The first day in Israel was quite weird to me because the very first meal I had was a bowl of mysterious salad, a dish of unknown meat and some unpeeled big potatoes. But, I loved it as it was a new experience for me to explore the strange things about this country and its people.
Just like other short-term international courses, our workshop was filled with tight schedules and long but interesting lectures. But, all of us were very happy on the weekends as we were taken to many historic and religious places as well as popular tourist attractions around the country including the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, Masada National Park, the Dead Sea and the Holocaust Museum.
We all were really amazed by the superb architecture of the ancient religious structures, the beautiful costumes of the Israeli people and their fortitude which makes their country powerful in spite of its small size. I came to vividly realize that very point during our visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem to receive some lectures. And, we also had a chance to enjoy delicious lunch at the Ministry together with the responsible persons of the political bureaus.
Doubtless, a visit to the Holocaust Museum also known as Yad Vashem on the same day gave me many interesting memories of the victims and heroes of the holocaust. It is a vast complex of museums, outdoor monuments, exhibition halls, archives, a library, and other resource centers in Jerusalem. We all couldn't help appreciating the amazing architecture and great display of the museum. One more thing to give credit is our guide, a smart Jewish lady, who speaks perfect English and has a detailed knowledge of the holocaust history.
Regionally and internationally recognized as one of the most popular tourist attractions and the national shrine of Israel, Masada National Park took our breath away when we paid a visit there. The word Masada means Fortress in Hebrew, and it was the last stand made by the Jewish Zealots in their revolt against the Roman Rule. Excavated by the Israeli archaeologist Yigael Yadin in 1963-65, Masada National Park is a great reminiscence of the glorious past story of the ancient days. To say frankly, a visit to Masada National Park is the most special experience to me while studying in Israel.
My three-week stay and studying in Israel gave me a lot of valuable chances to expand my horizon of knowledge and to make friends with lovely and smart people from different partsd of the globe who are really kind, helpful and hospitable. All of them are clearly superior to me in terms of both professional know-how and international experience. But, they all encouraged me to make my dreams come true by telling me about their stories and how they have come proficient in their respective professions.
Thank you dear friends, thank you MASHAV, thank you Israel.
Size doesn't matter at all!
The above story is shared by Soe Thu Ra, supervising translator and presenter from Sky Net Media who went to Israel to attend the International Workshop on Media Strategies for Social Changes from 20th July to 10th August 2012.
Thanks so much for your wonderful story, Soe Thu Ra!
If you are one of the MASHAV participants /agriculture trainees or tourists who happened to have visited Israel in your life time, you are welcome to send us stories of your memories in Israel and share your experience with us.We will publish your stories together with others on this page. You can download and complete the form
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Send your stories to :
Ms.May Thawdar
Embassy of Israel