"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:

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

O Little Town of Bethlehem!

Turns out... the little town of Bethlehem isn't so little. It's quite large. And even though its just a stone's throw from Jerusalem it took a long time to get there because we had to go through the West Bank border. We got to spend the morning at Bethlehem University which I loved! We got to interact with the students a lot and that was really interesting. Bethlehem University is a Catholic University but 70% of the students are Muslims. And of course, since it is in the West Bank there are absolutely no Israeli's (Jews). When I'm talking to people my age it's really easy to forget how different your lives and culture really are. I proved this to myself when I asked a girl how she met her husband. I should of known that most of the Muslims have arranged marriages! So she looked at me kind of funny and said she met him 6 months ago when her family brought him to their house and they got married 2 months later. And she said something that reminded me of a scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. She said; "At first I liked him. But now, I love him." And she is also pregnant! They certainly didn't waste any time..

After we had lunch at a place called the "Tent Restaurant". It was really good but the food was a depressing attempt at hamburgers and french fries (with no ketchup). I'll definitely be ready for In and Out when I get home. After lunch we went to the Church of the Nativity which is the supposed place where Jesus was born. Unfortunately we were in Bethlehem on the very busiest day because someone important was in town and all kinds of tourists were there. So we waited way longer than we anticipated. 3 hours long! And the Church is ran by the Greek Orthodox and they are intense. You're not allowed to laugh inside. Needless to say... we got yelled at. And I'm still trying to decide if the wait was worth what we saw... I wouldn't have felt like my visit to Bethlehem was complete without seeing where Jesus was born so of course it was worth it but it was just a cramped room of tourists with a golden star inside a grotto marking the place.

Walking through Bethlehem was really special. It has a very unique feel. The building are pretty, the roads are very authentic and you just feel like your walking through history.

Sunday was one of my besties birthday. So we celebrated by neglecting all responsibility and spending the entire day in the city. We ate, shopped, ate, walked, ate, relaxed at a park, ate. One of my favorite places in the city is the Shuk! Which is just a big food market! This time I got candied nuts. Delicious. And we all split some famous gelato and I couldn't leave without getting some gummies too. Also, In Israel dessert waffles are really famous. So we went to this little waffle shop called Babbette's and shared waffles. A cute mom and her son also ate with us. They were delicious! So delicious that after the mom and her son were done they left like 3/4 of a waffle and as the girl went to throw it away we freaked out and we finished their waffle too. We weren't embarrassed but looking back I think we should of been... The cutest girl worked there and her name is the first name I like enough to name one of my kids after... Adi.

The rest of the week has been really stressful as we've been getting ready for finals and finishing papers. But it's over now! I just finished my Old Testament final (cross you fingers!) and turned in my 12 page paper on Tuesday! A few weeks ago I saw a flier for a Susan G.Kommen Breast Cancer Run and Me and a couple girls and one of my professors' wife ran in it! I'm so glad we got to go! It didn't look like it was going to work out because we have to go everywhere in groups of 3 and Jenna and I couldn't find anyone else because everyone is so studious and wanted to stay and study. We reviewed in the car and when we had a question our professor's wife called her husband to set us straight. I wish professors were always that reachable! Anyways- the run was huge! Pink balloons, banners and flags lining the streets, roads closed the whole shebang! And the best part of it.. I have a Jerusalem, Race For the Cure shirt written in Hebrew! All for 30 shekels.

It's killing me to not be able to post pictures! Words only do so much... But here are a couple pictures of the center that were on the internet of the center.

These are the huge windows of the Jerusalem Center Auditorium that I sit directly in front of for sacrament meeting every Saturday. You can see Dome of the Rock, the Holy sepulcre, everything!

This is a picture of Mt. Scopus. Home of the Jerusalem center! Its the largest building right on the hill! And the the right is Gethsemane. 

Sometimes when I think about living here for nearly 2 months now I feel like it has flown by! But once I think about all we've seen and all I've learned and all the people I've gotten to feel so comfortable around it feels like it's been years! But I'm starting to realize that no amount of time here will ever be enough. I suppose I should start trying to accept that now so that I won't be too terribly depressed when I will have to leave in a couple months!

This week has been another week full of classes but fortunately it will end this next week. Our Palestinian class and our Israeli class will end this week and we'll also be wrapping up the Old Testament. Then we'll only have our Ancient Near Eastern Class and we'll start New Testament. So our schedule will be a lot more open. We're all looking forward to finishing finals and turning in our last few papers.

On Friday we had a really fun guy who was an Israeli, come teach us Israeli folk dancing. It was so much fun! I guess he has some kind of big studio here where he teaches dance and he's quite well known. It was especially fun to learn because most of the dances were dances I've seen people do around the city. It's a big part of the Jewish culture!

Today was sabbath and I spent the afternoon in Gethsemane with a handful of friends. I had been there before but today we got to go to a special olive garden that is a little more secluded. It's usually locked but the people who have been here before us have gotten to  be pretty good friends with the guy in charge so he lets us in then locks the gate behind us so no one else comes in. Its really beautiful. And certainly an excellent opportunity to think about all Christ suffered for us.

This week we got to pick, press and process olives! It's quite a process! There are lots of olive trees around the center and they also have an ancient olive oil processing garden. This probably doesn't sound to exciting, because it certainly didn't to me when I saw it on the schedule. But it ended up being a really neat experience. We did everything by hand and took turns, 4 people at a time, pushing the huge log, connected to the 2000 pound stone to crush the olives. Then we stuffed this baskets full of the olive mash and stacked them under a press then squoze out the juice! Then watched it as the oil separated. In ancient times olive oil was a huge part of life. It was the only source of light and was one heavily used in medicines and cooking. So it was neat to participate in something that was so important to all the people we read about in the bible and think about what it meant to them. Also, there is a lot of symbolism between the atonement and olive processing that general authorities have mentioned. Gethsemane actually means oil press. And there is a lot of interesting symbolism that makes everything so meaningful.

Erev Tov!

Shalom! Nights like tonight are when I enjoy blogging the most, it is the most productive way to put off homework. The last couple if days have been a lot of fun. Last Friday our professor for our Jewish class (who is a local, orthodox Jew) took a small group of us to an orthodox synagogue where we participated in their normal, daily service and we also welcomed the Shabbat (the Sabbath) because the next day in the Jewish culture always starts at sunset. Of course the whole thing was in Hebrew but we had little pamphlets that had some of the songs written out so we tried to sing a long a little. There was a nice lady sitting next to my friend and I and she saw us struggling so she'd keep pointing out where we were but unfortunately it didn't help much because most of the songs were in Hebrew script. I'm sure she thought we were idiots. But I must of been doing something right because one lady turned around, put her hand on my knee and said; "Welcome back!", like I belonged there, I guess she thought I was someone else!

Yesterday we went to Elat for our free day! Elat is a city 4 hours away on the coast of the Red Sea and you can see Jordanian flag on the other side. It's a big resort city and their famous for a big coral reef with great snorkeling. So we spent the day on the beach and went snorkeling which was a lot of fun! The Red Sea certainly isn't red. It's the bluest water I think I have ever seen! It's beautiful! I love the time I've been able to spend at the beach here! It makes my summer feel endless! And unlike my fall semester in Provo last year, I'm managing to keep from turning pasty white!

Today we went through the Holocaust museum. That was a really neat experience but so terribly disturbing. The pictures, documentaries and displays were so graphic and depressing. Everyone was kind of in a daze after spending over 4 hours there. It's just impossible to comprehend everything that happened during the Holocaust and it really does make you lose a lot of confidence in the human race. It's really sickening. The museum did such a good job at displaying everything. And Ophir (our Jewish professor) led us through it and he had a lot of interesting things to say about the Israeli perspective on the Holocaust. That was interesting because that is a side I've never been exposed to. Here in Jerusalem, almost everyone has a close relative that was a victim in the Holocaust. I learned so much.

I mustn't forget; I had a scary snake encounter on Saturday. We were on our way to the garden tomb and this kid on the street had a snake he was holding. And so I did my best to walk around him but before I knew it he stuck the snake in front of my face and it leaped toward me and almost grazed my face! It completely freaked me out! I didn't think that was a very pleasant way to introduce me to his pet snake. Needless to say, I walked home on the opposite side of the street.

As always, there are dozens of other things I could spend time reporting on but I suppose I have put off homework long enough...

Boker Tov!

This morning when I went running I said "Boker Tov" which means "good morning" to everyone I passed... then I was delighted to hear them say "Boker Or" back! which means "morning of light", and that's the custom here. I like it! The last week or so has been really busy with classes, tests and papers. But we've managed to squeeze in a few fun things. Last week we had one of the big events of the semester here at the center, Arab night! We got to have 2 well known men who lead the call to prayer and are the voice that reads the Quar'an everyday, 5 times a day, as they read the Qur'an. It is a huge honor to be able to do the call to prayer and it's a career that stays in a family that not all people are eligible for. The father and his son are who visited us. And they repeated some of the verses. It's beautiful how they say the verses, they don't like you to call it singing but I don't know how else to describe it. Then we ate a huge, traditional Arab meal. Earlier in the day I got to  help out in the kitchen making special meatballs, Arab pastries and hyssop flat bread things. After dinner some local, young, Palestinians came and taught us some Arabic dances! And they played and sang some songs for us.

On Sunday a group of us had a craving for the beach so we went to Tel Aviv and spent the day there. It was beautiful, as always. It happened to be the first day of the windsurfing season and there were lots and lots of windsurfers on the beach that were so fun to watch! Sunday we had a field trip to the City of David and Hezekiah's tunnel. That was really fascinating and it meant so much because it is exactly what we've been studying in Old Testament and our history class. Hezekiah's tunnel was built around 700 BC to fortify the water from the Gihon spring. It was a huge project! It's 130 feet underground, about a third of a mile long and runs under the entire City of David, or the city of Jerusalem at the time of David. It still channels water and we got to wade through it down and up the narrow and low tunnels all the way to the Pool of Siloam where it empties into. The Pool of Siloam isn't much of a pool anymore... more of a bath. But in Bible days it was big! And that is where Jesus healed the Blind man.

Yesterday we went into a suk in West Jerusalem, which is just a market. We've been to lots of different suk's here but I especially like this one! It was a little roomier, a little cleaner and there weren't any haggling shop keepers. It was mostly fruit stands, pastry and bread stands and nut stands. I got myself some dried figs that were delicious. I had never seen those before! Last night we had a really interesting forum address. A journalist named Matthew Kalman came and spoke to us. he immigrated here in 1994 and had a lot of interesting insight to the Middle Eastern problem. He was really entertaining and we all thoroughly enjoyed the stories he had to tell.

Whitney, Katie and I discovered 2 shekel Popsicles at a little store up the street. And that same shop has all kinds of delicious chocolate. It could certainly be a downfall. oh well, "When in Jerusalem"...

Sukkots, Lulav's, Singing and Dancing

It's been a great week, being able to be back in Jerusalem! Were getting to know the city so much better. A few days ago we were in the Old City and I was shocked with how many tourists were scurrying around kind of in a daze. Then I realized there were no more tourists that usual, they just stick out to me more because I'm finally not one of them. And another day a girl asked me how to get somewhere and I could help her!

The Jewish holiday Sukkot started while we were in Egypt and ended on Wednesday. It's a pretty neat holiday, all the Jews set up sukkots, which are little huts covered with palm leaves, and they eat all their meals in there for a week. Some Jewish people even sleep in them. In the West City, where all the Jewish people live, there are dozens of sukkots set up on the roads and on apartment balconies because there is no where else to put them! It's pretty cool! I got lots of pictures of them. All restaurants in the Jewish districts set them up too. And like any Jewish Holiday, there is party after party! We went to the Western wall Last Sunday because it was a huge day for Bar Mitzvah's. Then Tuesday we woke up early to get to the wall at 6 in the morning to watch the Festival of Tabernacles. Everyone waves Lulav's (bouquets of the 4 sacred species; willow, palm, myrtle and etrog) around and sings songs and dances. It's a lot of fun. On Thursday there was another holiday that is always at the end of Sukkot and a couple of friends and I saw a flier advertising a big festival in the park so we went and it was a lot of fun! We did our best to look like we belonged there and just danced and sang (sort of) Hebrew songs. We ended up meeting a bunch of Jewish girls our age and we danced and talked with them.

We also saw a flier the other day for a clothing sell! So a few of the girls I'm closest to decided to check it out! It was in an cute, little apartment on the 6th level of a high rise apartment. A couple of sisters and their friend were selling a bunch of their old clothes. We all left with something. I got a couple shirts and some sandles. The girls were really cute and want us to come over for Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner sometime. They couldn't believe we didn't have big Shabbat dinners!

One day just 3 of us, Whitney, Katie and I, ended up just walking around the West all afternoon. I love the West City. It's really comfortable there and there are so many people that are so eager to talk to you. We hung out at a cute little park for a while and before we got really sick from spinning on a merry go round we met a a cute family that was in Jerusalem with family for the holidays. They had a little boy named Yosef and we had fun talking with him. He asked if any of us had family in Israel and he could not believe we didn't. He says; "No aunts?! Uncles?? Cousins?? No one?!"

After being in Egypt I feel so comfortable and happy to be in Jerusalem. The atmosphere in Egypt is very unwelcoming. At first, I was really intimidated with the new culture here in Israel but I've come to really appreciate the people.  Most everyone is thrilled to have you here. Everyone is completely accepting and excited to talk to you. I've been really impressed with a lot of the locals. There are so many humble, devoted people here and there is a lot that can be learned from them.

I visited the Tower of David museum with a couple of friends on Thursday I think. That was really interesting. It was especially neat to see it because were studying David in the Old Testament so the information was fresh! Everything means so much more when you know a little bit of background. But finding out about all the stuff I don't know is still completely overwhelming.  

Egypt Continued...

We were all completely exhausted when we got back to Cairo. We didn't have much time to wash our faces and clean up a little before starting another day of site seeing. That morning was quite a blur but luckily I was able to find some energy for the famous Egyptian museum. What an incredible place! So rich with history! It tells the story of Egypt! I had a few favorite pieces.

There was a room for Akhenaten and Nefertiti (my favorite King and Queen!) and there was a small stone statue of Akhenaten kissing his daughter. I love it because that kind of intimacy had never been seen in Egypt and wasn't really accepted. But Akhenaten did things his own way and ocmpletely changed Egyptian art during his reign. I also loved the big statue of someone, possibly him, who is shown with big, curvy hips and small, narrow shoulders. It completely contradicts the normal Egyptian art but it was still beautiful and the ideas that he was trying to portray are especially meaningful. He emphasized family, love and unity. He was also the first to believe in one God, Aten, which was practically unheard of until him.   

Another favorite were the statues of Rahotep and Nofret. They were able to be very well preserved because they were found in a tomb. The color is beautiful and the detail is amazing. My favorite were the eyes.     Of course a foavorite would have to be the royal mummy rooms! There are 27 mummies at the Egyptian museum and I have never seen anything like it! They are so well preserved! I have no idea how the Egyptians learned to preserve the bodies so perfectly. A lot of them still have hair and nails. I got the see the face of Ramses the Third. Possibly the same face Moses looked into and said; "Let my people go!" The Egyptians also mummified lots of animals. Including crocodiles, big fish, baboons, dogs and cats. We got to see those mummies too! 

The last place we visited in Cairo was the Mohammad Ali mosque. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip for me. The Islam religion is so peaceful and unifying and you can feel that in their mosques. There is a very warm and spiritual feeling inside. We had a tour guide named Islam that went with us all through Cairo and Luxor and we got really close to him. It was so special to spend one of our last days together in a place that is so sacred to him. He told us so much about Islam and though most of it were things we have already known it was so neat to hear it from him because he talked about with such passion and sincerity. I learned so much from him. All of us felt a very special connection to Islam and it was sad to say goodbye.  

Right as we were getting used to the craziness of Cairo we had to bid our farewells to the Pyramids and the Nile. We headed back up to the Sinai to stay in Morganland hotel which is in the middle of no where, next to Mt. Sinai. Our night didn't last long in Morganland because of our 2 AM wake up call to hike the famous Mt. Sinai. It was a great hike! We got to the top well in time for the sunrise and watched the beautiful scenery as different religious groups sang. It was a lot of fun. I can't believe I got to walk up and spend time on the same mountain Moses saw the finger of God on. The place where God gave us the 10 commandments.  

Luckily we got a chance to swim in the huge Morganland Hotel pool and shower and eat before heading back to Jerusalem. I also had 35 Egyptian pounds to spend and I bought a purse from a man that sold different things that were homemade by his family. He was from one of the many Bedouin families that live completely off the land throughout the Sinai. We made a couple quick stops in the dessert on our way home to look at the scenery and we got to meet some Bedouin children. They all run around barefoot on the hot ground climbing palm trees and swinging on the palm tree branches. They were so cute! The 2 little boys were named Mohammad and Fareed (I think). They were 6 and 9 and completely adorable. I got some great pictures of them! They were loving the attention. They also had an older, 11 year old sister who was beautiful! She was very shy and sat under a tree the whole time. It's so neat to be able to interact with all the different cultures!

Home Again in Jerusalem.

We made it back from Egypt. I have never had a week full. The entire week was non stop. I try to highlight some of the best. We left the center early Sunday morning and made 2 stops at Beersheba and Arad. Then we arrived at Kibbutz Ketura which was one of 2 Kibbutzem we would visit on our trip. Kibbutzem are very popular throughout Israel. It is the only place on earth that communism has worked completely. They are mostly occupied by Jews and is voluntary. It kind of reminded me of the Dharma community on Lost. There is a center building with a cafeteria, synagogue and meeting rooms and there is a beautiful pool and tiny little houses surrounding. Kibbutzem have several outsources. This one had cattle, a hotel and they filtered water from the dead sea for expensive minerals and vitamins. To be a member of the Kibbutz you have to go through an intense background check and have to go through several trial runs and they all the members vote if they want to make them a member. Then it isn't official until they have lived in the Kibbutz for a year without any problems. It was really fascinating. We had a really neat guy who showed us around and took us to the sand dunes where we played. The sand is like flour! So incredibly fine. Then he asked us to ponder about the peacefulness the dessert offers and we spent some time spread out throughout the dessert to think. It was very enlightening and there really is a special feeling in the dessert. Then we shared some of the things we thought about and it was very special to hear him share his feelings based on his Jewish beliefs and I think he really enjoyed hearing what we had to say.

We then headed to Cairo. When Professor Chadwick directed our gazes to the pyramids for the first time the entire bus gasped. And the same happened when we crossed the Nile. Cairo is a crazy city. To think that I used to think Israel driving was bad... I learned several things before even getting off the bus in Cairo.

1. On several busy highway streets there are no lines. Not that it matters because when there are lines most cars stradle them. 
2. It seemed like the majority of the buildings were unfinished and abandoned. It gives a really eerie feeling. A sad result of the Egyptian economy. 
3. More people ride on top of vehicles than inside of them. Whether it be a car, truck or trailer lots of people just sit on the roof as they drive around town.
4. All the city buses and shuttles drive with the doors wide open and completely full to capacity. 
5. Women really do carry things on their heads. Whether it be trash that they're about to throw into to Nile, groceries or clothes. 

 The hustle and bustle of Cairo is really exciting! But one thing it isn't is friendly. Absolutely nothing is free in Cairo. And that is a strange concept. A tip is expected on everything. Often times someone will come up to you offering to take a picture with you or offering help with something and you will be so flattered that someone would be so nice then they ask for money. And as soon as you turn them down they are not so nice.

We got the see the pyramids the next day! They are unbelievable. I remember in 5th grade learning about ancient Egypt and being fascinated by the pyramids and I felt surreal to be standing in front of them. We even got to go inside the 2nd pyramid of Khafre. We went to lots of other temples and ruins around Cairo. Then we caught a quick flight to Luxor. Luxor is beautiful! It is a lot smaller than Cairo and not quite as dirty. The Nile appears to be much cleaner and there is a lot of green! We stayed at a 5 star Egyptian hotel, the Sheraton, that was beautifully set on the Nile! Our view was incredible. The opposite side of the Nile is where all the agriculture and that is where we went on our camel safari! I rode a camel named Rambo through
the green pastures with sheep, cows and goats, sesame and corn fields and groves of date palms. I got to see where a lot of the poorer people live.

In Luxor we visited the Valley of the Kings first where we got to go inside 4 tombs including the tomb of King Tut. I got to see his sarcophagus and his mummy! That is certainly something I never thought I would be able to see! The other tombs we visited were far more impressive though. Completely lined with colorful hieroglyphics. I was so jealous of Professor Chadwick and Muhlstein who can read all the stories lining the walls of the tombs!

We went to the Luxor temple and the Karnak temple. Karnak temple is unbelievable. It's full of ginormous pillars etched with millions of hieroglyphics. On the underside of some of the structures where the sun wasn't hitting them the heiroglyphics still had some color. I cannot imagine what such a huge place would have looked like covered with color. It doesn't even begin to compare with any modern architecture of today.  I think my favorite place in Luxor was Queen Hatshepsut's temple. I was really impressed with Queen Hatshepsut when I learned about her in My art history class because she is a woman who was actually the Pharaoh of Egypt in 1479 B.C. She was a very influential pharaoh. She had to of been to of had such an impressive temple complex built! Later I got to see her mummy in the Egyptian museum. She was obese and they called her mummy the "fat mummy" until they recently discovered it to be the famous Queen Hatshepsut.

I got to take several carraige rides through Luxor. Horse drawn carriages are a regular form of transportation and they ride right on the street with all the crazy cars. Which really is not a good idea because horses do not understand red lights, turn signals, brake lights and lanes. The first carraige ride I took on our first evening in Luxor was quite an experience. We rode through a busy market street and it was so interesting and humbling. I did not know the definition of street rats until then. Lots of small children were rummaging the streets begging for money. It's so, so sad. Lots of men have big guns strapped to their backs and there is lots of yelling and pushing.

We saw dozens of other places throughout Luxor but I'll fast forward to the adventure of our overnight train back to Cairo. We left at 7:30 and arrived at 5:30 the next morning. I hardly slept and the conditions didn't feel too sanitary. It was very grossed out. But I loved opening our curtain and watching all the lights go by of the small towns we went through. It felt very peacful.

Marhaba!

I can't believe I've only been here for less than 3 weeks. It feels like it has been so much longer.

On Saturday we went to the Garden Tomb and I had a great time. It's a very peaceful place. It's where they think Jesus was crucified and also where his tomb is. It's beautiful. All kinds of different tourist groups go through the garden and they sing songs. It's really neat to just listen to all the different languages singing the same praises. On Sunday we took taxi's to Tel Aviv to hang out on the Mediterranean beach all day! We played beach volleyball with some guys from Germany, floated in the salty water, got gelato and ate lunch!

Monday we had the most interesting day yet I think. We went to down to Jericho! Jericho is one of the few times we get to travel into the West bank. So that makes it even more of an adventure. Jericho is 850 feet below see level! So in about a 45 minute bus ride we descended about 2850 feet. We first stopped at a Byzantine cathedral honoring the good Samaritan. Then we went on to Jericho where we saw the oldest architecture ever found. It's a tower from the neolithic period. And we saw the remnants of the wall that fell down in the Book of Joshua. We also saw Elisha spring, the spring that the Elisha healed. Elisha spring is still Jericho's only water source. Some things never change. Even though Jericho is in the middle of the dessert Elisha Spring makes the city very tropical with lots of palm trees! We took our time on the way back to stop a few more times. First at the ruins of King Herod's winter home. Then again to look over the Judean Wilderness. The road we were on follows the Wadi Qelt which is more than likely the same road that Jacob, Joseph and all his brothers, then Moses and later Christ took back and forth between Jerusalem and Jericho. A lot of scenes from the bible took place in between Jerusalem and Jericho.

After Jericho a small group of us went to the Pool of Bethesda. Where Christ healed the paralytic man. I was so impressed with the ruins! They were by far, the best we've seen  yet. And there is a beautiful chapel there honoring Mary and Saint Ann, Mary's mother. Bethesda was a really nice place. It was gorgeous. The chapel is known for it's excellent acoustics and they encourage you to sing. So we sang How Great Thou Art  and as we were singing a group of people came in and started singing with us in their language. It was so neat!

This week we had a lot of classes and they are so interesting. I'm so lucky to be able to be taught here by such wonderful professors who know so much about where we are. Professor Muhlstein is actually an Egyptologist and he gave the most interesting lecture on pyramids to prepare us for Egypt! Last night we watched The Ten Commandments... which I will never do again. It was painfully long!

We leave for Egypt bright and early tomorrow! Were headed to Cairo on a bus, staying there a few nights, then flying to Luxor for a few more nights then back up to Cairo and home to Jerusalem! It's a packed week. I'm really excited!

You can't really tell but I'm Ramparts wall, the wall that surrounds the city.

Eating a fig from a tree on top of a mount overlooking Gibeon and the hills of Ephraim.

At the pool of Bathesda in East Jerusalem, where Jesus healed the paralytic man. There is also a cathedral here honoring Mary and Saint Ann, Mary's mother.

Eating a baklava type pastry that is only made during Ramadan in the Old City.

In Jericho overlooking the ruins of King Herod's winter home and the Mount of Temptations on the left.

The view of Jerusalem from any room in the center. Including my patio!

At the beach in Tel Aviv.

Megan and I in the Judean Wilderness on the Road to Jericho. The same trail as that the story, The Good Samaritan took place!

Shana Tova!

Shana tova means "Happy New Year" in Hebrew! Which is most appropriate because today is the second day of the 2 day celebration for the Jewish new year! It has been a party in Jerusalem! And the Muslims finished fasting for Ramadan yesterday so they're celebrating their 3 day feast right now as well!

It's been a little over a week and I'm starting to feel somewhat acquainted with the city. We actually have quite a bit of time to cruise around the city. The Old City is where all the flea market type shops are. There is an Arab, Jewish and Christian quarter. Its a lot of fun! A lot of the shopkeepers know about the center and love the students. We get lots of deals and they watch out for us. It's a very busy place! There are always men wheeling huge wheel barrels full of stuff up and down and if you're not careful, you could get ran over. Each man for himself in the Old City! The West City is very European. Its really fancy! A couple of nights we've taken a taxi there to get gelato and filaffles! Both, equally delicious. At night the West city streets are beautiful. All lit up! And there are lots of street performers and dealers. But the taxi rides are... scary. Driving here is insane. We actually saw an accident happen the other day. It's not an uncommon thing. And the sidewalks are full of totaled cars. Sidewalks are their equivalent of wrecking yards I suppose.

Saturday is the Sabbath here so i figured out with the time change that while everyone back home is till up having a good time on Friday night, I am sitting in church. Somewhat depressing. Jerusalme actually has a Jerusalem Branch. There is a handful of mormons from the U.S. consulate and maybe a couple students from Hebrew University. I guess there are also a couple members in the West Bank but they can't come to Jerusalem so they can't come to church.

Last Sunday we walked Ramparts wall which is the wall that surrounds the city. There are some wonderful views. We also went through Zedekiah's Cave which is where King Solomon spent a lot of time back in the day. That was pretty interesting. On the way out of the cave we met the nicest Arab man. He was there with his wife and 3 boys. They were from the West Bank and he managed to get into Jerusalem for a day to take his family around. He told us how much he likes America and how sad he is that so many people in America think so bad about Muslims here. He didn't speak English very well and kept asking us if we understood him. He told us how peaceful his people are and that they truly do love America. He told us how hard fasting for Ramadan is and we told him how much we repect him for doing it. Then he told us how much he respects us for our faith in God. He asked us how long we were going to be here and he said; "4 months not long enough! The city can change you. It will change you. And not like an Obama change... a real change!" I thought that was hilarious. Then he quickly followed it with; "But I love America!"It was such a special experience to see how badly he wanted us to understand his sincerity in telling us the respect he and his people have for us. He kept telling us to never forget him. We've also met a couple other people who have been very eager to tell us how much they respect us and love America.

On Monday we took our first field trip. We went all around Jerusalem to look over the land from different towers and hills to get acquainted with the geography. We saw into Gibeon, the hills of Ephraim and Judah and into Bethlehem. Bethlehem is part of the West Bank and we will be able to go there later but its pretty much blocked off to us. We did get to see the wall that seperates us. Ididn't realize how cradeled jerusalem is between the West Bank. It was great to look our onto the ancient cities where all the Old Testament stories took place.

We have a running group that goes running every other day. Thats a lot of fun! But Jerusalem is a torurous place to run! Especially when you live on top of the Mt. of Olives! No matter where you go you have the Mt. of Olives to run up before you're done. But its so fun to run through the city! It's invigorating.

Another one of my favorite things is eating the pomegranites from the trees that grow around the center! Pomegranites are everywhere here! A couple nights ago my roomates and I ate pomegranites and enjoyed the Jerusalem lights! Certainly a once in a lifetime oppurtunity!

The internet connection isn't very fast here at the center but as soon as I get the chance I'm going to go to Hebrew University to download some pictures!

I've Arrived!

I' finally here! I cannot believe it took 25 hours to get here! We flew from Salt Lake to Chicago, then to Washington D.C. then to Vienna and finally to Tel Aviv! In D.C. we switched to Austrian air and I know I am easily amused but I got quite a kick out of that airline. First of all, the flight attendants wear all bright read! Red tights, slacks, coat, shirt and shoes. Then they have a baby blue scarf around their necks. The carpet on the plane is puke green, straight from the 70's, the seats are teak, the seats are bright red and the cloths on the back of each chair is a different bright color. No wonder I couldn't sleep... However, the food was great! We got 3 meals, all delicious!

ANyways, once we arrived in Tel Aviv we got on a bus to Jerusalem, about an hour away. As we drove the bus up to Jerusalem, Brother Chadwick (a proffesor from the center who picked us up) reminded us that we were doing just what all the prophets in the Bible had done. As we drove into Jerusalem the streets got windier and more steep and all at once we had a fantastic view of the city. My eyes were misty, I have never seen anything like it! At perched up on Mt. Scopus we could see the BYU Jerusalem center. Directly across from the Hebrew University on top of the Kedron valley. Immediately after arriving we got a tour of the building. It is unbelievable. Every room is so beautiful. Then we were shown our rooms. The entrance to our rooms is actually from outside. I have 2 roomates and straight out our back door is a balcony that overlooks the entire city! To me, it seems magical. There is no other way to describe it! It's surreal. All the views from the Jerusalem Center are spectacular since we are perched on a hill. Then around 7 o'clock the entire city rang with verses of the Koran from a Muslim Ayatollah for their call to prayer. It lasts for about 20 minutes. And right now is the Islam holiday, Ramadan, were Muslims do not eat or drink while the sun is up. So a cannon is shot to begin and end each day of fasting. However, I was not so impressed with the call to prayer when it woke me up at 4:30 this morning, reminding all Muslims to eat before their day of fasting started.

This morning we got to walk through the city to acquaint ourselves so that we can explore it on our own. We went through the Old City, then we went through Damasus Gate into East Jerusalem then into West Jerusalem. This city is unbelievably rich with history! One wall that was introduced to us as one of the newer walls was built in the 1500's! Everything is so old and historic. We saw one place that had been a place for raising sheep from Christ's time till the 1980's. There are so many incredible monuments that I'm worried I'll stop realizing their importance! Because there are so many significant spots! We walked down the Via Dolores which is believed to be the path Christ walked before he was crucified. And there are markers saying things like where Peter took the Cross from Christ, etc. Like it's telling a story. All of Via Dolores is occupied with shops and markets. It's very exciting and busy.

One sad thing about Jerusalem is that the palces that are not habited by either the Palestianians or the Israelites are completely trashed. Since it's a war torn country no one feels any obligation to take care of land that isn't their own. So a lot of Jerusalem is very dirty.

I'm sure I won't be able to write this much very often but I wanted to make sure to write about my first impression of the Holy Land. I'm so thrilled to be here! My only concern is that 4 months won't be enough to do all the things there is to do (and eat all the delicious things being sold on the streets!). I have been so impressed by everything. I love the mix of cultures. The president of BYU Jerusalem is actually a Jewish Man and a couple of the professors and other staff memebers here are Jewish or Muslim as well. Even though this area is filled with all sorts of contention it's wodnerful to see how many people of all the major religions respect each other. Im so excited to learn more about them.