I arrived at Ben Gurion airport in early August and began my residence on the Technion campus with four of my classmates. With the help of several returning students and the TEAMS administration, we were able to acquire Israeli bank accounts, cell phone plans and other basic requirements for life abroad. We have now familiarized ourselves with many of the essential bus routes for navigating Haifa and we are constantly discovering new places to explore. I have dined at restaurants in Herzliya, danced at nightclubs in Tel Aviv, and just this past week I visited Caesarea with several friends to see the ancient Roman ruins.
Recently, several of my classmates and I moved to Bat Galim to be closer to the medical campus. We were quickly embraced by the community of third-year students that has begun its clinical rotations. My classmates and I have all completed Level 1 Ulpan with our beloved and ever-patient professor and we now speak enough broken Hebrew to order food, negotiate at the market, and figure out why we boarded the wrong bus.
Life in Israel does have its challenges. One popular grievance, for example, is that you may spend more time waiting in line at the supermarket to check out your groceries than you did shopping for them. These are challenges that are best tackled with a healthy dose of perspective and a long run on the boardwalk. I find that the most critical component to maintaining a positive outlook during a difficult transition is being surrounded by positive people and such people are in excess in the TeAMS program. My experiences thus far have been confirmation that coming to Israel was an excellent choice and I am looking forward to continuing my education here at the Technion.
Adam Greenblatt
Class of 2016
Technion American Medical Program