Tel Aviv University International (TAUi) student Rainbow Yeung has lived in many places - Hong Kong, Turkey and now Israel.
What brought Yeung, who is now studying in the school’s International Liberal Arts program, from Turkey - a Muslim-majorty country - to Israel - the Jewish State - was her fascination with history.
"I was thinking about my options for university, and I realized I didn't want to study in the same place that I've always lived," Yeung said. "I wanted to experience something new.
“Israel is such a fascinating country, because it is such a young country, but it has such a rich history,” she said. “So it just stood out."
Yeung arrived in the country just over two years ago, and has been studying at TAUi since then. She has taken courses on the Middle East, Israel and Judaism, as well as entrepreneurship.
Yeung described the first year as being "very busy," going from learning in the classroom to studying in her dorm room, attempting to get a foothold on her coursework as a new arrival in the country.
This year, Yeung noted that as the coronavirus pandemic tapered off she had more opportunities to travel around the country, and has found solace in touring the national parks, seeing how the scenery changes as you make your way across the country and how the country respects nature and cares just as much about what lies under the ground as it does “for what lies in front of our eyes” with its methodical archaeological processes.
She also made a note of the unique Israeli culture.
"Something that surprised me being here is how confident people are [in Israel]," Rainbow said - “their attitude and their confidence, even when they are waiting in line. They just don't care about what other people think."
Yeung said that the Israeli confidence rubbed off on her in a way, after moving to Israel fresh out of high school, saying that it allowed her to be more comfortable in her own skin and shaped her as a person.
She admitted that her friends and family abroad were worried about her this past year, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Gaza war. But Yeung said she quickly learned that the news makes things look much more tense than it does when you are living in Israel, and she tried to allay their fears.
"It is hard to explain to people outside [of Israel]," she said. "Unless you live here, you can't really understand how complicated and sometimes frustrating the situation is."
Regardless, Yeung believes that moving her studies to Israel was one of the most momentous and will be one of the most memorable decisions of her life.
In Israel, she said, “You learn to enjoy life in its basic charms."