Just another day in the city

So classes have started and the homework load has been HUGE. So much reading to do! Which is kind of a bummer because who wants to be inside doing homework when you could be out exploring the city! Its funny because our American professors have been giving us homework that involves going out and visiting site out in the city and its our native teachers that give us pages and pages and PAGES of homework to read.

But today we were able to get out for about two hours, we decided to skip lunch here and go out and grab some grub in the city. We have been dying to try Schwarma... all the natives and teachers say that its their favorite. I was not disappointed. When you walk down the streets there are these restaurants and stands that have this big slab of meat rotating in the stand up oven. So when you order schwarma the take you to this little bar and let you pick your fillings. It's kind of like an Israeli burrito but when I looked at the fillings I had no idea what a lot of them were so I just went for it. The filled it with a sauce, bell peppers, a cucumber tomato mix (don't worry mom I picked out the tomatoes), some green filling, and onions. Then they top it off with the schwarma meet and roll it up like a burrito. The meet is turkey because they said its the juiciest, but they also use beef chicken and lamb. It cost 17 Shekels which is about 6 american dollars, kinda pricey but 5 hours later I'm still full and it was one of the best meals I've had in a while.

So we grabbed our lunch and headed up to a courtyard by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and ate together in the city. On our way back we got some local juice (I have no idea what it was but it was amazing) and some people got fresh pomegranate juice (I had some a couple days ago, SO good, they juice it right in front of you). We also grabbed a bueno bar for class... best candy ever. So basically i've been trying every food imaginable and I love it.. and suprisingly not gaining weight... but that was before the schwarma so we will see if thats still true tomorrow! Oh and that spice that I told you about earlier, its called Zatar, they dip their bread in olive oil and then Zatar and its SO good. I'll have to see if we can find it in that states somewhere.

This whole experience makes me want to do the whole "Eat Pray Love" thing and go to italy and eat my weight in yummy food.

Its great to be here without all the distractions that the states can bring. Surprisingly, I haven't been sad that I'm missing the new Bachelor or even Gossip Girl. Its really helped me to clear my head and think about what I want to do next in life. I was hoping being here would help me decide a career path, but its actually been leading me in another direction. Being here has made me think a lot about serving a mission. A lot of you know that I've always planned on going on a mission, but as the time comes closer I've been really unsure if thats something that I really want to dedicate myself to. One of the girls that I talked to here served her mission in Greece (can I just stop and say WOW how cool is that?!) and she was telling me all about it, I told her I was thinking about serving and she got so excited. She said that no matter what I choose to do I need to be preparing to enter the temple.

I think being here and learning here has already helped me a lot in that aspect. Learning about the covenants that the ancient prophets made here and the steps the took made me think more seriously about the covenants that I have and will make with my Heavenly Father. I have learned so much not only about my own religion, but the religions that are native to this land. The love and devotion that the people here give to their God and their religion is inspiring. How many times do we struggle with saying prayers morning and night? We can really learn something of the devotion that these people have, who pray 5 times a day, who come to the place where they believe christ was crucified and kiss the ground, who give up their whole lives to their redeemer. It truly is amazing.

So I'm not saying that I am, without a doubt, going to serve a mission when the time comes, but thats definitely the direction I am heading. Before I was unsure, but now its clear to me that serving is something that I really would love to do. So I'm preparing now to make that commitment for myself. This land is beautiful. The people here are beautiful. The gospel is magnificent.

Field Studies-Gibia, Nebi Samuel, 7 Arches Hotel, Augusta Victoria

So I wanted to write a bit about our first field trip here.

We got up, put on our fanny packs, grabbed our sack lunches, and headed out into the city. Our groups are divided up into Old Testament classes so I went with Brother Muilstien (my teacher, what a spiritual stud) and the rest of my class.

Our first stop was on a hill in Gibia. There we found this old building that was falling apart. It was a palace that was being built in the 60s for King Hussein, but due to political conflicts it was left untouched since then. The really cool thing about this spot in particular is that the new palace was being built right where King Saul's palace was. They took down the remains there to build the new palace but down the hill a little bit we got to go down and touch some of the stones that were originally part of Saul's palace! Those are some old rocks. I have a picture of it but whoever took the picture did a terrible job framing it because they cut out the stone part of it, so its basically a picture of me looking like a sister missionary with my feet cut off. Ohh well! I can't post pictures from the center but i'll post them later. You can find the story of Gibia in 1 Samuel 10:26, 15:34, and about Davids stay there in 1 Samuel 18:1-19.

Our next stop was Nebi Samuel (meaning The Prophet Samuel). This spot was used as a stomping ground for the crusaders where Richard the Lionheart stayed. The ruins are still there and you can walk all around. There is also a Mosque there built by the Jews to commemorate the Prophet Samuel, there they have a Cenotaph, which is a casket that represents the casket of Samuel (he's not really buried there). The Jews believe that Samuel represents the prayers of the righteous in heaven, so he listens to their prayers there and then takes them to heaven and petitions for them. Here we also had a view over the city of Gibeon, we read Joshua 9-10 as our teacher pointed out where the story happened where Joshua was headed when he prayed and asked to have the sun and the moon stand still. We stood looking over the valley as our teacher read how Kind Solomon prayed for knowledge to know right from wrong, where God blessed Solomon to be the greatest king. It was incredible.

Our next stop was Church of the Ascension Augusta Victoria, where Lutherans believe Christ Ascended into heaven. It was built about 100 years ago by a German Emperor and named for his wife. We sat in the chapel as Brother Jackson taught us about the different symbols in churches and how to recognize them and what they mean. I already knew a lot of it from my Art History class but it was a nice refresher. The inside was BEAUTIFUL. The mosaic work was breathtaking. Then we headed up MILLIONS of stairs to the top of the tower where we had a view of everything you can imagine. We could see as far as the West Bank, where the tribe of Ephraim is from. It was cool to see because we aren't allowed to visit there due to political conflicts. We also had a great view of Bethel, the place where Jacob saw God face to face and where he was endowed (Gen 28: 11-19). Then we all gathered together in the chapel and sang some hymns. The acoustics were amazing and it made us sound like angels. The contrast of the silence to the first notes was glorious to say the least.

Note this picture was taken from a friends camera, my battery died :(

Our last stop was the 7 Arches Hotel which had a great view of the Old City. There we gazed on The Dome of the Rock, which is on Mount Moriah and the Temple Mount. This is one of my favorite spots because so many things have happened there. It was where Abraham bound Isaac (Muslims believe Ishmael). Its where the temple of Solomon used to be. Its also where Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven. Just to name a few... It also provided a good view of what used to be Jerusalem (The City of David). The ruins are still there. We get to go on another field trip, and I'm so excited. Christ most likely walked of those exact steps that I'll be walking on.

So its safe to say that my first field trip was amazing. I can't believe how much I've learned already. I tried reading the Old Testament before I came here and to be honest, I barely understood it. But now it makes so much sense to me, and because of this knowledge of the Old Testament I have such a better understanding of the Book of Mormon. Today in Old Testament we learned about how all scripture is about the House of Israel, we are a part of this great heritage and all the blessings given to Abraham are also given to us. We are to inherit this great land. It gave a whole new meaning to 1 Nephi 19:22-24. Liken all scripture unto us, because it is us, its a part of us. I am so grateful for my time here, this land has taken hold of my heart.

Some Quick Vids

I haven't had time to upload all my videos but here are a few that I did from my full free day. Sorry the post below is so messy! If you want to see the pictures bigger you can just click on them...

Field Studies

So I'm sorry its been a few days but hey, to be honest I haven't been wanting to spend much time on my computer when there are so many beautiful things to see here. So here is just a little update on what's been going on here.

Friday was our first day of classes. I never want to go back to Provo because nothing compares to reading the scriptures in an old testament class and having your teacher point out the window to show you where it happened, its incredible. we learned about the Abrahamic Covenant and how it applies to us here and now and how we are a part of it. I am learning so much! Then we went out to the city to do a little exploring of our own. This time I got to take my camera so I have some great pictures.

Saturday is the Sabbath day here so thats when we had church. It was great because breakfast wasn't until 8 so I got to sleep in. We had sacrament meeting in this great big room. The branch here includes some other members, several spanish members, and a couple people who are ex patriots working in the area. No brick building can compare to taking the sacrament overlooking the city where the last supper took place, where the crucifixion took place, and where Christ suffered in Gethsemane. Everything here amazes me. The Lord loves this land, you can just feel it.

They asked me to help teach the sunbeams class, what an adventure that was. There are three kids: Jacob, Emily, and Kaelen. They said that it will most likely be my calling for the rest of the semester. There are going to be three of us teaching the three kids because they are so full of energy. It takes all three of us just to keep them in he room, let alone their chairs. It's going to be so fun but so tiring.

Then Sunday we had the whole day to ourselves. We got up early and headed out into the city as soon as we could. Our first stop was Zedekiahs Cave, a stone quarry underneath the city that they believe was used to build the First Temple. Then we walked around town for a bit and chatted with merchants and tried some pastries. Next we went on Ramparts Walk which is a walk on top of the walls that surround the Old City. It was cool to walk under the city, in the city, and then on top of the city. It provided some spectacular views. The rest of the day we spent discovering some of the gems in the old city. One of my favorite spots was Pilate's Palace, the place where many people believe that christ was condemned. It was open and light and beautiful, then you can walk into a little church where they have the most beautiful stained glass window depicting Christ on the cross. We also stopped by the birthplace of Mary. It was fun to just be free and walk all around the city. I can even describe how amazing it is. The people here are just beautiful and the feelings you get just being here captures your heart.

Today we had our first field trip but I'm running out of time and I want to upload these pictures so I'll talk about that laterrrr. Shalom!

Day Two: The Old City

Today we got to walk through the Old City for the first time. We went down in groups of about 10 with a guide. As we walked down the street I saw this native guy walking down by us. I didn't think much of it until we stopped to talk about the site we were at (The Kidron Valley) and he stopped with us. We started walking again and he started to follow. Then our guide stopped, looked at the man and said "Everyone, this is George, he is part of security". I was relieved to say the least. After the orientation I was a tab bit paranoid. But the security guys are great! They brought us breakfast on our walk, it was this bread in a long bagel shape like this ---> [] but rounder and skinnier. Then he had this spice to dip it in, it was green and very salty. It comes from a leaf that they grind, he brought the leaf for us to try on its own. It tasted much better with the bread.

Walking around the Old City was incredible. The walls around the city are huge. Since the city has been destroyed so many times, each new ruler would build on top of the rubble, so you can see the different eras by looking at the materials in the walls.

We walked around the streets and the drivers are crazy, most people park on the side walk. East Jerusalem is dramatically different from West Jerusalem. The east side is older, filled with graffiti, trash, and old food everywhere. The west side is newer, modern, and really clean. I love the east side because thats where the Old City is located. We got to go in this austrian hospice where all the dignitaries stay, we walked all the way to the top floor and saw the most amazing view of the city. It was all around us. The City is small but is still able to fit 300,000 people in it. It was amazing standing in the middle of it while our guide pointed out the different spots for the different religions, explaining that each site is considered the most holy spot on earth for all these major religions.

We got to catch a glimpse of the Holy Church of the Sepulcher. It was beautiful inside. All my Art History paid off because I was able to tell the different worship spots soley on its art and architecture, what a cool feeling. People come here from all over the world just to touch these spots. It was reverencing to see women rubbing their belongs on these holy spots and kissing the ground.

We walked out of the gates and our guide pointed out all the bullet holes in the wall and on city hall from the various wars being fought there. We also got to walk down The Via Dolorosa, which is believed to be the path that Christ walked while carrying the cross. They had different areas numbered off for significant parts of the walk, like where simon helped christ carry the cross. Although we know that it really happened about 15 feet under the road because the city has been built up many times. The important thing that our guide pointed out to us is not that we find the exact spot where it happened, but that what we remember why it happened.

The merchants were all so welcoming. They love the BYU students. They would yell things like "Go Cougars", "We have Utah Jazz", and "We love you guys". The neat thing is that only the Mormons are allowed to write personal checks to them because they trust us so much, because we have had a great reputation, and because they want our money. Our instructors said that every time they go into the city they ask when the students are coming back.

That four hour walk through the old city was the best part of the day, we came home, had lunch, and then had to go to more meetings. Sitting in the forum listening about classes starting tomorrow, trying not to sleep so I can get over jet lag, and looking at the clock seeing it was only 3 made the day seem SO long. We went back to our room and chatted with my roommates. I LOVE my roommates, I really lucked out. They are both great girls and I'm excited to live with them.

We also got our cell phones and security badges today so that was kinda cool. I feel like they just keep giving us stuff and I'm afraid i'm going to loose something.

Ohh I almost forgot. I also got to try Honey Balls. Its fried honey, I have no idea how they make it but its yummy. It sounds gross and I was afraid to try, but I told myself I want to try everything. So I did. I can't wait to go back to the Old City and try fresh pomegranate juice.

We also had a game night tonight, which took all the tired out of me. I have met tons of cool people and I know I'm going to make some great friends here.

Well I have class at 8 tomorrow so I'd better get to bed.

&& sorry for the lack of pictures today! They told us not to bring our cameras today so we could pay attention to the guides and where we were going.

Arrivederci!

Day One: Jerusalem

I don't even know where to begin. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most amazing place on earth. I knew it as soon as the plane hit the runway and everyone started clapping. After traveling for 24 hours I'm actually here.

Mom, you said you want to know everything. Thats a tall order but I'll try!

I'm going to skip over the boring plane stuff because I only have 10 min until breakfast... basically I slept the entire time. Thanks for those meds dad.

We arrived in Tel Aviv and the airport was

big and beautiful. It has tall ceilings and its made of almost all windows. We found our group and I was actually really lucky because about 10 people got their luggage lost. I'm so glad I wasn't one of them.

The drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was about 45 min, not bad at all compared to the 10 hour flight. We passed through Judea, which unlike the song "Far Far Away on Judea's plains", Is full of hills and lots of trees.

As we came up the hill we caught our first glimpse of the Old City. There aren't words to describe. We made it up to the hill and got off the bus to our new home. Pictures don't do it justice. I'll go into detail later, I have about 5 min.

We had a tour and dinner. Dinner was this yellow flat rice with seasoning, potatoes, veggies, salad, and this amazing pita bread with a spread that I forgot the name of. I think it was a creamy mixture of honey and sesame seeds. You'll have to look it up. Its life changing.

Then we met in where we will have church every week. The director got up and spoke to us about how special this place is. Everyone we talked to stressed the fact that we aren't tourists, we are a part of this community, we live here. That was amazing. Then our branch president Brother Omen (amazingly funny) got up to play the organ. We have the iggest most beautiful organ in all of Israel. As he started to play, they opened the curtains to see the view of the Old City. It was the best moment of my life. I already love it here.

I'm off to breakfast! Were visiting the Old City today! Miss you all!

Boarding the Plane

The time has come!

I'm currently sitting in the SLC Airport waiting to board my plane.

I'll be traveling all day, two flights with a stop in New York.

I was successfully able to fit the next four months of my life in one 49 pound suitcase,

which is a miracle in and of itself.

I'm so excited for this new adventure(:

I can't promise that I'll update too often,

I want to spend as much time exploring as I possibly can.

But I'll do my best.

Arrivederci!