Winter in JerusalemFor most of us attending the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem this is our first time being in Israel throughout the winter and celebrating the holidays here. For many of us from Canada this is our first winter without snow.

It came as a shock for us as the weather began to get colder. Coming from Winnipeg I had always associated being freezing cold with 5 feet of snow however I was surprised to find that even here in Israel I felt the need to wear my winter jacket despite there being no snow. Many Israelis have told us that this is an unusual winter for Israel as there has been very little rain nevertheless the temperature continues to drop and more recently there have been rumours that snow could be on its way.

Although cold in Jerusalem, other places in Israel are much warmer. At the beginning of December I had the opportunity to go on a hike through the school in the Negev. Many times throughout the two day hike I found it hard to believe that it was December and I was hiking through the desert. During the day it was hot with a light breeze, the perfect temperature for hiking up and down mountains and through trails. The night, on the other hand was one of the hardest nights I had ever spent camping. Sleeping under the stars in the middle of the desert was beautiful but I had failed to realize before I had left for the hike that the Negev got so cold. When the sun had set the temperature dropped drastically. Needless to say, most of us did not sleep very much that night.

During December many of the students were also looking foreword to Chanukah. It was unusual having a December that lacked Christmas carols, Christmas lights and Christmas shopping. Between that and the absence of snow many of us forgot that the holidays were even coming up and Chanukah crept up on us. Many of us had signed up awhile ago for a trip through the school to Eilat for the first few days of Chanukah. The trip was a great way to spend the first part of the holiday. We lit the candles every night, went to the aquarium and had free time to go to the beach and explore Eilat on our own. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to relax and get out of Jerusalem for a few days as well as celebrate Chanukah in a way we hadn’t before.

Upon our return to Jerusalem our lives began to get busier. Many people’s families began arriving to visit while parallel to this the reality hit us that finals were coming up and we had to begin preparing for papers and exams. Recently our days have been jam packed between meeting our friends’ families, seeing our own families and once in awhile trying to open a book. In addition to this the time is approaching where we must say goodbye to our friends who had only come for a semester.

Although this month has been a little bit crazy for most of us every minute has been worth it. Being able to celebrate Chanukah in a country where it is the dominant holiday has been an experience many of us had never had and seeing our families for the first time in five months has been incredible. As first semester draws to a close there is a mixture of emotions. As sad as it will be to say goodbye to countless new friends, anticipation and excitement builds as new students begin to arrive in the coming weeks and students begin leaving for their vacations around Europe, Asia or back home for a couple of months. First semester at Rothberg has been great but we know that with second semester things will only get better.