Jayhawks in Israel: Sammi’s Report
Written by Sammi Grofsky
Deciding to study abroad in Israel was one of the easiest decisions that I have ever made, in fact I knew it was something that I have wanted to do since I was probably around 10 years old. It was something that I have always talked about and something that I have always gotten myself so excited about. I’d been to Israel before, to visit family and on Birthright with Hillel, but going to study and live by myself was different. The day finally came. It was the beginning of August and I was boarding the plane to Israel from Los Angeles to start my new adventure.
Sammi visiting the Kotel in Jerusalem
When I arrived at Tel Aviv University after my very long travel there, I was greeted with keys to my own apartment in an international student building. It’s nice to have my own apartment but to also know that everyone else in my program is right next door. All of us living in the same building has been really great to get to know each other and to study together. Often, a couple of us will get together and cook meals together which is always fun. From Shashuka, to pesto pasta, to cinnamon rolls we love cooking new meals together. Often on Shabbat we cook a big meal together, get a challah, and make a big study abroad family Shabbat dinner.
During our first week in Tel Aviv, we had time to settle into our apartments, adjust to the time change, and explore Tel Aviv. Often we would go to the different beaches, explore the different malls by our apartments, go to the Shuk, try new restaurants, and hang out on campus. I love the beaches in Tel Aviv, honestly nothing compares to it. The water is always warm, there are always loads of people around having so much fun, and amazing food that you can find right on the beaches. During the first week we also had orientation for our program. At orientation we were able to meet everyone that was on our program that we had not met yet, meet our madrichim (like an RA) of our program, and the people that run the study abroad program at Tel Aviv University who we have all been e-mailing for months in preparation for this journey. After everyone went around and introduced themselves to each other, we had an introduction to the program where we learned about what the next 6 months were going to look like. The next couple days after orientation, the study abroad program took us on many different outings around Israel for us to explore where we will be living. We had a bonfire on Gordon Beach, explored Sarona Market, and spent a day in Jerusalem. It was very nice to be able to go to all these places with everyone on my program and to learn that these are places that I definitely want to go back to and explore more of.
The first month of the program we were in Ulpan classes everyday. Ulpan is a Hebrew intensive where everyday you are just learning Hebrew. The first month of the study abroad program is required for everyone to take Ulpan. There were about 8 different levels of Hebrew, and it was decided where you were placed based off of a placement test we had to take right before coming to Tel Aviv. In my class there were about 15 of us all from around the world. I liked that my class was small as I felt like I was able to learn in the environment better and get to know others in my class a lot better. In my class there were students from the U.S., Australia, England, Canada, Argentina, France, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. I really enjoyed getting to know people from all around the world. The course was taught in English and I really enjoyed getting to see how those whose first language is not English learn Hebrew (from processing it through English first, then to their first language, and then to Hebrew). Each Ulpan course had two teachers. Our teachers for our class were great, supportive, and really worked hard to make sure that everyone in the class was really grasping what we were learning. While it was a challenging and fast moving course, in the end I really did learn a lot more Hebrew than I knew before and am excited to continue taking Hebrew classes while living in Israel.
After the first month of being abroad came to an end, so did Ulpan. With the end of Ulpan came a two month break from classes with the start of the holidays in Israel. With my first month off from classes I traveled Europe with three friends who I had just met the month before on my program. We packed our bags and flew to Rome for what would begin an amazing month abroad in Europe. From Rome we went to Florence, then Venice. Then Venice to Paris, Amsterdam, and England. While being abroad in Europe we happened to run into Israelis wherever we went, and we were able to practice our Hebrew. We also made sure to visit the Jewish Quarters or neighborhoods everywhere we went. I loved being able to do this and feel a strong connection to places that I have never been before and to meet and connect with people instantly. While we had an amazing month in Europe, we were all very excited to return to Tel Aviv.
It is now the end of September/beginning of October and the Jewish holidays are approaching. I am so excited to be able to spend the holidays in Israel as I know it will be amazing. For the holidays, I will be spending it with my family that lives in Israel. In Israel I have a ton of Cousins, Aunts, and Uncles who over the past two months of living in Israel I have loved getting to meet and know. I am so excited to continue bonding with all them while living in Israel and spending the holidays with them is the perfect way to do that. While I am missing everyone back at KU and especially at Hillel, I am loving living here in Israel.
