UCLA alumna ('17) and former Jewish Studies major Aixian Yuan writes about her intensive Hebrew studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, exploring Israel's diverse food, and how her experiences in Israel were informed by her faith.

My dreams have come true thanks to the Mudie-Glaser Scholarship. The summer of 2017 was definitely a special and wonderful time in my life. I received an opportunity to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for a month.

I grew up in a Christian family and read the Bible with my family after dinner every day. Having known so many stories about Israel, I was attracted by the culture and the people in the Bible. Because of this, I chose Jewish Studies as my major.

After studying Hebrew, Israeli culture, and the country’s history, I could not wait to visit Israel in person. So in my last quarter in college, I applied to the summer Hebrew language program at the Hebrew University and I was accepted.

It was amazing to see in person everything that I had read about in the Bible, studied in school, and heard about from my friends and classmates.

In the beginning, it was difficult for me to follow along with the teachers since the classes were taught in Hebrew instead of English and Hebrew was spoken even during break time. Basically, everyone around me communicated in Hebrew.

This really pushed me to listen and learn to speak Hebrew to improve my language skills. Also, my Arab Israeli housemates were a big help to me. They were very nice and patiently taught me Hebrew when I had problems communicating. They even taught me how to cook Israeli food.

It was so nice to make friends with those who came from different backgrounds than me. We helped one another learn about different cultures in a very relaxed and happy atmosphere.

Besides learning Hebrew at school and at home, going shopping helped me to learn simple, yet useful Hebrew phrases such as "כמה זה עולה?" (“how much is it?”). Learning sentences such as this helped in speaking in my daily life when shopping and conversing with others.

In addition to my studies, the food was also amazing. It’s necessary to mention the food, especially the fruits and vegetables I found in the open air market; they were so fresh and delicious. There are many food stands located at Mahane Yuhudah in Jerusalem. I would take the train there to buy fruit twice a week.

Beyond the food, one of the highlights of my trip was touring the “good land.” When I wasn’t in class, I was visiting many different places, such as the Dead Sea, the Temple Institute, the city of Jericho, Ramallah, Masada, Jordan Rivers, David’s tunnel, etc.

I couldn’t deny that I felt the pain of the people and their struggle when visiting the historical areas such as Masada. I was deeply moved by their strong spirit which has lasted a thousand years through generations.

Their love for the land, their pride of being the chosen people, and their wisdom in confronting their enemies was very impressive. Hezekiah's Tunnel impressed me the most. This tunnel is mentioned in the Bible in 2 Kings 20:20. According to the Bible, King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians, by blocking the source of the waters of the upper Gihon, and channeling them.

It is unimaginable that the Jewish people carved beneath the city of David with their hands in ancient times. They used their wisdom and strength to defend themselves from the attacks of enemies.

This is possibly one of the reasons their pride for their country is so strong. They worked and went through crises together again and again. This trip made Israel much more real to me. I love the people of Israel, the good land, the food, the culture, and the language.

Aixian Yuan is an alumna of UCLA. She completed her BA in Jewish Studies in 2017. In the same year, she flew to Israel to pursue a summer program called "Ulpan" at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Shortly after, she began her two-year bible program: FTTA. When she completes her program, she plans to go to an education master program.