So I’m totally finished with this semester! Yay!! .. Things have been insane lately… all the last-minute things that go along with ending the semester. Most of the students in the exchange program are only here for a semester and have begun leaving to go back to the states. It’s a strange feeling saying goodbye to the people I feel most connected with.. its as if part of my is being uprooted again as well.

I’m doing surprisingly well though… I’m not overly-emotional about being away from home for Christmas.. I’m happy about being here, and excited to get to know the new students who will be arriving at the end of January.

I was invited to be the research assistant for one of my professors over the holiday break.. so I’m beginning that this week. He originally wrote a 3,000 word article on Israel’s foreign policy changes post-9/11.. but is wanting to expand it to 7,000 words – which is where I come in. It’s a really interesting topic, and he’s a great professor to work with…. plus… if all goes well, he wants the next paper to have my name on the forefront of the article – and he’s willing to pull some strings to help me get  published! Although I never saw this coming.. its an exciting chance to do something few undergrads get to do.

In other news… I moved. After a lot of talking, thinking, praying, etc. I decided to move out of my host family’s house at least for the next 6-7wks.. but its very possible that I might not go back. As much as I love them to death, I didn’t have a whole lot of time for myself & I lived quite a distance out of town making it almost 3JD ($5.00) for a one-way trip to school or to anywhere else in the city – that is a huge expense.. and with my internship next semester and just everything going on.. I’m not sure that being out there is the best thing for me.

Thankfully they totally understand and I’m still going to visit them all the time.. I miss them terribly.. but today when I went out to visit it had a really good feel to it – and I just know that right now this is where I’m supposed to be.

I’m living about a 15min walk from the university.. and I’m in an apartment with two girls, Wendy and Crystal.

I hope everyones holiday season is going great.. its possible that we might have a white Christmas! (the first I’ve ever had).. It is sooo cold here (-7C).. and apparently snow is on the way.

Merry Christmas! Talk to y’all soon. =)