I was worried this would happen. The computers weren't connecting to the internet for some reason last sabbath so I wasn't able to finish my post on Greece or write about that week and this week was midterms which meant I was ONE THOUSAND PERCENT WRECKED the entire time. But not the storm is finally clearing and I maybe have time to write a little bit.
Week the First
Monday & Tuesday
we did not go on a field trip the day after returning to Greece. I think I slept a bunch and suffered trying to adjust back to doing homework. Also rehearsed for the talent show coming up!
FIELD TRIP: Jericho!
As you maybe know (I didn't before I came here so I'm guessing not but I don't want to assume), Jericho is in the West Bank, which is territory that has
a LOT going on politically (feel free to read the wikipedia article I linked, I don't feel like I know enough about everything to even try to explain/expound that entire situation). Anyway we only go to the West Bank like twice, once to Bethlehem later in the semester and this week, to Jericho. My general impressions, having only been there for like.. two hours, was that it was DEFINITELY not some super scary war torn wasteland that media in the US has made it out to be, but while it has differences culturally than other parts of the Holy Land I have visited, it is ultimately a fairly normal place where people are just trying to live their lives. I would love to talk more about this with anyone in person, HMU, but for now I'll leave it at that.
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| Greek orthodox monastary just straight CHILLING out in the desert |
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| The Parable of the Good Samaritan is set in this general area |
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| We walked around on a path similar to what travellers in Jesus' time would have gone to get from Jericho to Jerusalem |
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| we keep going to very deserty places and wow somehow they get more and more deserty!!!! |
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| another great shot of shan shalom herself in those green green pants |
In Jericho we explored the tel there! it's........ not as exciting as Greece hahaha. It is definitely a lot of dirt!!! there is cool stuff buried in there for sure, but the tel itself is not much to look at haha. There is a tower. Jericho is both the oldest city in the world (being founded around 9600 BCE) and the lowest city in the world, sitting at 846 feet BELOW sea level. Rad.
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| "JERICHO(the O is like a lllemmon???) The lowest place on Earth, 300 feet below sea-level, 10,000 years old, blessed peace from the oldest city" |
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| the tel is behind me |
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| this is the most intersting part of the tel. it's that super old tower. |
We also went to the spring there which is the only fresh water source in Jericho. What is significant about it is that in the Old Testament, Elisha healed the water there. Unlike most biblical stories where the true location of whatever is known only by God at this point, the healing of the spring of Jericho was absolutely 100% there where we went because it is the only source of water ...at all, in Jericho. So that's kind of cool.
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| you could wave to a donkey |
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| this is a desert!!!!!!!!! but they grow stuff here too. Like dates! |
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wow it sure is a desert here!!!!!!!!! Also you can see an archaological dig of the donald trump of Jesus' day Herod "the great"'s winter palace |
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| this merchant in Jericho had a rad yu-gi-oh towel, anime truly bridges all borders (..or something idek) |
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| The Zaccheaus tree! and me. The tree is not actually from Jesus' time but it is the right kind of tree for the story I definitely felt a deep connection to this story reading about it in preparation for the field trip |
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| Elisha's spring today |
Thursday & Friday
Every week we have a room check because even way out here in Jerusalem, BYU doesn't trust us to be adults. It's fine. Every week whoever was the cleanest of the clean gets some candy bars. Just that morning we had been hardcore griping about how it was basically impossible to satisfy the room check requirements and GUESS WHAT that right ya girls in 207 got that good good candy because our room was "perhaps awesome"
Forum this week!
Every week we have a forum where experts come and talk to us about stuff. This week Yisca Harani, an expert on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre came. She talked about how christians are a minority population here in the Middle East and how that effects things specifically at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is shared by SIX (!!) different denominations of Orthodox and Catholic churches. WILD. Basically the secular power how to make sure they all get along sharing the holiest building in all of christianity (for orthodox/catholic christianity at least). It actually works surprisingly well. Ms. Harani, who is jewish, mentioned how much she admired it and how she personally wished the western wall could work a little more like that.
Sabbath
Had a seriously wonderful church block. It was fast sabbath so we were doing the fasting thing along with all the muslims here currently observing Ramadan. It was kind of cool to have a little moment of solidarity with them. I have a ton of respect for anyone who observes ramadan. Fasting only once a month is hard enough for me so doing it every day for a month straight while still going to work/living your normal life,,,, awesome. You are a champ.
After we broke our fast a couple of us went to the Garden of Gethsemane/Church of All Nations. I love the spirit there so much. Also because we went at like 5 o clock it was right before they closed so no one was there. It was so nice and peaceful to have it not be super crowded
Week the Second
Sunday: Eilat!
SNORKEL PARTY. We drove FOUR HOURS down to Eilat, which is the southernmost city in Israel to go snorkel in the red sea
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| was this place even real |
The Red Sea is seriously so beautiful, alsooo saltier than normal oceans? Deffo got my intake of salt. Oh, related sidebar, on our way down we drove past the Dead Sea and I saw a factory or something that was making salt and all I could think was MY HOUSE
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| pictured: any time I open my mouth |
Anyway wish I had an underwater camera to show what I saw but alas. At Eilat we snorkeled and saw lots of coral and cool fish! and also at one point traumatized an octopus (sorry!!!!!! I feel bad). Anyway it was a beautiful day and I was certain I was going to get FRIED and for basically the first time I was diligent about putting on sunscreen (and covering up when I could) and I didn't get burned!!!!!! first time for everything
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| check those whhhhite shoulders |
After our fun time at the beach we drove home but on our way we stopped by at a kibbutz for dinner. This particular kibbutz's speciality is dairy which means they had some DELICOUS ice cream
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| also green cow statues |
My watch died on the trip and I've been lost ever since *sigh*
FIELD TRIP: Shfelah
ok I really really enjoyed this field trip but I have one very big bad not good thing that I vErRY much did not enjoy
TICKS
that's right, the effing plague was upon us and my anxiety was driving me up the wall. Worst part?????????? I have TWO outfits that I treated with permethrin which is a tick repellant and I wore none of them and insTEAD WORE A FLOWING SKIRT WHERE SO MANY TICKS COULD HIDE and also CRAWL UP MY LEGS ENTIRELY UNIMPEDED. A tick was on my fanny pack and I was ready right then and there to no longer be on the earth and my soul slightly departed from my body ok.
ok other than the ACTUAL PLAGUE we had to deal with the rest of the field trip was legitimately so radical. We talked about a lot of the Old Testament events that took place in the Shfelah, which is the low hill region in the Holy land. Some of the places we visited were some lovely tels, and some underground caves! One thing we did at Lachish that I really enjoyed was SIGNAL THE OTHER CLASS. We were on top of the tell with a big mirror and we would flash the sunlight and try to point it north toward Azekah where the other class was chillin doing the same thing. From 15 miles away they could see our signal!! It was so cool!!!
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| Tel Lachish and beginning of the tick apocalypse. The ground on the right hand side is the remnant of a siege ramp built by the Assyrians back when they were doing the take over the whole land thing |
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| on top of the tel |
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| the signal fire of lachish! |
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| a good look at my outfit that was IN NO WAY EVEN REMOTELY PREPARED FOR TICKS AT ALL |
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| GONDOR CALLS fOR AID |
Back when these tels were used as military defenses they would light fires to signal one another. Some
ostraca (pottery with writing on it for letters) found at Lachish from the time Babylon took over Israel talks about how the signal fires at Azekah had gone out and Lachish was the last stronghold left before the babylonians would have taken Jerusalem. Somehow going through that motion of signalling the other class etc really helped me get a feel for what it would have been like for soldiers etc stationed at Lachish at the time.
After that we went to the cave zone (Mareshah) and checked out some cool dovecotes which are basically caves built for pigeons to live
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| taking pics in caves is hard |
there was basically an entire underground city and that was pretty rad to explore. Also you know what caves done have?? TICKS THAT RIGHT so that was nice reprieve.
We went after to a big Bell cave where we sang some songs because the acoustics are cool. Bell caves are man made by people digging in progressively larger circles. Apparently these specific caves were in Rocky III
Our last stop was Azekah and we saw an overlook where David fought Goliath. That's another bible story we are preeetty sure it happened right where we were looking. Also there was a cool sundial! After that we used some slings to throw rocks. Our bus driver, Sa'id, had some real world experience using slingshots and he showed us all how to do it and that was way rad.
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| down in that valley David slew Goliath with the power of the Lord. |
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| this picture was actually taken at 3pm because sundials are not easily adjusted for daylight savings |
Tuesday - Midterms PART ONE and rock climbing
OH MY GOSH HOW IS THIS BLOG POST NOT DONE YET I'M DYING. Somehow this is a good reflection of how ridiculous this week was. We had two midterms on tuesday, one for Israel class and one for Palestine class.
It was also our friend Waldo's birthday and to celebrate we went to West Jerusalem and got sushi (more of which I couldn't eat because I'm allergic to everything :/) and then we went bouldering at this little hole in the wall gym and it was so so cool. I really like bouldering because it's not high enough for my fear of heights to kick in too much
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| my aesthetic |
Wednesday
ughhhh why is this not done yet. This day was seriously the longest day of my life. We had ALL OF OUR CLASSES except Palestine. ughhhhh. But the important thing is that that day is over. We also had a forum (which I'll talk about in a minute) and it was really good but I was in class for like EIGHT HOURS. it's kind of a lot. Did I even see the sun? Who knows.
We ALSO (because there wasn't enough going on) had tryouts for the formal talent show happening next week. I'm going to be singing Pie Jesu with my roommate Hannah and I'm very excited. I think it's going to sound so great!/it already sounds great but I can't wait to perform it.
Forum!
Matthew Kalman, a journalist living here in Jerusalem who has been reporting here for a very long time came and talked to us about why it is the media has led us to believe that the middle east, but especially the Holy Land is constantly plagued by various terrorist activities and people getting shot and stabbed and what have you. He was so engaging and hilarious and we had a little demonstration during the forum about how media can twist perception pretty easily (check out Mars Yachting Club page on fb in the visitor posts section to see how it went for us haha. Also the answer is D). I really love the forums we have here. If devo at BYU was as engaging as these are I would maybe actually watch them.
The rest of the week
phew ok we're so close stay with me yall. We had a couple more midterms and those are finally all done. Sabbath today was great I took an amazing nap and did some singing jam sessions which were pretty fun. ugh ok I'm out but I hope yall enjoy
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