3 Things you won't see in aggieland...

I moved into University housing last night and am now fully a part of the University of Haifa community for the next 2 month. Here are some of the things I had forgotten about that you won't see in aggieland...

1) Guns in the classroom. Yes, we have to Corp, but they don't carry guns to class. Here students who are on duty soldiers in the special forces are issued guns that they must have with them at all times. That mean they take it to class, the library, that bathroon, etc. I asked my friend if she thought it was okay to take a picture of one of them. She said yes, but that then they would have to kill me. I wasn't sure if she was joking, so no picture today.

2) Security check points. To enter any building on campus you must go to a check point where a guard will search your bag and use a metal detector wand to swipe you to make sure you are not carrying explosives. This is not only on campus, but in most public building, malls, and even grocery stores.

3) Smoking...everywhere. Israel is not as militant as the USA when it comes to non-smoking policies. Of course there are no smoking areas, but there are also smoking lounges in many of the building. I passed one professor office today and saw what smelled like cigarette smoke coming out from under their door!