AALTO UNIVERSITY Student Exchange Tel Aviv University Fall 2013 k90357
Table of contents Introduction... 2 Preparing for the exchange... 3 Confirmation & Orientation... 3 Visa Application... 3 Flight & Arrival... 3 Living in Tel Aviv... 4 Exchange studies... 4 General Information... 4 Getting to Know Others... 5 Courses and Studying... 5 Doing Business in Emerging Markets... 5 Jewish Identity in Israel and the Diaspora... 6 Introduction to Intellectual Property... 6 MBA Cares Creating Shared Value... 6 Practical things... 7 Cost of Living... 7 Safety... 7 Phone & Bank Account... 8 Public Transportation... 8 Healthcare... 8 Free time... 9 Local Area... 9 Weather... 10 Cultural Differences... 10 Good to Know... 11 Traveling... 11 Conclusion... 11 1
Introduction This report focuses on my exchange experiences in Israel at Tel Aviv University during the fall semester of 2013. My first experience of the Holy Land was in late 2012 when I got an amazing opportunity to attend KY s (Association of Economics Student in Helsinki) International Week in Tel Aviv. The trip took me by a complete surprise and I fell in love with Israel, its people and the overall atmosphere immediately not to mention the amazing weather, food and nightlife. I knew that Tel Aviv would be my first choice if I ever decided to spend another semester abroad. Israel is a Middle Eastern country on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The fairly young nation was established in 1948 and presently has (2013) a population of 8 million. Tel Aviv is the next biggest city in Israel after its capital, Jerusalem. The city has only 400 000 residents but the metropolitan area reaches an estimated population of 3.5 million. This distribution enables Tel Aviv to embody best of the both worlds: with an atmosphere of a lively metropolitan city it still provides the advantages of a small city such as short distances and safety. In the last decade Tel Aviv has become renown for its strong economic performance as well as for the booming start-up, hi-tech and R&D environment. Still, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and warlike relations between Israel and its neighbor countries have overshadowed Tel Aviv s image. On the other hand, precisely because of the conflict and being under attack Israelis have been forced to become resourceful and innovative. Thus business students have a lot to learn from Israelis forward-looking and fearless attitude and way of living. 2
Preparing for the exchange Confirmation & Orientation I first got contacted from Tel Aviv University s (TAU) Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration in May with a confirmation letter that was sent to my home address. The next contact was in the beginning of August, approximately two months before the semester started, when the coordinator of the program, Hila Rachmani, sent us an orientation guide and welcome letter via email. At the same time she also opened a Facebook group for all the exchange students in Recanati and another group for people looking for housing in Tel Aviv. Hila was very helpful with everything and posted on the group many tips and teasers of what the exchange semester in Tel Aviv will offer us. TAU s student association also has a buddy system for the exchange students. This system pairs up an exchange student with an Israeli student in order to help the foreigner to get to know the country and assist in everyday duties before and during the entire semester. Many buddies for instance picked up their exchange student from the airport and arranged them a place to stay for the first nights. Visa Application Finnish nationals can enter Israel without a visa for up to three months. However, the exchange studies last four months and that s why it is recommended to get a student visa beforehand from the Embassy of Israel in Helsinki. The visa costs approximately 40 euros. The application requires many attached documents from a bank account statement to a study transcript and all these need to be posted to the Embassy before you can make an appointment with the consul. I got a bit unlucky with my visa application because all the Israeli Embassy s around the world were on strike for two months exactly during the time I needed the visa. Fortunately, I got an emergency appointment a week before my flight to Israel and everything worked out fine. Still, I would recommend contacting the Embassy as early as possible in order to make the process as smooth as possible. The visa can also be obtained when you are already in Israel from the Ministry of Interior but this can take time and the procedure seemed much more complicated than back home. Some of the students came to Israel without visas and traveled outside the country during their stay in order to be able to stay for another 3 months but this whole process seemed to be fairly risky and some people had mild complications during their final departure from Israel. Flight & Arrival Finnair started straight flights to Tel Aviv in 2013. The departures and arrivals of the flights are on Mondays and Fridays. The prices range between 250 400 euros depending on how early the ticket is bought. The flight takes around 4,5 hours and the best thing is that there is no time difference between Israel and Finland. The Ben Gurion International Airport is located approximately 30 minutes from the center of Tel Aviv. There are trains, buses and sheruts (mini buses) going to the center around the clock but with heavy luggage I would recommend taking the taxi as it is the most convenient way to get to an exact address. Taxi shouldn t cost more than 150 shekels, which is around 30 euros. 3
It is highly recommended to arrive to Tel Aviv at least two to three weeks before the semester at least if you don t have an apartment arranged beforehand because the apartment hunt may easily take several weeks. I arrived to Tel Aviv a month before the beginning of the semester although I already had an apartment. I think this was a good choice as it gave me time to enjoy the beach, get to know the city and the local culture and take care of all the necessary duties before the school started. I also got to know most of the other exchange students even before the program started. Living in Tel Aviv TAU doesn t offer housing for exchange students and the overall housing situation in Tel Aviv is disastrous. Another thing is that apartments are really expensive and living alone will cost you a fortune. On top of that the standards of living is not even nearly as good as in Europe not to mention in Finland at least in comparison to the prices. Also the electricity costs can turn out to be sky high as during the summer months it is necessary to have air-conditioning, whereas in the winter you will need heating almost 24/7. I was lucky enough to already have friends in Tel Aviv who arranged me a room in a four bedroom shared flat. The apartment was located right on the beach in the city center. I paid for my room 3500 shekels (700 euros) a month including everything. This is a rather standard price for a shared apartment, but maybe a bit more on the expensive side because of the amazing location with a top floor and a rooftop. Nevertheless, you shouldn t pay more than 4000 shekels for a standard room. TAU will provide guidance for the apartment hunt and the Facebook groups were very fruitful for many of the house seekers. In addition, Secret Tel Aviv is a really great open Facebook group for the apartment search and so is craigslist. Exchange studies General Information With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university. The exchange students from Aalto are situated in Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration. However, students are also provided with an opportunity to take courses from Ulpan (Hebrew studies), OSP School for Overseas Students, the Law Faculty and the Economics Faculty. The campus is located 4 kilometers from the center of Tel Aviv, in Ramat Aviv. The campus is very big and provides great studying atmosphere with the surrounding palm trees and green grass areas. There are many restaurants, 4
cafes, sports facilities and libraries inside the campus and it is not a bad option to spend the whole day there when you have lectures. Getting to Know Others Our fall semester started with an orientation week in early October. It was very well organized and included many parties and trips inside and outside Tel Aviv and focused intensively on making the exchange students know each other better. During the first week there was a lot of activities on the campus with free food, beer, games and possibility to get bus cards and open a bank account. We also got our student cards, which gave discounts in trains, museums and some restaurants. Our exchange group consisted of around 30 international students mainly from Europe. In the beginning I was a bit worried if all the students would be Jewish and I would feel a bit of an outsider. However, this turned out to be a false alarm and only few came to Israel because of their religious connection to the state. One of the exchange students made us a closed Facebook and Whatsapp group, where people posted about trips, gatherings and parties. Our group was very active and I ended up being really busy the entire semester but in a good way. I also had many Israeli friends beforehand, so I tried to spend as much time with them as possible. Courses and Studying When thinking about applying to TAU, you should take into consideration that the semesters are scheduled differently than back home. For instance, the fall semester started in October and ended in the end of January, whereas the spring semester didn t start until the middle of February. The semester is divided into two modules and some students decided to take all their courses in the first module, which ended in the beginning of December. This is a good option if you don t want to miss the first spring semester back home. The preliminary choices for the courses were made online in mid-september but exchange students had a chance to change their courses as late as two weeks after the semester had started. This was a really great system as students were able to try courses for two weeks and then make the final decisions. Even the final decisions seemed to be rather flexible depending on the professor of the course. Unfortunately, there isn t that many courses to choose from for master students because most of the courses are in Hebrew and also in the fall semester most of the English courses are only introductory, which Aalto students are not allowed taking. All the courses I took were based on case studies, group works and take-home exams. In general, the courses seemed much easier than the ones at Aalto. Many of them had compulsory participation but hardly any professor kept record on that. In most of the courses 2/3 were international students and 1/3 Israelis. The crediting system was a bit different and 1 TAU credit equals 4.3 ECTS. Here are the courses I took in more detail. Doing Business in Emerging Markets (1 TAU credit/4.3 ECTS) This was the best course during the entire semester. The course was based on very timely Harvard Business School cases. Each case had to be revised, analyzed and submitted a day before the 5
lecture in groups of four. During the lectures the case topics were discussed and each group had to present their ideas. In the end of the course there was a larger group work based on the discussed issues. The professor was really talented and interested in the topic. The grade was based on participation, the cases and the final group work. The course reminded me a lot of the course called Special Topics in International Business that Aalto offers, but I think this one was even more interesting due to the inspiring professor and very topical material. Jewish Identity in Israel and the Diaspora (3 TAU credits/11.9 ECTS (8 ECTS approved)) This course was from the OSP program, which has courses only on the undergraduate level. Very interesting course for those who want to get to know a bit more Israel and Judaism. The course also helped me to understand the Israeli culture and the roots of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The professor was very funny and easygoing. During the lectures we watched many clips and movies and analyzed each other s identities by doing brief interviews. The grade was based on a research paper, for which we had to interview a Jewish person, and a take-home exam. For those who are doing their thesis as a qualitative case study the interviewing practices in this course will be useful for the future research. Introduction to Intellectual Property (2 TAU credits/8.6 ECTS) This law course was one of the few ones that the Faculty of Law offered for the Recanati exchange students. The course was divided into two parts, copyrights and patents, with two different professors. The first part was very inspiring as the professor used many interesting real life law case examples from Apple to Google and from Spice Girls to Beatles. The second part, on the other hand, was very technical and rather challenging for a non-law student to understand. The grade was based on a 24-hour take-home exam. All in all, the course was very challenging but interesting. MBA Cares Creating Shared Value (1 TAU credit/4.3 ECTS) This course differed greatly from the courses I have taken before as it was based on discussions. During the lectures the students and the professor talked freely about sustainability issues and analyzed different advertising methods and campaigns. The Israeli students loved arguing with the professors, which you rarely see back home. This was actually very educative and frankly you also learn a lot from the students opinions. Unfortunately the course didn t get into very deep with the topic, which made it very basic and easy. The grade was based on one individual assignment and a group work. 6
Practical things Cost of Living Many people have an image of Israel as a cheap Middle Eastern country but the cost of living in Tel Aviv is really high. Living expenses such as housing, electricity, and transportation are close to the ones in Finland but even slightly more expensive. Food in the super markets, especially meat and dairy products, are also relatively expensive excluding fruits and vegetables, which are cheap. Alcohol is not cheap either although there are many all-you-can-drink bars, which usually cost only around 17 euros. However, food in restaurants is cheap and usually great value for money. Nonetheless, you are expected to leave a 10-15% tip for the service in restaurants. Nevertheless, it is possible to live in a cheap way if you know where to go and don t end up spending your money on tourist traps. For instance, many students bought their food from the Shuk, the local market, where everything is cheaper and you have the possibility to bargain. Furthermore, living outside from the center is a lot cheaper and also the distances are very friendly for walking. In addition, the good weather gives great opportunities to do things for free outside. Safety Don t believe everything the news say - Tel Aviv, and Israel generally, is a really safe place. Sometimes it is even hard to imagine how tense the political situation in the country actually is. I felt much safer walking alone home during the night in Tel Aviv than I do back in Helsinki. Naturally it is recommended to use common sense everywhere you go, and some locals recommended not going to the central bus station during late hours. Also it is not recommended to leave your things at the beach without someone watching them and I heard that some people lost their valuables after leaving them unattended especially during the nighttime at the beach. It is common that you need to go through security checks when you enter shopping malls, train stations or the university and you will see hundreds of army girls and guys around you everyday. First this is weird and exciting but after a while it becomes a natural part of everyday life. 7
Phone & Bank Account There are many new cell phone operators in Israel who are trying to kill the traditional mobile market by keeping the prices of telephone subscriptions really low. For instance, I got myself a subscription from Golan Telecom, which provided me with three months of totally free calls, texts and Internet. The simcard cost 10 euros and after the three months the subscription was 20 euros/month. The best thing was that it was possible to cancel the subscription whenever (even during the free three months period). There are also many other operators and the subscriptions can be made in any mobile operator store or shopping malls. Internet is also easily accessible all over the city and Tel Aviv was the world s first digitalized city to provide a free citywide wi-fi. Thus, it is possible to use a laptop on the beach and parks, which enhances the studying experience tremendously. I didn t open an Israeli bank account although afterwards when thinking it would have been smart. Withdrawing money (depending on your Finnish bank account) costs each time 2,5 euros + 2,5% of the withdrawn amount. This became costly in the long run when withdrawing larger amounts. Israel is a country where cash is king and rent, taxis and meals in some smaller restaurants must be paid with cash. The bank account can be opened at the local banks or at the university during the first two weeks of the semester and it is completely free for TAU students. The currency rates for Israeli Shekel are also really good in Israel and often better (or at least the same) as in Forex back in Finland. Thus, it is recommended to bring euros and change them on the spot or if you have visitors coming ask them to bring some cash for you. Public Transportation The public transportation in Israel is really bad. Due to the fear of terrorists attack there are no subways or trams and the public transportation depends on buses. Buses are often late and even a short trip can end up taking forever. It took me almost an hour to get to the university although it was located only 4 kilometers from my apartment. On the other hand, there are approximately 5 different buses going to the university. It is also possible to take a train or a sherut (minibus) depending on where you live. Sheruts are a very good option: they cost around the same amount as the buses and you can hop on and off wherever you want. The only drawback is that you can never be sure when they come and go. Taxis are a bit cheaper than in Finland but the drivers have a tendency to cheat foreigners with the prices. That s why I recommend agreeing on a fixed price with the driver before you enter the vehicle or at least to make sure that the meter is on. If you use the bus it is highly recommended to get a Ravkav, a bus card. You can buy a ticket for the entire semester or just register yourself as student into the card, which provides you with 15% discount. One trip costs approximately 1,5 euros without the discount. The card is free and you can get it from the major bus stations or from the university during the first two weeks of the semester. Healthcare Luckily I didn t need to use the healthcare system during my stay in Israel. The university insists all the exchange students to have a health insurance so if something will come up there is a 8
possibility to use the private doctors. I had a health insurance from IF. One of my friends became sick during the semester and she said that it was really easy to find a private doctor online and they even made home visits for 90 euros in case of a bad illness. Free time Local Area It doesn t matter what time or day of the week it is people are practically living outside and only sleeping in their apartments if even that. The beach is the heart of the city and until the end of November it is packed with people all day long. Tel Aviv is a city of young people and the average passerby on the street is most likely under 30 years old. This generates a very lively and vibrant atmosphere and a booming nightlife. You can go out every night of the week without even noticing that it is not weekend. And there are a lot of option from cozy neighborhood pubs to trendy lounges and high-class nightclubs. Also the various street and rooftop parties are endless in Tel Aviv. In addition, the buddy system organizes many trips and parties. Tel Aviv is also a very international city and some days you hear more English, French and Russian than Hebrew. Also, the gay community in Tel Aviv is huge, which makes the street scene interesting and the atmosphere liberal. As said earlier Tel Aviv is a city where everything is conveniently situated within a walking distance. There is a huge park just next to the city center for outdoor sports and the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Promenade is a bustling walkway next to the beach that connects Old city of Jaffa in the south to the northern neighborhoods of the city. The port of Tel Aviv is a flourishing area in the North with new restaurants and stores opening all the time, a multitude of events and beautiful views. In the south of Tel Aviv, there is a neighborhood called Florentine, which is Tel Aviv s version to New York s Soho with its art galleries, superb and varied night life, some of Tel Aviv s most happening street parties, an independent art scene, and an overall underground atmosphere. Finally, there is Neve Tzedek, a cozy and trendy small area, which is nicknamed the Little Paris because of its eye-opening architectural innovations. 9
There is a lot of famous street art, architectural sightseeing s and a wide variety of interesting museums throughout the city and whole Israel and West Bank. The country has amazing sports facilities from hiking to water and extreme sports. Many of my friends, for instance, took part in a 10-week surfing course. The coffee culture is huge and sometimes you start wondering whether the locals have anything else to do. In addition, people love eating outside and especially during the weekends (Thursday-Friday) it is necessary to make reservations. I cannot highlight enough how good and fresh the local food is. Besides the local dishes from hummus, tahini, falafel, kebab and shakshuka, you have a huge variety of cuisines all around the world and on top of that the restaurant food is fairly cheap. There are also three big shopping malls close to the city center and an everyday market, Shuk, where you can buy everything from clothes to food. The Shuk has also an artist s market every Tuesday and Friday where people sell their design pieces. Weather Tel Aviv has a Mediterranean weather with hot summers and mild winters. From September to October the weather was very humid and hot, around +30 degrees. This year was a bit exceptional weather wise as the high temperatures lasted until December. However, right before Christmas there was a heavy snowstorm in Jerusalem and some of it even reached Tel Aviv, which was the first time in the history of the weather records. The cold winter with +5 degrees lasted around 10 days and during this time the apartments were very cold with an emphasis on the word very. Thus, when renting an apartment it is recommended to make sure that the heating is working. Afterwards, the whole January and February were sunny with approximately +20 degrees. Cultural Differences There are many differences between the Finnish and Israeli people. Israelis usually come up as very extroverted, talkative, loud and even a bit pushy and arrogant. It is very easy to get to know them as they are very outgoing and don t hesitate to ask questions from strangers. They are very easy to talk to and don t mind trying to cultivate a conversation even if you don t share the same language. However, this might become a bit annoying at times, as it is very common that you don t get even a second to be just by yourself as random people approach you constantly with questions and suggestions. One thing I learned is that Israelis often take no as a maybe and maybe as a yes so make sure you re clear with what you want. Israelis are also not afraid to say what they think. In the beginning this may come as a bit of a shock but in the long run I really 10
started appreciating it compared to the stereotypical American sweet talk. All in all, Israelis are one of the most genuine, lively and helpful people I have ever met. Good to Know The holidays in Israel differ greatly from the ones we are used to back home and the whole calendar system is completely different. For instance, Israelis celebrate the New Year in September and Christmas holidays are normal working days. The weekdays in Israel are from Sunday to Thursday. Sabbath starts around 3 pm on Friday and ends around 6pm on Saturday. The early Friday evenings are dedicated for Sabbath dinner with family and friends but Israelis usually also ask their foreign friends to also participate. During this time shopping malls and bigger grocery stores are closed. Also, some of the restaurants close their doors. However, there are many a.m./p.m. s that are open 24/7 and the nightlife is blooming. Israel is a Jewish state but you can t always see the religious side in the metropolitan Tel Aviv. However, you will undoubtedly encounter men who are wearing kippahs (a head clothing) and Muslim women with their headscarves. Many of the Israelis (at least the religious ones) keep Kosher, which means that they don t mix meat with dairy products. Many restaurants, for instance, serve their hamburgers without cheese and pizzas are mainly vegetarian. One thing that is sometimes very annoying is that most of the things are written in Hebrew (websites, restaurant and bar names, advertisements and food labels) so sometimes it may be a bit difficult to find what you are looking for. I ended up occasionally buying yogurt instead of cream cheese or flour instead of sugar. However, the locals are very helpful and almost everyone speaks surprisingly good English. Google translate is also of great help. Traveling Israel has a huge variety to offer for travelers from the green North to the large desert area in the middle all the way to the tropical South. During the 5 months period that I spent in Israel I went to hike to the Golan Heights, water-ski to the Sea of Galilee, wander around the Haifa gardens and swim in the Dead Sea. I also climbed to Masada, explored the historical Jerusalem, got accustomed to the Palestinian way of living in the West Bank and snorkeled in the Red Sea in Eilat. We also did a two-day trip to Jordan, to Petra and Wadi Rum. This is something that I highly recommend: spending the night in a Bedouin camp as the only tourists in the middle of the desert gives you a whole another perspective to life. Conclusion Tel Aviv is not a typical or the most popular choice among Aalto students when they decide where to spend their exchange semesters. However, it is a great option if you want to experience something totally different and put yourself out of your comfort zone. The city is very European so the culture shock won t be too bad but still you get to experience the Middle Eastern vibes and learn how to behave in a drastically different business culture. I haven t regretted my choice even ones! 11
I m more than happy to give tips and help with anything, especially in the apartment hunt, so feel free to contact me. Good luck! k90357@aalto.fi 12