MY EXCHANGE E X P E R I E N C E : ISRAEL In February 2018 us, David and Lenart - 5th year dental students at the time, attended a week long Interna- tional Clinical Exchange Program (ICEP) in Israel at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. This is where students of Hadassah School of Dental Medicine do their clinical practice during their studies. When we found an opportunity for a clinical exchange in Israel during days that suited us, we immediately agreed to apply. Besides the fact that the University is renowned for its competence in research, we also wanted to visit Jerusalem because of its rich history and culture, thus combining the educational part with a short trip. We found information about the exchange pro- gram on the IADS Exchange Portal. Our National Exchange Officer (NEO) got us in contact with the delegate from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and he helped us with everything regarding the appli- cation. We had to attach our CV, recommendation letter from our Faculty, our documents and a cer- tificate of vaccination to our application. We were notified about the acceptance in the beginning of January. After this, we bought our plane tickets and soon we were done with the exams for the semes- ter and on our way to the airport. We spent the first 3 days in Tel Aviv, which is located on the Mediterranean coastline. The city is known for its nightlife and as the economic and technologi- cal center of the country. We visited the ancient city of Jaffa, which is located near Tel Aviv. According to some sources, this is the oldest port in the world, used by Muslims, Christians, Jews and ancient Egyptians throughout history. Our exchange was due to start on a Sunday, be- cause in Jewish culture, Sunday is the first working day of the week. A day before, on Sabbath - a day for rest and worship, we took a bus to Jerusalem. Our accommodation was located near the Hospital, about 20 minutes outside the old city centre. We stayed with a Jewish family with 5 children. Their mother was from Orthodox Jewish family of Aus- trian origin, but she gave up the traditional lifestyle years ago. However, she refused to shake our hands upon arrival, because Jews are not allowed to touch members of opposite sex. She told us a lot about their culture and lifestyle and gave us a few useful tips for visiting the city. I chose the clinical department of Orthodontics, where they offer an international spe- cialization program for 10 residents in English language. On the first day, the Admin- istrator was already waiting for me and she introduced me to the professor, who was supervising the clinical work of residents that day. They welcomed me with open arms and I was positively surprised that not only did everybody know I was coming, they also knew my name (even though their pronunciation was slightly inaccurate). I had an opportunity to observe the residents while they were performing some interesting clinical procedures. They explained the procedures to me and answered all my ques- tions. The specialization program for residents is 3 years long. Each day, a professor from a different area of expertise such as orofacial cleft, impacted teeth and malocclu- sion was present. There is a mandatory seminar for residents every day, which is basi- cally a discussion, led by a professor, about the treated patients and articles they had to study. We got to know each other better every day and I got an opportunity to assist the residents in the following days. I was able to witness some very interesting proce- dures, such as autogenous tooth transplantation, placement of orthodontic implants and orthodontic extrusion. The last day of the exchange came by too fast. We had a small farewell gathering with the residents, we exchanged contacts and said goodbye. 12 LENART