Crazy Awesome Day 9/27

Yesterday was a big day!

1. I took my Old Testament midterm and I think I did a pretty reasonable job on it. Questions ranged from- Who was Ruth's first husband? (A: Mahlon) to- What was the relationship between the focus of the outer courtyard and that of the inner court yard in the tabernacle (A: too long to type) to our essay question concerning the Abrahamic Covenant and its affect through time to our day.

2. I purchased my very own wood carving at Omar's! I spent almost 3 weeks thinking about buying it and I couldn't be happier! This picture doesn't nearly do it justice, but I absolutely love it and can not wait to have it in my own home someday. Its pretty obvious how much Omar loves Mormons with that Utah State flag in the back! Half of the store is made up of Joseph Smith, Emma, Book of Mormon characters, and BYU cougar carvings!

3. My friends and I cruised around the old city. We soaked in the atmosphere and I got my first schwarma! Looks good, yeah? Now I can check that off my list of things to do in Israel.

4. After a long afternoon of homework, we got to participate in a mock- Seder meal in the Oasis at the JC. Its not too often that Passover falls on the day after Yom Kippur! Our Near Eastern Studies professor headed the meal and showed us exactly how the Seder is performed in his own household. Our assigned seating put me at the esteemed Table 1, so I felt pretty special :) The most important thing about this meal is order! We sang songs together which told the story of the Passover and read lots of blessings over the food. I got to sing in a small group the song, "Y'vareh et Bet Yisra-El which is essentially a hallelujah song for after the meal. This dinner was an awesome experience and I feel like I have a better understanding of Jewish culture now. 

It was a crazy awesome day!
P.S. Today is World Wide Rabies Day! We celebrate every occasion here at the JC!

Turkey Trip!

I spent last week in Turkey. I had never had any desire to go there previously, but now that I've gone I can't believe what I might of missed! Turkey is a beautiful country and it has a ton of awesome history. It seems like every significant empire in history has had a hold there at some point or another; everyone from the Hittites to the rule of Constantine to the Ottomans. 

The week was just a blur. Everyday started before 6am and we usually weren't finished with dinner until 10. Exhausting, but I loved every minute of it. 

Our first day we walked all over Istanbul to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, and so much more. Unfortunately, my camera died with the first picture of the day, so I just had to document everything with my mind (and I'll get pictures from friends!). My favorite stop of the day must have been the Topkapi Palace. This place was the epitome of luxury. It was built by the Ottoman sultans right on the Bosporus Strait. The palace had awesome exhibits of the sultan's jewels, including an 87 carat diamond (I'll expect nothing less from my future hubby). Another exhibit had the "authentic" staff of Moses, a hair from Muhammad's beard, a cooking pot belonging to Abraham, and so many other religious artifacts, I don't know if I believe it all....  But it was cool!

One of my favorite sights was Pergamum. The acropolis we saw was one of the seven churches of the apocalypse. Maybe it was a bad back in the day, but now a days its a sweet spot!

Our second day we visited Gallipoli, where the Ottomans won a serious battle against the Anzacs in WWI. Something of 550,000 men died on the beach there. We saw the memorial and visited the little cemetery they had nearby. We were already acquainted with this tragic story because we watched the movie a week before: Gallipoli, starring a young and handsome Mel Gibson. It was a tragic story with a rough ending.

Gallipoli was a touching site and a great way to commemorate the brave men on both sides of that war.

We visited so many places that I can't even keep them straight! One of the others days we visited Sardis, and the Temple of Artemis there had some of the most impressive columns I've ever seen. 

--and we sure have seen a lot of those! 

All in all, Turkey was so incredible. Our group cruised down the coast along the Mediterranean and saw many places that the apostles John and Paul visited on their missions through Asia Minor. I gained a way greater understanding of the trials they faced there as I saw the grandeur of cities they were up against. Their example of dedication and courage inspires me. What a great experience!

Tel Aviv

I've got to tell you about my trip to Tel Aviv last Sunday (we have church on Saturdays in sync with the Jewish Shabbat). We left the Jerusalem Center at 9 am in vans and headed to the Mediterranean which was about an hour drive. The beach was so absolutely gorgeous that it was all I could do to keep from running to the sand!

We spent a few hours playing in the ocean which was unbelievably warm. The Pacific has nothing on the Mediterranean! It was fun to see all the locals surfing the waves, which weren't as strong or consistent as the ones in California, but still worth riding. A few guys from our group rented boards and tried it out. Sure looked like they were having a blast!

A little after lunch time we decided to go explore the city. We walked past the big shoreline hotels and found a cool farmer's market there. They had everything from fresh produce to cleaning supplies to clothes and plenty of souvenirs! 

Naturally there were sunburns-galore the next few days, but it was so worth it! We had the best day there. 

The days are long and super busy, but we are having such a great time!

The Pools of Bethesda!

This week has been jam-packed with school, field trips, and exploring the city. Yesterday, we paid 5 shekels to visit the Pools of Bethesda. It was by far one of the coolest places I've been so far. We ran around the ruins and went underground to the giant Roman cistern that is preserved there. But my favorite part of the pools of Bethesda was singing in St. Anne's Church which is built on that property.

The church is built with absolutely fantastic acoustics. You whisper a sentence and the sound carries all through the chapel, blurring the words together. Our group sang hymns for a good amount of time in there, just so we could hear the sound of our own voices. It was GORGEOUS and I will for sure be back there.

As we were leaving, a priest there stopped us and asked about where we learned to sing. We talked for a while talking about the States (he was from the UK) and why we were all here in Israel. He thanked us for sharing our talents and we got a picture with him in front of the church before we left.

That day we also went to the legendary Omar's in East Jerusalem. The number of wood carvings and the variety he had there was really impressive. His explanations as to how to tell if a wood carving is quality or not may come in handy in the future. He is such a good salesman and it was hard to walk out of there without making a purchase! 

Misc:

Our group is leaving for Turkey on Sunday, and after our many hours of orientation today I am so pumped for it! 

We had a tour of the space underneath the Jerusalem Center for which we got to wear hard hats! Mostly it was lengthy explanations of the maintenance that takes place down there, but we got to sign our names with all the students who had stayed in the center! Don't mind that I spelled my own name wrong...

These are the leather sandals I bought last week. It took about the whole week and a few blisters to break them in, but now they are about the most comfortable shoes I own! Depending on how well these hold up, I may buy another pair before I leave for home. I LOVE THEM!

Day Out

Hebrew class was cancelled today because our professor, Judy Goldman, was sick. Sad for her, good for us. I took a bit of a risk by going out into the city during that time and consequently missed a few hours that should have been spent studying; I have no regrets!

Jerusalem is the best place to just wander around in. The streets wind all over and the streets beyond the Damascus gate where we usually enter looks pretty much like a crowded mall. You have your food court, shoe stores, clothing stores, souvenir shops, fabric stores, kitchen ware, pharmacy, electronics, and the list goes on.

You get your fill of shopping pretty quick in the old city because each shop sells pretty much the same things at the same prices as their neighbors.

My group decided to step off the beaten path and check out an Armenian Catholic church, "Our Lady of the Spasm," next door to the Austrian Hospice. The church was full of contemporary art made to look old in some places, and celebrating its modernity in others. The prayer room downstairs had the most gorgeous, subtle, golden cross I've ever seen. I wasn't able to get a picture, nut maybe I'll be back.

Our next stop was the church of the Holy Sepluchre. I absolutely love this cathedral. Within its walls are the claimed sights of Golgotha, the rock which Jesus the Christ was anointed on, and his tomb. We waited in line to see the tomb. The architecture of the building around the tomb was such that you had to bow to enter and bow to exit. Of course no one really knows the location of where Christ was laid before the resurrection, but the Church of the Holy Sepluchre sure did a great job of making it seem like the real thing.

The top of the dome in the Church of the Holy Sepluchre

One of the views from the top of the Austrian Hospice

The Western Wall

Today was my first trip to the Western Wall (wailing wall). I was absolutely astounded by what I saw there. I've seen pictures before of crying, wrinkled women slipping their prayers into the cracks of the stone. And yes, I did see this picture in reality, but it was more than that. 

The plaza was filled with military men in their green uniforms and huge guns slung around their necks. We proceeded past the men and funneled into the women's section of the wall. There was a hush and a warmness there that can only be described as the spirit of God. The women that were gathered around the wall poured their hearts into the stone, hoping that it would find its way to their Father in Heaven. I have no doubt that it does reach him.

A bit of a history lesson: The temple mount where the Dome of the Rock now stands was once the location of the Temple of Solomon and then the Temple of Herod. The location of the Holy of Holies within those temples is unknown, so the Jews of Jerusalem do not go on the temple mount for fear of violating a sacred space. Instead, they worship at the Wall which is the closest they can get to that Temple space without jeopardizing the holiness of the temple once standing. 

I put my own prayer in the stone asking blessings to my family and thanking God for his generosity. I didn't write my name on it, but I think He knew it was me.

   

The Holy City

I have been in Jerusalem for 3 complete days now! It took all of that time to get over my jetlag, but I am feeling ready to go now! 

So far, I have only gotten a brief overview of the city; we had a walking tour (4 hours long!) with our Ancient Near Eastern Studies professor, Professor Stratford, which opened my eyes to the beauty of the culture here. Its incredible to walk through the old city and see the sights there.

The people in the old city are all packed into such a small space. It is evident that the people who once lived in the city a long time ago were much smaller people; I had to duck to get through the doorways in some of the monasteries that were centuries old (and I'm only 5'6"!). The streets are crowded with tourists, merchants, worshipers, and pilgrims. What and incredible experience to see all of these cultures combining in one place!

Jerusalem is a holy city to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, and it has already proven to be a holy city for me personally! Our Sabbath day meetings take place on the top floor of the Jerusalem Center. In sacrament meeting, a wall of windows provides the most incredible view of the Holy City. I read the story of the atonement while in that room and gazed into the city where Christ lived and healed. The Mount of Olives is within walking distance from the Center. I feel so lucky to be able to live in a place where I will be able to see the place where many of the events found in the Bible occurred.