Scotland’s climate is too cold, but Belgian Tim finds a warm welcome at shul
October 1, 2009 14:58I was a little bit apprehensive about going to university in Scotland. It’s a whole adventure you are going to experience, leaving your family, friends and home behind for a new life at university.
But I also wanted to go away, experience something else other than Belgium.
My older brother also studied in the UK so I kind of knew what it was going to be like.
The most exciting thing we did during Freshers’ Week was a university-organised beach party. We went dressed in beach clothes, but Scotland can be a cold country and standing in a queue can be freezing if you’re dressed in shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops.
I joined JSoc during a religions fair at the university. They organised a treasure hunt for freshers and the winners were bought lunch that afternoon.
On Rosh Hashanah we prayed with Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation and afterwards there was a dinner for the Jewish students.
Other fun things included a film night — we went to see Inglorious Basterds and hit the pub afterwards.
I already feel part of a community on campus. You don’t know anybody but you look for people you have something in common with, the same hobbies, the same subjects.
In the JSoc you already feel much closer to one another by sharing the same faith. Some are religious, some are not, but we’re all Jews.
Tim Abraham, 18, from Antwerp, studying Computer and Management Science at Edinburgh, which has 80 Jewish students.
To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.