Last week his stay in Holland came to an end, and to mark the event he organised a Farewell Party for his colleagues and housemates. Two boxes with very Dutch cake and of course beer on the table in 'his' house close to the centre of Enschede. He could have passed for a Dutch student. However, talk of his trip to Amsterdam to see the canals and the 'freedom' give away that he is foreign. He manages to nuance the image with a more unconventional outing: to the live broadcasting of the TV show 'Weekend Millionaires'.
So did he become partly Dutch within two months? The Israeli student had some difficulties to get settled in the beginning, One thing that Michael still dreads is the complete absence of the English language in Enschede. 'In Israel all the product labels are both in Hebrew and English, they should do that here as well.'
But quite soon he got used to the Dutch way. 'There are not that many differences, it is actually almost the same as in Israel. The campus of Twente is greener, it is very flat and not as dry as in Haifa where I study. And the Israeli people are more emotional and politically involved.'
Is he looking forward to going back with the current problems in Israel? 'Although it was really nice to be in Holland I have to go back, I have to continue my studies by the end of October. I called my parents tonight and they are safe and sound, they don't live in a conflict area. The Israel University of Technology, where I study, is okay as well. But of course I follow the news on TV and I do think about it. I have to, I am an Israeli citizen, it's my country. Yet, we have had problems for a long time. And it is not such a mess, but there are indeed a lot of problems to solve. Now they try to solve it with violence. I don't think that violence is a way to a solution, but it is reality.'
Then it is time to move his Goodbye Get-together to a bar in the city centre. More Dutch beer? Michael smiles. 'I still don't drink that much, but the Dutch beer is good. We do have good beer in Israel, but it is quite expensive.' Maybe the Dutch and Israeli are not that different after all.
Michael Nudelman
