I waited for this summer for months, kept a countdown on my phone, and made it one subject I snuck into almost every conversation. I expected my summer study in Israel to be a life changing experience that I would never forget. It started off the way I expected: living in Israel, going to class, experiencing city life, hiking, and traveling – until one day in class, everything changed.

As usual, my teacher read the Jerusalem Post to us. After relaying the news, he glanced at one headline, looked up to us, then peered back at the headline and said, “Guys, don’t freak out, but there’s a chance of a small war in Israel.” None of us knew how to comprehend the situation or what to expect.

During a dorm-wide meeting a few nights later, our counselors told us the procedures in the event of a bomb siren. While one of the counselors was explaining the location of the shelters, we heard the siren blast through our town, Hod Hasharon and we quickly sprinted down the flight of stairs until we reached safety in the shelter. Once we took refuge, I looked around and noticed some of my peers crying, some speechless and some already calling home to book a flight that week. After a few minutes, it was safe to leave the shelter and return to our daily routine. I hoped this would be a single occurrence, but little did I know, I would venture to the same bomb shelter seven times that summer.

A few days passed by, and after two traumatic sirens, everyone tried to make the most of the situation. From snapping all of our bomb shelter selfies, taking pictures of the unlucky people who had to run into the shelter mid shower in nothing but a towel and making a viral video singing “Oseh Shalom”, we tried to still experience the country and the program we were a part of.

As the trip progressed, our privileges of going into town were revoked and the programming for on campus activities increased. We visited different places – swapping an overnight outdoor excursion in the Negev into two days in Eilat, a beautiful beach city. Once this conflict erupted, we became a vital part of the history we were learning about.

As soon as my family and friends were informed on the dangerous situation, Facebook messages, tweets, and text messages came flooding in. Despite the conflict against Hamas, there was this amazing feeling of security in this country. It is an indescribable feeling of safety, something I could not imagine in any other place. There were missiles being shot into neighboring towns, and unlike others, I did not feel the terror of the conflict.

I saw over 20 of my peers leave, yet I yearned to stay. I felt a connection with Israel and saw myself become more mature through this situation. It made me appreciate and find value in life, because I knew that it could end at any second. Maybe war was not mentioned when I signed up for my summer program, but I definitely had a summer I will never forget.