43 students and interns arrived at the Arava Institute at the beginning of this week, excited for orientation and the beginning of their courses. The Fall 2016 participants come from Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Kenya, and the United States.
The first few days were spent in various programmed activities and introductory sessions to the participants’ new environment, as well as first experiences in multi-cultural communal living on a desert campus. After a busy morning of registration on Tuesday, Arava Institute staff members also had an opportunity to get to know the students during a relaxed meet & greet in the afternoon.
Wednesday morning opened with the very first class of the semester – Sustainable Agriculture – for the students, and the first day at the office for the research interns. Later during the week students will be celebrating a belated Eid al-Adha, and discover the local environment during a regional field trip.
We are excited about the new diverse community on campus, and wish everyone a successful and meaningful semester!
Submitted by Hannah Kadish