Temple Mount

~ Highlight of the Last Few Days: Watching Samson and Delilah. . . the 1949 version :) ~

Ok. . . So I've been slacking on blogging . . . and homework. . . and sleep. The only things I do manage to accomplish are getting out in the city, socializing, and waking up crazy early (to work out, not to do homework. . . ).

So today we went to the Temple Mount - it was kind of a miracle that we made it there because you can only get through one gate (if you're not Muslim), and it's only open for an hour. . . I think. It's a little unclear, and you could ask five different people and get five or six different answers. But we made it in, and got to look around for about 20 minutes before having to leave. We're already planning on going back, because it's an amazing place.

We talked to some of the kids hanging out there, a group of boys and a group of girls. They spoke English well, and we got to ask each other questions, which was fun. One girl wanted to know if I had a facebook. She was pretty persistent about it, and I felt bad telling her I had one, but wasn't getting on till December. She liked my blue eyes :)

The boys were funny. . . but you have to make sure you weren't too friendly with them or they got a little too forward.

You know, technically fb is only blocked at the Jerusalem Center. . . I could get on if I was using Hebrew University internet, but I'm curious to see if I can go a whole semester without it. It's been a little difficult - I feel completely disconnected with Provo life, and I want to keep up with my fellow interns from this summer, but can't really, because they all use facebook! But I'll be strong. I can survive. :)

I've been letting you all off way too easy. I don't remember the last time I focused on plants :) There's this Bird of Paradise growing in the hallway to my room, and it's about to bloom! We bet five days four days again. . . but I'm thinking it's going to take a few more than that. Who knows though! I've never been able to watch one grow outside before.

And I've been meaning to talk about the snapdragons - they grow like weeds. . . and they're awesome :)

Side note: this song has been stuck in my head all week because we read the story for class and have been talking about it.

AND I've been singing this because a group went to the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem this morning:

 

Turkey Pics!

~ Highlight of the Day: Singing 'So Long and Thanks for All the Fish' in a holy cistern. . . :) ~

 

Me and Madison at Pergamum

 

 Turkey pictures! It's working! I'm going to see how long this lasts. . . I have my Old Testament midterm tomorrow, and every body's studying for it, which is probably why there's enough internet left for me to upload pictures :)

Me at the Hagia Sophia (Marina, you and I are

 coming back here and spending hours in this building. )

 

Lantern shop in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

I am so bad at bargaining. . . it's almost funny.

 

Alyssa, Madison, and me waiting to go into the Blue Mosque, right across

from the Hagia Sophia. It took me a day or so to warm up to the whole scarf thing, but I am totally converted. I love scarves.

 

Well, I simply cannot afford to use up any more homework time, (and my laptop battery is nearly dead) so I'll have to continue my Turkey account next time. Perhaps I'll have enough time to write cool stuff about the places we visited. . . maybe. We'll see :)

 

 

 

 

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. . .

~ Highlight of the Day: A beautiful chocolate-peanut butter pita after lunch ~

Sorry, pictures just aren't going to work unless I get up to Hebrew U. It works for others, so I thought I could perhaps get away with a picture or two here. . . but it is not so.

 

We went to Jericho today. We did not sing "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho" while in the West Bank (we thought it a little rude/questionable ).

 

We also walked a stretch of the road from Jerusalem to Jericho in the Wadi Kelt, where the parable of the Good Samaritan takes place.

 

It's been an awesome day, and I love normal food from the Oasis.

 

 *I would just like to add, now that it's a sane hour of the morning and I'm not half asleep that I really need to make a resolution to blog only before 10pm, because after that I have no idea what I'm going to post up here. . . How did I misspell Jericho as Merico and not catch it? Oh yeah, I was half asleep (if not fully) when I pushed the 'Publish' button :)

 

 

 

 



Home Sweet Home

~ Highlight of the Week: Sitting in an ancient stone temple on top of a mountain covered in olive tree groves looking out at the Aegean Sea ~

Well, I'm back from Turkey! On one hand it seems like we've been in Turkey for ages, but then on the other hand sitting here at the Jerusalem Center again feels like we never left at all. I am tired though. Utterly exhausted. We kept up a pretty good pace, and there were a lot of early mornings, late nights, long bus rides, big rocky ruins, and strange food.

Over all, Turkey is an amazing place that was not at all what I expected (not that I really knew what to expect. . . do we learn anything in school about Turkey?), and I'd absolutely love to go back some day if I get the chance. There is soooo much to say, and so many pictures to share! That being said, I also have been putting off my homework for the last 8 days, and have two papers to write and a test to  study for. So I'll try to give you my Turkey experience in chunks.

I may post later today with a picture or two to get started. . . if I don't crash and sleep off the last week or so of hotel beds and bus rides :)

Primary!

~ Highlight of the Day: Teaching four lovely little 7 and 8 year olds about telling the truth :) ~

 

I have been officially called as a Primary teacher! I've taught Sunbeams (4 years old, or 5? ) before, for maybe 2 or 3 weeks, but that was ages ago, so I'm a little rusty. I'm sure I'll catch on quickly though :)

 

This truly is an inspired calling. To be perfectly honest, sitting in an auditorium is synonymous with sleeping as far as I'm concerned, and when you add the whole terribly-sleep-deprived thing in there, there's just no hope for me. But there is no sleeping in primary. You just can't do it. There's so much energy and so many wiggles to go around that it would take a miracle to sleep through any of it. So there you have it - I will be mentally attending my church meetings from now on. . . even if they are on a 1st grade level :)

 

As for addressing some of the recent world news you all may have been hearing and wondering about. . . We've heard of demonstrations in the city, but we have not seen any. Yesterday we had a very lengthy discussion with our Palestine professor about it (we all had a lot of questions), and we were cautioned to stay out of the city (it being Friday and all). We went into the city today without any problems, and we aren't expecting there to be any trouble while we're on our Turkey trip. They've asked us not to bring anything Israeli with us (which is a great excuse not to read my Israel readings :), but I though that's what our plan was from the first anyway.

 

They're keeping us informed, and we're being sensible about it, so life's pretty normal.

Well, as normal as life can be when you're planning on watching the BYU vs Utah game at 5am and then flying to Turkey :)

 

I may be able to post while I'm in Turkey. It depends on if my roommates bring their computers, and if we can find internet. . . We'll just have to see!

Another Day in Jerusalem

~ Highlight of the Day: Wandering aimlessly (almost) through Jerusalem ~

 

I got a chance to get out in the city today, after too many long hours of study, and it was totally refreshing. It's funny how hiking down and up the Kidron valley, and then down and up it again can refresh you. It's hard to see the toll studying takes on your sanity until you leave the JC, so we try to go out at least every couple days.

 

Oh! I tagged along with a running group this morning. I like running on flat ground, and downhill. I really dislike running uphill. I will be acutely aware of all the stairs we have here for the next few days. . .  I'll just leave it at that :)

Pictures 2

~ Highlight of Today: getting to share all of these awesome pictures with all of you! (awww) ~

And here it is. Round two of pictures of Jerusalem. I am so excited. Posting his honestly just made my day!

Damascus Gate

 

Me and another Rachel (there are four of us here)
eating falafel outside Damascus Gate.

 

A closer look at this glorious thing they call falafel

 

View of Jerusalem from the Augusta Victoria Tower. . .
maybe. Or it may be a view from the bus, or somewhere else.
It's kind of hard to keep track of. . .

 

Inside the Augusta Victoria

 

Me on a hill with Bethlehem in the background

 

The U.N., which just happens to be situated on the Mount of Evil Council

 

My name, which is now permanently on a pipe underneath the Jerusalem Center

(for my children, and my children's children, and my children's children's children to see)

 

Money! This is what Israeli Shekels look like,
in order of value (low to high) from left to right.

 

Shawarma. Is. Awesome.

(like falalel, but lamb instead of deep fried garbanzo beans stuff)

 

Aaaaand a Tel Aviv beach picture!

(the beginning of many)

Me doing a test run for a jumping picture. . .
I actually haven't seen the jumping picture yet. . .

 

This is my sad attempt at recreating the Jerusalem Center in sand/
McKenzie (my roommate) helped :)

A successful pyramid with nearly all the guys.
 It only took them maybe ten painful tries to get this :)

 

 

Chacos! Have I already said how much I love them?

Let me just say it again - I LOVE CHACOS!
 

Look! The Mediterranean Sea!
 

Us trying to figure out the bike rental thingy
 

Oh yeah. Neon green bikes are where it's at. 

 

Riding bikes through Jaffa

 

 

Ficus orangii, native to the Tel Aviv waterfront

 

Remember how I was totally bragging the other day

 about riding with no hands? Here's proof!

(I'm the tiny bike rider on the right. . . in red )

 

This has got to be the best view of Jerusalem from the center

(right above where the picture cuts off. . . :)

These are my lovely roommates, by the way

 

This is a really cool Bedouin tent.

 

This is a really cool Bedouin woman weaving.

She let us try it, and was amazingly patient with us.

 

This is a well. . . I forget where. . . I think Tel Sheva.

 

This is a replica of an ancient Israeli horned altar found at Tel Sheva. It was probably used for some questionable pagan worship though because it's made out of hewn stone (you were supposed to just gather natural stones), and it was eventually dismantled by Hezekiah or Jeremiah. . . I think.

 

This is a brilliant drinking fountain. It's shady, beautiful, and

 (from what I could tell) the extra water just irrigates the tree!

(This is at Arad. . . in the Negev)

 

So many palm trees. So cool.

 

This was my view last night while reading Exodus.

Jerusalem is amazingly beautiful any time of the day or night.

 

K, sorry that was so long, and that this is the second post in a day, but we're all caught up on pictures now! Woo Hoo!

 

 



Rocks and Stuff

~Highlight of Yesterday:  Listening to a Bedouin woman teach us about weaving while sitting in a beautifully woven tent drinking herbal tea (which was called something fancier, but I forget) ~

 

Ok, this is going to be quick, because I've got laundry, and studying, and Seder song practice, and a million other things beside.

 

We saw a lot of rocks yesterday. We visited the ancient city of Arad down in the south (the Negev desert), and Tell Sheva (a mile from Beersheeba) in the north. I think we ended up driving through all five land regions: Costal Plains, Shephela, Hill Country, Judean Wilderness, and the Jordan River Valley. We saw the Dead Sea, and Masada (we'll go there later in the semester [so excited for that!]), and Jericho, and crazy huge date palm plantations. I've never seen so many palm trees in my life.

 

The ancient city ruins are really cool. It's hard to imagine what the city was actually like, but it's interesting to walk through it. My favorite part of the ruins we visited were the wells and cisterns. I cannot imagine digging anything deeper than a few feet or so, and that's in mild Washington weather!

 

Well, I'm back to studying for the next few days. . . We leave for Turkey on Sunday!

The Mediterranean

~ Highlight of the Day: riding a bike (handless. . . not that I'm bragging or anything :) along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea ~

 

I wish I could post pictures so bad! The Tel Aviv waterfront is absolutely beautiful, and the water is warm, and the sand is perfect for sand castles and burying people, and there are markets just a short walk (or bikeride) away. . . it's definitely been an amazing day.

 

I even avoided a horrible sunburn (unlike some of my unfortunate classmates). I'm just going to have a freakin' awesome farmer's tan. And a Chacos tan! That I'm excited for.

 

May I just say, I love my chacos. They are comfortable, open, sturdy, water-safe, and stylish :) I would wear them everywhere if I could.

 

Anyway, I'd promise pictures tomorrow, but we're going on a full day field trip to the Negev Desert (and some other cool places). I don't think we're getting back till late, and then it's a whole new week of classes, and then I'm teaching primary on the Sabbath, and after that we're off to Turkey for a week!

 

Fun Fact: Acacia trees are native to the Negev Desert. . . not that I'm totally geeking out about that or anything :)

 

 

Saturday Day is a Special Day. . .

~ Highlight of the Day: waking up after a full night of sleep. . . finally! ~

We watched Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark  last night. . . it's so much cooler after you've just spent the whole week studying the Old Testament and the history of the Levant. And that's saying a lot, because it's a pretty cool movie to begin with! Watching it also makes being here in Israel seem much more adventurous . . . like walking through the old city will result in me getting caught up in a dangerous search for some lost religious relic of untold value. It's a side affect I'm totally willing to live with.

On a different note - Last night we went as a group to the Western Wall. It's one of the few times we're allowed in East Jerusalem after sunset, and it was truly amazing to get to observe all the people worshiping there. I think that is my favorite part of being here in Jerusalem - getting to see and better understand people of differing beliefs devoutly worshiping in places considered sacred by so many. There is so much you can learn! We got invited to join in the Friday night celebrations by a Jewish man handing out prayer books, and we totally would have gone if we didn't have to be back at the center by a certain time. I'm sure we'll get similar opportunities throughout the semester.

 Today we went to the Garden Tomb after District Conference (it's still a little weird making Saturday the sabbath), which was pretty cool. We went on the tour that they offer and then sang hymns together. We'll probably go back in much smaller groups later in the semester. They've got a beautiful garden there.  

Well, I'm going to Tel Aviv to swim in the Mediterranean tomorrow, and maybe I can make my way over to the Hebrew University to post some pictures. It depends on when we get back. I'll let you know all about it tomorrow!

Knowledge. . . Good Stuff

~ Highlight of the last three days: Shawarma. Just as good as falafel. Maybe better. ~

 

I'm taking 15 credit hours this semester. I knew I would be taking 15 credit hours when I applied, was excited to see the 15 credit hours listed on my semester schedule, and couldn't wait to learn 15 credit hours worth of stuff on Israel.

 

Now I'm about 15 credit hours behind in sleep.

 

I did nothing but study for two days straight. I didn't even blog!

Yesterday I finally caved and went out to the city for a few hours. Then I came back and studied some more. I feel like I've learned a semester's worth of information in the last 3 days. And did I do well on the test in my Ancient Near Eastern class this morning?

 

I really doubt it.

 

So here's to knowing that the Southern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyrians in 586 BC, and that Herod the Great was around from 37-4 BC, and that the Bar Kochba revolt happened in 132 AD, and Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina.

 

Let the tests begin.

Field Trip!

~ Highlight of the Day: Singing reggae and bluegrass songs (about Jerusalem) at the top of my lungs on the bus ~

 

We did a lot today, and because I did a lot yesterday as well, I've still got a lot of homework. So here's the reader's digest version of today: we drove around and looked at Jerusalem from nearly every angle, and learned how to point out several other landmark buildings (such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension, the Hebrew University tower, etc.) We did a lot more. . . but I'm sunburned and looking at a full night of homework (the yucky kind too. . . reading textbooks and writing papers . . . blech. ) I wouldn't be so opposed to it if I was going on a good eight hours of sleep. At least that's what I'm telling myself :)

Oh! Yesterday I ate my first falafal! I think that's how you spell it. . . it's pita bread stuffed with everything. Pickles, french fries, cucumbers, and fried who-knows-what all topped with some sort of dressing. It's delicious.

 

Pictures!

~ Highlight of the Day: Hmm. . . don't know yet, it's still morning ~

 

I'm at the Hebrew University, and that means I have access to internet that can handle pictures! Yaaaaaaayyyyyy!

 

Greece from the plane.

 



 

Shekels

 

Pomegranet tree!

 

Jerusalem sunset

 

BYU Jerusalem Center arches. . . at least some of them.

 

Plants! I'm working on a trip to the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. . . it will happen.

 

<---- Look! Plumbago!

Austrian Hospice

 

Accross from the Austrian Hospice. . .

 

Old Jerusalem

 

 

 You see that tiny little white building, you know, the one on the hill? Yeah, that's the Jerusalem center. (Ok, it's actually the building at the top, with all the arches, if that's helpful at all)

My neighbor's pomegranet tree. . . not that I'm jealous or anything :)

 

 

(imagine this middle picture actually in the middle of the other two. . . it's supposed to be a panoramic view of Jerusalem. . .  viewed from the side of the Hebrew University that doesn't have an entrance, as we discovered after hiking down a huge hill and up another one. . . )

 

Aaaand that's about it. For now. Enjoy :)