I am so happy I chose Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University. Everything about it has been an amazing experience so far. Our program director and coordinator are the most organized people I’ve met and have given us endless resources to aid in the move to Israel. Orientation was last week and, if it wasn’t for their Google Calendar, I would have probably succumbed to my jetlag and slept through it. On days Thursday and Friday, my cohort and I went on a trip around Israel. It was dual-narrative themed, so we had one Israeli-Jewish tour guide and one Palestinian tour guide. Here they are speaking about the conflict at the border with Lebanon. Syrian border at Mt. Bental. Nazareth And a city-turned National Park called Bar’am or Biram (depending on the Hebrew or Arabic pronunciation) that was once populated by Palestinian Christians before they were forced out by the IDF in 1948. I learned a lot about the political mess that has gone on in this part of the world for centuries. I also got to know the other 30+ members of my cohort who have come to learn with me. The exciting part is I felt challenged for the first time in awhile. We went wine tasting in the Golan Heights and on one side of me were classmates from England, Switzerland, and Belgium speaking French and on the other side of me were classmates from North Carolina and Canada learning Arabic from our bus driver. It is the most inspirational group I’ve been around in awhile. People from all over the world who, like me, are willing to leave their loved ones behind to experience new cultures. I feel very grateful to be here. |
Details
ArchivesCategories |