Du họcGiáo dục

The outing experience of Vietnamese schoolgirls in Israel

Not knowing the directions app, and unable to communicate in Hebrew, Tinh Nhi went through two stressful tours while studying abroad in Israel.

Pham Le Tinh Nhi won a high school scholarship from Givat Haviva International School in Israel while studying Literature, Tran Dai Nghia School for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City. In September 2021, Nhi went to Israel to study 11th grade, International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and live in the school’s dormitory.

Three months after arriving in this country, on the occasion of winter break, Nhi and a friend had their first bus trip, to visit the Roman ruins in the town of Caesarea, a famous tourist destination of Israel. , 13 km from the dormitory. The trip made two Vietnamese schoolgirls have a howling experience.





Pham Le Tinh Nhi is studying in grade 11 at Givat Haviva International School in Israel.  Photo: Character provided

Pham Le Tinh Nhi is studying in grade 11 at Givat Haviva International School in Israel. Image: Characters provided

The trip was planned only from midnight the night before, when they looked at the weather forecast and knew that the next day would be the only day without rain for the week. “Israel at that time rained a lot, so if you don’t go anywhere on a clear day, it’s a waste,” Nhi explained.

Planning impromptu, so the two friends do not have a bus pass, nor do they know the routes. Both borrowed cards, asked how to top up, prepared maps, asked directions, found places to go… in the night. At 6 a.m. the next day, Nhi contacted the inpatient management department for guidance and left, with the motto “whatever happens, there is a way to handle it”.

Boarding the bus, the poor preparation made the two female students “pay the price” in turn. Her friend was car sick, so Nhi was forced to fend for herself. The car went a distance, because she was not proficient in the directions app, Nhi did not know where she was. She gave the phone to the driver and other passengers for help, but no one spoke English. Nhi had to use Google translate from English to Hebrew to ask for directions but to no avail.

“I was confused and cried on the bus,” Nhi said.

Seeing two female students in need of support, a female customer called her English-speaking friend to discuss with Nhi. Being directed to the first station, she gradually understood how to watch on the app and boarded the second train to Caesarea.

Visiting until 16:00, Nhi and her friends took the bus back to school. This time, both of them got off at the wrong station. Arriving at the dormitory at 6 pm, Nhi and her friends “distorted their faces” because they had just had a memorable experience.





Nhi (right) and her best friend during their visit to Tel Aviv in December 2021.  Photo: Character provided

Nhi (right) and her best friend during their visit to Tel Aviv in December 2021. Image: Characters provided

At the end of the winter break last year, the two of you went on another trip. This time they knew how to look at the station, look at the trip, but Nhi had a funny situation when she went on the right day of Shabbat.

Shabbat is the “day of rest” according to the Bible. In Israel, these two days of rest fall on Friday and Saturday. From Friday afternoon everyone, everything will be in complete rest, no bus, no movement, until Saturday afternoon. Traditional families do not even use electricity and telephones on those two days. They focus all their energy and time on rest, reading and family connection.

Nhi and her friends went to Tel Aviv, the second largest city in Israel, to find food. Unaccustomed to Middle Eastern food, they go to the Asian market in this city to find ingredients to cook. But the two girls did not realize that day was Shabbat until they were in Tel Aviv, and heard “Shabbat Shalom” (peaceful Shalom) on the street.

“We realized that today is Friday. If we don’t catch the last train before Shabbat, it means we can’t go to school,” Nhi shared.

Shopping until 16:00, Nhi opened the app and discovered that the last bus back to school was 3km away. They only had a few minutes to catch the bus.

“I and my friends panicked, ran to the place, the bus closed, I had to shout loudly for the driver to hear and open it again. 30 seconds later, I had to stay in Tel Aviv,” Nhi said.

After two self-discovery trips, Nhi learned the lesson to be more careful, not to go haphazardly. For international students who have just arrived and are not familiar with the roads and customs, Nhi advises before going anywhere to learn to look at the map, apply directions and understand the bus schedule. Nhi also learns some basic sentences such as asking for directions, asking for help in the local language so that in case of need, she will not be confused.

According to Nhi, thanks to the incident, she “remembers” better than the rule of bus in Israel. I am also bold, daring to go on long, far away trips by myself to more exotic places.

“There are many experiences in life that are like getting lost. But if you look at your mistakes with a happier, more positive gaze, it turns into a funny story and a memorable lesson,” Nhi said. .





Nhi (third from right) and international students at the school in Israel.  Photo: Character provided

Nhi (third from right) and international students at the school in Israel. Image: Characters provided

Dawn

You are reading the article The outing experience of Vietnamese schoolgirls in Israel
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here

Back to top button