Preparing for a Semester in Haifa, Israel
When I first moved to Spartanburg from a small town in Pennsylvania, I thought I was embarking on the journey of a lifetime. I was determined to put myself out of my comfort zone and attend college in a completely new city with people I had never met. And in some ways, Wofford has been my journey of a lifetime – forcing me to battle with my comfort zone and adjust to a new culture. It’s given me the best friends and a new place to call home. But when I decided on Wofford, I had no idea that my biggest adventure would be two years later and halfway across the world.
This spring semester, I’ll be studying abroad in Haifa, Israel. I’ll be taking classes at the University of Haifa toward the completion of my Arabic minor (though, Hebrew is more widely spoken) and Middle Eastern North African Studies concentration and meeting new people throughout Israel. I will live with a host family in the city and hopefully, gain valuable insight into the core values of the Israeli cultural iceberg. Along the way, I will meet people from all facets of Israeli life, from refugees to Circasssians, and visit religious sites in Jerusalem. But best of all, I’ll engage with Israelis in day-to-day life and hopefully, come to understand what it means to live in Israel.
As many of you probably know, Israel has a complicated past and controversial present. While the country’s largest population is considered ‘Jewish,’ Arabs, non-Arab Christians and citizens with no official religion still compose around 25% of all Israelis. Haifa in particular holds a diverse group of people and is often considered a more ideal location for co-existence between Arabs and Jews. When we think of Israel though, we tend to only understand it in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which can be easily misunderstood or misinterpreted. While this dispute is an important part of the Israeli identity, there is more to the country and region than conflict.
My goal of being a foreign correspondent isn’t just to narrative the highlights of my trip, but also to be honest about my interactions. Being a MENA student, I’d love to offer the Wofford community some insight into the Middle East and hopefully clear up some misconceptions and offer new perspectives. I hope to share my interactions with Israeli customs and beliefs, explore some of the social movements and everyday struggles and give my ratings of the best coffee shops and falafel stands. I still have much to learn and have no doubt that along the way, I’ll understand more than I could have from a textbook. Wofford has gifted me with the opportunity to study abroad and I don’t plan to waste it by keeping these experiences to myself.
