I feel like that Death Cab song because I've seriously been a hermit for the past 3 days. Well, I guess it's not completely my fault, we were put under house arrest on Monday because of the protests/riots going on in the Old City due to the happenings in Gaza. So that was a trying-to-do-homework-but-not-so-successful kind of day.
Tuesday I decided to stay home again and REALLY try to get my homework done. Um, yeah. I didn't do so good. But I console myself in the fact that I've been having these priceless bonding experiences with people and in 20 years, whether I got my homework done or not won't matter, but my eternal relationships with people will. Ha! Stick it to the MAN! I've especially been having some good moments with my roomies. We're just growing tighter and tighter every day. Everyone here basically thinks I'm crazy, but I think they like it. They all wish they could be like me. Just kidding.
Anyway, yesterday I did go out for a little bit. A few of us went over to the Hebrew University "at the dairy farm across the road." Name that movie. Did you guess Robin Hood? Cause that's wrong. It's from 101 Dalmations. Hebrew U was cool. It's a nice campus and I got to talk to some really nice students. I really love the people here.
But it's so sad, we aren't allowed to talk about the gospel in any way, shape, or form. So we were talking to this guy and he had met some of us students at the Temple Mount the other day. He had asked them about the church and they not being able to respond said something like, "In this day and age you can find just about anything on the Internet." So we was telling us that he looked us up on Wikipedia and wanted to know if we could just shake our heads yes or no to tell him if what he read was correct. He then told us that it had said that we had made a pact with the Israeli government not to proselyte here (which is true)... because we had converted corpses after WWII (which is not true). I'm sure it was in reference to baptisms for the dead, but there was no way I could come even close to explaining. So all I said was, "You know, not everything on the internet is true" and left it at that. He was so disappointed though and it seemed like he really wanted to know. Man, it was heart-wrenching to not be able to tell him. Sad day. Anyway, that was an interesting experience.
I played soccer again yesterday and pulled a muscle in my back and both of my legs. So today I'm hobbling around like an old man. It was a fun game though and I'm getting better at this whole coordination thing. Well, actually maybe not. I was trying to put my pants on this morning and my foot got caught in the wrong leg so I tumbled over writhing around with my pants half on. My roommates were in stitches.
Oh I almost forgot! Yesterday we had our Egypt Orientation! I cannot even tell you how excited I am, though a little apprehensive. There are huge problems with groping in Egypt. Yikes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't happen to me. I went and got $150 all in $1 bills. Haha. I look so rich when I carry that wad of cash around. I should have gotten one $100 bill to put on top...then I would have looked like a millionaire. Anyway, they said that the Egyptian merchants love American money because it's worth more to them I guess. So they said to bring lots of 1's. I'm so excited.
Today I'm going shopping with my roomies for stuff we need for Egypt. I want to get lots of packaged foods because they told us that usually almost half the group comes back from Egypt with "Ramses Revenge." That's the Egyptian term for diarrhea...really, really, bad diarrhea. The doctor showed us the massive supply of depends he brings for the trip home from Egypt. Our buses have no bathrooms and the route home has no trees or hills or anything. So they said that everyone on the bus looks away while the sick person does their thing. Yikes...Indigo Montaya had no idea when he said, "Humiliations Galore." So I'm not eating anything that isn't completely burnt black. No fruits or veggies for a week. Joy.
Well, this is a lot longer than I intended it to be. Sorry I jump around so much. And sorry it wasn't that funny or cool...I'll try to have some more spaztically humiliating experiences for you next time. Although, eventhough I love you all, I'm not going to get Ramses Revenge just to make you all laugh about me soiling myself. Sorry to disappoint, but I don't love you that much.
Conclusion: Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Hello again. I am locked out of my room right now so I apologize ahead for no new pictures. I have some good ones though, so I'll get them up as soon as I can.
Yesterday was a wonderfully relaxing day. After class we had the whole day to ourselves. I tried to do some homework (through the process of diffusion and osmosis...my head on my textbook, eyes closed, saliva forming a waterway through which the information travels back into my brain, right?) I finally decided that I needed to do SOMETHING active and so accepted the invitation to play a riveting game of soccer with some kids. I don't know if "play" is the right word. It was more like me flitting around, yelping or curling into a wad whenever the ball or anyone else came near me. Now I know why I stopped playing soccer at age 8. Finally my teammates just said, "Heather, why don't you stay back and protect the goal? We need you back there" as if it was a daring a noble contribution I could make for the team. I knew what they were really saying was, "You are the bane of this team's existence. Just go stand out of the way and we will do everything in our power to make sure the ball doesn't come near you." I just comforted myself with the thought that I would kick every one of their behinds in water polo. Ha.
Although I struck out in soccer, I redeemed myself in volleyball later that night. I think I'll be sticking to volleyball from now on. Plus, soccer made me so sore! I'm like an old man today, sitting down slowly, groaning and clenching my eyes shut. I'm such a wimp.
Anyway, Thursday was our very first fieldtrip and it was awesome! It was a geography fieldtrip and so we were never more than 15 miles outside of Jerusalem. But we went all the way around the city and got to see all the different viewpoints and see some cool sites.
We started off at Nabi Samwill. It's the supposed burial site of the Prophet Samuel. Cool. It's now a mosque and a synagogue. Both muslims and jews come and peacefully worship there. What a cool message of peace and hope for resolving this conflict. It was neat.
Next we headed to this place called Deir Mar Elyas...it's a hilly area where supposedly Elijah passed through while being hunted down by Jezebel, the brazen hussie. Anyway, there was a wonderful view there of all the surrounding areas, including the mountains in Jordan. On our way down the hill we heard bells tingling and all of a sudden there was this herd of sheep being led by two shepherd boys. It made me think of Grandpa and his story of the herd of sheep that he saw here in Jerusalem. So cool.
After that we headed to the Haas Promenade. It's basically a lookout point south of the Temple Mount and City of David and supposedly where Abraham stopped to look out at Mt. Moriah and then left his men with the asses to take Isaac up to sacrifice him. It was beautiful. We stood up there with the Typorean and Hinom valleys twisting beneath us and a beautiful view of the Temple Mount and, of course, a great view of Hell. I think you remember me telling you of my expedition to Hell. Anyway, there was a great view of it from Haas. We ate lunch there and then continued on to our second to last stop, the Seven Arches Overlook. This public viewing area is right by the Seven Arches Hotel and provides a great view of Jerusalem and the cemeteries around it, as well as the Golden Gate (supposedly where Christ will ride back into the city on a donkey again). After our lecture there I had another experience that made me famous in the center. Yes, I know, I'm trying to behave myself, but I just couldn't pass up this opportunity.
So after lecture, we were walking back up to the bus and there was this man there with a camel all sattled up and ready to be taken for a ride. Now, our teacher had warned us that the man would probably charge us for even wanting to take a picture with the camel. But I started talking with the man (who told me the camel's name was Kojack) and he said I could take a picture with Kojack if I would like, free of charge. Yes I would like. So by now all the students have come up and are in a semi-circle around us and the camel. So the guy starts showing off and goes over to Kojack and stands in front of him and makes this clicking noise. Sure enough, Kojack lifts his head up and kisses the man! Rad! So I thought, "Hey! I want to kiss a camel! I might never get to again!" So I give my camera to a girl standing nearby and ask her to take a picture of me kissing the camel. I went and stood by Kojack, but he didn't so anything, so I started saying, "Hey, will you kiss me? Hey, will you please kiss me?" Then the owner was at my side making the clicking noise and so I started making the noise and then...HE ATE MY FACE! No joke, this camel knew his stuff. :) Everyone started maoning/screaming/laughing as this camel literally ate my face. (He definitely needed a tic-tac or something cause his breath STUNK!) I was so surprised by this new experience that I kind of just stood there for a good 20 seconds as this camel swallowed my face. It didn't cross my mind to step back. So basically eveyrone in the group has a wonderful picture of me making out with a camel. Mine wasn't the best picture, but everyone said they'd e-mail theirs to me, each claiming that theirs was the best. One guy even got a video. haha.
So now I get people coming up to me and saying, "So, now you've had your first kiss!" Or, "How does it feel to be out of the virgin lip club?" Oh man. And if that wasn't bad enough, the whole elephant experience that I thought would die overnight, caught like wildfire and so I am still the butt of every joke, but now in TWO ways. I have no dignity and cannot feign pride because I get one thrown at me like, "Well at least I make out with my own species!" Yuck yuck. You're so clever!
Anyhow, after that we ended up at the Augusta Victoria Church/Hospice which was awesome! It was built by Wilhelm II and named after his wife, August Victoria. It is now one of the top hospitals in Israel and a beautiful cathedral. We sang hymns in there and it was just chilling how beautiful it was.
I'll post pictures of all this stuff soon...as soon as I get back into my room.
Today has been a really nice Sabbath. The Sabbath is always so needed at the end of the week, even if you're living in the Holy Land. I love the Sabbath, I love the gospel, I love Jesus, I love life.
Conclusion: It's so cool living in a place where it's so EASY to remember Christ all the time. There are three groups of people in this land who dedicate their lives to God and their religion. It permeates every mintue of every day. I love it. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine son.
Yesterday was a wonderfully relaxing day. After class we had the whole day to ourselves. I tried to do some homework (through the process of diffusion and osmosis...my head on my textbook, eyes closed, saliva forming a waterway through which the information travels back into my brain, right?) I finally decided that I needed to do SOMETHING active and so accepted the invitation to play a riveting game of soccer with some kids. I don't know if "play" is the right word. It was more like me flitting around, yelping or curling into a wad whenever the ball or anyone else came near me. Now I know why I stopped playing soccer at age 8. Finally my teammates just said, "Heather, why don't you stay back and protect the goal? We need you back there" as if it was a daring a noble contribution I could make for the team. I knew what they were really saying was, "You are the bane of this team's existence. Just go stand out of the way and we will do everything in our power to make sure the ball doesn't come near you." I just comforted myself with the thought that I would kick every one of their behinds in water polo. Ha.
Although I struck out in soccer, I redeemed myself in volleyball later that night. I think I'll be sticking to volleyball from now on. Plus, soccer made me so sore! I'm like an old man today, sitting down slowly, groaning and clenching my eyes shut. I'm such a wimp.
Anyway, Thursday was our very first fieldtrip and it was awesome! It was a geography fieldtrip and so we were never more than 15 miles outside of Jerusalem. But we went all the way around the city and got to see all the different viewpoints and see some cool sites.
We started off at Nabi Samwill. It's the supposed burial site of the Prophet Samuel. Cool. It's now a mosque and a synagogue. Both muslims and jews come and peacefully worship there. What a cool message of peace and hope for resolving this conflict. It was neat.
Next we headed to this place called Deir Mar Elyas...it's a hilly area where supposedly Elijah passed through while being hunted down by Jezebel, the brazen hussie. Anyway, there was a wonderful view there of all the surrounding areas, including the mountains in Jordan. On our way down the hill we heard bells tingling and all of a sudden there was this herd of sheep being led by two shepherd boys. It made me think of Grandpa and his story of the herd of sheep that he saw here in Jerusalem. So cool.
After that we headed to the Haas Promenade. It's basically a lookout point south of the Temple Mount and City of David and supposedly where Abraham stopped to look out at Mt. Moriah and then left his men with the asses to take Isaac up to sacrifice him. It was beautiful. We stood up there with the Typorean and Hinom valleys twisting beneath us and a beautiful view of the Temple Mount and, of course, a great view of Hell. I think you remember me telling you of my expedition to Hell. Anyway, there was a great view of it from Haas. We ate lunch there and then continued on to our second to last stop, the Seven Arches Overlook. This public viewing area is right by the Seven Arches Hotel and provides a great view of Jerusalem and the cemeteries around it, as well as the Golden Gate (supposedly where Christ will ride back into the city on a donkey again). After our lecture there I had another experience that made me famous in the center. Yes, I know, I'm trying to behave myself, but I just couldn't pass up this opportunity.
So after lecture, we were walking back up to the bus and there was this man there with a camel all sattled up and ready to be taken for a ride. Now, our teacher had warned us that the man would probably charge us for even wanting to take a picture with the camel. But I started talking with the man (who told me the camel's name was Kojack) and he said I could take a picture with Kojack if I would like, free of charge. Yes I would like. So by now all the students have come up and are in a semi-circle around us and the camel. So the guy starts showing off and goes over to Kojack and stands in front of him and makes this clicking noise. Sure enough, Kojack lifts his head up and kisses the man! Rad! So I thought, "Hey! I want to kiss a camel! I might never get to again!" So I give my camera to a girl standing nearby and ask her to take a picture of me kissing the camel. I went and stood by Kojack, but he didn't so anything, so I started saying, "Hey, will you kiss me? Hey, will you please kiss me?" Then the owner was at my side making the clicking noise and so I started making the noise and then...HE ATE MY FACE! No joke, this camel knew his stuff. :) Everyone started maoning/screaming/laughing as this camel literally ate my face. (He definitely needed a tic-tac or something cause his breath STUNK!) I was so surprised by this new experience that I kind of just stood there for a good 20 seconds as this camel swallowed my face. It didn't cross my mind to step back. So basically eveyrone in the group has a wonderful picture of me making out with a camel. Mine wasn't the best picture, but everyone said they'd e-mail theirs to me, each claiming that theirs was the best. One guy even got a video. haha.
So now I get people coming up to me and saying, "So, now you've had your first kiss!" Or, "How does it feel to be out of the virgin lip club?" Oh man. And if that wasn't bad enough, the whole elephant experience that I thought would die overnight, caught like wildfire and so I am still the butt of every joke, but now in TWO ways. I have no dignity and cannot feign pride because I get one thrown at me like, "Well at least I make out with my own species!" Yuck yuck. You're so clever!
Anyhow, after that we ended up at the Augusta Victoria Church/Hospice which was awesome! It was built by Wilhelm II and named after his wife, August Victoria. It is now one of the top hospitals in Israel and a beautiful cathedral. We sang hymns in there and it was just chilling how beautiful it was.
I'll post pictures of all this stuff soon...as soon as I get back into my room.
Today has been a really nice Sabbath. The Sabbath is always so needed at the end of the week, even if you're living in the Holy Land. I love the Sabbath, I love the gospel, I love Jesus, I love life.
Conclusion: It's so cool living in a place where it's so EASY to remember Christ all the time. There are three groups of people in this land who dedicate their lives to God and their religion. It permeates every mintue of every day. I love it. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine son.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
"What's that coming out of his stomach??!!"
Oh family! I can't tell you how good it was to read all your comments! I know you all don't have time to read my blog all the time and I don't expect you to, but when you do, if you have a minute, I would love to hear a quick comment from you--I can't tell you how much it means to me.
Well, life continues on in Jerusalem. Although, it's a little more mixed up here with the whole "Saturday is the Sabbath" thing...it makes the week seem much, much, longer. But, we like that. We feel like we have more time to do stuff, even though we don't. Then we get behind. We don't like that.
Anyway, today was really fun. You know, I think my spaztic side hides when I'm just getting to know people and slowly emerges as I get more comfortable with them. It's not like I do it on purpose, I just think I'm trying less and less to be as careful so as not to get the name of freak or weirdo or something else that describes, well, me. Today I had the good grace to walk into a parking meter, walk head-first into a glass door, and get whacked in the crotch by the fist of a young boy who was singing a song in Arabic (probably a very dirty one) as he walked by each of us girls and hit us. (However, I was the only one who got a pop to the crotch.) It's lucky he kept walking by so fast and that they tell us to avoid confrontation or I would have given him a pop in the "unmentionables" that he never would have forgotten.
So, this morning we had no class and so everyone was planning on going on various adventures. I decided to go with the group I've spent the past two days with and really enjoyed seeing the sites with. I think our plans changed 4, 053 times in two minutes, but finally we agreed on renting a sharoot (a kind of shuttle/van) and going to the Biblical Zoo. Why it's called a "Biblical" Zoo I really have no idea because I didn't see one camel or ass. However, I did see plenty of other animals that are mentioned frequently in the Bible (i.e. turtles, flamingos, leopards, giraffes, and ostriches. Good old Daniel in the ostrich den.) It was really fun though, and we had a lot of fun. However, it was here that I had an experience that has once again made me famous in this very small-and-quick-to-spread-a-good-story center, which leads me to the title of this blog.
Alright, so I had been wanting to see the elephants all day because I relate to them and so have a very fond spot in my heart for those large and baggy creatures. We all stopped at the fence and were watching them and I went down the way a little bit to get a picture for another girl in the group of her in front of the elephants. After taking her picture, I stayed further away, but not too far to hear the other members of the group laughing a little bit or too far to talk to them. It was about then that I saw the most adorable little baby elephant you ever did see. He was so cute! And you know I love mini stuff, and this was an elephant, but it was mini! Anyway, so I called out to the group, "Hey! Look at this adorable baby elephant!" They kind of snickered and called back, "Yeah, a really cute little BOY elephant." While they were saying this, I was watching it walk along and I suddenly saw this long black thing, probably 3 feet long hanging down near the lower end of his belly and before I had even processed what they said or thought about it even in the slightest I called out, "What's that thing coming out of his stomach??!!" Bad news for Heather. I think you can all guess what the long black thing was. I swear they didn't stop laughing for 20 minutes. I thought someone was going to pass out from not getting enough oxygen and I would have to do CPR. Even when they did finally stop rolling around on the grass, they teased me mercilessly for the rest of the day. At one point I said something like, "Oh goodness. You guys are never going to let me live this one down, are you?" I had no idea.
So we continue our day and walk from the far far end of West Jerusalem back to the Center...it was probably 10 miles. It was a 25 minute car ride on the way there, and we WALKED back. Crazy. But it was fun. We stopped at Ben Yehuda's street again and everyone else ate at BURGER KING!!!! while I and my roommate had an authentic and delicious shwarma. (Shwarma two days in a row? Now that's what I call living.) Anyway, we walk back to the center and part ways and I go off to my room to do some homework and sleep a little before dinner.
When I finally emerge from my room for dinner, everyone I pass looks at me with a hint of a smirk on their face. I get through dinner and then choir practice. (Which is AWESOME by-the-way...we're singing Evening Prayer from Hansel and Gretel and it's breathtakingly GORGEOUS!) Anyway, I decide to go to this volleyball night to support my roommate who was in charge of it and there's this guy there. Now this guy, Chris, is really very cute and I've been trying to figure out every possible way to get him to propose next week. Just kidding. But seriously. Anyway, I already act like an IDIOT everytime I see him (like, get this...I was on a level above him once and he was walking below me but I could see him through the glass bannister and so I called out to him and struck up a conversation with him. Everything was going fine, but there was about a 6-inch gap between the bannister and the floor and, like and idiot I said, "Hey look what I can do!" and proceeded to stick my head through the gap between the bannister and the floor. Which was then followed by me getting my head stuck and not being able to get it out. Yes. So I don't even know what this kid must already think of me. Anyway, sorry for the digression.) So he is just about the last person I would ever want to know about my most embarrassing moments in life, which really is my life as a whole, so what I guess I mean is that I don't want anyone to talk to him about me...ever. But fate would have it otherwise.
So I walk into the gym and take a spot on the court front left and who should be right across the net form me but Chris. Now he comes over and grabs the net and starts talking to me. Good sign, eh? I was basically wetting my pants a little at this point, but I walk over and start talking to him. So this is kinda how the middle of the conversation went.
Chris: "So what did you end up doing today?"
Heather: "Oh we went to the Biblical Zoo!"
Chris: "Oh was that cool?"
Heather: "Yeah."
Chris: "Did you see any elephants?"
Heather: "...." (dumb silence, immediately followed by horrifying realization.)
I think he must have seen the whole realization that he knew about the "Elephant's schmeckel" scene flash before my eyes because he started laughing so hard as soon as I hesitated. That's the second time I was with him that I wished I could be buried under a mountain instead of being within 100 miles of him. Strike two.
So the whole center knows about my pathetic little incident today and they're all getting their jollies from it. Hooray for Heather, once again. But hey, I guess it keeps life interesting.
Anyway, it was a good fun day, although I did get sunburnt from stupidly forgetting to apply any kind of sun repellent and so gained another nickname of "sausage face." Choice. I don't know how I'm lucky enough to have all these wonderful things happen to me on such a regular basis.
Any advice on what to do now about Chris?
Conclusion: Even if I am in the most amazing of all places and I am changing all the time, I am still 100%, irrevocably and irreversibly Heather.
Well, life continues on in Jerusalem. Although, it's a little more mixed up here with the whole "Saturday is the Sabbath" thing...it makes the week seem much, much, longer. But, we like that. We feel like we have more time to do stuff, even though we don't. Then we get behind. We don't like that.
Anyway, today was really fun. You know, I think my spaztic side hides when I'm just getting to know people and slowly emerges as I get more comfortable with them. It's not like I do it on purpose, I just think I'm trying less and less to be as careful so as not to get the name of freak or weirdo or something else that describes, well, me. Today I had the good grace to walk into a parking meter, walk head-first into a glass door, and get whacked in the crotch by the fist of a young boy who was singing a song in Arabic (probably a very dirty one) as he walked by each of us girls and hit us. (However, I was the only one who got a pop to the crotch.) It's lucky he kept walking by so fast and that they tell us to avoid confrontation or I would have given him a pop in the "unmentionables" that he never would have forgotten.
So, this morning we had no class and so everyone was planning on going on various adventures. I decided to go with the group I've spent the past two days with and really enjoyed seeing the sites with. I think our plans changed 4, 053 times in two minutes, but finally we agreed on renting a sharoot (a kind of shuttle/van) and going to the Biblical Zoo. Why it's called a "Biblical" Zoo I really have no idea because I didn't see one camel or ass. However, I did see plenty of other animals that are mentioned frequently in the Bible (i.e. turtles, flamingos, leopards, giraffes, and ostriches. Good old Daniel in the ostrich den.) It was really fun though, and we had a lot of fun. However, it was here that I had an experience that has once again made me famous in this very small-and-quick-to-spread-a-good-story center, which leads me to the title of this blog.
Alright, so I had been wanting to see the elephants all day because I relate to them and so have a very fond spot in my heart for those large and baggy creatures. We all stopped at the fence and were watching them and I went down the way a little bit to get a picture for another girl in the group of her in front of the elephants. After taking her picture, I stayed further away, but not too far to hear the other members of the group laughing a little bit or too far to talk to them. It was about then that I saw the most adorable little baby elephant you ever did see. He was so cute! And you know I love mini stuff, and this was an elephant, but it was mini! Anyway, so I called out to the group, "Hey! Look at this adorable baby elephant!" They kind of snickered and called back, "Yeah, a really cute little BOY elephant." While they were saying this, I was watching it walk along and I suddenly saw this long black thing, probably 3 feet long hanging down near the lower end of his belly and before I had even processed what they said or thought about it even in the slightest I called out, "What's that thing coming out of his stomach??!!" Bad news for Heather. I think you can all guess what the long black thing was. I swear they didn't stop laughing for 20 minutes. I thought someone was going to pass out from not getting enough oxygen and I would have to do CPR. Even when they did finally stop rolling around on the grass, they teased me mercilessly for the rest of the day. At one point I said something like, "Oh goodness. You guys are never going to let me live this one down, are you?" I had no idea.
So we continue our day and walk from the far far end of West Jerusalem back to the Center...it was probably 10 miles. It was a 25 minute car ride on the way there, and we WALKED back. Crazy. But it was fun. We stopped at Ben Yehuda's street again and everyone else ate at BURGER KING!!!! while I and my roommate had an authentic and delicious shwarma. (Shwarma two days in a row? Now that's what I call living.) Anyway, we walk back to the center and part ways and I go off to my room to do some homework and sleep a little before dinner.
When I finally emerge from my room for dinner, everyone I pass looks at me with a hint of a smirk on their face. I get through dinner and then choir practice. (Which is AWESOME by-the-way...we're singing Evening Prayer from Hansel and Gretel and it's breathtakingly GORGEOUS!) Anyway, I decide to go to this volleyball night to support my roommate who was in charge of it and there's this guy there. Now this guy, Chris, is really very cute and I've been trying to figure out every possible way to get him to propose next week. Just kidding. But seriously. Anyway, I already act like an IDIOT everytime I see him (like, get this...I was on a level above him once and he was walking below me but I could see him through the glass bannister and so I called out to him and struck up a conversation with him. Everything was going fine, but there was about a 6-inch gap between the bannister and the floor and, like and idiot I said, "Hey look what I can do!" and proceeded to stick my head through the gap between the bannister and the floor. Which was then followed by me getting my head stuck and not being able to get it out. Yes. So I don't even know what this kid must already think of me. Anyway, sorry for the digression.) So he is just about the last person I would ever want to know about my most embarrassing moments in life, which really is my life as a whole, so what I guess I mean is that I don't want anyone to talk to him about me...ever. But fate would have it otherwise.
So I walk into the gym and take a spot on the court front left and who should be right across the net form me but Chris. Now he comes over and grabs the net and starts talking to me. Good sign, eh? I was basically wetting my pants a little at this point, but I walk over and start talking to him. So this is kinda how the middle of the conversation went.
Chris: "So what did you end up doing today?"
Heather: "Oh we went to the Biblical Zoo!"
Chris: "Oh was that cool?"
Heather: "Yeah."
Chris: "Did you see any elephants?"
Heather: "...." (dumb silence, immediately followed by horrifying realization.)
I think he must have seen the whole realization that he knew about the "Elephant's schmeckel" scene flash before my eyes because he started laughing so hard as soon as I hesitated. That's the second time I was with him that I wished I could be buried under a mountain instead of being within 100 miles of him. Strike two.
So the whole center knows about my pathetic little incident today and they're all getting their jollies from it. Hooray for Heather, once again. But hey, I guess it keeps life interesting.
Anyway, it was a good fun day, although I did get sunburnt from stupidly forgetting to apply any kind of sun repellent and so gained another nickname of "sausage face." Choice. I don't know how I'm lucky enough to have all these wonderful things happen to me on such a regular basis.
Any advice on what to do now about Chris?
Conclusion: Even if I am in the most amazing of all places and I am changing all the time, I am still 100%, irrevocably and irreversibly Heather.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Maasa' Al-Kyhar! As taught by my brand new and absolutely hilarious Arabic teacher. He's like a Palestinian Mr. Weasel from "Newsies" with a kind of scratchy higher voice and a belly big enough to beat any friar in getting someone out of a church. He went around and asked us all our names and where we're from. When he got to me I told him that we had cows in the city where I was from. We then went back and forth for another two minutes trying to clarify if I had cows, if my family had cows, if we lived with the cows, if I WAS a cow, if I was a farmer etc. etc. etc. and the whole class was in stitches the whole time. Now when I talk to people I'm not as familiar with they're like, "Oh I know you...cows, right?" Yes. Just call me Bessie.
After class yesterday I went exploring with my friends that went with me to Hell the other day. They're a really fun pack because the guys know EVERYTHING and they're very protective, always having a guy in the back and waiting for anyone who stops to look at something or whatever. I feel safe and have lots of fun with them. Anyway, we decided to go to the Christian quarter. I don't know if you know, but Jerusalem is divided into four major ethnic quarters: Muslim, Christian, Armenian, and Jewish. So we decided to tackle the Christian quarter. Our first stop was St. Paul's Church. It's supposed to be the oldest church standing in its original form. We got to the courtyard outside the church, but it was closed, so we missed it. But it was a pretty little church just tucked into this random neighborhood and you had to climb through a hobbit-hole to get to it. Cool.
So then we went to the Church of the Redeemer. Now this was cool. We climbed up 167 tight spiral stairs to get to the top of the tower. Whew! Let me tell you, I was feeling the lunges I had done the previous morning! But it was worth it. From the tower you can see a spectacular aerial view of the city, especially the church of the Holy Sepulchre. Really, really neat.
We went to the Western City later to Ben Yehuda street, a famous Jewish and BYU student hangout. I sampled some falafel...mmm...and then we headed back to the center. We had FHE and then I got into an intense foosball match with one of my roommates and two of the funniest guys in this program. We lost, but we definitely held our own.
I had a special bonding moment with Kyle McComber (Allie's friend, James McComber's cousin, who is really cute by-the-way) while we were both up at midnight reading in the lobby. Our assignment included reading the Hammurabi Code from thousands of years ago. It included punishments for infidelity such as being strangled, having your eyes knocked out, or being impaled. Oh man, it was so late and we were so tired and we were so far gone and hopeless. We were rolling around laughing so hard about these bizarre punishments for such specific crimes. So funny. I don't know if I'll ever laugh that hard again.
Today, after class, I went with a group to the Dome of the Rock. I touched THE Dome of the Rock!!! I can't believe it. So cool. They haven't let tourists go inside for the past 8 years, but looking at it was cool enough for me. It's an incredible piece of work.
On the way home I got a tasty shwarma. SO GOOD! I can't wait to take you guys to get one! Yum.
Sorry this is not very descriptive...I've got a lot to do and I'm zonked. I love sleep.
Conclusion: Everyone should come here at least once in their life.
After class yesterday I went exploring with my friends that went with me to Hell the other day. They're a really fun pack because the guys know EVERYTHING and they're very protective, always having a guy in the back and waiting for anyone who stops to look at something or whatever. I feel safe and have lots of fun with them. Anyway, we decided to go to the Christian quarter. I don't know if you know, but Jerusalem is divided into four major ethnic quarters: Muslim, Christian, Armenian, and Jewish. So we decided to tackle the Christian quarter. Our first stop was St. Paul's Church. It's supposed to be the oldest church standing in its original form. We got to the courtyard outside the church, but it was closed, so we missed it. But it was a pretty little church just tucked into this random neighborhood and you had to climb through a hobbit-hole to get to it. Cool.
So then we went to the Church of the Redeemer. Now this was cool. We climbed up 167 tight spiral stairs to get to the top of the tower. Whew! Let me tell you, I was feeling the lunges I had done the previous morning! But it was worth it. From the tower you can see a spectacular aerial view of the city, especially the church of the Holy Sepulchre. Really, really neat.
We went to the Western City later to Ben Yehuda street, a famous Jewish and BYU student hangout. I sampled some falafel...mmm...and then we headed back to the center. We had FHE and then I got into an intense foosball match with one of my roommates and two of the funniest guys in this program. We lost, but we definitely held our own.
I had a special bonding moment with Kyle McComber (Allie's friend, James McComber's cousin, who is really cute by-the-way) while we were both up at midnight reading in the lobby. Our assignment included reading the Hammurabi Code from thousands of years ago. It included punishments for infidelity such as being strangled, having your eyes knocked out, or being impaled. Oh man, it was so late and we were so tired and we were so far gone and hopeless. We were rolling around laughing so hard about these bizarre punishments for such specific crimes. So funny. I don't know if I'll ever laugh that hard again.
Today, after class, I went with a group to the Dome of the Rock. I touched THE Dome of the Rock!!! I can't believe it. So cool. They haven't let tourists go inside for the past 8 years, but looking at it was cool enough for me. It's an incredible piece of work.
On the way home I got a tasty shwarma. SO GOOD! I can't wait to take you guys to get one! Yum.
Sorry this is not very descriptive...I've got a lot to do and I'm zonked. I love sleep.
Conclusion: Everyone should come here at least once in their life.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
My Teacher Told Me to Go to Hell
Shalom! This morning I got up at 5 to work out. Kudos for Heather! My morning schedule went something like this: 7:30-Old Testament with Brother Draper...Awesome! We talked about what exactly the Old Testament is and the way it came to be and the Abrahamic Covenant...I can't believe how ignorant I've been! 8:30-Near Easter Studies with Brother Seeley...can you say hilarious? This man's speed in speaking ability is inconceivable. He's a true gem among professors and he always keeps class interesting. 10:30-Modern Near East with Adnan Mussallam. This is the class that we have taught to us from two perspectives, Palestinian and Israeli. Adnan is a Christian Palestinian and he is adorable! I want him as my third grandpa. Today was our first day meeting him and he is so cute! Although his class is going to be alot of work. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by the end just thinking about trying to do all the work for all my classes plus exploring Jerusalem plus being social...so much to do, so little time!!!! I have a feeling my grades are going to suffer a bit this semester, but hey, sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven! :)
Alright, so after lunch (and showing everyone at my table my turtle impression) I joined some fun kids to go see some sites. But not just any sites. Brother Seeley has given us a list of places that we can choose from to visit while here in Jerusalem. One of the places is called Gehenna, also know as Hell. Not like fire and brimstone, it's just the name! So funny! So we were telling everyone that we were going to Hell for the day. It was funny.
Anyway, we walked down the Kidron Valley and Hell is at the bottom. It was supposedly a place where people used to burn children and such...not a very nice place. So anyway, on our way to Hell we passed the tombs of Absalom and Zechariah. They were so fantastic! We took a lot of pictures which I'll hopefully figure out how to download. Anyway, while at the tombs this pack of boys approached us. (Side note: children just wander the streets here all the time. You never see that in the U.S.) They came up and started patting our pockets and telling us to give them cigarettes. Their English was minimal, but they just kept saying "Cigarette?" They didn't believe us when we kept telling them that we didn't smoke because everyone here smokes. It was so sad that these boys wanted cigarettes from us so bad--they were all probably between 7 and 11. They all had packs of cigarettes and lighters with them. So sad. But we teased with them for a while and got pictures with them, but they really wouldn't leave us alone. They were determined to get cigarettes from us. The guys in the group now refer to them as "Hell's angels" because they were touching us all over and trying to get our cameras and phones and such. It's a different world here.
So when we finally made our escape we kept walking down the Kidron until we came to this monastery. Okay, so this monastery is cool for two reasons. 1) It's believed by some to be Potter's Field where Judas committed suicide. 2) It was dedicated to this Egyptian hermit who lived in a cave in the mountains and was known for his extremely long beard which was his only garment! Ha! So cool! I got a fun picture in front of the monastery.
After that we walked up to the Old City and made our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It's so funny how much the merchants love us. This one man practically forced us into his shop and kept saying things like, "Since you student, you get anything 50% off. You come back and I give you more than 50% off. Tell everyone about me. My name's Charlie. Here's my card. I love you. Even if you don't buy anything, I still love you." And then he kissed the cheeks of all the girls saying, "You are so beautiful. I love you. Come back to my store. You come back. I love you." Beautiful. A fat old Palestinian man trying to win our hearts by making love to us all. So cool.
Anyway, we ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and there were tons of news channels and photographers there. It turned out that there was this big important Japanese Buddhist Priest or something and we went in right next to him and such. He had tons of Security guards, but we were very close. I don't really know who he was, but he looked ANCIENT. I caught a sneek peek at his sandals with the one toe thong thing. Awesome.
Well, the church of the Holy Sepulchre--discovered by Helena in like 332 A.D. Incredible. I can't believe I'm seeing things this old, with this much history. The Church is like the #1 spot for Christians, kinda like their mecca. We walked in and there was this long, rectangular slab of stone surrounded by people kneeling down touching it and putting anything they had with them on it. Supposedly, it is the slab of rock they laid Jesus on to embalm Him before burying Him. I touched it. Even if it isn't really the slab, how cool is it that I'm in a place where it's even POSSIBLE that it could be??!!??? The church is full of low-hanging lamps and large pictures of Christ throughout all the stages of His life. The ceilings are high and candles are burning everywhere. There was a long line to get into the place where he was supposedly buried, so we're going back later. It was neat though being in a place so revered by so many people.
Conclusion: I can't believe how much history is here in this 200 by 50 mile wide piece of land. While walking to and through Hell we just passed tomb, after sepulchre, after ruins of cities, after cemeteries, just as if they were nothing. Who knows how old these things are? I could live here my whole life and still not even scrape the surface of the stories to be found in this incredible place. Hurrah for Israel!
Alright, so after lunch (and showing everyone at my table my turtle impression) I joined some fun kids to go see some sites. But not just any sites. Brother Seeley has given us a list of places that we can choose from to visit while here in Jerusalem. One of the places is called Gehenna, also know as Hell. Not like fire and brimstone, it's just the name! So funny! So we were telling everyone that we were going to Hell for the day. It was funny.
Anyway, we walked down the Kidron Valley and Hell is at the bottom. It was supposedly a place where people used to burn children and such...not a very nice place. So anyway, on our way to Hell we passed the tombs of Absalom and Zechariah. They were so fantastic! We took a lot of pictures which I'll hopefully figure out how to download. Anyway, while at the tombs this pack of boys approached us. (Side note: children just wander the streets here all the time. You never see that in the U.S.) They came up and started patting our pockets and telling us to give them cigarettes. Their English was minimal, but they just kept saying "Cigarette?" They didn't believe us when we kept telling them that we didn't smoke because everyone here smokes. It was so sad that these boys wanted cigarettes from us so bad--they were all probably between 7 and 11. They all had packs of cigarettes and lighters with them. So sad. But we teased with them for a while and got pictures with them, but they really wouldn't leave us alone. They were determined to get cigarettes from us. The guys in the group now refer to them as "Hell's angels" because they were touching us all over and trying to get our cameras and phones and such. It's a different world here.
So when we finally made our escape we kept walking down the Kidron until we came to this monastery. Okay, so this monastery is cool for two reasons. 1) It's believed by some to be Potter's Field where Judas committed suicide. 2) It was dedicated to this Egyptian hermit who lived in a cave in the mountains and was known for his extremely long beard which was his only garment! Ha! So cool! I got a fun picture in front of the monastery.
After that we walked up to the Old City and made our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It's so funny how much the merchants love us. This one man practically forced us into his shop and kept saying things like, "Since you student, you get anything 50% off. You come back and I give you more than 50% off. Tell everyone about me. My name's Charlie. Here's my card. I love you. Even if you don't buy anything, I still love you." And then he kissed the cheeks of all the girls saying, "You are so beautiful. I love you. Come back to my store. You come back. I love you." Beautiful. A fat old Palestinian man trying to win our hearts by making love to us all. So cool.
Anyway, we ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and there were tons of news channels and photographers there. It turned out that there was this big important Japanese Buddhist Priest or something and we went in right next to him and such. He had tons of Security guards, but we were very close. I don't really know who he was, but he looked ANCIENT. I caught a sneek peek at his sandals with the one toe thong thing. Awesome.
Well, the church of the Holy Sepulchre--discovered by Helena in like 332 A.D. Incredible. I can't believe I'm seeing things this old, with this much history. The Church is like the #1 spot for Christians, kinda like their mecca. We walked in and there was this long, rectangular slab of stone surrounded by people kneeling down touching it and putting anything they had with them on it. Supposedly, it is the slab of rock they laid Jesus on to embalm Him before burying Him. I touched it. Even if it isn't really the slab, how cool is it that I'm in a place where it's even POSSIBLE that it could be??!!??? The church is full of low-hanging lamps and large pictures of Christ throughout all the stages of His life. The ceilings are high and candles are burning everywhere. There was a long line to get into the place where he was supposedly buried, so we're going back later. It was neat though being in a place so revered by so many people.
Conclusion: I can't believe how much history is here in this 200 by 50 mile wide piece of land. While walking to and through Hell we just passed tomb, after sepulchre, after ruins of cities, after cemeteries, just as if they were nothing. Who knows how old these things are? I could live here my whole life and still not even scrape the surface of the stories to be found in this incredible place. Hurrah for Israel!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Shabbat
The Sabbath here is beautiful. Well, the Sabbath is beautiful everywhere, but here it's very special. You can't imagine what it's like to sing "In Humility Our Savior" while overlooking the entire city of Jerusalem. Phew.
I'm singing in the branch choir and we had our first practice and performance today. The man who directs the choir and plays the organ here is named Brother Galbraith and he is awesome! He plays the violin for the San Francisco Symphony and organ is his hobby, although he's incredible at that, too. Anyway, he arranged a version of "Beautiful Zion" for us that was, well, beautiful. The acoustics in our auditorium are incredible, I felt like I was singing in the Tabernacle Choir. He got a great sound out of us.
After church most of the students went to the Garden Tomb, but I had training for giving tours of the Center which was neat. I'm really excited to give the tours. The adorable woman training us said that it's mostly Israeli Jews that come through and she said they are hilarious, so I'm sure I'll have some good stories to tell.
I'm sitting in a lobby of the Center right now listening to the prayer call echoing from the Muslim mosques. There are mosques everywhere with huge speakers on the top that send the call into every nook and cranny. There are calls five times a day and supposedly there's one at 5 in the morning, but I haven't been woken up by it...yet. Anyway, after my training I went with 2 other kids from the training to explore the city for an hour. We walked down this road that runs parallel to the Mount of Olives and passes so many cool things! First, we made friends with some of the local boys that hang around the center all the time. They were so funny and nice! It was refreshing because alot of the boys here are pretty rude to us Americans. They'll occasionally throw stones and their favorite pasttime is to try to scare us. Today on my way home from exploring, this young boy came right up to me and suddenly bent over very quickly and just pointed to the ground. But it was enough to scare me. I jumped and let out a little squeak. He was laughing so hard at me! I told him, "Don't scare me like that!" He just laughed.
On our walk we passed some goats just roaming on a hillside, so I got a picture with them...I'm trying to figure out how to upload pictures onto this site...I'm so bad with computers! Anyway, while we were taking pictures with the goats these three tiny little kids came running over to us, probably 3 or 4, they were really young. They were calling out "Hey boy! Hey boy!" (to Chris). And then they said "What's your name?" They were so stinkin' cute and so happy to talk and wave to us. I liked them.
Dinner was yummy, as always. I basically stuffed my face.
Conclusion: I love how the Sabbath truly is a day of rest here. Having classes six days a week makes me very ready for that rest. I just feel like my eyes are constantly being opened to a whole new world and a whole new me. I feel like I am truly, truly myself here. Here, I remember to try to be my best self each day so easily, and I really like who I am when I do that. Life is beautiful.
I'm singing in the branch choir and we had our first practice and performance today. The man who directs the choir and plays the organ here is named Brother Galbraith and he is awesome! He plays the violin for the San Francisco Symphony and organ is his hobby, although he's incredible at that, too. Anyway, he arranged a version of "Beautiful Zion" for us that was, well, beautiful. The acoustics in our auditorium are incredible, I felt like I was singing in the Tabernacle Choir. He got a great sound out of us.
After church most of the students went to the Garden Tomb, but I had training for giving tours of the Center which was neat. I'm really excited to give the tours. The adorable woman training us said that it's mostly Israeli Jews that come through and she said they are hilarious, so I'm sure I'll have some good stories to tell.
I'm sitting in a lobby of the Center right now listening to the prayer call echoing from the Muslim mosques. There are mosques everywhere with huge speakers on the top that send the call into every nook and cranny. There are calls five times a day and supposedly there's one at 5 in the morning, but I haven't been woken up by it...yet. Anyway, after my training I went with 2 other kids from the training to explore the city for an hour. We walked down this road that runs parallel to the Mount of Olives and passes so many cool things! First, we made friends with some of the local boys that hang around the center all the time. They were so funny and nice! It was refreshing because alot of the boys here are pretty rude to us Americans. They'll occasionally throw stones and their favorite pasttime is to try to scare us. Today on my way home from exploring, this young boy came right up to me and suddenly bent over very quickly and just pointed to the ground. But it was enough to scare me. I jumped and let out a little squeak. He was laughing so hard at me! I told him, "Don't scare me like that!" He just laughed.
On our walk we passed some goats just roaming on a hillside, so I got a picture with them...I'm trying to figure out how to upload pictures onto this site...I'm so bad with computers! Anyway, while we were taking pictures with the goats these three tiny little kids came running over to us, probably 3 or 4, they were really young. They were calling out "Hey boy! Hey boy!" (to Chris). And then they said "What's your name?" They were so stinkin' cute and so happy to talk and wave to us. I liked them.
Dinner was yummy, as always. I basically stuffed my face.
Conclusion: I love how the Sabbath truly is a day of rest here. Having classes six days a week makes me very ready for that rest. I just feel like my eyes are constantly being opened to a whole new world and a whole new me. I feel like I am truly, truly myself here. Here, I remember to try to be my best self each day so easily, and I really like who I am when I do that. Life is beautiful.
Friday, January 11, 2008
From Dixie to dancing and wailing
Well guys each day, no each hour, is a new adventure here in the Holy Land. Where to start??
Okay, so every Thursday and Sunday evening the Center has these outreach concerts for the community. Various Middle Eastern performers come and when there are extra seats, they allow students in to watch. And last night I had the privilege of attending the performance of the Isra Dixie Band. Yes indeed, and boy was it fun. I think one of my favorite parts of the night was one of the descriptions of the musicians in the program. The names of the band members were in the program with the instrument they play next to their name. This was my favorite, "Paul Morris-banjo, vocals, surprises." And surprises was right. All the band members were in black suits and ties and so was Paul. But Paul was wearing a Crocodile Dundee hat and he wasn't playing the banjo. He was playing the washboard. So rad! And then throughout the night he'd bring out his "surprises" like a kazoo or a teapot and play them...I'll tell you it was so hilariously awkward, but boy was it choice. They go to the Sacramento Jazz Festival so if you get the chance, see them.
Anyway, this morning we had our first classes. I've decided I can no longer wear make-up to my religion class because Brother Draper practically has me bawling every time he speaks. I love it. And then Near Eastern Studies. Holy Cow this man is so awesome! His name is Brother Seeley and he's the classic history nerd, button-up shirt tucked into jeans, bulky sneakers, coke bottle glasses, slightly cross-eyed and he froths at the mouth when he gets excited. Gorgeous. He is passionate about this stuff and has a great sense of humor, so he definitely keeps it interesting. Great classes so far.
After class we met in our student committees for the first time. I'm on the community service/hosting committee and so I'm going to be giving tours of the Center to visitors. Cool! You will all just have to come out here so I can give you guys a tour.
After lunch we had some free time in which I took a much longer nap than I intended and walked around to see the Center grounds. It's beautiful. You will not believe the views from the grounds of the city when I show you the pictures. Absolutely incredible. It's funny, there's like billions of cats and dogs that roam around the grounds constantly. Today on my walk I saw a tiny little puppy curled up in a little ball sleeping in a spot of sunshine. It made me think of mom...I think you would have liked it.
Okay, so then came the Western Wall. Holy Cow. The cool thing was it wasn't just a trip to the Western Wall, it was a trip to the Western Wall on Friday night, the beginning of Shabbat. Every Friday night the Jews go down to the wall to welcome in the Shabbat. The approach the wall and then bow a billion times in front of it...I still haven't found out what it's for, but I'm going to. The wall is divided into a part for women and a part for men, which was sad because it looked like the men were having a lot more fun. Everyone dances and sings and makes merry. They don't care who you are or if you're Jewish, they'll grab you and pull you in and make you dance and sing. So I danced and sang (well, more just mumbled because I didn't know the words) to welcome in the Sabbath. Gorgeous. I wish we did that. The men can't approach the wall without covering their heads, so all the guys put on cardboard yarmucahs (I really don't know how to spell that). It was so cool. I couldn't believe I was standing there looking at genuine Herodian Stones. The Crusaders tore down the temple and the top part of the wall, but the bottom half was too heavy for the trouble so the wall we see now is the original one from King Herod's rebuilding of the temple. So so cool. I need to expand my vocabulary so I can describe things better...it was beyond cool.
While at the wall I got to talk to a bunch of girls from the Israeli army. They were so nice. I didn't know that Israel required every citizen to serve in the army for two years. Crazy. These girls were in such awe when they found out I was from California. And when they found out I was only 19...they thought I was about 26. Haha. Sweet.
Dinner was delicious tonight. For dessert there were these carrot cake muffins with this tangy glaze to somther on top...mouth-wateringly delicious. And of course, mom, the hummus. I'm hoping if I mention it enough you'll come out here. :)
Conclusion: This place is exploding with diversity in every imaginable arena. There's so much to do and see and everytime we do something new it makes me realize how much more I have to see. I don't think 4 months is long enough. Love you all.
Okay, so every Thursday and Sunday evening the Center has these outreach concerts for the community. Various Middle Eastern performers come and when there are extra seats, they allow students in to watch. And last night I had the privilege of attending the performance of the Isra Dixie Band. Yes indeed, and boy was it fun. I think one of my favorite parts of the night was one of the descriptions of the musicians in the program. The names of the band members were in the program with the instrument they play next to their name. This was my favorite, "Paul Morris-banjo, vocals, surprises." And surprises was right. All the band members were in black suits and ties and so was Paul. But Paul was wearing a Crocodile Dundee hat and he wasn't playing the banjo. He was playing the washboard. So rad! And then throughout the night he'd bring out his "surprises" like a kazoo or a teapot and play them...I'll tell you it was so hilariously awkward, but boy was it choice. They go to the Sacramento Jazz Festival so if you get the chance, see them.
Anyway, this morning we had our first classes. I've decided I can no longer wear make-up to my religion class because Brother Draper practically has me bawling every time he speaks. I love it. And then Near Eastern Studies. Holy Cow this man is so awesome! His name is Brother Seeley and he's the classic history nerd, button-up shirt tucked into jeans, bulky sneakers, coke bottle glasses, slightly cross-eyed and he froths at the mouth when he gets excited. Gorgeous. He is passionate about this stuff and has a great sense of humor, so he definitely keeps it interesting. Great classes so far.
After class we met in our student committees for the first time. I'm on the community service/hosting committee and so I'm going to be giving tours of the Center to visitors. Cool! You will all just have to come out here so I can give you guys a tour.
After lunch we had some free time in which I took a much longer nap than I intended and walked around to see the Center grounds. It's beautiful. You will not believe the views from the grounds of the city when I show you the pictures. Absolutely incredible. It's funny, there's like billions of cats and dogs that roam around the grounds constantly. Today on my walk I saw a tiny little puppy curled up in a little ball sleeping in a spot of sunshine. It made me think of mom...I think you would have liked it.
Okay, so then came the Western Wall. Holy Cow. The cool thing was it wasn't just a trip to the Western Wall, it was a trip to the Western Wall on Friday night, the beginning of Shabbat. Every Friday night the Jews go down to the wall to welcome in the Shabbat. The approach the wall and then bow a billion times in front of it...I still haven't found out what it's for, but I'm going to. The wall is divided into a part for women and a part for men, which was sad because it looked like the men were having a lot more fun. Everyone dances and sings and makes merry. They don't care who you are or if you're Jewish, they'll grab you and pull you in and make you dance and sing. So I danced and sang (well, more just mumbled because I didn't know the words) to welcome in the Sabbath. Gorgeous. I wish we did that. The men can't approach the wall without covering their heads, so all the guys put on cardboard yarmucahs (I really don't know how to spell that). It was so cool. I couldn't believe I was standing there looking at genuine Herodian Stones. The Crusaders tore down the temple and the top part of the wall, but the bottom half was too heavy for the trouble so the wall we see now is the original one from King Herod's rebuilding of the temple. So so cool. I need to expand my vocabulary so I can describe things better...it was beyond cool.
While at the wall I got to talk to a bunch of girls from the Israeli army. They were so nice. I didn't know that Israel required every citizen to serve in the army for two years. Crazy. These girls were in such awe when they found out I was from California. And when they found out I was only 19...they thought I was about 26. Haha. Sweet.
Dinner was delicious tonight. For dessert there were these carrot cake muffins with this tangy glaze to somther on top...mouth-wateringly delicious. And of course, mom, the hummus. I'm hoping if I mention it enough you'll come out here. :)
Conclusion: This place is exploding with diversity in every imaginable arena. There's so much to do and see and everytime we do something new it makes me realize how much more I have to see. I don't think 4 months is long enough. Love you all.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
A Tale of Two Cities
First of all, thanks to those of you who post comments. I like hearing your "voices." Let me know if you ever have any specific questions and I'd be happy to answer them.
Okay, so I just got back from our official tour of Jerusalem. Two words: Holy Cow. (Well, Holy for sure...I'm not too sure about the cow part.) Anyway, the BYU center is in the northeastern section of Jerusalem. The city is divided and the eastern sector is Palestinian. It's very dirty and there is garbage everywhere. But you feel like you're in a city from another century despite the Coca-Cola bottles and empty milk cartons strewn everywhere. Along the way our head of security at the center kind of just popped up out of nowhere and gave us this bread to eat. It's in the shape of a foot-long rubberband and covered in sesame seeds. We dipped it in this green, salty powder called Zartar. It was delicious.
After walking through east Jerusalem we went through the wall into the old city through the Damascus Gate. The old city is RAD. It's this network of winding cobblestone roads packed to the breaking point with merchants of all sorts. It is the funniest thing--all the merchants know us and boy do they like us. We pass by and they hold up their wares and say questioningly, "Mormon? Mormon?" There's this one guy with a store called Ali Baba (yeah, like in Aladdin). He LOVES us Mormon folk. When we passed his store he came out and gave us all free drinks. In the window at the front of his store it says the name of his store and then underneath it says BYU, accompanied by a Cougars pennant on the side. Haha! I was dying! They must take us for real suckers, but they don't know me. I'll give them bartering like they ain't never seen before! :) Just kidding. But seriously.
So after going through Old Jerusalem we went through the Jaffa Gate to West Jerusalem. The Western side is the Jewish sector and it was like walking through a gate into a completely different country. It was spacious and clean with tall buildings and public trash cans. Everything was well-kept and it didn't smell bad. The streets were wide and the drivers civilized. It was cool, but definitely not as funky as the east side, although I did feel safer on the west side. We got to see King David's hotel, which is where President Bush is staying right now. They said he rented out the entire hotel PLUS two other hotels for the 1600 people he brought with him. Why the heck does he need that many people? They're probably all security guards...he must know how much people hate him over here.
Anyway, after that we met up with the vans that brought us back to the center. I just filled my belly once again with delicious vitals. Oh man, I almost forgot...for breakfast this morning I had this tomato and mozarella salad with this olive oil w/spices on it and then fresh cut cucumbers and tomatoes with this hummus-type mixture on top. This is the life. I dig their appreciation for vegetables here. I think for the rest of my life I will have veggies at every meal, including breakfast. I only wish we could come even remotely close to replicating their hummus...it's a whole experience in itself. (Don't you like how I describe so much of the food? It's basically the center of my life and my happiness revolves around what I've eaten recently. :) Just kidding.)
Anyway, we have our third orientation meeting soon and I still haven't finished unpacking. Tonight Brother Draper invited a few of us over to his apartment for his wife's homemade cookies. Supposedly they're divine. I guess I'll just have to see for myself. I'm looking forward to that. I'm sure you guys will be hearing about those, knowing me!
Conclusion: Jerusalem has so much to offer. There's so much to learn and experience. The people are great, the food is great, the view is great, what else would one ask for? (Except for a really good massage...I'm definitlely feeling the plane ride and luggage right about now.) Anyway, love to all!
Okay, so I just got back from our official tour of Jerusalem. Two words: Holy Cow. (Well, Holy for sure...I'm not too sure about the cow part.) Anyway, the BYU center is in the northeastern section of Jerusalem. The city is divided and the eastern sector is Palestinian. It's very dirty and there is garbage everywhere. But you feel like you're in a city from another century despite the Coca-Cola bottles and empty milk cartons strewn everywhere. Along the way our head of security at the center kind of just popped up out of nowhere and gave us this bread to eat. It's in the shape of a foot-long rubberband and covered in sesame seeds. We dipped it in this green, salty powder called Zartar. It was delicious.
After walking through east Jerusalem we went through the wall into the old city through the Damascus Gate. The old city is RAD. It's this network of winding cobblestone roads packed to the breaking point with merchants of all sorts. It is the funniest thing--all the merchants know us and boy do they like us. We pass by and they hold up their wares and say questioningly, "Mormon? Mormon?" There's this one guy with a store called Ali Baba (yeah, like in Aladdin). He LOVES us Mormon folk. When we passed his store he came out and gave us all free drinks. In the window at the front of his store it says the name of his store and then underneath it says BYU, accompanied by a Cougars pennant on the side. Haha! I was dying! They must take us for real suckers, but they don't know me. I'll give them bartering like they ain't never seen before! :) Just kidding. But seriously.
So after going through Old Jerusalem we went through the Jaffa Gate to West Jerusalem. The Western side is the Jewish sector and it was like walking through a gate into a completely different country. It was spacious and clean with tall buildings and public trash cans. Everything was well-kept and it didn't smell bad. The streets were wide and the drivers civilized. It was cool, but definitely not as funky as the east side, although I did feel safer on the west side. We got to see King David's hotel, which is where President Bush is staying right now. They said he rented out the entire hotel PLUS two other hotels for the 1600 people he brought with him. Why the heck does he need that many people? They're probably all security guards...he must know how much people hate him over here.
Anyway, after that we met up with the vans that brought us back to the center. I just filled my belly once again with delicious vitals. Oh man, I almost forgot...for breakfast this morning I had this tomato and mozarella salad with this olive oil w/spices on it and then fresh cut cucumbers and tomatoes with this hummus-type mixture on top. This is the life. I dig their appreciation for vegetables here. I think for the rest of my life I will have veggies at every meal, including breakfast. I only wish we could come even remotely close to replicating their hummus...it's a whole experience in itself. (Don't you like how I describe so much of the food? It's basically the center of my life and my happiness revolves around what I've eaten recently. :) Just kidding.)
Anyway, we have our third orientation meeting soon and I still haven't finished unpacking. Tonight Brother Draper invited a few of us over to his apartment for his wife's homemade cookies. Supposedly they're divine. I guess I'll just have to see for myself. I'm looking forward to that. I'm sure you guys will be hearing about those, knowing me!
Conclusion: Jerusalem has so much to offer. There's so much to learn and experience. The people are great, the food is great, the view is great, what else would one ask for? (Except for a really good massage...I'm definitlely feeling the plane ride and luggage right about now.) Anyway, love to all!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Speechless
This is incredible. I can feel my life changing every second I'm here. Holy cow. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
3:15 am drive to airport went fine. My suitcase weighed 71.5 lbs, but the incredibly nice and muscular Polynesian man wrote down 70 and only charged me $25. Tender mercy. Flight #1 (SLC to Houston) went fine. However, I didn't find that everything in Texas was bigger, except for the airport. It was huge! My shoulders practically dislocated carrying two 30 lb carry-ons across a bigger-than-Disneyland airport. Flight #2 (Houston to New Jersey) was great. I got a nickname for myself on that one by two very, well, happy-to-vex-me young men. It's Grizzy, short for Griselda. They haven't given it up yet. They're funny. The last flight (New Jersey to Tel Aviv) was great...they never stopped wining and dining us and I got to sleep. Yay! But oh man, it was like being in a different world. The plane was full of orthodox Jews with the long, black overcoats, earlocks, yamicas, and top hats...the whole deal. It was actually very touching to me, the more I observed them. They live lives of such complete dedication to what they believe in. I was just thinking what our world would be like if everyone was as dedicated as these Jews are. I think it'd be a very different place...in a good way.
Oh man guys, Israel is incredible. I'm absolutely speechless when I try to find words to describe it. I started feeling spiritual radiation pulsing through the sky and up into the plane when we just started circling to land. Incredible.
We landed, went through customs, got our bags, and then we were picked up by a Brother Richard Draper, who is my new hero. By the time we were on our way to the Jerusalem, it was dark. We passed plains, which turned into hills, until we looked out our windshield and saw this city on the crest of a hill emerge. We drove through the gateway (I forget the name???) and then we arrived at this place. Or rather THE place. You guys would not believe the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Where do I even start? I think I'll just have to take a ba-jillion pictures and then come home and tell you guys about it. There are no words. But let me tell you, God is here. You can feel that He not only had a hand in building it, but His presence, His Spirit, is here. This is neutral ground in a place of turmoil. It's a sanctuary of peace. The staff is perfectly divided between Israelis and Palestinians. The executivce director over here isn't even Mormon, he's Muslim. So cool! Anyway, you can just feel the peace and neutrality here and it feels so safe.
They started off serving us dinner of roasted chicken, rice, sauteed vegetables, a delicious fennel salad, and pita and hummus. I think I'm going to like it here. :) At least I know I'll get along just fine with the kitchen. We then had a welcome/orientation meeting and got to meet all the staff. Everyone here is so nice. I just feel like someone is going to explode from smiling and niceness any minute. They are so dedicated to this program and helping us. I just want to cry when I think about, well, ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!
After orientation we met with our religion teachers for half an hour. I had secretly wanted Brother Draper, and sure enough, he's my teacher. I know it's not an accident...I can just feel that he is going to help me to open my eyes in so many ways...he had me crying just during our introductory meeting. I'm such a pathetic baby. Anyway, you'll be hearing more about him in the future, I'm sure.
After that we met with our Near Eastern Studies teacher...we all have him at the same time in a big forum. He was AWESOME. I won't be surprised if I end up declaring my major as History with an emphasis in Middle Eastern Studies after this semester. He got me so pumped.
And then came the tour of this magnificent building. I just can't even start, so you'll all have to come out and see it someday. I'm on the committee in charge of giving tours to visitors, so I'll learn a lot about it. Just quickly, the auditorium where we have church and other meetings overlooks the entire city of Jerusalem. You can't even imagine. You're sitting there, looking at the Dome of the Rock, the Mount of Olives, the wailing wall, etc. All I have to say is the speakers in church are going to have to do a pretty dang good job to keep anyone's attention during Sacrament Meeting. Ha!
Well, I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep. Sorry this is so long, I didn't even scrape the surface of the myriad of feelings and experiences I've already felt and had in this unique and special place.
Conclusion: I love it here. It's where I'm supposed to be right now. Period.
3:15 am drive to airport went fine. My suitcase weighed 71.5 lbs, but the incredibly nice and muscular Polynesian man wrote down 70 and only charged me $25. Tender mercy. Flight #1 (SLC to Houston) went fine. However, I didn't find that everything in Texas was bigger, except for the airport. It was huge! My shoulders practically dislocated carrying two 30 lb carry-ons across a bigger-than-Disneyland airport. Flight #2 (Houston to New Jersey) was great. I got a nickname for myself on that one by two very, well, happy-to-vex-me young men. It's Grizzy, short for Griselda. They haven't given it up yet. They're funny. The last flight (New Jersey to Tel Aviv) was great...they never stopped wining and dining us and I got to sleep. Yay! But oh man, it was like being in a different world. The plane was full of orthodox Jews with the long, black overcoats, earlocks, yamicas, and top hats...the whole deal. It was actually very touching to me, the more I observed them. They live lives of such complete dedication to what they believe in. I was just thinking what our world would be like if everyone was as dedicated as these Jews are. I think it'd be a very different place...in a good way.
Oh man guys, Israel is incredible. I'm absolutely speechless when I try to find words to describe it. I started feeling spiritual radiation pulsing through the sky and up into the plane when we just started circling to land. Incredible.
We landed, went through customs, got our bags, and then we were picked up by a Brother Richard Draper, who is my new hero. By the time we were on our way to the Jerusalem, it was dark. We passed plains, which turned into hills, until we looked out our windshield and saw this city on the crest of a hill emerge. We drove through the gateway (I forget the name???) and then we arrived at this place. Or rather THE place. You guys would not believe the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Where do I even start? I think I'll just have to take a ba-jillion pictures and then come home and tell you guys about it. There are no words. But let me tell you, God is here. You can feel that He not only had a hand in building it, but His presence, His Spirit, is here. This is neutral ground in a place of turmoil. It's a sanctuary of peace. The staff is perfectly divided between Israelis and Palestinians. The executivce director over here isn't even Mormon, he's Muslim. So cool! Anyway, you can just feel the peace and neutrality here and it feels so safe.
They started off serving us dinner of roasted chicken, rice, sauteed vegetables, a delicious fennel salad, and pita and hummus. I think I'm going to like it here. :) At least I know I'll get along just fine with the kitchen. We then had a welcome/orientation meeting and got to meet all the staff. Everyone here is so nice. I just feel like someone is going to explode from smiling and niceness any minute. They are so dedicated to this program and helping us. I just want to cry when I think about, well, ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!
After orientation we met with our religion teachers for half an hour. I had secretly wanted Brother Draper, and sure enough, he's my teacher. I know it's not an accident...I can just feel that he is going to help me to open my eyes in so many ways...he had me crying just during our introductory meeting. I'm such a pathetic baby. Anyway, you'll be hearing more about him in the future, I'm sure.
After that we met with our Near Eastern Studies teacher...we all have him at the same time in a big forum. He was AWESOME. I won't be surprised if I end up declaring my major as History with an emphasis in Middle Eastern Studies after this semester. He got me so pumped.
And then came the tour of this magnificent building. I just can't even start, so you'll all have to come out and see it someday. I'm on the committee in charge of giving tours to visitors, so I'll learn a lot about it. Just quickly, the auditorium where we have church and other meetings overlooks the entire city of Jerusalem. You can't even imagine. You're sitting there, looking at the Dome of the Rock, the Mount of Olives, the wailing wall, etc. All I have to say is the speakers in church are going to have to do a pretty dang good job to keep anyone's attention during Sacrament Meeting. Ha!
Well, I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep. Sorry this is so long, I didn't even scrape the surface of the myriad of feelings and experiences I've already felt and had in this unique and special place.
Conclusion: I love it here. It's where I'm supposed to be right now. Period.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Three, two, one...take off!
Well, it's 12:15 am. I leave in precisely 3 hours for the Salt Lake City Airport (no sleep for Heather tonight! Good thing I have a 24 hour plane ride ahead of me). I went to the mandatory, 3-hour orientation today which filled my stomach with a mixture of excitement and butterflies. But the butterflies went to bed already and now I'm more in a state of numbness. Kind of like, "Okay. I'm only flying to JERUSALEM tomorrow! That's all. No biggie."
Man, it was quite a process to get ready for this expedition. I'll never forget the faces of the workers at 4 different stores when I asked if they sold compasses. They looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears! I guess they don't get asked that very often. But the good news is, I found one! And if asking for compasses wasn't embarrassing enough, I walked in on a guy today in a changing room while searching for work out pants. Awkward! The store attendant laughed at me and then explained to me as if I had learning disabilities that "the knock" was essential. I told him I would remember that.
Conclusion: The Lord had a major hand in getting me ready for this: in deciding to go, in prioritizing, in finding EVERYTHING I needed, in not being scared or having any doubts. I know He's going with me tomorrow and will be very close to me throughout the next 31/2 months. I'm so grateful for His love and guidance. And thanks again to all who helped/supported me in this new adventure. Mom and Dad- you guys are extraterrestrial. (Can that be used as a compliment? Kind of like "out-of-this-world"? I wasn't calling you aliens. You're angels. I love you.)
To Be Continued...
Man, it was quite a process to get ready for this expedition. I'll never forget the faces of the workers at 4 different stores when I asked if they sold compasses. They looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears! I guess they don't get asked that very often. But the good news is, I found one! And if asking for compasses wasn't embarrassing enough, I walked in on a guy today in a changing room while searching for work out pants. Awkward! The store attendant laughed at me and then explained to me as if I had learning disabilities that "the knock" was essential. I told him I would remember that.
Conclusion: The Lord had a major hand in getting me ready for this: in deciding to go, in prioritizing, in finding EVERYTHING I needed, in not being scared or having any doubts. I know He's going with me tomorrow and will be very close to me throughout the next 31/2 months. I'm so grateful for His love and guidance. And thanks again to all who helped/supported me in this new adventure. Mom and Dad- you guys are extraterrestrial. (Can that be used as a compliment? Kind of like "out-of-this-world"? I wasn't calling you aliens. You're angels. I love you.)
To Be Continued...
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