Israel - #BIMdannmalinIsrael

Shownotes

You want to know more about a semester abroad in Israel? Then listen to this episode! Chris tells us about his stay in Tel Aviv which he would rate with 10/10 points. In our interview, he tells us about his unusual living situation in a multi-culti shared apartment on an old factory site, about surfing students in Israel's high water and about Tel Aviv's diverse party scene. But also Shabbat and culinary experiences from falafel to marinated chicken in orange fig leaves are thematised. In addition, Chris gives us some insights regarding the partner university "College of Management Academic Studies" in Rishon LeTsiyon, which is located a bit outside of Tel Aviv. Enjoy!

Contact details:

E-Mail:  bimdannmalweg.fwiwi[at]thws.de

Instagram: @fwiwi.thws

Credits:

Moderated by Lara Yargiman

Produced by Lara Yargiman and Sonja Zügner in cooperation with the economics student body of THWS

Sound and editing by Sonja Zügner

Transcript

Lara: Hi and warm welcome to the THWS Podcast “BIMdannmalweg”. In this podcast we are going to talk about the experiences of students that went abroad. Today’s guest is Chris! Glad you’re here, would you like to introduce yourself?

Chris: Of course! I’m Chris, 27 years old and study international Management at the beautiful THWS here in Würzburg. Currently, I’m at the 6^th semester.

Lara: You’re here to talk about your semester abroad, now tell us, where exactly have you been?

Chris: I studied in Tel Aviv, Israel!

Lara: Sounds exciting and exotic. And why did you decide to go to Israel? Did you have other countries in mind or was it your dream to go to Israel?

Chris: I always wanted to visit Israel, but I actually wanted to study in Rio de Janeiro to maybe also take part at the carnival. Unfortunately the semester would have already started in August and that was a little too early for me, because I wanted to earn some money to be able to finance the whole trip. My second choice was Israel and that’s where I went.

Lara: Was it a good choice?

Chris: Definitely! I would do it again.

Lara: At Which university did you study in Israel?

Chris: The University is called College of Management Academic Studies and is based in Rishon LeTsiyon. That’s a smaller city, 10 kilometers away of Tel Aviv.

Lara: So did you commute? And I guess you were living in Tel Aviv?

Chris: Yes, I was living in Tel Aviv and commuted every day I had university.

Lara: Did you live in a shared flat or a residential accommodation or anything similar?

Chris: The first two weeks I lived in different hostels. After that I found a shared flat through a fellow student. But it actually was just a rebuilt factory area. Very beautiful with a lot of charm to it.

Lara: And with how many people did you live? Were there internationals?

Chris: We were 9 people, so there were 9 rooms. It actually was an Airbnb with a nice rooftop for everyone. 7 people were international students coming from France, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The other two rooms where mostly booked by Airbnb guests, which was interesting because you never knew what was coming. Once we actually threw a party for Sabbath, how you do it, with loud music and suddenly two elder men with suitcases came in. And we were like, who are they? But everyone was just in party-mode, so we didn’t realize it from the beginning. But they actually booked the two rooms and were just coming from the airport. It was just hilarious how they were confused and one of them tried to eat a soup while everyone was dancing and jumping next to him.

Lara: Must have been a surprise for them too! How would you rate your time in Israel from 1 to 10?

Chris: 10! Even though you say 10 never exists, but in this case I’d definitely give a 10.

Lara: Nice! You already talked a little about Sabbath, would you like to tell us a little more about that?

Chris: Sabbath only exists in the Jewish religion. As a student you should keep that in mind, because as soon as it’s dawning on Friday evening the Sabbath begins, so all stores close. They then open again on Saturday when it’s dawning again. Till then everything is closed. This holiday is meant to spend time with your family. So you eat together and can celebrate. But you’re not supposed to work.

Lara: Interesting! Do you have a funny story from Israel that you would like to tell us?

Chris: Once, it was raining for two weeks straight and since they don’t have a sewerage like we have in Germany the water was so high, it could reach my hip. And a friend of my, a Dutchman, was very into surfing. So he decided to try it in the water of the rain. They even did a YouTube video which went viral. It even was in the national news. They also got interviewed and were like superstars at uni.

Lara: Wow, crazy! How would you describe your semester abroad in 3 words?

Chris: Well, maybe not in words, but I’d say good food, good life, good music.

Lara: Good food? Maybe you can tell us a little more about that. What did you eat in Israel?

Chris: In Israel there are many delicious culinary treats because of their diverse backgrounds. There are so many versatile recipes like falafel, marinated chicken in orange leaves and so on. Everything was very tasty! Through their kosher way of nutrition, because of their religion, there also is a huge range of vegan and vegetarian food. I have to say, I personally enjoyed a lot of falafel and shawarma.

Lara: Did anything go wrong or do you have any tips for other students, especially regarding the visa?

Chris: Yeah, maybe a bit went wrong. Right before I wanted to leave, I got a mail from the uni in Israel saying that there were changes regarding the staff, so that they were afraid to not give us the educational standard they usually give. Fortunately, we still were able to go to Israel and everything was fine. However, I also had a tiny problem regarding the visa. I have to say in Israel they are very strict. So, at the day you fly back home, your passport is supposed to be valid for the next 6 months. This was not exactly the case with mine, so I had to fly home for a short time and get a new passport there, to then fly back to Israel again. It was very funny and everything went well! I could also bring some sweets back to Israel, which was great because they are very expansive there.

Lara: Back to uni, which courses did you take? And were you able to make them count for the FH here in Germany? Did you like your courses?

Chris: I found the courses very interesting. Nearly everything now also counts in Germany. There also were many courses that I think would not be offered in Germany, like perspectives of communication or international law and studies, regarding human rights and religion. These also were my favorite courses. Also, as an abroad student they want you to get good grades. I only had uni twice a week, because it’s obvious that you also want to learn about the country and meet people there.

Lara: Did you also learn some Hebrew?

Chris: Well I can say things like good evening, good morning, so small things.

Lara: Do you want to show us some of your skills?

Chris: בוקר טוב. ערב טוב.

Lara: Sounds great! The communication was manly in English I guess?

Chris: Yes, the communication was completely in English. So I could improve my English again.

Lara: Were you also able to get in touch with some Israelis?

Chris: Unfortunately, we only had courses with some Israelis at the end of the semester. So we only got to know them for a short time. But I was able to get to know many internationals!

Lara: I have to say I only know Tel Aviv through pictures and I say some things about the party scene there, can you maybe tell us a little about that? And how does it feel to walk through Tel Aviv?

Chris: There are many architectural styles, I think there’s also one that’s a UNESCO world heritage. Also, there’s an Arabic part, which looks like the game Assassin’s Creed. It’s like the Middle East. Very, very beautiful with paved streets. In Jerusalem, you could really feel how old this city is. If you look at the cobblestone, you’ll see that they are very rounded down because people walked on them for thousands of years.

Lara: That’s really impressive. Do you have any advice for the students on what to bring if they’d like to go to Israel? I think you said it rains a lot, so maybe an umbrella?

Chris: Well it rained a lot for two or three weeks and that’s it. But an umbrella would be useful, definitely, but I think that’s it.

Lara: What do you think you could learn for your life in this semester abroad?

Chris: I realized again how nice it is in an international atmosphere, where you are really open and love to listen to others. You just have to enjoy the time you have there, especially if you think about corona today.

Lara: What was the most memorable moment that you now connect with Israel?

Chris: Once we have been shot at with rockets. Everyone is aware of the conflict of the Palestinians and the Israelites that are fighting over the land. The Gaza Strip is like 80 km away of Tel Aviv. But Tel Aviv got the Iron Dome which is the best missile defense system in the world. Luckily it got rid of all the rockets. Nobody was harmed, it was just a shock. Fellow students went to uni by bus the moment all of this happened. I wasn’t because I overslept. They actually had to stop and lay down into a ditch and could see the rockets fly above them.

Lara: That’s sound scary. So would you say Israel is a safe country?

Chris: Definitely! Nothing happened, and I was never afraid to get robbed or when I walked in the dark. The People there are so friendly, open and welcoming!

Lara: What about parties?

Chris: Tel Aviv is great for all the LGBTQ members. I was able to get to know a lot of people of this community! There are techno, indie, rock parties and so on. I had a lot of fun.

Lara: I would love to visit Tel Aviv too. I think that’s it for today! Is there anything else you would like to tell students?

Chris: Don’t worry! At some point corona will be over too!

Lara: Thank you for those wise words! I hope you had some fun, and maybe you would want to visit Israel now too. I’ll leave you the contact data if you would like to talk to Chris and if you have any questions feel free to send us a mail or text us on Instagram. Till next time!