My experience in Israel exceeded my expectations by far and I had an amazing month working with four different vets. The vets were immensely patient and helped me improve my practical skills (especially in rectal palpation) with helpful explanations and demonstrations. All of them encouraged me to keep asking questions and tried their best to give me an answer to whatever topic came up and to share their knowledge with me. The advanced veterinary service in Israel astonished me on a daily basis and it was wonderful to see how dairy farming can still work under such harsh conditions as the heat. The herd health practice in Israel differs a lot from the one practiced in Switzerland and getting to know the Israeli system was one of the most interesting things during this month. With only very (!) basic Hebrew I did not know what to expect from this externship, but it turned out that all the farmers spoke at least a little bit of English and were very welcoming and happy to show someone from another country their everyday life.
I honestly learned more in these four weeks about dairy cow medicine than I had learned during all my time at University. Thank you so much to all the people who made this experience what it was: For offering me rooms, meals and insightful glimpses in the culture and the tremendous history of this beautiful country. Spending time with the vets and their families helped me to understand what life in Israel is like and gave me a better understanding of the conflict too. I’m extremely grateful for this experience and I am sure that I will be back in Israel soon! Toda raba!
