From Addis Ababa to a PhD from Ben Gurion University

Every day is a new adventure that is completely different from my life at home and that’s why I love it so much.

By ANTENEH ABEBE
Updated: JULY 20, 2016 14:34
Anteneh Abebe Ben Gurion Univ. (photo credit: Courtesy)
Anteneh Abebe Ben Gurion Univ.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
As I am from resource limited and rural part of Ethiopia, I was highly encouraged to study abroad. That is why I wanted to expose myself to as many opportunities as possible. When I got the acceptance letter to study my Doctorate degree (PhD) in biomedical sciences from Ben-Gurion University, I was so excited.
I decided to come to BGU after having been accepted to universities in Europe and others parts of the world because of I strongly believe that Ben-Gurion University is an internationally recognized leader in innovative technologies and cutting-edge academic investigation and a major Israeli center for teaching and research. The university was inspired by the vision of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, who believed that the future of the country lay in the Negev region.
When I first arrived here, I found a friendly place except the difficult language, Hebrew. Every day is a new adventure that is completely different from my life at home and that’s why I love it so much. I used to work as a lecturer and a researcher in the Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Now I finished my first year as a PhD fellow and am starting to speak a few Hebrew words like יום טוב  (BokerTov),  בבקשה (Bevakasha), Shalom, Ma koreh. As a foreign student, life in Beersheba is very relaxed because of the more reasonable cost of living, friendly place and people and presence of a lot of historical places like the tent of Abraham and Sarah.
Many thanks for BGU foreign affairs office and international student club staff, made my stay in BGU and Israel so lovely. It feels like a second home by participating in different activities like Meet Israel trip, Hiking, International student day festival and so on. I have always been fascinated with the religiosity and culture of Israel. Studying in Israel, at Ben-Gurion University is a life-changing experience and gave me a new outlook and perception on life and other cultures around me. It is truly an experience of a lifetime.