Story of Jerusalem

The first week of the semester is always rough, and it's even tougher in another country! Read one student's account on getting acquainted to the city of Jerusalem.

By Rebecca Cushman

Hi! My name is Rebecca and I’m studying abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel! It has been an absolutely incredible experience thus far, and I can’t wait to have more and more enlightening, cultural experiences. So, I figured I’d tell you about some of the highlights from my trip, so that you can get a glimpse of what life is like here in Israel!

I arrived in Israel on Monday, January 16th. We were met by the madrichim, who are like RA’s. They plan lots of fun events and trips for us to participate in, and they are here in case we need anything during our study abroad experience. The student village, where our dorms are, is beautiful. I have a single room in a 5-person suite. We have a kitchen, two bathrooms, a common area with a couch, and then, of course, our individual bedrooms. The actual campus of Hebrew University is also gorgeous. Within the campus, there’s an incredible amphitheater with a stunning view of Jerusalem, as well as a botanical garden! Sspeaking of the view of Jerusalem, there’s really nothing quite like it; Jerusalem is really an incredible place.

Before classes start, we all take a class called Ulpan. We study the Hebrew language for about 4 hours every day. I’ve really been enjoying this program because I would love to be fluent in Hebrew, and this is definitely a great start!

Let’s talk about the food here. One word: incredible. The falafel with pita and hummus is amazing here. The rugelach, which is a delicious pastry often filled with chocolate, can’t be beaten! And, there’s an amazing dish here called shnitzel, which can be most closely compared to chicken cutlets. On another related note, however, going to the supermarket for the first time was a crazy experience. There were so many different brands of every type of food, just like in an American supermarket, but everything was in Hebrew and a lot of the time, I just simply couldn’t figure out what to buy.

There are so many things to say, and so many experiences that I’ve had, that I couldn’t possible write them all. But, throughout the semester, I’ll give updates on my life here, in the hopes of offering you all a glimpse into the life and culture of Jerusalem, Israel!

To that end, here are some pictures I’ve taken!