By Andria Kaplan Aylyarov
You were always the friend with the big ideas who dared to be adventurous. Now, it’s your junior year and time to embrace your inner Indiana Jones and go abroad.
Whether you’d prefer the saltiness of Vegemite or the rich, bold flavors of hummus, check out our comparison of studying abroad in Sydney verse Tel Aviv.
The Food
Speaking of food, Sydney and Tel Aviv have fantastic culinary scenes, but depending on your taste one may sound more scrumptious than the other. Instead of putting peanut butter on your PB&J’s you’ll have to take a like to Vegemite, the salty, yeast like spread that Australians live on from the age of two.
If you’d prefer to lean away from high levels of sodium, then you would probably rather sit and dip freshly baked bread into hummus, your new favorite condiment. Walk into any café in Tel Aviv for some of Israel’s famous chickpea spread or find hidden spots like Hummus Magen David that is tucked away in Shuk HaCarmel.
Or, are you more of a meat eater? The locals in Australia will amaze you as they throw one of these on the barbie:
Ouch. Who would want to eat one of those cute little guys, not you! In Israel, you won’t be afraid to excite your taste buds with a little shawarma action. You’ll find these mouthwatering meat filled pitas on every corner. I’d suggest checking out Dabush.
Down with the veg scene? Check out this vegan shawarma:
The Beaches
There’s no better way to spend a semester abroad than on a beach. Tel Aviv and Sydney both have more beaches than one can imagine. The beaches in Tel Aviv rank again and again amongst the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Sydney, located in New South Wales is home to less and fewer beaches that rank, unlike its northern neighborhood of Queensland whose beaches frequently rank but are not situated in big cities.
Bring it back to Tel Aviv, home to 8 miles of beach, all accessible right from your university. If you want to lay out with a beer, learn how to surf or chill Oceanside all weekend you won’t have to go far. Plus, within one block you’re right back into the city life.
Diversity & Culture
Nearly 32% of Australians were born overseas (that is if you count being born in England overseas). Let’s not forget how Australia was formed; Captain Cook discovered the Eastern part of Australia in 1770 and the British began sending their prisoners to live in the land down under. Israel, on the other hand, is home to lots of foreign born people making it a real multicultural epicenter. It’s not uncommon to hear Russian, French, Arabic or Spanish begin spoken. Tel Aviv is the melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and food in the Middle East. Also comparable to Sydney is the LBGTQ scene in Tel Aviv. In 2011, Tel Aviv was named the best gay travel destinations from a worldwide survey hosted GayCities.com and American Airlines. The Ministry of Tourism is so awesome that it even backed the Tel Aviv Gay Vibes campaign.
The Adventure
If you rock your Tevas year round and own numerous Patagonia swag then, of course, you’re looking at both Australia and Israel for their outdoor features. Do your research though and save up since Australia is an enormous country. To see all of it, you’ll need to travel extensive distances to get from the city to the bush, to the outback to the Great Barrier Reef. Israel takes little change and time to discover all of its wonders. In 8 hours you can drive from north to south and experience the forests of the Galilee or the seas of Eilat.
The Opera Houses
Okay, there is no way to compare the aesthetics of Tel Aviv’s Opera House with Sydney’s, except that tickets to Tel Aviv’s Opera House are 50% cheaper. Plus, who goes abroad to hang out at an Opera House anyway?
Let Israel knock your socks off next semester.
P.S. Don’t Forget About the Language
It’s rather obvious that Australia’s official language is English. Israel has several official languages, like Hebrew and Arabic. English is the unofficial third language. So if you are nervous about communicating, don’t be, everyone speaks English and bars and cafes have menus in multiple languages.
Andria Kaplan Aylyarov is a Masa Israel Alumna and content marketing specialist for Masa Israel Journey. She loves a good glass of white wine and wishes she was 85-years-old and living in Boca, but she currently resides in Brooklyn.
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