Shalom Israel!

Hello HPU students! And shalom :)

My third week in Israel is coming to an end, and I am starting to adapt to my new life here in Haifa. From my relatively short flight to Tel Aviv, and the ensuing travel to Haifa by train and bus, to dorm- and student life at the University, I am hoping to give you guys a short glimpse into life here in Israel as a visiting student from HPU :) I hope this will help with some questions you might have regarding a study abroad experience here in the Middle East!

A view of Haifa from the university

First of all is travelling to Israel. If you wish to study at the University of Haifa, one of HPU's partner universities, remember that Haifa is situated north in the country, about 90 kilometers north of Tel Aviv - and 90 kilometers north of the Ben Gurion Airport; the main international airport of Israel, and the airport you need to land at (as it is the closest international airport to the city of Haifa). From there, the easiest way to get to Haifa is by train. But don't worry! There is a train station at the airport :) Take the train to the Hof HaCarmel station in Haifa, and take either a bus or taxi from there to the university. And again, don't worry. Almost everybody here speaks English, and they all know of the university and where it is located. Getting to the university is not as difficult as people make it seem.

View of Jerusalem from a hostel I stayed at

Second is the dorm life and the student life. The campus is located on the historic slopes of Mount Carmel, with a view overlooking Haifa (as seen on one of the pictures above). The view is amazing! And so are the dorms. While I chose to live at the Federman dorms, where we live in double bedrooms, you can also choose to live at the Talia dorms, where you live in single bedrooms. Both are located right next to each other. You share an apartment with other international students, but are surrounded by apartments with Israeli students - a great way to get to know everyone on campus!

Furthermore, the student life here is very including. There is an amazing staff at the international school who are organizing all kinds of parties and excursions for us, while the Israeli students also organize several parties and events for the university students, just like at HPU. And everyone is welcome to join! I can't wait to explore more of what life here in Haifa has to offer :)

One of the beaches in Haifa