Going back to the fire zone

Today I went back to Metulla after not seeing my mom for a week and a half. My mom didn’t want to leave… It probably sounds weird to you but you have to understand that it is extremely hard to just leave your house. It is the one place we are supposed to feel safe and secure in, therefore leaving for an unknown period of time is difficult. Most of the residents of Metulla choose to stay at this time; it is probably a consequence of growing up being used to this danger.
I feel so bad for the residents of other northern towns that are now suffering missiles for the first time – Rosh Pina, Tzfat, Tveria, Haifa, Afula, Nazareth and dozens more. We already went through many years of Katyusha, they never did.
As we were approaching the north there was a growing sense of stress in the air. Traffic became lighter in cars and heavier with army presence. It started to feel like war. And then they were, clouds of smoke rising to sky, showing us exactly where not long ago Katyushas hit. It was unbelievable, it was all around us. For a moment we were trying to decide which road to take, as if we were gambling on our lives, where we would have a better chance of surviving and not getting hit by a missile.
In the background there were non-stop explosions and cannons firing. Sometimes it’s almost hard to tell the difference between what was shot by our army and what was shot by Hezbollah.
It’s the end of day 13th of the war, but there is not even a slight decrease in the number of missiles shot at Israel. The latest number I saw on the news was over 2,500 missiles were launched at Israel. I don’t even want to think about the incredible capital damage to property and the economy which is going to cost billions, it’s hard not to though as an economics major.
Two air force pilots died today in a crash of a helicopter. An officer and a soldier also died in the battles inside southern Lebanon. My heart breaks.
Don’t get me wrong, casualties on both sides are terrible, but this is what happens in a state of war. We did not ask for this war.
As I am writing these lines the explosions are still going on, shaking my house and our windows. Imagine the worst, loudest and scariest thunder. This is a million times worst, louder and scarier.
My dog is pretty much our of her mind by this point, my cat is getting there too. Animals sense these things so much more than humans and they are so scared. It’s hard to watch a dog that was always so happy and playful hiding under a table and not willing to go outside because she is too scared to pee.
I’m going to try to attempt sleep, but who knows how much success I will have with explosions waking me up every few minutes.

If you have any comments on this blog I would be happy to hear them.
Shalom and Layla Tov from Metulla, Israel.

My town is so famous by now...

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3280562,00.html

*The picture was taken today from the car while we were driving towards Metulla. A Katyusha hit that area just half an hour before.