Sunday, September 25, 2011
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
"I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing!"
I forgot to announce... that without me... the entire city of Jerusalem would have been left thinking it was 11:00 AM instead of 12:00. Brother Ohman is one of the official carrolin bell players at the big YMCA bell tower in downtown Jerusalem. And on Sunday I took the elevator to the very top of the tower. We had to use a key to make the elevator take us to the top! It was really neat. Lots of people played hymns on the bells. And when it was exactly 12:00 I got to be one of the bell chimers. Hence... had I not been there everyone would have though it was only 11.
My roommate, Megan, reminded me of the the Coldplay; Viva La Vida song it brought the lyrics a whole new meaning! The chorus is:
My roommate, Megan, reminded me of the the Coldplay; Viva La Vida song it brought the lyrics a whole new meaning! The chorus is:
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing Roman cavalry choirs are singing Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field For some reason I can't explain I know St Peter won't call my name Never an honest word But that was when I ruled the world
Happy Hanukkah!
Today is the last night of Hanukkah! I have really enjoyed celebrating Hanukkah. I had no idea that eating doughnuts every evening was part of the holiday! It's a been a delicious last few days. Unfortunately I got a little carried away today and have heartburn... Tonight we went to the Western Wall where they have a huge Hanukkah menorah that they light with huge flames. And then they sing all sorts of fun Jewish songs! I had a great time.
On Monday I got to finally float in the Dead Sea! And even though I had seen pictures I didn't completely beleive that you floated in the Dead Sea. But it's true! YOU FLOAT! It's the strangest, most unnatural feeling. I've always wanted to swim in jello and I kind of think swimming in the Dead Sea is what it would feel like.The consistency is so strange... and you just sit on top! It's so salty. If you even tough your finger to your tongue, it burns. And I got a little up my nose and it burned for a good while afterward. I also covered my body with the dead sea mud that is supposed to be so exfoliating... it's what the masks and lotions are made of at the mall that the Indian people try to sell for way too much money. But since the dead sea is so low there isn't any good mud.. so the mud was made out of the shower run off and the dirt above the bank. And it kind of smelt like feces.
Also on Monday we visited Qumran. That's where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It was really interesting. Then we went to Masada. Which wouldn't have meant anything a couple of months ago but after all our studies it was incredible. Certainly one of my favorite places we've visited. I also enjoyed the sky ride up to it! We took a big ski lift type ride. It's really high up and we opted to not hike the "serpent's trail" up the steep hill.
We also visited Ein Gedi which is just a beuatiful canyon of the Dead Sea. We hike up it and a pretty little stream runs along it with several waterfalls! The weather has barely cooled down and so there were lots of wildlife! I saw Ibex's for the first time! It's kind of like a deer. I though they were really cute! They jump really high. I saw so many of them.
On Monday I got to finally float in the Dead Sea! And even though I had seen pictures I didn't completely beleive that you floated in the Dead Sea. But it's true! YOU FLOAT! It's the strangest, most unnatural feeling. I've always wanted to swim in jello and I kind of think swimming in the Dead Sea is what it would feel like.The consistency is so strange... and you just sit on top! It's so salty. If you even tough your finger to your tongue, it burns. And I got a little up my nose and it burned for a good while afterward. I also covered my body with the dead sea mud that is supposed to be so exfoliating... it's what the masks and lotions are made of at the mall that the Indian people try to sell for way too much money. But since the dead sea is so low there isn't any good mud.. so the mud was made out of the shower run off and the dirt above the bank. And it kind of smelt like feces.
Also on Monday we visited Qumran. That's where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It was really interesting. Then we went to Masada. Which wouldn't have meant anything a couple of months ago but after all our studies it was incredible. Certainly one of my favorite places we've visited. I also enjoyed the sky ride up to it! We took a big ski lift type ride. It's really high up and we opted to not hike the "serpent's trail" up the steep hill.
We also visited Ein Gedi which is just a beuatiful canyon of the Dead Sea. We hike up it and a pretty little stream runs along it with several waterfalls! The weather has barely cooled down and so there were lots of wildlife! I saw Ibex's for the first time! It's kind of like a deer. I though they were really cute! They jump really high. I saw so many of them.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Jordan
Our trip to Jordan has come and gone! It was such an enjoyable trip. But I definitely wish we could have had more time. Four days was not enough. We spent the first night in Wadi Musa which was a pretty sketchy town. But surprisingly that hotel was much nicer than our next hotel in the capital, Amman. I really enjoyed exploring the streets in Wadi Musa! Though I certainly wouldn't have wanted to do it alone! I had no idea of what to expect in Jordan! So after seeing Wadi Musa I figured that how all of Jordan was. But once we drove into Amman I quickly changed my mind. Amman is a gorgeous city. It's clean, fancy buildings, classy, colorful, everything people love about big cities! It was probably one of the most impressive cities I've visited.
Our first day we visited Mt. Nebo, where Moses was shown the promised land. Then we went to Madaba. Then Monday was our big day that we spent in Petra! Petra was incredible. Once again, I had no idea what to expect and was shocked at how big Petra is. It spans throughout an entire sandstone canyon (that actually reminded me a lot of the Grand Canyon). We hiked around all day and still didn't see everything. Incredible temples, buildings and statues are carved into statues all through the canyon. I bought some fun jewelry from Bedouins that live in caves throughout the area and had fun taking pictures of all the camels until one tried to attack me! He scared me to death... I guess I got a little to close to him and no exaggeration- he almost bit my head off! I felt his breath on my cheek! Yikes.
After Petra we visited our third crusader castles! I love crusader castles! There are so many rooms and vaults to explore and walls and staircases to climb! And the view is beautiful. That afternoon and evening we cruised around Amman. I really, really enjoyed Amman. I was so impressed with Jordanians. I haven't been to too many places around the world to know but they seem like some of the most hospitable people. They seemed like really great people. We visited 2 different shopping malls. One of them was the biggest most beautiful mall I've ever seen. We got fancy chocolate covered dates and gelato. It was a really classy place. I didn't quite fit in with my sweaty Petra hair and dusty pants. We spent the rest of the evening just walking down the streets and we also went to the famous Hussein Mosque which was beautiful.
Our last day in Jordan we visited the King Abdullah Mosque. I was pretty wiped out at this point but I've enjoyed all of our mosque visits here. The ones we have visited have been incredible buildings. I love all the symbolism and artwork. They're very peaceful places. We made our last stop to a Roman citadel and from the top of the hill that it was on we had a gorgeous view of downtown Amman. And also a view of the biggest flag in Jordan! You cannot miss it. It's ginormous. I'm quite easily ammused so i was really fascinated by that. I'll go home and forget about ancient ruins but I won't ever forget that big flag.
Our last day in Jordan we visited a
Our first day we visited Mt. Nebo, where Moses was shown the promised land. Then we went to Madaba. Then Monday was our big day that we spent in Petra! Petra was incredible. Once again, I had no idea what to expect and was shocked at how big Petra is. It spans throughout an entire sandstone canyon (that actually reminded me a lot of the Grand Canyon). We hiked around all day and still didn't see everything. Incredible temples, buildings and statues are carved into statues all through the canyon. I bought some fun jewelry from Bedouins that live in caves throughout the area and had fun taking pictures of all the camels until one tried to attack me! He scared me to death... I guess I got a little to close to him and no exaggeration- he almost bit my head off! I felt his breath on my cheek! Yikes.
After Petra we visited our third crusader castles! I love crusader castles! There are so many rooms and vaults to explore and walls and staircases to climb! And the view is beautiful. That afternoon and evening we cruised around Amman. I really, really enjoyed Amman. I was so impressed with Jordanians. I haven't been to too many places around the world to know but they seem like some of the most hospitable people. They seemed like really great people. We visited 2 different shopping malls. One of them was the biggest most beautiful mall I've ever seen. We got fancy chocolate covered dates and gelato. It was a really classy place. I didn't quite fit in with my sweaty Petra hair and dusty pants. We spent the rest of the evening just walking down the streets and we also went to the famous Hussein Mosque which was beautiful.
Our last day in Jordan we visited the King Abdullah Mosque. I was pretty wiped out at this point but I've enjoyed all of our mosque visits here. The ones we have visited have been incredible buildings. I love all the symbolism and artwork. They're very peaceful places. We made our last stop to a Roman citadel and from the top of the hill that it was on we had a gorgeous view of downtown Amman. And also a view of the biggest flag in Jordan! You cannot miss it. It's ginormous. I'm quite easily ammused so i was really fascinated by that. I'll go home and forget about ancient ruins but I won't ever forget that big flag.
Our last day in Jordan we visited a
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving?
It's strange to try to celebrate a big holiday in a country that doesn't celebrate it. But it was still a wonderful Thanksgiving. The only thing that could of made it better would be to have my family here to celebrate it with me. Our Palestinian and Israeli Chefs did their best to provide us with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner but nothing can beat mama's cooking. I found myself longing for my mom's pecan and pumpkin pie with real live whip cream. I envy one of my many many loyal blog followers, Amanda for being able to spend Thanksgiving with my family and most of all eat my mom's pumpkin pie!
We spent Thanksgiving getting ourselves caught up with all we missed in Jerusalem over the last 10 days. After dinnner we went and saw Harry Potter! I'm glad I finally got the Israeli movie experience. But I won't do it again. it's the same price as movies in the states only...
1. the screen is much smaller
2. the floor hasn't been mopped in a very long time so your feet stick to the concrete
3. people don't silence their cell phones
4. it's acceptable to talk in normal, day time voices throughout the movie
5. there is balcony seating
6. there are not lines for popcorns and treats, there are mobs of people rushing the counter
7. there are Hebrew subtitles.
Then Yesterday we tried to make our Holiday as traditional as possible with a Turkey bowl at a park in West Jerusalem. It was such a fun day. We played soccer, football and frisbee. Everyone here has become such close friends. It's the perfect group of people to enjoy a Turkey bowl with. Before the turkey bowl I enjoyed one of my favorite places in the city, the shuk (the outdoor market in West Jerusalem), where I shared the most delicious ice cream on earth; pistachio, halva ice cream, with Jake, Stephanie and Melia. It's the second time I've had that ice cream and I don't think it can get any better. It's everyone's favorite. Then last night we had a poetry slam. With creative poems about our green water bottles we carry everywhere, how we've spent all our money because we've convinced ourselves that Shekels are fake money and sunstorms.
There is always more to write but unfortunately I need to pack for my trip to Jordan tomorrow! Petra here I come.
We spent Thanksgiving getting ourselves caught up with all we missed in Jerusalem over the last 10 days. After dinnner we went and saw Harry Potter! I'm glad I finally got the Israeli movie experience. But I won't do it again. it's the same price as movies in the states only...
1. the screen is much smaller
2. the floor hasn't been mopped in a very long time so your feet stick to the concrete
3. people don't silence their cell phones
4. it's acceptable to talk in normal, day time voices throughout the movie
5. there is balcony seating
6. there are not lines for popcorns and treats, there are mobs of people rushing the counter
7. there are Hebrew subtitles.
Then Yesterday we tried to make our Holiday as traditional as possible with a Turkey bowl at a park in West Jerusalem. It was such a fun day. We played soccer, football and frisbee. Everyone here has become such close friends. It's the perfect group of people to enjoy a Turkey bowl with. Before the turkey bowl I enjoyed one of my favorite places in the city, the shuk (the outdoor market in West Jerusalem), where I shared the most delicious ice cream on earth; pistachio, halva ice cream, with Jake, Stephanie and Melia. It's the second time I've had that ice cream and I don't think it can get any better. It's everyone's favorite. Then last night we had a poetry slam. With creative poems about our green water bottles we carry everywhere, how we've spent all our money because we've convinced ourselves that Shekels are fake money and sunstorms.
There is always more to write but unfortunately I need to pack for my trip to Jordan tomorrow! Petra here I come.
Beautiful Galilee!
The long awaited for, 10 day trip to Galilee has come and gone! And it was an incredible experience. I had no idea Israel had such diverse landscapes. We stayed at a kibbutz resort right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The first few days we had some classes and spent the rest of our time swimming and playing on the beach. Then the rest of the days we traveled all over Galilee to all kinds of fascinating places where Jesus taught and performed miracles. Here are some of the highlights of the trip!
1. Nazareth. All the cities in Jerusalem are very similar but the streets of Nazareth are a little quieter and it felt very peaceful.
2. Boat Ride. We took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee and read from the Bible when Jesus calms the sea.
3. Capernaum! It was one of Jesus's very favorite places and we sat in the Byzantine synagogue that is built of the very synagogue Christ taught in. There are excavated ruins of houses from Christs time and we looked over them as we read the sotries of the bleeding woman who was healed and jairus's daughter who was raised. Capernaum is also where Peter's house is.
5. Mt. of Beatitudes. We talked about the Sermon on the mount here and it is a very peaceful place. Right below is the field where Christ multiplied the loaves and fishes.
6. Hiking through the Golan Heights. There was a small group of us that hiked the top of the first hills after the Sea of Galilee. It's ilegal to hike alone in Israel because of landmines! So we picked up Eric from the kibbutz who was our professional hiking guide. Eric was a tall, skinny man with a gray beard. I really enjoyed talking to him about life on the kibbutz. The views were incredible!
7. Gamla. Gamla is one the only city with a synagogue dating all the way back to Christ's time and it is almost certain that Jesus would of taught there. So it was really neat to sit in there and read about Christ's teaching in the identical spot he originally taught his teachings.
8. Swimming in Gan Ha-shelosha. This is a spring that has created a huge swimming hole full of gorgeous bright blue water.
9. Beth Shean. Beth Shean is a Roman city that was part of the Decapolis. It was the biggest city of Christ's time and he would of passed through it. There was a huge earthquake that destroyed the city so there are several ton pillars all collapsed, lying on the ground at the same angle. Nothing has changed since they fell in 749C.E.
10. Tel Dan. This was a beautiful national park that is on the Jordan River. It's just lush green forest. We got to see the origins of 2 of the streams that feed into the Jordan River. So the water was super fresh and pure springing from the ground. Tel Dan also has a lot of interesting ruins.
11. Syria Outlook. One evening we went to the top of a hill right on the border of Syria. To get there we drove through Syria Occupied Israel where though it is in Israel's borders, all the residents consider themselves Syrians. I debated whether or not this means I count myself as being to Syria. Either way, I can say I've seen a Syrian Sunset because from the top of the mount we could see Syria proper.
12. Akko! Akko could very well be my favorite visit of the whole trip. Akko is a really neat Meditteranean coastal town with such classic architecture. We visited the Al-Jazzar Mosque which was beautiful. And we also toured a Crusader Castle. Then we ate ice cream as we watched the sunset over the Mediterranean and it was so beautiful.
13. Megiddo. Aka: Armegeddon. I've been anxious to visit Megiddo all semester because we have been talking about it so much in our classes! Megiddo dates all the way back to the Caananites. And in the 15th century B.C.E. it was captured by the Egyptian King Thutmose III whose tomb we saw in Egypt. But maybe the most interesting thing about Megiddo is that that is where a battle before the destruction the world will take place before Christ comes.
14. Mt. Tabor. All those prone to car sickness wouldn't have mad it up to Mt. Tabor. We drove on this windy road in shuttles. It was a 2 way road except for there was only enough room for one car, no lines, no guardrails and a really steep cliff. But... luckily we did make it to the top safely and the forest and chapel there is really pretty. That is the traditional site where Christ was transfigured.
15. Ceasarea. If I didn't know any better I would of thought I was in Greece or Italy or some other classical European city. It was built by Herod the Great and it is incredible. There is a roman theater, a hippodrome where ancient horse races were, an artificial harbor where a big lighthouse once stood and a beautiful beach!
16. Eating at Fish Restaurant. Needless to say, I ate fish! ... that still looked like it should be swimming! The head, fins and tail were still intact! The plate consisted of a full fish and a lime. I ate my first fish eye and brains. Afterward we went to Tiberius for ice cream and walked along the boardwalk. I wish we could of spent more time in Tiberius but I loved what I saw of it.
17. Bonfires. We had 3 bonfires on the beach and one night we even got to roast s'mores.
18. kayaking the Jordan River. I could of fooled myself into thinking I was kayaking the Amazon. The Jordan river is so gorgeous. Each side is covered in jungly forest!
19. Dr. Muhlestein's classes. Dr. Muhlestien is an incredible professor. We had 3, 3 hour classes with him and there wasn't a dull moment. He offers such great insight and all the classes are so spiritual. he has a perfect balance and of course it means even more to be studying events that happened where we were.
20. The banana chairs! On the beach there are these great chairs that are half hammock, half lawn chair. Complete with an umbrella! I really enjoyed taking naps and reading on them.
21. Ultimate Frisbee on the beach. What more is there to say? A perfect combination.
22. Herod's Temple sand model. a few months ago none of us could imagine ourselves spending our time in Galilee constructing a model of Herod's Temple in the sand. It was really great. The best sand castle/temple I have ever seen. Complete with a wall, stoa, and crushed seashells plastering the temple to imitate the white, glistening limestone.
I'm sure I'm forgetting several things. But that is a pretty good outline of my favorite things! There were so many days in Galilee where I would lay in my bed at the end of the night and just think to myself that I had just had a perfect day. I don't see how it could get any better.
1. Nazareth. All the cities in Jerusalem are very similar but the streets of Nazareth are a little quieter and it felt very peaceful.
2. Boat Ride. We took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee and read from the Bible when Jesus calms the sea.
3. Capernaum! It was one of Jesus's very favorite places and we sat in the Byzantine synagogue that is built of the very synagogue Christ taught in. There are excavated ruins of houses from Christs time and we looked over them as we read the sotries of the bleeding woman who was healed and jairus's daughter who was raised. Capernaum is also where Peter's house is.
5. Mt. of Beatitudes. We talked about the Sermon on the mount here and it is a very peaceful place. Right below is the field where Christ multiplied the loaves and fishes.
6. Hiking through the Golan Heights. There was a small group of us that hiked the top of the first hills after the Sea of Galilee. It's ilegal to hike alone in Israel because of landmines! So we picked up Eric from the kibbutz who was our professional hiking guide. Eric was a tall, skinny man with a gray beard. I really enjoyed talking to him about life on the kibbutz. The views were incredible!
7. Gamla. Gamla is one the only city with a synagogue dating all the way back to Christ's time and it is almost certain that Jesus would of taught there. So it was really neat to sit in there and read about Christ's teaching in the identical spot he originally taught his teachings.
8. Swimming in Gan Ha-shelosha. This is a spring that has created a huge swimming hole full of gorgeous bright blue water.
9. Beth Shean. Beth Shean is a Roman city that was part of the Decapolis. It was the biggest city of Christ's time and he would of passed through it. There was a huge earthquake that destroyed the city so there are several ton pillars all collapsed, lying on the ground at the same angle. Nothing has changed since they fell in 749C.E.
10. Tel Dan. This was a beautiful national park that is on the Jordan River. It's just lush green forest. We got to see the origins of 2 of the streams that feed into the Jordan River. So the water was super fresh and pure springing from the ground. Tel Dan also has a lot of interesting ruins.
11. Syria Outlook. One evening we went to the top of a hill right on the border of Syria. To get there we drove through Syria Occupied Israel where though it is in Israel's borders, all the residents consider themselves Syrians. I debated whether or not this means I count myself as being to Syria. Either way, I can say I've seen a Syrian Sunset because from the top of the mount we could see Syria proper.
12. Akko! Akko could very well be my favorite visit of the whole trip. Akko is a really neat Meditteranean coastal town with such classic architecture. We visited the Al-Jazzar Mosque which was beautiful. And we also toured a Crusader Castle. Then we ate ice cream as we watched the sunset over the Mediterranean and it was so beautiful.
13. Megiddo. Aka: Armegeddon. I've been anxious to visit Megiddo all semester because we have been talking about it so much in our classes! Megiddo dates all the way back to the Caananites. And in the 15th century B.C.E. it was captured by the Egyptian King Thutmose III whose tomb we saw in Egypt. But maybe the most interesting thing about Megiddo is that that is where a battle before the destruction the world will take place before Christ comes.
14. Mt. Tabor. All those prone to car sickness wouldn't have mad it up to Mt. Tabor. We drove on this windy road in shuttles. It was a 2 way road except for there was only enough room for one car, no lines, no guardrails and a really steep cliff. But... luckily we did make it to the top safely and the forest and chapel there is really pretty. That is the traditional site where Christ was transfigured.
15. Ceasarea. If I didn't know any better I would of thought I was in Greece or Italy or some other classical European city. It was built by Herod the Great and it is incredible. There is a roman theater, a hippodrome where ancient horse races were, an artificial harbor where a big lighthouse once stood and a beautiful beach!
16. Eating at Fish Restaurant. Needless to say, I ate fish! ... that still looked like it should be swimming! The head, fins and tail were still intact! The plate consisted of a full fish and a lime. I ate my first fish eye and brains. Afterward we went to Tiberius for ice cream and walked along the boardwalk. I wish we could of spent more time in Tiberius but I loved what I saw of it.
17. Bonfires. We had 3 bonfires on the beach and one night we even got to roast s'mores.
18. kayaking the Jordan River. I could of fooled myself into thinking I was kayaking the Amazon. The Jordan river is so gorgeous. Each side is covered in jungly forest!
19. Dr. Muhlestein's classes. Dr. Muhlestien is an incredible professor. We had 3, 3 hour classes with him and there wasn't a dull moment. He offers such great insight and all the classes are so spiritual. he has a perfect balance and of course it means even more to be studying events that happened where we were.
20. The banana chairs! On the beach there are these great chairs that are half hammock, half lawn chair. Complete with an umbrella! I really enjoyed taking naps and reading on them.
21. Ultimate Frisbee on the beach. What more is there to say? A perfect combination.
22. Herod's Temple sand model. a few months ago none of us could imagine ourselves spending our time in Galilee constructing a model of Herod's Temple in the sand. It was really great. The best sand castle/temple I have ever seen. Complete with a wall, stoa, and crushed seashells plastering the temple to imitate the white, glistening limestone.
I'm sure I'm forgetting several things. But that is a pretty good outline of my favorite things! There were so many days in Galilee where I would lay in my bed at the end of the night and just think to myself that I had just had a perfect day. I don't see how it could get any better.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Christmas in October
As of Tuesday our Israeli and Palestinian classes are over! Those classes sent everyone's stress level through the roof. Now we just have New Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies till the end of the semester. I can't believe how fast these last few weeks have gone.
So... the highlights of the week... or since the last time I wrote.
1) We celebrated Christmas in Shepherd's field. It just so happened to be Halloween the day we celebrated Christmas which I thought was funny. That night was certainly one of the most memorable this semester. We watched the sunset, had a Christmas program and sang Christmas hymns and ate Christmas treats as we sat in a sheep pasture overlooking Bethlehem. Then we had a testimony meeting. It was so special to have everyone bare their testimonies of Christ as we looked onto the very city he was born into and possibly sat in a pasture Mary and Joseph traveled through. Even though the story of Christ's birth is a story I've heard time and time again I learned so much more learning it in this setting and it became even more meaningful to me. This Christmas, as well as all the other Christmas's to will not be the same.
2) On the same day we celebrated Christmas we visited King Herod's fortress. I was so impressed! King Herod wasn't afraid to spoil himself. We saw the ruins of a pool he had for his own luxurious purposes. It was bigger than any pool I have ever seen. It even had an island. Archeologists assume it was about 9 feet deep and the entire thing was tiled with little centimeter square, shades of blue, tiles! I cannot imagine what that must of looked like. There are still a couple of patches of the tiles. Then, around the pool there are big pillars. I guess Herod really like Roman architecture so a lot of the ruins are very Roman. Then we hiked to the top of this hill which was where the fortress was. And even though archeologists assumed that was where Herod was buried they recently discovered his tomb there as well. Ehud Netzer has been the primary archeologist and has been very respected in the archeologist community. Unfortunately he passed away a couple of days before we visited the site after falling through a wooden railing while showing some colleagues his work.
3) On Wednesday we visited the Kotel tunnel. Kotel is the official term of the Western Wall, which is the only thing remaining from Jewish temple, built by Herod, that was destroyed in 70 AD. It's a tunnel that follows the Western wall underground. In our history class we've been learning all about the details of the ancient wall around the temple mount so this was especially interesting. Building that wall was an incredible project! One of the stones weighs over 400 tons!
4) Yesterday we went on a tour of the separation wall. The wall that separated Israel Proper from the West Bank. We had an Israeli lawyer/scholar/really interesting man talk to us about some of the details of the conflict. It was so interesting. He was hilarious and taught us a lot about the conflict. He talked a lot of specifics of Jerusalem. He said contrary to how the media portrays it, Jerusalem exists in relative harmony despite the clashing cultures. I wish I could remember more of what he said. I have a friend who recorded him speaking and I'll have to get it from him!
5) On Thursday night we went out to eat at an Israeli restaurant. I quite enjoyed it. I didn't think it could get better than the bread at Macaroni Grill but I think the pita bread at this restaurant wins. I will miss that pita bread when I go home!
6) Yesterday we walked through a super orthodox Jewish neighborhood called Mea Shearim in West Jerusalem. It was fascinating. Nothing has ever felt so foreign as that street did. It was an entirely different world. For some reason it reminded me of the city in the Harry Potter movies. Since it was Shabbat (Sabbath), no one drives and we got there as everyone was walking to synagogue. The entire city is moving the same direction, to synogogue. The men are dressed in long black coats, either big, furry hats or top hats, white tights under capri-like pants and tzitzits, which are like aprons that they wear underneath their clothes that have long tassels that hang out from underneath. And all the men have shaved heads except for super long, curled strands of hair that hangs down in front of their ears.
So... the highlights of the week... or since the last time I wrote.
1) We celebrated Christmas in Shepherd's field. It just so happened to be Halloween the day we celebrated Christmas which I thought was funny. That night was certainly one of the most memorable this semester. We watched the sunset, had a Christmas program and sang Christmas hymns and ate Christmas treats as we sat in a sheep pasture overlooking Bethlehem. Then we had a testimony meeting. It was so special to have everyone bare their testimonies of Christ as we looked onto the very city he was born into and possibly sat in a pasture Mary and Joseph traveled through. Even though the story of Christ's birth is a story I've heard time and time again I learned so much more learning it in this setting and it became even more meaningful to me. This Christmas, as well as all the other Christmas's to will not be the same.
2) On the same day we celebrated Christmas we visited King Herod's fortress. I was so impressed! King Herod wasn't afraid to spoil himself. We saw the ruins of a pool he had for his own luxurious purposes. It was bigger than any pool I have ever seen. It even had an island. Archeologists assume it was about 9 feet deep and the entire thing was tiled with little centimeter square, shades of blue, tiles! I cannot imagine what that must of looked like. There are still a couple of patches of the tiles. Then, around the pool there are big pillars. I guess Herod really like Roman architecture so a lot of the ruins are very Roman. Then we hiked to the top of this hill which was where the fortress was. And even though archeologists assumed that was where Herod was buried they recently discovered his tomb there as well. Ehud Netzer has been the primary archeologist and has been very respected in the archeologist community. Unfortunately he passed away a couple of days before we visited the site after falling through a wooden railing while showing some colleagues his work.
3) On Wednesday we visited the Kotel tunnel. Kotel is the official term of the Western Wall, which is the only thing remaining from Jewish temple, built by Herod, that was destroyed in 70 AD. It's a tunnel that follows the Western wall underground. In our history class we've been learning all about the details of the ancient wall around the temple mount so this was especially interesting. Building that wall was an incredible project! One of the stones weighs over 400 tons!
4) Yesterday we went on a tour of the separation wall. The wall that separated Israel Proper from the West Bank. We had an Israeli lawyer/scholar/really interesting man talk to us about some of the details of the conflict. It was so interesting. He was hilarious and taught us a lot about the conflict. He talked a lot of specifics of Jerusalem. He said contrary to how the media portrays it, Jerusalem exists in relative harmony despite the clashing cultures. I wish I could remember more of what he said. I have a friend who recorded him speaking and I'll have to get it from him!
5) On Thursday night we went out to eat at an Israeli restaurant. I quite enjoyed it. I didn't think it could get better than the bread at Macaroni Grill but I think the pita bread at this restaurant wins. I will miss that pita bread when I go home!
6) Yesterday we walked through a super orthodox Jewish neighborhood called Mea Shearim in West Jerusalem. It was fascinating. Nothing has ever felt so foreign as that street did. It was an entirely different world. For some reason it reminded me of the city in the Harry Potter movies. Since it was Shabbat (Sabbath), no one drives and we got there as everyone was walking to synagogue. The entire city is moving the same direction, to synogogue. The men are dressed in long black coats, either big, furry hats or top hats, white tights under capri-like pants and tzitzits, which are like aprons that they wear underneath their clothes that have long tassels that hang out from underneath. And all the men have shaved heads except for super long, curled strands of hair that hangs down in front of their ears.
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| Here is the sign in front of the neighborhood. 7) After Mea Shearim we went to the Great Synagogue for their Friday service. It was all in Hebrew so it was difficult to follow, to say the least. But I really enjoy the Jewish synagogues. At the great synagogue that have a men's choir that sings and that was nice to listen to. |
8) Today was District conference in our ward and Elder Halstrom, from the presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy, came. It was such a special meeting! The branches and "groups" from Tel Aviv, Ber Sheva, Bethlehem and Galilee were all there along with the Jerusalem members.
9) We celebrated Halloween on November 2nd and had a big Halloween bash! I dressed up as the Mona Lisa (inspired by Julia's costume way back when). Each room got candy for the faculty kids to trick or treat and then we had a carnival then a dance party. It was a great time!
I think that is all for now! As my mother would say... ta ta for now.
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