"A Very Beer-Sheva Thanksgiving" by MSIH first year blogger Becca Siegel

On November 26th, 2015, several medical students from around the world celebrated Thanksgiving dinner in the Middle East. In Beer Sheva, Israel to to be exact.  I am pointing this out because it is notable in many respects. First off, the very fact that a group of people who regularly spend upwards of eight hours a day together would want to spend their few off hours together is quite amazing. Secondly, in a little city, in one of the smallest countries in the Middle East, students from all over the world sat together and had a meal because there was a lot to be thankful for.

We had just taken our last microbiology quiz of the semester. We were a few days away from our very last class of our first semester of medical school. We had survived. We had somehow managed to move to a brand new country, learn a brand new language and start medical school, all in one fell swoop.

Together we ate delicious food and we made nerdy jokes about mycobacteria and we toasted to a circle of people who could one day be called “doctor”.

Happy Thanksgiving from the class of 2019!!!

Now on to finals.

Taking time to enjoy the sights, and the cats, amidst the crunch of finals, by Blogger of the month Maia Reiley

That dazed feeling of being nearly done with 11 months of what you always wanted to do…

We have one more week of class before our final final, and I know that the collective sigh of relief our whole class breathes will be tempered, at least from my corner, by a tinge of sadness. I will be grateful not only that it will be over, but also that it will have happened.

Back to the present moment, though. It is springtime in Beer Sheva (well, high summer by any normal person's thermometer), and there are a thousand kittens to mark the season. Leaving the hospital, going to the SuperSal or the vegetable stand, I will infallibly be surprised by some tiny cats making tentative steps from under a ramp or behind a railing. This type of unsolicited cuteness exponentially increases the amount of time I spend running errands.

Here is an example:

In other news, we took a trip North and saw some very pretty sights, including the Baha'i gardens in Haifa and the ruins of Caesarea. Although I love living in Beer Sheva and the unique perspectives it offers, seeing a beautiful city on a hill overlooking the ocean reminds me that I eventually want to move back near the water.

As an illustration of why, here's a throwback picture from Passover. We took a few buses down to Dahab on the Sinai coast to learn to scuba dive. The Sinai is basically a barren wasteland, in which I wouldn't want to wander for 40 minutes, let alone 40 years, but the Red Sea is a miraculous paradise full of beautiful life forms. As this year wraps up, I am already looking forward to returning to the Sinai and planning new adventures in this amazing part of the world.

But for now, back to the coagulation cascade.

It's nice to know that we always have the beach and each other, by blogger of the month Shauna Dunton

This will be my final post as blogger of the month, and it will touch upon a common theme in all of my posts which is that the best thing about MSIH is really the people. The best advice I can give to the entering class next year is that your best resource is each other.  The students in your class and also in other years of MSIH truly have your back and want to see you succeed and constantly work towards making changes in order for everyone to have a better, more effective education and experience at MSIH. I took a long road to medical school and I have seen many other educational systems along the way and I can assure you this is a unique feature of this school.

We have just finished a tough month of finals and have already begun Endocrinology, which is our sole focus for the next month. I can pretty much speak for all of us in saying that we are excited to be starting systems and can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

A big group of us went to Palmachin beach, just south of Tel Aviv, to go camping and get some sun and relaxation in before we started our next class. The weekend was complete with shesh beish, football, a nice fire, human pyramids and an unexpected private fireworks show put on by other campers on the beach. It’s nice to know that we always have the beach and each other. - blogger of the month, Shauna Dunton

Physicians for Human Rights, by blogger of the month, Sam Nesemann

This past weekend my roommate, Kyle, and I went to the West Bank to shadow doctors working with PHR.  PHR stands for Physicians for Human’s Rights.  They travel to the West Bank and Gaza providing healthcare for people who are underserved.  The experience was incredible.  We all met outside Tel Aviv and drove in in two vans.  We first arrived at a sort of municipality building and were introduced to the town.  We then drove to a school where each doctor set up in a room to see patients.  Drugs were brought in the van and a pharmacist set up on the second floor.  I followed an internist from Belfast up to the third floor with a translator who I had just found out knew of my sister as they have a mutual friend from University in Scotland—small world.  The cases we saw varied from normal tonsillitis to an 8 year-old boy with blood pressure of 160/80, and a young girl with no eye-brows, eye-lashes, and losing more hair with normal thyroid hormones.  Too many people to see set up shop outside the rooms and a few tried to push their way in each time the doors were opened.  At one point the Mayor came in to personally thank the Doctor and have a picture taken with them.  I don’t know if he did it with every doctor, but I would assume so.  The entire time, a guard from the town was helping us with translating more cultural nuances, and advocating a bit for himself by asking for medication for a peptic ulcer in a seemingly half-joking way.  We worked for several hours without a second for a break.  I helped where I could (which wasn’t too much since I’m still a first-year) and shadowed the rest of the time.  Once we were finished we headed back to the municipal building and had a dinner with all the doctors and several people from the town.

The experience was an incredible opportunity to get a taste of a global health experience.  I HIGHLY recommend to any future students to jump on the opportunity to volunteer with PHR.  - blogger of the month, Sam Nesemann

The week before exams, by blogger of the month Jixi He

Luisa's birthday

We like to say time flies when you’re having fun. Well, time flies no matter what you do especially when the exam period is coming up. I can’t believe I’ve already been in Israel for almost half a year now. I know my way around Beer Sheva. I can ask for directions in Hebrew and actually understand the answers. I refer to Soroka as “our hospital”. But I don’t think I’m ready for the exams, even if you give me another 6 months for it. I’ve learned quite a lot this semester but there’s always much more that I don’t know. So this is what we’ve been doing to prepare for the exam…


Luisa’s birthday is coming up. Don’t you dare forget about it! She is teaching the whole class about the biochemical pathways of her existence: You start with 2 substrates-papi and mami, and the enzyme-Luisasynthase, and you get an irreversible conformational change that results in our lovely product-Luisa, who is responsible for making birthday cards, giving our classmates lots of hugs, and keeping everyone happy. This metabolic pathway is positively regulated by love and negatively regulated by sickness on a gloomy day. And there you go; I should pass my biochemistry final after this review session?

Sleepy chaverim (friends)

Sleepy Sam!

How to prevent yourself from falling asleep in class? Fall asleep between classes! Just like how my dear chaverim (“friends” in Hebrew) have demonstrated: a short power nap during the break can improve attention in class and retain 50% more knowledge because you’re not constantly dozing off. Phase II clinical trial pending.

Food before

Food after!

It is absolutely essential to have good energy for better and more efficient studies. The brain takes up only 2% of the body weight but uses more than 20% of our daily energy intake. Let’s take care of that little commander on top with some delicious cafeteria food from the hospital. Beef, carrots, and chicken soup; tastes just like the food I had in China. “It tastes like Chinese” is the best compliment I can give to food. We all might have noticed that we get a little grumpier when we’re hungry. That’s because when we’re hungry the serotonin level drops and this is an important hormone that helps regulate behaviors like anger and aggression. I can definitely tell you that I feel like the happiest person on earth whenever I finish a good meal after a state of starvation. My almost empty plate can tell you that too.

Rainy B7

When you’re busy preparing for exams don’t forget about the little things that can make life beautiful. It’s been pretty rainy and cold in Beer Sheva this past week. Even in this gloomy weather, I still spotted the most beautiful scene at the hospital helicopter field yesterday: a golden sunset against the backdrop of the heavy grey clouds. It brightened up my evening as I walked back home, tired from a whole day of study.

Falafel for Thanksgiving

It’s the 4th Thursday of November. What’s Thanksgiving in Israel like? Falafels! In this cold winter night at the Black Falafel stand, we gathered our friends and family and took turns saying what we were thankful for this past year. I am thankful for my mom, all my friends, this falafel and the fact that I’m in Israel. - blogger of the month, Jixi He

Our First Friendsgiving! by blogger of the month, Jixi He

Preparation!

The third Thursday of November 2014 is not Thanksgiving, neither in Canada nor in America. It is nevertheless the Thanksgiving for this group of people in Beer Sheva, Israel: the MSIH Class of 2018.

It wasn’t very realistic for us to get a turkey because in order to get one you would have to order 2 turkeys from Tel Aviv and someone would have to spend a whole day cooking it. So we decided to go with chickens instead, a brilliant alternative. There were garlic chicken, beer can chicken, and chicken drum sticks. It was a potluck dinner at our classmates’ apartment. I brought crackers and a bowl of pumpkin spice dip, which was described as “orgasmic” by a fellow classmate. But don’t get full on the crackers; there’s more to come!

Brian and Shauna playing Shesh Besh

I wish I had fasted before the dinner when I saw so much delicious food made by my talented classmates: 3 different types of chicken, sushi, Israeli couscous, spicy Indian dish, sweet potato with marsh mellows, pumpkin pie, gluten-free diary-free nut-free chocolate cake, apple pie, and more unlisted. I’ve never been in a class as small, close and intimate as this one where we treat each other like brothers and sisters, even without the sibling rivalry part. There are only 29 of us, small enough to put all of us in one apartment. We tend to each other’s needs like it’s our own—evidence shown as below: the massage train! Who doesn’t love a nice shoulder massage, especially when you can get one in return too?

The night ended with most of my classmates going to watch The Hunger Game. I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving. Even though we’re at a place away from home, we are spending it with our classmates that are just like family.

                                                                                                             

Beer can Chicken

Everyone!  almost....

Kristina makes the best sushi

That's just round 1

Pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream

Massage train!

Our kitty guest

                                                                                                                - blogger of the month, Jixi He 

Sukkot, by blogger of the month Sahar Romem

Sukkot is the last holiday Israeli university students celebrate before they begin their school year and for us MSIH students it is the last break before finals. It is therefore an Israeli tradition for families to travel on Sukkot and this year it was announced that more than 200,000 Israelis traveled.

In order to take advantage of their close proximity to Europe or to identify with their new community, the class of 2018 traveled as well. Most students traveled abroad to Spain, France, Netherlands, back home to the United States and Canada, Jordan, Berlin, and even Lithuania and a small few traveled here in Israel to Eilat.

It is understandable that the cheap airline tickets to Europe are hard to resist, but there are many places to see in Israel as well. So, I have compiled a list of “must sees” in Israel apart from the common Kotel and Matzada.

1. Nitzana
a. Located in the Negev
b. An easy full day circular trail
c. Accessible for dogs
d. Possible to bike

2. El Al River
a. Located in the Golan Heights
b. A medium full day circular trail
c. Accessibility to water spots
d. Accessible for dogs



3. Jordan Star Outlook
a. Located in the lower Galili Region
b. Historical site
c. Beautiful look out, interesting buildings, picnic area


4. Hasartva
a. Located in the Jordan Rift Valley
b. Look out, picnic area, challenging sports


5. Tel Gezer
a. Located near Jerusalem
b. Half day hike with beautiful views
c. Not a circular trail


6. Naftali Mountains
a. Located in the Upper Galili Region
b. 2-3 hour medium 13km trail
c. Not a circular trail


7. Lozit Caves
a. Jerusalem area


8. A’it River Natural Pool
a. Located in the Golan Heights

                                                                                                 - blogger of the month, Sahar Romem

Shana Tova! by Aviva Friedman, blogger of the month

A common Jewish phrase, usually at the end of the Passover seder, clearly elaborates where we hope to be next year: "Next year in Jerusalem!" Since the Jewish new year is upon us tomorrow, and since our class trip to Jerusalem was last week, I guess you could say it was already last year that we were roaming her streets. The novelty of traveling - and bragging about traveling - to Jerusalem for a day trip has yet to wear off. Our 1.5 hour bus ride through the Negev’s dusty desert scenery was filled with off-key singing and plenty of opportunities to catch some Z’s as the scenery slowly greened and our bus mounted the hills of the golden city. Unfortunately, due to ongoing security concerns, we were unable to visit the old city and her sites. Instead, we were treated to an alternative city tour, starting with some fascinating global health presentations by Hebrew U’s graduating MPH class at Hadassah Hospital, followed by a visit to the Knesset (Israel’s parliament), the windmill, a stop at a must-see Jerusalem lookout, and of course, Mahane Yehuda (aka the central shuk). When my Hebrew teacher asked me the next day what my favourite part of the trip had been, I turned into a giant cheeseball and said that it was spending time with new friends (I bet it would have been the rugalach if I could eat it, though).

As the new year rolls in, we take part in an ancient Jewish tradition: we eat. Besides the traditional dinners that many of us will attend over the next two evenings either with our own or our adoptive families, we will dunk apples in honey to symbolize our wishes for a sweet year ahead with even sweeter friends for the journey (there I go again!). So, though I told my Hebrew teacher today that what I want in the new year is good grades, what I meant to say is that I hope for a wonderful new start filled with only laughter and joy and success for everyone around me. Good grades wouldn’t hurt either. 

As we say in Hebrew: Shana tova u metukah! (Have a happy - and sweet - new year!).

Life's a Beach, by blogger of the month Aviva Friedman

Last weekend, I woke up on a beach. Despite it being only 6 am and having wind-tangled hair and a mouth full of sand, it was magnificent. It’s a constant struggle to find a balance between fun and learning, to fight the nagging voice telling me to stay cooped up studying while also trying to squeeze in time to get my suntan/burn on while sitting, eating, dancing, swimming (and competitively winning at card games) amongst friends and Israelis at sunset on the Mediterranean. We are living in this beautiful country, after all, and when the opportunity arises to go camping on a beach or diving off a cliff or snorkeling in the Red Sea, we must seize it (YOLO, amiright?). So, we packed our things and headed to Beit Yanai, a beach 30 minutes north of Tel Aviv, and did just that. It was a glorious way to cap off the weekend after an equally satisfying visit to Tel Aviv. 

As part of our first year Global Health course, we have been split up into pairs and assigned various clinical placements that we will visit 4-5 times over the semester. My partner and I have been placed at the refugee health clinic at Tel Aviv’s “new” (emphasis on the quotes…) central bus station, a hub for refugees from Sudan and Eritrea primarily. The clinic is a fascinating place, literally tucked between two bus stops in the center of the crumbling station, a respite for many that sees everything from minor burns and lacerations to pregnancies and rare infectious diseases. On our visit to the ER, we heard at least four different languages being spoken and saw babies and young women and middle-aged men being treated. All had stories to tell or physical markings that told their stories for them, of how they escaped war-torn countries and suffered through excruciating journeys and torture camps in Sinai before finding some sort of temporary respite here. For many of us, moving to a new country and learning a new language and culture has felt impossibly trying, but visiting a place like the clinic managed somehow to put everything into perspective.

Soon, we’ll be paying a visit to Hadassah Hospital, so I guess you could say “next week in Jerusalem”....

-blogger of the month, Aviva Friedman

For the incoming first years.....by blogger of the month, Virginia Byron

I’d like to conclude my stint as class blogger with some parting words of wisdom from my classmates to the incoming MSIH Class of 2018 as they patiently await the beginning of their next adventure.

We sat around the bonfire one night during our last month of class and compiled a First Year Bucket List to pass down. It is our wish (and expectation) that you will create your own unique experience over the next year, and that surely you won’t need any help from us in figuring that out. These suggestions are more a reflection on our year and the things that made it especially rich.

Dear first years,

“Keep your classmates close.”

“NAJEEB 4 EVA” (you’ll figure that one out in due time)

“Take time to learn everyone’s story. This school attracts many incredible people.”

“Be inclusive.”

“Have Shabbat meals together for the first month, even if it’s just hummus and pita.”

“Relax, travel as much as you can, and take it as it comes.”

“Loosen up.”

“Take time to be involved (volunteer, school activities, anything in the community around you) so that you don’t miss the amazingness of being here in the whirlwind of studying.”

“Figure out your best study habits early and stick to them.”

 “Appreciate all that your classmates have to offer. There are some amazing people around you.”

 “Love life.” (not that you need a reminder, I’m sure)

And finally,

“Don’t listen to anyone, do whatever you want.”

Love, 2017

Stay tuned for a final post from a very special guest blogger, back by popular demand!

A little bit of second year before our break! by Baila Litwak

            

Hof Yanai

            At MSIH first year is split into two semester filled with basic sciences like molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and microbiology. In second year we start anatomy and instead of semesters we are taught in blocks, one class at a time. For about a month we learn the ins and outs of a single organ system from the normal anatomy and physiology to pathology and pharmacology. After the success of passing 10+ classes over the course of two semesters, we get a taste of second year - we learn two organ systems before leaving for summer break.

            All year I have been looking forward to organ systems where we can focus on one topic rather than trying to balance 6 different ones. The boring science classes are behind us, we have learned an unbelievable amount, and are now equipped with the knowledge needed to delve into the medicine of the human body.

            Second year seems much harder than first because there is a great deal to learn in each organ system and we move quickly to cover it all. Every few weeks a block ends and there is a final, which makes the year exhausting. The school eases us into the organ systems by giving us two of the easiest ones to knock off at the end of our first year, endocrinology and hematology. The transition between second semester and endocrinology was great. After about a month of finals to close our second semester we finally had a break for a couple of days.

            Since endocrinology started I have been busy studying and having fun. Two days into endocrinology we had the day off for Yom Ha’student, student day. There were pool parties with DJs and performances downtown with some of the biggest names in Israeli music. The next day we finished our first week of endocrinology and I, along with 9 other classmates, headed to one of the nicest beaches in Israel to camp out for the night.

Beer Sheva Light Run

Sunday was Lag baomer and there were bonfires lighting up the entire city and Macabbi TLV won the Euroleague finals so there were parties in the street all night. On Wednesday I volunteered in Teddy bear hospital, an event held for 200 local kindergardeners and their teddy bears who underwent X-rays, surgeries and eye tests among other things so that the kids could learn about the hospital and not fear it in case they every need to come in. Thursday was the second annual Beer Sheva light run which started once the sun had set and the music, excitement and glow paint filled the air.

            Beer sheva is a college town that always has fun things going on. I am looking forward to the interesting organ systems to come and all the other experiences coming our way.

- by Baila Litwak

Yom Hazikron, Memorial Day, by Baila Litwak

Military base 

            Every year Israel celebrates those who have fallen protecting the country since her independence in 1948 until today. On Yom Hazikron, Memorial Day, we remember the soldiers who died in the field, those who we’re in service but passed away from non-military causes, and those killed by terrorism. This year I spent the night of Yom Hazikaron at an air force base. Like so many families in Israel, my boyfriend’s family has lost someone in the line of duty and we went to his base to pay our respects. Every base where someone was killed takes responsibility to commemorate that person every year thereafter and has a Yom Hazikaron ceremony for those fallen heroes. At the air force base, every family of a soldier killed is assigned a current air force soldier to escort them. First stop was the memorial building where the names and ranks of every soldier who died from the base is displayed on the wall and there were pictures and biographies of every one of them that the visitors could read. Then was a dinner at the general’s club, and finally the ceremony. The ceremony had speeches, and songs, and every person’s name who died from the base was read. The whole night was very well done and clearly showed how important the base feels it is to dutifully honor their men and women who have died.

            On the day of Yom Hazikaron itself people go to the military bases to visit their fallen family members. On the way to the cemetery youth groups hand out flowers that people can bring to the graves, and volunteering soldiers hand out bottles of water. At each military grave in the country there is a soldier who is assigned to stand there from early in the morning until the memorial ceremonies are over. Each soldier who has been killed has a soldier from his/her same unit standing by his/her side. Just like the base takes responsibility for those who have died from their base, the units never forget their soldiers and they make sure to have someone, every year on Yom Hazikaron, honoring those who gave their lives for us and the country.

            The beauty of Yom Hazikaron is that every soldier is remembered. Every one of those soldiers were fighting for the same things, safety and peace, and every one of them is remembered for that. At both the ceremonies I attended the speeches spoke about the diversity of the men and women who fight for Israel and how even with that diversity all Israelis share the same past, fighting for our right to exist in safety, and have the same hope for the future, peace.

            The night that Yom Hazikaron ends Yom Haatzmaut, Independence Day, begins.  Yom Hazikaron is one of the saddest days, along with Yom Hashoa, and Yom Haatzmaut is the happiest. The juxtaposition of those two days shows the reality in which we live in Israel, fighting to protect ourselves while celebrating our home and all the incredible things it has to offer. That night there are concerts throughout the country to help people transition from sadness to fun. The next day the country gathers with friends and family and barbecues or hikes. I went to a BBQ in Jerusalem and as I entered the city I saw the whole city leaving to be outdoors enjoying the beautiful land.

            The month leading up to Yom Haatzmaut people starting hanging flags from their homes, car windows, and anywhere else they can. On Yom Haatamaut nearly everyone is wearing blue and white. It is truly moving to see how proud people are to live here and how happy that opportunity makes them.  - blogger of the month, Baila Litwak

Yom Hashoa:Holocaust Remembrance Day, by Baila Litwak

יזכור = remember

I arrived in Beersheba with 36 classmates in mid July and at this point have been living here for nearly 10 months. Yesterday I heard my first siren that was not a drill. Yesterday was Yom Hashoa, Holocaust remembrance day.

According to Jewish law holidays begin at sunset and last until sunset the following day. I realized Yom Hashoa had began when I was studying in my apartment, listening to the radio, and it suddenly dawned on me that they were no longer playing happy, upbeat music. On Yom Hashoa every radio station plays slow, somber music, every TV channels broadcasts either documentaries or discussions relating to the Holocaust. As I was studying for my pathology final I felt too tired to make dinner and too busy to go out to eat so I decided to order pizza. When I went to the dominos website I found that they were closed for Yom Hashoa.

“Dear customers, On the eve of Yom Hashoa Dominos will be closed...”

On Yom Hashoa there are ceremonies throughout the country held at schools, public squares, military bases, etc. I, along with a number of my fellow classmates, attended the Yom Hashoa ceremony at BGU. It was outside in the 90+ degree weather under the scorching sun, yet hundreds of students were there to remember the millions who were “exterminated” during the Holocaust. There were nearly as many students in attendance as there were last month for Purim, which is one of the most fun parties on campus all year. At the ceremony there were speeches, a modern dance piece, a choir that sang two beautiful songs, and six people from the community who told stories of their family members who were killed and those who survived the Holocaust. Each of the six people who shared their family’s story lit a candle in commemoration.

At 10:00 in the morning of Yom Hashoa there is a siren that blares throughout the country, loud enough so that people can hear it where ever they might find themselves at that moment. The siren lasts for two minutes and for those two minutes everything stops.  Every person at every ceremony stands in silence. People stop driving in the middle of the highway, get out of their cars, and bow their head in honor of their brothers and sisters who were killed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeozUSWdoQA

Israel was established to be a place of refuge for Jews being persecuted across the world and a state where Jews could feel independent and safe. Today Israel is still such a place and not only for the Jews. Every year On Yom Hashoa Israel remembers those who were not safe where they lived and were forced to endure persecution, murder, and true hatred. - blogger of the month, Baila Litwak

In place of, by blogger of the month Jonathan Ditty

The garden tomb in Jerusalem, one of our favorite places to visit.

The first year is officially over. I am now sitting in the kitchen of my in-laws in Long Beach, California enjoying my oatmeal with blueberries (a favorite breakfast, un-tasted for a year due to the scarcity of blueberries in the Holy Land). 

Like blueberries, there were many things that I was accustomed to in the States that had to be given up in Israel. However, to my surprise, I found that there was almost always something to take their place. Instead of blueberries, we used whatever fruit was in season and quite enjoyed the variety. Freshly roasted coffee from the Conservatory in Los Angeles does not ship the best coffee in the world to Israel, but buying green coffee beans from the Shuk and roasting them in a popcorn popper is rather tasty and way cheap. 

Trader Joes does not exist, though you can find almost any specialty food in you might want in Tiv Tam or Eden Teva. Not many students have the luxury of a car, but the public transportation system and fairly cheap car rentals will get you anywhere. Starbucks never made it in Israel, but Aroma Espresso Bar supersedes Starbucks in every way (especially the freshly baked goods). 

There are many things in which we find comfort, things we never think we could live without. But once let go of, they are well enough replaced. In my experience, I have found that holding onto things lightly is necessary to discovering the best things in life. - blogger of the month, Jonathan Ditty

Beer-sheva's "Beach", by Sakal Kiv

On those occasions I am not drowning in Endocrinology and learning about hormones that gush out of our glands and flow down lymphatic or hematogenous course ways, I try to take a walk with my family to the “Beach,” an affectionate nickname given to the fountain park that has recently opened in the neighborhood. It is a nice place where our family can go and enjoy ourselves. It is just as much fun to the kids (and a lot less expensive for us!) as any water park. It is even better at night, when all the gushers light up with lots of bright colors. It is such a contrast to the hot summer sun. I like to hear and feel the cool, crisp water. It shoots up and down. It rains all around. The lights seamlessly morph from one mesmerizing color to another. Everything is synced to create this cool dancing effect. Majestic palm trees line the way and plenty of leafy plants and flowers bloom in the perimeter landscaping. Adults chatter away as they sit under the wooden shelter made to look like an impressive giant wave. All the kids are laughing, playing, and splashing. Some try to sit on a jet of water. Others try to run through as many as they can. Another group is playing tag in the middle of the pillars of water. Parents are snapping pictures while others are gently coaxing some of their shyer and younger ones to brave the water. Some walk their dogs along either the boardwalk or the path made to look like a sandy beach. Aside from actually being at the Mediterranean, this is not a bad place to be, especially since it is only a few blocks away. Of course, we often come home with our children soaking wet. Faith and I rinse them off in the shower, change them into dry pajamas, and sing a bedtime song like this one:

I've got river of life

Flowing out of me,

Makes the lame to walk

And the blind to see;

Opens prison doors,

Sets the captives free,

I've got a river of life

Flowing out of me.

Spring up, O well

Within my soul,

Spring up, O well

And make me whole.

Spring up, O well,

And give to me

That life abundantly.

-blogger of the month Sakal Kiv

The Education of Play, by blogger of the month Sakal Kiv

One of the best things about having children with you is that you get to go to the playground often. As a daddy, you get a special perspective on B7—a family-friendly city with slides, swings, and animal rockers on every block. I have to admit, at least for the little kid in me, that I have plenty of fun. Sometimes, in addition to all the new medical stuff I learn in class, I find out that I have been missing out on other important things in my education. Today for instance, I came home and was welcomed as usual by a ferocious herd of four precious, little monsters. They had stampeded from the other side of our apartment after their perfectly attuned ears picked up the sound of me unlocking the front door, and as soon as I stepped inside, they ambushed me with hugs and kisses. They proceeded to shower me with every detail of their day, simultaneously in high, squeaky, adorable voices. Then they asked me if I would take them to the park. Of course, I couldn’t refuse, and we proceeded to walk to the playground. When we arrived, they taught me how to play hopscotch for the first time. Sure, I had seen those numbered squares on the concrete before, but this was the first time I learned that I was supposed to throw a rock onto the numbers and hop across according to an established set of time-honored rules that every well-educated child should know. It was then that I realized that my education had failed me. For some reason, I grew up never knowing how to play hopscotch. Yet, God was gracious. He looked down from heaven and saw my poor condition and sent his little angels to teach me. Now, I am complete. Anyone want to play hopscotch? - blogger of the month, Sakal Kiv

Seven ways to survive in Beersheva, by Rebecca Lapham

I’d like to share something I wrote last summer as I was settling into life in Israel. I know, I know, I should be creative and write something new and inspiring for you all to enjoy. However, the full weight of a month of finals is sapping me of free time and creativity. So this quick post goes out especially to those crazy folks thinking of joining us here in the desert next year. Can’t wait to meet you guys!

1. Never, ever wait in line. If you attempt to wait in a line, you will be waiting all day. Push your way to the front and stare down anyone who tries to cut in front of you.

2. Nighttime is the perfect time to wander the neighborhood alone. Everyone is out walking their dogs, running errands, etc.

3. On a similar note, only idiot tourists walk outside between the hours of 10am-3pm. No one else is outside, and every taxi driver will honk at you. They will also probably be laughing at how sweaty you are.

4. Hebrew speakers love to watch English speakers butcher their language, especially when there are hand gestures and sound effects involved. It's like free street theater.

5. All dairy products were not created equal. Just because it looks like yogurt, doesn't mean it is. It could be sour cream. Or goat cheese. Or worse.

6. If you want to open any sort of account, be prepared to bring every document you've every possessed, all the way back to your grandparent's birth certificates. Then be prepared to still not get what you need and be given no explanation. Israeli bureaucracy is the best.

7. Always remember what day it is, or you may get "shabbated" Most stores close for Shabbat, from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. Forget, and you're fasting for Shabbat. - blogger of the month, Rebecca Lapham

Holocaust Remembrance Day, by blogger Rebecca Lapham

This is a picture of me on a camel in Jordan. I include this photo for two reasons. (1) All blog posts should have photos. (2) It was a lifelong dream of mine to ride a camel. One of the best things about MSIH is being able to cross things off your bucket list.

I’m so excited to be writing for this blog! I remember reading it last year as I prepared for medical school, wondering what it would be like to live in Israel. While it can be wonderful, adjusting to life in a foreign country is difficult. There’s a new language to learn, a new culture to comprehend, a new..everything. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand why grocery shopping in Beer Sheva is a contact sport, or why the bus schedule is always wrong over the holidays, or why the corner store near my apartment seems to close at a different time every day. Sometimes, living in Israel is endlessly frustrating.

Yet other days, I get to be a part of something that exists nowhere else in the world. This past week, Israel celebrated Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day. In this small country of around 7.5 million people, almost everyone knows someone who was affected by the Holocaust. There are memorial services hosted by various institutions. There is also a siren throughout the country. Check out this youtube video of the country’s response to the siren- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeozUSWdoQA. I was very moved by the experience. It was so incredible to see people of all ages and backgrounds come together and give respect to those who suffered such unbelievable tragedy.

Two days later, I was part of a group of first years who interviewed Holocaust survivors as part of our Clinical Medicine course. We’ve been practicing taking medical interviews for the past few months, and the last few weeks we’ve been learning about geriatrics. Holocaust survivors make up a significant proportion of the elderly in Israel, and have unique health issues. I was fascinated by the stories I was privileged enough to hear. One woman described her year in a concentration camp at the tender age of eight with chilling accuracy, and went on to casually mention learning French and German in less than a year after being taken in by a Swiss family after the war. It made my struggles with Hebrew seem ridiculous. I look forward to further geriatric care while I’m in Israel. I love listening to the stories that can only come from a long life. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up wanting to do a residency in geriatrics.   - blogger of the month, Rebecca Lapham

Petra for Pesach, by blogger of the month Angel Eads

It’s hard to believe that it’s already the beginning of April and that our second semester is drawing to a close.   My classmates and I are returning to school today after a ten day break thanks to Pesach.  We have 2 more weeks of classes, another virology quiz and then a month of final exams. 

I spent part of my Pesach vacation catching up on studies (ask me anything about a parasite, I won’t know the answer, but I will shudder involuntarily) and taking care of other pesky chores like taxes and filing my FAFSA for next year.  However I also had the opportunity, along with 3 MSIH friends, to travel to Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan.  

I don’t want to spend my entire stint as MSIH first year blogger forcing strangers to look at my vacation pictures.  However, when considering blog topics, travelling to another country seemed much more interesting than tales of flipping through Microbiology cards and falling asleep on my Pharmacology textbook (in the middle of the day, while sitting at my desk, because it’s just that fascinating).*

These travel stories also represent to me one of the most unique things about MSIH.   When I decided to go back to school I asked a friend for advice.  She had just completed a particularly demanding MFA program and suggested that I choose the years of my life that I didn’t want to be there for and devote those to graduate school.

My friend was joking, but when considering medical schools, I spent a lot of time wrestling with her humorous advice.  I knew I wanted to pursue international health, work with the underserved and see as much of the world as possible, and the idea of putting my life on hold for four years while I acquired necessary skills seemed wholly unpalatable.    It also didn’t make sense, from an educational standpoint, to spend four years learning the art of healing in a setting completely divorced from the context in which I wanted to practice it.  

In one sense, going to medical school here is a lot like going to medical school anywhere else.  Classes and studying take up most of our time, and most of our lectures aren’t related to global health.  They are the same classes you get at medical schools in the states.  This education is obviously necessary and hugely important.  It teaches us what we need to know so that we can become the doctors we want to be.  However, I have sometimes wondered why I moved halfway around the world, far away from family and friends, to sit at a desk and read the same textbooks I would be reading in the US.     

Our curriculum does provide global health opportunities.  Global health modules let us focus on particular topics we are interested in and clinical days bring us into contact with a diverse group of people, ranging from children at a cross cultural elementary school, to Holocaust survivors, to the local Bedouin population. 

However, in my experience, our curriculum is not really what defines our global health education. The real education happens in the spaces in between medical studies.  Whether we are teaching English in a Bedouin village, volunteering at the refugee clinics in Tel Aviv, experiencing the helplessness that comes with learning a new language and culture, or simply taking some time to travel and explore the corner of the world that we have found ourselves in, we have many opportunities to experience new things, meet new people and do life (the literal translation of the Hebrew phrase ose chaim, which means “have fun”).

During our Pesach trip, my classmates and I spent a day and a half exploring the spectacular ruins of Petra.  We went on an afternoon tour of the nature preserve of Wadi Rum, rode camels through the desert and ate a meal under the stars that was cooked in sand.    We had fun, did life and came back to Israel refreshed, ready to tackle classes and final exams.

Living here is not always perfect.   In fact, there are times when it can be downright awful.   The process of cultural adjustment, paired with the extreme pressure of medical education, can be difficult and discouraging.  I miss family, friends and the comfortable, familiar life that I had in the states.   But I also get to learn medicine, see some amazing places and have a pretty great time in the process.  

Besides, if you have to learn about larvae that live in your eyeball (Your.  Eyeball. People.  You can apparently feel them crawling around in there.), the place to do it is on the balcony of a Wadi Musa hotel after a day hiking around one of the seven new wonders of a world that’s basically filled with wonderful things.  - blogger of the month, Angel Eads

* Pharmacology really is interesting.  I promise.  My falling asleep has more to do with my being narcoleptic.**

**I’m not actually narcoleptic, at least not in the diagnosed, medical disease sense of the word.   I just really like to sleep.

Today, After Four Posts, I Am Announcing My Retirement, by blogger of the month Nathan Douthit

The time has come for me to retire from the game of first-year blogging. I'd like to thank my coaches, my teammates, my fans, and everyone who helped me get to the point I am today. Especially my wife, without her loving support and gracious editing, I would never have been able to write four of these. What am I going to do now? I've always wanted to try to play baseball. Lots of people have made that switch successfully, with all due respect to His Airness, so I'm hoping to sign a minor league contract soon. Maybe I'll save the Looney Tunes from aliens. We'll see. If not, I've been assured MSIH will allow me to come back from retirement multiple times to help boost their ticket sales.

            All joking aside, I have been very glad to write these posts, and thankful for everyone (I'm talking to all three of you) who read them. This was helpful for me in considering the things Kate and I have been through in the past few months, and what we've learned from them. Hopefully they've helped you to think too.

            In my head, there's all kinds of pressure about this final post. In reality, y'all probably don't care. But I decided to write this last post about a question I was asked by a professor at a Shabbat dinner. "What does it feel like to move from the majority religion to the minority?" 

            First, a caveat. Kate and I are evangelical Christians. As such, we believe that following Jesus is more than checking a box marked "Christian" on your census form or medical school application. So, in the good old US of A, we would not consider ourselves a majority, although many people would, which is fine. Either way, when we came to Israel, we knew we were moving to a place with a much smaller percentage of our religion.

            Now, there are many aspects of answering this question, including explaining how we relate to our classmates (both Christian and non-Christian), or how we relate to the Israeli culture at large, or a variety of other things. But what I will write about today is how we relate to the other Christians in the community, specifically, our church.

             The church we are involved in is one of the very few options in this city. We gather either Saturday morning or Friday night to worship together, pray together, fellowship together, and sit under the teaching of the scriptures together. On Tuesday night, there is a group of students (both MSIH and Israeli) that gathers together to study the scriptures and fellowship.

             In the church, there are Russian, English, Spanish and Hebrew speakers. We come from all walks of life, all parts of the globe, but are united together in Christ. As such, I have had to learn many things, not the least of which is flexibility. There are different styles of teaching, different concepts of time, different types of music, and even different languages spoken, but we trust in One God. This can be at times difficult, but the question arises "What other church will we gather with if not this one?" God has given us the local church as a means of sharing in the riches of his grace, and cultural difficulties do not change that. We have been blessed by getting to know the hearts of the leaders and members of this congregation, and we are thankful for it.

             Being the minority is teaching us what we truly hold to be a secondary, cultural thing and what truly knits our hearts together in love with brothers and sisters in Christ. Being a minority is teaching us to love each other and other believers, despite what may rub us the wrong way. Being a minority is teaching us when to speak and when to stay silent. Being a minority is teaching us to be truly and deeply thankful for Jesus and His global Church, whatever form that may take in local churches. 

            I could go on, as God has been faithful to us through this community in many ways, but I think I'll stop for now, for fear of boring many readers. For those of you who read this, and my other posts, thank you. If you're an incoming first year, Kate and I look forward to meeting you, and good luck in all your preparations! Packing note: bring anti-perspirant. It's expensive here, but necessary.

             Let me close with one last statement: there are difficulties attached to attending this school, but as I look back on the last year, I wouldn't change my decision to attend. I will not paint a picture that says the school, teachers, faculty or system is flawless, but I hope and think that it is worth it. I'm glad I am a student at MSIH.  - blogger of the month, Nathan Douthit