Shalom! Hello!
My name is Claire Messina and I am 19 years old. I am from Half Moon Bay, California, a beautiful small coastal town that's just south of San Francisco. For college, I headed south to Santa Barbara to study environmental studies and global studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). On a whim, I decided to begin studying Arabic during my second year at UCSB, and soon realized that I wanted my area of study to be related to the Middle East. After taking more classes about the region, I decided to apply to study abroad wherever I could in the Middle East, both to further develop my language skills and also to experience the region and its varying cultures.
I am currently living and studying in Jerusalem, Israel at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I am in the Arabic Immersion Program at Hebrew University, but I am also partaking in Hebrew language courses and some courses on the politics of the region. I will move to Amman, Jordan at the end of January to continue my studies for another semester. I am looking forward to sharing my adventures with you all!
