foreign language: The Cat's Meow, by blogger of the month Aviva Friedman

I read a New York Times article recently that really resonated with me. It was about twenty-something young women re-claiming the term “crazy cat lady” and making it cool again (I mean when was it NOT cool?…but I digress.).

And so, I’ve been saving my best material for this last blog post. Because when people ask me why I choose to attend MSIH, generally, I lie. I say it’s because of the awesome people from varied educational backgrounds with an impossible array of life experiences. I also say it’s because of the global health curriculum and opportunities to travel abroad and practice medicine in unique climates. But really, truly, I came here for the cats. My classmates will attest to this.

FUN FACT: Israel is home to at least 2 million feral cats (that’s equal to 25% of Israel’s fur-less population)!

Aviva with cat in bike basket

Here at MSIH, we have a kitten of our own that is growing before our very eyes on the grounds of Caroline House, the place where we do much of our studying. We have affectionately labelled her Buba, the Hebrew word for doll (or, if you prefer my Colombian roommate’s latin-tinged version, Bubita), and visits from her are often the best parts of our days.

I had planned to start a blog of my own when I first arrived in Israel; I would have called it Stray Cats of Israel. The idea came to me after I documented my first Israeli cat friend on instagram this summer, the first of so so many that I have met all since then. All of them are an important part of the landscape, diverse and curious, mysterious and intelligent, and not so different from my own classmates, I'd say!

Basically, what I’m getting at is that I made the right choice in coming to MSIH.