Arts & Letters Expressions

An online publication for the alumni and friends of the College of Arts and Letters

Dance student studying abroad in Israel blogs about experience

Brittney Banaei, a senior dance major, recently earned a spot at the Rothberg International School’s DanceJerusalem program. She landed in Israel in late August, and has been documenting her journey on her blog “An American Dancer in Israel.” This is a preview …

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Brittney Banaei, a senior dance major, recently earned a spot at the Rothberg International School’s DanceJerusalem program. She landed in Israel in late August, and has been documenting her journey on her blog “An American Dancer in Israel.”

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Brittney Banaei. Photo submitted.

This is a preview of her first entry, where we get a peek into the life of a study away student:

Man with AK47 Walks Donkey and Other Travel Highlights

It is Thursday night in Israel, which is like Friday night in the US. Our studies are done for the week and now we are all taking some hard-won downtime.

I’m sitting in my modest (but cute!) dorm room and writing this entry, wondering how in the world I’m going to relay to you the magic that is Jerusalem.

I wanted to tell you all about my first week, academics, dance, new friends, etc., but I think that is too much to read in one sitting. I will tell you that I had my first (language immersion) class today and all feels right with the world.

So here is the story of my journey …

Read more about Brittney’s intriguing two-day journey from the U.S. to Jerusalem, and her first few days in Israel on her blog, “An American Dancer in Israel.”

Brittney flew standby and lucked into a first-class seat to Tel-Aviv. Photo submitted.
In her post, Brittney describes her two-hour shuttle bus ride to Jerusalem, which included a man with an AK47 walking a donkey. Photo submitted.
"I arrived at the student village in-tact and un-puked. I got all checked in (thank you housing office for staying open), spilled coffee all over myself, had several incoherent (it’s not you, it’s me) conversations with strangers and unpacked my stuff." Photo submitted.
On her first morning in Jerusalem: "My open window brought in the crisp breeze along with drifting the tones of morning call to prayer and a stunning sunrise view." Photo submitted.