twice a day since rockets started firing from the Gaza Strip. I've also started to become a bit more nervous of loud noises, since I've had to become more vigilant. And, although I know the drill, am confident about my safety in Tel Aviv, and am now almost completely level-headed about evacuating, I can definitely state that the nervousness stays the same.

Until next time,
Joel