The ConnecTech group started off Monday with an exclusive visit to Intel’s research center in Haifa for a sneak peak of how the computer hardware giant develops and tests its computer processors. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside but we took a lovely picture outside the building:
First we learned a bit about Intel’s history in Israel(Israel was Intel’s first location outside America) and toured some of the facilities. We saw where they test the motherboards, etch silicon, make their brand new 3-dimensional 22nm transistors, and saw how Intel employees get to dress in astronaut-esque attire to work in the clean rooms! So next time you turn on your computer, you should just know Intel put in a lot of hard work to make it run efficiently.
Not only that, but we each got a free key chain with a silicon wafer inside (actually certain people got 6 free key chains)! Can it get better than that?
We then met up with our Technion friends and some local teens at an after-school day care in Haifa to do some volunteer work. Together we repainted the inside walls, painted murals, and cleaned up the surrounding area.
After much contentious debate over whether to paint Sponge Bob, Winnie the Pooh, or Angry Birds, we finally settled on the timeless Spider Man.
We all had so much fun painting, hanging out with the local Haifa teens and bonding over some delicious pizza.
After finishing up in Haifa we loaded the bus and headed straight for Israel’s holiest city –Jerusalem! For the ConnecTech group, however, the night was still (very, very) young because we were about to embark on a rare all-night tour. First we walked on top of the old city’s walls and saw a sound and light show about the various empires that controlled Jerusalem over the ages. Seeing the city’s ancient ruins and majestic stone walls in the middle of the night, empty of tourists and brightened by the full moon, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We visited the Jewish, Armenian, Muslim, and Christian quarters, and saw sites like the Western Wall and David’s Citadel. We also searched for some raging 3am Monday nightlife in Jerusalem’s “New City.” Let’s just say we didn’t find any. Nevertheless, all that searching made us hungry, and we finished the tour in a bakery in the ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Me’ah She’arim for an early 4:30am breakfast.
We all can’t wait to return to Jerusalem!
Hummus tagline of the day: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my hummus lose its chickpeas.
The Technion-MIT ConnecTech program is generously funded and supported by the CJP Boston-Haifa Connection.
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