Healthy in the Sun! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I don't necessarily think that the courses have to be incredibly intensive with a lot of major assignments however I do think they could have been a bit more difficult. In many of my classes I experienced major back loading in which all of the assignments came right at the end of the semester and I personally would have preferred that they be more spaced out. In addition, in a lot of my classes I felt that there could have been a clearer and more concrete idea of what we were learning as there was often a lack of continuity from week to week. All this being said, I really loved my Hebrew class and thought that both the Ulpan and normal semester long Hebrew classes were well run and effective.

On-site administration of your program

The International School staff and in particularly the madrichim were very helpful in guiding me through my first few weeks in Haifa and answering any questions I had, even when they were as simple as what bus to take. The one staff member that I did not find particularly helpful was the Internship Coordinator. During all my meetings with him I felt that he had no interest in listening to what I wanted to do and even if he listened, he often blatantly disregarded what students were interested in doing in regard to their internship.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My apartment was great as were my roommates! I was lucky enough to live with five Israeli roommates who were both friendly and accommodating and always willing to help whether it was with Hebrew homework or where to get groceries. The only downside was the lack of a stove or oven but I understand that is simply the nature of the dorms and is neither the fault of the school or something that is possible to change.

For the most part I cooked meals for myself in my apartment however there was an abundance of fairly priced food on campus which was very helpful for lunches and snacks in between classes. In addition I found out about halfway through the semester that you can request food from the mini mart and if they don't have it they will include it in the shipment for the next day. This definitely came in handy for last minute cooking and baking and it would be very useful information to give to new international students on tours or at orientation.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

While the large part of my friends were international, I felt that I was able to integrate fairly well into local culture. One of the biggest factors in my integration was a capoeira class I took off campus in Horev. I was the only non-Israeli and it was a great way to meet new people and practice my Hebrew. I highly recommend that the school encourage people to become involved in extra curricular activities on and off campus and perhaps provide them with a list of classes, clubs, or teams like my capoeira group when they arrive. I found out about the group when they performed a demo at the Israeli Dance Night during Ulpan so perhaps more events like that might be a good way to make students aware of off campus activities.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

n/a - I never had an experience with healthcare

Throughout my time in Haifa, I always felt very safe walking around and taking buses on my own whether near campus or out in the city. From my experiences street crime in Haifa is extremely low and even coming home from clubs or bars late at night, I was never made to feel unsafe. I would still recommend that students be aware of their circumstances and safety-conscious but I felt much safer walking around Haifa than I even feel walking around my neighborhood at home in the US.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

As long as you were conscientious about money and didn't eat out for most of your meals, it was very easy to live on about $100/week or less. The two comments I would make though is that this was based on shopping for all of my groceries at the Hadar shuk and that occasionally longer weekend trips would require a bit more money

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• International Students

• Hebrew courses
• the city of Haifa
• the Madrichim

• Internship advising
• Academic rigour
• Frequency of activities after Ulpan

The Avid Adventurer