05/28
Time has passed so quickly and slowly at the same time. I have just completed a week of being in Israel and I am thoroughly enjoying myself! Continuing from where I had left off in the last post, I stayed in the hotel at Haifa for a couple of days until I was able to move into my apartment on campus. Technion University was founded in 1912 and has a large gated campus with over 90 buildings. It has about 14000 students enrolled with about 600 faculty. It has a large emphasis on research with more than 60 research centers. Being on campus here feels vibrant and I feel welcomed.
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The view to my left as I walk from home to work
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The first day that I arrived on campus, I was greeted in my apartment by one of my flatmates, David who is a research student from France. He helped me find my way to the international student office on his way to work. The same evening I met my other flatmates, another David from Spain, and Li from China. It is a flat full of interesting opinions and dialogue. This is something I really appreciate. This weekend I cooked Indian food for my flatmates - aloo paratha and dal. It felt great sharing a bit of my culture and food with them while having great conversation on a multitude of topics ranging from world politics, religion, and stereotypes to funny stories about relationships, lame jokes, and plans to travel around Israel. Although my apartment here doesn’t quite feel like a home yet, my flatmates and my interactions with them are helping me move towards that.
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David from France and David from Spain ready to eat their not-so-expertly cooked Indian meal
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My time working at the lab here has been fun and I have learnt a great deal already. My professor approached my project in quite an interesting way. He asked me to shadow, follow, and assist different PhD students in the lab on different days for the first week. This way, I got to know the different members of the lab while learning important processes and techniques. Tomorrow, I will be meeting with my professor and talking about whom I felt most comfortable working with and whose project I found most interesting. I will then join their team and work on my project as part of their team.
The environment at work has been very different from what I have experienced at CMU. The lab is much bigger with at least 10-15 people always working in the lab at all times of the day. This leads to a very vibrant and friendly environment with people always talking and laughing with each other. There is often music played from the central computer and people aren’t afraid to sing along. Something I have noticed is that most people on the team are very helpful and are always willing to answer my questions. In fact, they often welcome it, engaging in conversation with me when they get the chance. This has made me feel welcome and part of the team.
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The Israeli Flag that can be seen very frequently while walking around the city
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Haifa is a beautiful city. This weekend I was also able to spend a day at the beach with my friend from work, Laurianne - an international research student from France, and her friend Léa. The beach was absolutely beautiful and I spent the entire day sunbathing and swimming in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The beach was extremely long with restaurants, bars, surf shops, hotels, and a walkway flanking the sand. There happened to be a Jewish wedding going on a patio that overlooked the beach and we stopped, trying to catch a glimpse of the bride and the groom. We ate a heavy lunch of pita bread, hummus, fries, and roasted eggplant in tahini sauce.
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Walking towards Carmel Beach in Haifa (Laurianne in picture)
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There is so much to still explore and my first week here has me geared up to try and get to know Israel and its people as best I can. In the next week, I look forward to having a clearer idea of where my work will be going, creating more meaningful friendships, and exploring more of the country.
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More Pictures
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THANK YOU FOR READING
Hey Gaurav! This is so awesome!! You're an incredible writer and I hope to read more of your blog posts. Is there a way I could subscribe to your blog?
ReplyDeleteKeep writing, and I hope you enjoy Israel as much as I did! Eat lots of falafel for me pls
-Paula
Hi Paula! Thanks so much for your comment. I am trying to figure out how subscriptions work on this website. However, if you follow my Google+ account, I will share every time I write a post and I think you will get a notification.
DeleteLove,
Gaurav
Little brother,
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to see you be so independent, mature and ambitious. I love how excited you are about your work. Very interesting stuff. The way you seem to effortlessly get along with people from various walks of life and from all over the world is really an inspiration. Looking forward to more of your posts and these amazing pictures.
Love
Pranav
Thank you, brother. I am glad you are happy to read this. I wouldn't say I always get along with people effortlessly, but thanks you.
DeleteDear Gaurav, effortless writing! Loved reading this.What a global exposure you are getting.How easily you make friends! Stay blessed.
ReplyDeleteI must have had great teachers growing up!
DeleteGlad you're having a good time Gaurav. Also, I am laughing at how many David's that you've lived near/with in the span of like 2 years.
ReplyDelete