31 May 2011

I don’t want to scare anyone, but have you realized what day it is? May is nearly behind us; June is nearly upon us. Time rarely stands still. In Jerusalem, it never stands still. I can’t believe an entire month has passed since I first arrived in Jerusalem, since I first went to the Garden of Gethsemane, since I first walked through the Old City. It is becoming more and more clear to me how special time is, how special my time in Jerusalem is. I am not going to be here for a year or even for six months. The next two months will be over in a blink of an eye. Two years ago, I hadn’t even graduated from high school yet. I was probably in the middle of playing Mario Kart in my AP Statistics class. It feels like that was months ago, rather than years ago. My time here is so precious. I will make the most of it. I received an email from my dad this morning where he talked about opportunity costs. With every opportunity that you gain something, you are often losing something as well. While my being in Jerusalem does have its opportunity costs, i.e., missing out on family activities, hanging out with my friends, etc., there are also opportunity gains. I am experiencing things that can never be experienced in another part of the world. There is only one Dome of the Rock, one Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one Garden Tomb, and I have the opportunity to see, to experience each of them…and more.

As I mentioned earlier this week, maybe even yesterday, midterms are right around the corner. I have three midterm exams on Thursday: Old Testament, Judaism, and Hebrew, in that order. So in order to prepare for these exams, I spent the four hours between class and dinner studying for these midterms. I would like to say that I got a lot done, but between friendly interruptions, What About Bob?, and choosing swimming suits for each member of my family, I didn’t get as much done as I needed to. It is difficult to focus on studying when surrounded by such a beautiful city. I was constantly dreaming about David Street and Damascus Gate. But school comes first in these situations, unfortunately. Maybe I will be able to get more done tomorrow since it will be another day of full study within the Jerusalem Center. I know you are all looking forward to it as much as I am.

Late in the evening (after nine o’clock) we headed to the Old City in small groups to walk through the Kotel Tunnel. In 20 BC, King Herod undertook a project to double the area of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by incorporating part of the hill on the Northwest of the mount. In order to do so, four walls were constructed and the Temple Mount was expanded on top of them. These retaining walls remained standing, along with the platform itself, after the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. However, since then, much of the area next to the walls became covered and built upon. The Western Wall excavation began in 1864 and has led to the exposing of 485 meters of the wall. The Kotel Tunnel provides access to these 485 meters of the Western Wall that have been uncovered. It was an interesting experience to walk through this tunnel and realize that Mount Moriah was directly on my right. At one point, I could literally reach out my hand and touch the bedrock of the Mount. While the true significance of this site has not become fully known to me, the experience of walking close to where the Temple of Solomon stood, where Jesus taught and healed, and where Christ may one day teach again was overwhelming.

The day ended later than usual, but luckily, classes won’t start until nine o’clock in the morning. I secretly wish that this was the case every day! But such is the life within the Jerusalem Center. Your days begin early; your nights end late. It’s just something you learn to accept and something you want to accept. The more time in your day, the more time you have to study the Bible, to study Christ’s life, to wander the city streets, to live in Jerusalem.

30 May 2011

I woke up a little later than anticipated this morning. I set my alarm, but I guess the sound wasn’t on. Or maybe I was just so tired that I didn’t hear it! Luckily, there was still thirty minutes left before breakfast ended so I was able to grab a quick bowl of cereal and make a simple sack lunch. Breakfast isn’t exactly my most favorite meal at the Jerusalem Center. It taste wonderful, but it is highly repetitive. We tend to have the same foods each day with a rotating “bread” item: pancakes, muffins, etc. I have turned to having a yogurt and fruit or cereal and fruit lately. You can only eat so many boiled eggs before you don’t like boiled eggs anymore.

I am happy to announce that we had zero classes today. It was a day devoted to service. What better use of our time could we have made? We split into different groups. Some students went to a preschool to teach classes; some worked with physically and mentally disabled teenagers; some, like me, prepped a few walls for murals. These walls are located by the playground at the J.C., one that was built for the professors’ children. Our main goal was to prepare the walls by painting a background and beginning to paint a stone arch. They were short on paintbrushes, however, so I delegated and chased around Brother Muhlestein’s and Brother Judd’s kids: Jacob, Sabrina, and Emily. These kids are some of the sweetest I have met. While they are crazy and loud, they are innocent and fun. We made our own mural out of chalk. Jacob proudly drew the letter S (although, I later found out that Sabrina drew it…he was only claiming it); Sabrina, Emily, and I drew a scene consisting of Rapunzel on a cloud with a palace, Flynn Ryder, and Max (the horse), in the background. It was basically the best chalk piece I have ever done – maybe not artistically but the piece itself will be remembered for years to come. I did take a few pictures, after all! I ended up staying twenty minutes later than everyone to help Sister Judd sketch out the arches for the mural walls. I wish we could have finished more, but I guess we have a couple more months left to finish everything.

I bounced back inside at about 10:40a to find out that those inside the J.C. already were stuck on lockdown. Apparently some teenagers around the neighborhood had been throwing bottles and glass around. I was slightly irked by the news, but I shrugged it off. I tried to do some homework and to study for a couple of midterms, but I couldn’t focus. Instead, I ended up watching Phantom of the Opera with Joshua, Ali, Camille, and T.C. Of course, people passing by stopped to watch as well because who can resist such an amazing movie and such beautiful music? It was nice to just relax and take it easy for the day. I probably should have tried to focus more on studying for midterms, but I can do that the next couple of days, right? We’ll see how that works out.

The hour or so before dinner consisted of a humanitarian activity to assemble hygiene kits. Within one hour, we assembled over 1,500 kits. It was amazing – crowded but amazing! I was in charge of rolling four different colored toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste into a towel. Oh baby. My forearm muscles are going to be huge. There was music and dancing and cookies; I had a really good time. It got stressful a couple of times, but we got through it well enough. I am definitely looking forward to making more hygiene kits. We are hoping to make at least 8,000-10,000 kits this semester. I hope that happens. If we have enough of these activities, it will definitely happen. We busted out those kits in no time at all. We had an excellent system. Service is such a wonderful opportunity to connect with the Savior, Jesus Christ. He spent His entire mortal ministry serving those around Him. Even now, He is still serving us, serving me.

My sunburn, I am sad to say, has not improved since yesterday evening. However, it is nice to be my own space heater! I just wish I could walk without wincing. Sunburns behind your knees are the absolute worst! Every time you take a step, your skin stretches. It’s awful. I spent a lot of the afternoon applying and reapplying aloe vera and taking ibuprofen and trying not to itch my legs. My favorite part occurred when my sweatpants got stuck to my legs because of the stickiness of the aloe vera. That was a painful situation…like ripping a giant bandaid off the backs of my legs.

Although I spent the day in the J.C., it wasn’t an awful day. I was able to be productive, more or less. The next couple of days will most likely be spent in a similar manner. While I will have 3-4 hours in the afternoon to go out and see the city, I do have three midterms on Thursday. That may or may not be taking precedence over walking around Jerusalem….unfortunately.

29 May 2011

A day to never forget: that explains my day fairly well. It was spent on one of the top beaches in the world, in the city of Tel Aviv. While there were a few consequences to my actions, I do not regret any of them. I had more fun than I can explain. I love swimming; I love sitting on the beach. BYU needs to consider a campus in California, right on the beach. I could go to Hawaii, I guess, but I just couldn’t be that far away from my family! Plus, I probably wouldn’t go to classes ever. I guess it’s a good thing that I go to school in Provo, Utah, where the most exciting things occur on the BYU campus.

We left promptly at nine o’clock in the morning, according to “Mormon Standard Time”, that is. After a short orientation on safety by a member of security, we were led to the vans that would take us to and from Tel Aviv. The van I was in consisted of ten girls: Jenessa, Ashley, Jess, Ashlyn, Sam, Becca, Wayna, Megan, Jenny, and I. It was a van of the “tall girls”; everyone was over 5’10” except for Wayna and I. We had chosen to turn this day into a birthday celebration for Jenessa Duffy. What a better way to spend the day than on a beach in Tel Aviv. We bounded out of vans and under a canopy on the beach in no time. Within seconds, Ashley and I were bursting for the ocean. The water was warm and clear. It felt amazing in the heat of the day! We splashed and laughed in the water and took pictures! There were very little swells so we were able to swim around and play, rather than focus on the waves. However, it was a bummer that we couldn’t ride any waves or anything thing! It was nice to have the water go to our waists for a good 20 yards or more into the water. We spent a lot of time in the water, but what else would you expect? I have missed swimming in the ocean.

Other than swimming, we walked along the beach (I had a nice run), sat in the sun/shade and talked (I stayed in the shade for a good portion of the time), and played Phase 10. It was a blast! However, I am the worst at Phase 10 so that was a bit unfortunate. It took me four or five rounds to get passed the first phase! It was absolutely ridiculous. I don’t understand why some people get all the luck in those games. It’s like I have broken many mirrors without even knowing it. I have been sentenced to a lifetime of bad luck! You know you wish you were me. A few of us also got some gelato. Of course, I was one of those few. How many people can say that they got gelato on a beach in Tel Aviv? I can! I got banana and brownie. Banana was amazing. I wish I would have gotten a double-scoop of the banana instead of the brownie! We went to dinner at a place called Moses’ Burgers. It was recommended to us by Brother Huntington (the academic adviser) and Mr. Hayet (the program adviser), and it was recommended for good reason. Those burgers were amazing. I am so glad that I went with to get them. (Part of our group went somewhere else and just ended up getting salads.) The burgers were quite large and juicy and yum. They had this spicy ketchup that was to die for. And wet wipes…which Alise and Megan took a bunch of as we were leaving, but we won’t get into that now…haha. I love those girls. It was nice to have a meal that wasn’t smothered in Middle Eastern spices for once. I love curry and I love cumin and I love coriander but sometimes you just need a good, old hamburger.

We were able to see a piece of the sunset before we were to leave for the Jerusalem Center. It was beautiful. I got some amazing pictures! The water was beautiful; the skies were beautiful. Sunsets are just beautiful. Sunsets on the beach (in Tel Aviv…) are beyond beautiful I am hoping to get to watch an entire sunset in Tel Aviv before I need to return home to Utah.

We got back to the J.C. before nine o’clock at night. It was a good twelve hour day! I went straight into my room to take a shower. The cool water felt so good. The salt and sand was beginning to irritate me. After my shower, I pulled my hair up, pulled on a loose pair of shorts, and headed out to the fourth floor lounge with my computer and some aloe vera. I’m sure this isn’t coming as a surprise to you. When am I not sunburned? It isn’t horrible, luckily. I put sunscreen on everywhere but the tops of my feet and the backs of my legs. Pleasant…it feels pleasant. It was a bad choice that I didn’t even realize I was making. My legs are cherry colored in the back and still dead white in the front. It looks ridiculous! There are a few choice people who are sunburned so badly that it hurts them to walk. I am glad I am not one of those people. That would be horrible! Luckily, I was smart enough to bring an entire bottle of aloe vera with me on this journey. This would be pretty miserable without it!

I ended up watching Lord of the Rings: Return of the King with a group of people. (I was able to talk to my parents on the phone beforehand, though. As always, it was a fun talk. I was also able to say hi to Candace and Samantha. I love my family so much. They are the best!) Lord of the Rings isn’t something I watch constantly, but I like it well enough. I don’t think I have ever seen all of Return of the King, though. I fear to admit that I fall asleep more often than not! But that’s okay! I’m not sure if I am really missing all that much. After all, Lord of the Rings seems to be mostly about the destruction of all mankind and about a romance that didn’t even occur in books!

It was an amazing day. The sunburn is painful and obnoxious, but it is worth it. I will have to remember to put sunscreen on every part of my body next time; because there will most definitely be a next time.

28 May 2011

Shabbat Shalom, family and friends.

Sabbath in the Jerusalem Center is one of my days of the week. Although I don’t generally leave the center, the day is full of excitement, action, and most importantly, the Spirit. I can’t remember if I have described the chapel we meet in yet. It is located on the eighth floor of the Jerusalem Center and its wall is a window that overlooks the entire Old City. It is beautiful. Many of the visitors (and I’m sure students can be included here) have difficulty remembering the sacredness of the chapel and often sneak a few pictures before and after Sacrament. The view began as a distraction for me, but it now melds into the Spirit of the meeting. Sabbath School, today, was taught by the one and only Brother Jeffery Chadwick. I love having him as a gospel doctrine teacher. His perspectives into the Bible allow me to enhance my own learning and my own understanding of it. I am learning so much from him. The lesson was taken from Matthew 20-23 and John 12; however, Brother Chadwick often included pieces of Mark and Luke in order to complete the doctrines being taught. I learned that it’s important to study the gospels as a whole, rather than individually. I wonder if that principle applies to every book of scripture…

The Jerusalem Center does not provide lunch on Sabbath, so most of us purchase snacks the day before or we participate in activities that take our minds off of eating. I took a nap. It was delightful. I feel like I did something else as well, but my memory is failing me at this moment… Dinner was really fun. We had curry rice and roast (or at least that’s what I keep telling myself…I will never be the same after that cow tongue) and veggies and amazing corn tater tots. Dessert consisted of ice cream; it was delicious. I have been craving real ice cream for days! And it was passion fruit which made it even better. I ended up staying in the Oasis for an hour after dinner chatting and laughing with Megan, Morgan, Alise, Kymberly, and Joshua about old boyfriends, current boyfriends, psychotic ex-girlfriends, and other similar topics. What else would you expect from six single adults? It was fun to share stories. Many of them produced loads of laughter and many of Morgan’s infamous facial expressions. (I wish I could explain these. His eyes bug out of his head and his mouth drops and…it’s just hilarious. A picture will come soon; I’m sure.)

There was a branch fireside this evening where they showed the film Emma Smith: My Story. I wasn’t sure what to expect when the movie started, but I soon found that my attention was instantly grasped by the spirit of the movie. We always hear the Joseph Smith story from the eyes of Joseph Smith; I enjoyed hearing it from the eyes of his wife, Emma Smith. For those of you who have never seen it, I would recommend renting it or purchasing it and watching it for a Family Home Evening or on a Sabbath afternoon. Even if you have seen it, I would still make these recommendations. Emma Smith had great faith. I hope that I can someday aspire to have that much faith. She lost many children; she lost her husband. She was caught in the action of many trials and hardships. But she never turned away from the gospel. She stuck by the side of her husband until his death and supported him in the calling that the Lord extended to him. She trusted in her faith to get through tribulation…something I know that I need to work on.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. It was restored on the earth by the hand of the Lord through the prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith did, indeed, see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the Sacred Grove as an answer to his humble prayer. The Book of Mormon, translated through Joseph Smith, is true. I testify that if you ask in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, the truth of it will be manifested unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ’s gospel is on the earth today. He lives. He loves us. He will come again. Watch and prepare for His coming.

27 May 2011

It was another day full of classes: six hours’ worth, to be precise. I was relieved and excited that four hours of those six consisted of Old Testament and Dr. Chadwick’s views of Ancient Near Eastern Studies. There is never a dull moment discussing the wars, the doctrines, the prophets of the Biblical Holy Land or the geography, the history, the archaeology of the Ancient Near East. As a history major, these subjects excite me and bring with them a burning desire to understand and to learn more. The last two hours of the day, from one to three, were filled with Islam, taught by Bashir Bashir. While the world religions generally fascinate me, this class does little to grab my attention. The theological and cultural aspects of Islam have been all but forgotten in this class as Bashir has spent each class period defining Palestinian Nationalism, different partition strategies, and the Palestinian state through historical aspects. I don’t mind the history; I do mind not learning more about the Islamic people, their culture, and their livelihood in the Holy Land. My attention often gets absorbed in other places so I miss pieces of the lecture. And even if I do focus and follow his words, a voice in the back of mind reminds me that there are no written tests in this class so taking notes is obsolete. It is something that I am looking to change; I want to want to attend the class to learn, not to play Monopoly on my iPod touch. If anyone has any suggestions, please help me. I also might want to add that Bashir’s accent is difficult to understand at times and his lessons are rarely structured or organized.

Due to the fact that I hadn’t left the center the previous day, I rushed to leave the walls of the building. With Kayla and Kym and my side, we set off in search of something to do. We ended up going to the Ecce Homo Convent. The site of the Ecce Homo Convent contains important remains from Roman times. Since the Crusader’s, Christian tradition has placed the beginning of the Via Dolorosa in this area. Here was recall Christ’s suffering at the hands of the Roman Soldiers and his trial by Pontius Pilate. The name “Ecce Homo” refers to John 19:5 – Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man”. These remains include a cistern, pavement with “The Game of the King”, and an arch built by Hadrian in 135 C.E. Kayla, Kymberly, and I enjoyed taking photographs and exploring different areas of these ruins. It was also an experience to realize that this site holds the traditional view of where Christ began his walk to crucifixion.

After leaving the Ecce Homo Convent, walked through the city to the Armenian Christian Church and then on to the Church of the Dormition, just outside of Zion’s Gate. We stayed only a few minutes at each of these areas so that Kayla could pass them off for a class assignment. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the Old City and back toward the Jerusalem Center. I purchased a white skirt. It began at 120 Shekels. I bartered the price down to 50 Shekels; I would say that it was a steal! It’s amazing what shopkeepers will do to make a sale. I find that walking away slowly will always create a drop in price. We wanted to get Schawarma before heading back to the J.C. but everything was closed! Fridays are interesting days in Jerusalem. Sundown marks the beginning of the Jewish Shabbat, but the Muslims also honor Fridays as a Holy Day (or a day of rest, rather). This information escaped us as we walked up Saladin Street, finding no shops open. At one point, we walked along a stretch where no shops were open and three young men decided to follow us. We were unharmed, untouched. They, like many other Palestinian men, merely “cat-called” at us but didn’t approach us. It was something to learn from. We got back to the J.C. exhausted and very warm. It was a warm 86 degrees at one point in the afternoon. I happily hopped into the shower and let the cool water relax my muscles and overheated skin.

The evening ended with a Jerusalem Center Friday Night Movie showing of The Fiddler on the Roof. It sounds strange to look forward to a movie about Jewish tradition, children defying their parents for marriage, and Jewish extermination from Russia, but I was really looking forward to it. Anything with music by John Williams is amazing. I happily sang or hummed along to each of the songs and listened to other students in the audience doing the same. I ended up falling asleep right before the Tevya’s red-haired daughter runs off with the Russian. I blame Joshua for this; he was supposed to make sure I stayed awake. He claims he didn’t know I had fallen asleep, but I had stopped talking. What did he think had happened? I will just have to watch it again. Movie nights at the J.C. are always fun. Plus, the movies that are shown have some of the best lines, the best stories, the best ‘cheese’. J

26 May 2011

Wowzers. Another day flew by without warning. Unfortunately, one-hundred percent of it was spent inside of the Jerusalem Center. I don’t even think I went out onto my balcony. I should work on changing that very soon. I do not enjoy staying inside all day long, but it was kind of necessary if I am going to party the weekend away.

Classes took up over half of the day. Thursdays and Fridays are the worst days; shocking, right? Thursdays and Fridays used to be my favorite days of the week, but then I came to Jerusalem and Mondays and Tuesdays have replaced those former days of glory. As much fun as it is to have class from 8-3, I just don’t enjoy it. I can’t even begin to imagine how I survived high school. Didn’t I have school 6-2 everyday? I guess things change…especially when you are in a city as beautiful of Jerusalem. You don’t want to stay inside; you don’t want to spend all day in class when you could be experiencing the lessons firsthand. Unfortunately, the university insists on a rigorous academic program, and they got what they wanted. It is indeed rigorous. Am I complaining yet? Haha I definitely don’t mean to be. I actually enjoy each and every one of my classes. I just wish I could spend more time walking around with friends, eating gelato and falafel, and getting lost.

Old Testament is as wonderful as ever. Who knew the Old Testament could be so exciting? Brother Muhlestein has to be one of the best religion teachers I have ever had, and when you put together both seminary and university professors, I have had quite a few! The lesson today was on Ruth. I have known this story since I was a little kid. Her husband dies, her father-in-law dies, her brother-in-law dies, so she leaves with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to take care of her. She ends up gleaning wheat and barley in Boaz’s field and ends up marrying him. It’s that simple. However, what I failed to realize was that Ruth is a symbol of the Savior, Jesus Christ. She gave up her own chances for marriage by staying by Naomi’s side; she gave up her chances to be cared for in her own age. She sacrificed herself for the well-being of another. Christ has done the same for each and every one of us. He came to this Earth and gave up His life for me, for us. The Lord did provide a way for Ruth to be married in the end. After all, she was David’s great-grandmother! However, her sacrifice to go with her mother-in-law will never be forgotten. Ruth will forever be a type of Christ. I challenge each of you, including myself, to become a type of Christ like Ruth, to give of yourself and rely that the Lord will provide a way for you. I wish I could say that Judaism and Islam was as amazing as Old Testament was today, but that would be lying. There is just something about the gospel of Jesus Christ that stands out from the rest. It catches my interest and pushes me forward. Read the scriptures. Study them. Know the stories and the principles associated with them. Pray to know they are true. You will be heard. You will be answered.

Classes ended at three o’clock in the afternoon, as I mentioned earlier. I spent the rest of the afternoon prior to dinner writing a letter to Elder Buchkovich, riding a stationary bike, and reading for Old Testament tomorrow. We will be studying the story of Samuel and “King” Saul! Dinner was…interesting. I wouldn’t say it was awful; I just ate something I wasn’t ready for: cow tongue. Yum. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It has a very odd texture and a very odd flavor. Apparently they are better grilled, but I don’t even want to try them again to find out! I will stick to the rump of the cow if you don’t mind!

Homework and volleyball filled all of my time after dinner. Volleyball was definitely the highlight, however. While I did finish a third of my assignment for Ancient Near Eastern Studies, I had the pleasure of listening to Megan laugh out-loud, of watching Morgan fall on the floor after a ball hit off the backboard of a basketball hoop and into his chest, and of participating in a sport unlike any other. As always, volleyball was the perfect way to make an end to the day.

25 May 2011

Oh, how I have missed the glorious city of Jerusalem. Turkey was amazing, but nothing compares to the wonders of the Old City, to the Schawarma of East Jerusalem, to the shopping districts of West Jerusalem. I am happy to be back.

We had classes again today, but they weren’t too awful. They only lasted until ten o’clock in the morning. You can imagine the amount of free time we were given! It was marvelous. I went into the city with six other girls: Alise, Megan, Kristi, Sarah, Becca, and Kayla. We had a blast. We mostly just walked around the city looking for fun things to buy. It was a day of shopping. Who doesn’t like shopping? I found a beautiful scarf and a pair of earrings because you can never have enough scarves or earrings. Really, it’s just the way it is! I am a girl, after all; although this may come as a shock to some of you. We ended up splitting the group after someone realized one of their bags was missing. Kayla, Megan, Alise, and I went to a grill in East Jerusalem for some lunch. I like lunch. We got schawarma. For those of you who have never had a schawarma, it is basically a pita filled with rotisserie meat, different vegetables, and sauces. But that description does not do it justice! I recommend that all of you go in search of a Palestinian/Israeli restaurant close to home and try a schawarma. It will be worth it; I promise you!

We got back to the J.C. a little earlier than I had originally wanted, but I was glad. I was able to get a lot of reading out of the way in preparation for the week’s classes. Sometimes it is really hard to balance homework and exploring the city. There is too much to do here! It’s all about balance. There is time enough in the day to do everything. I just have to get my priorities in place. So that would put homework last, right? Haha just kidding…or am I? ;)

We had our Arab Night this evening. The two men who perform the “Call To Prayer” at the Dome of Rock came to demonstrate the chanting of the call and how the prayer is performed. I took video; of which, I will be putting on here soon! It was really cool to watch and listen to. But I don’t think I could stand bending over like that again and again for five minutes, five times every day! They are a very dedicated people. Dinner was amazing. It was a special Arab meal. The meats, the rice, the salads: everything was really good! Well, everything but the dessert. I have officially decided that I am just not a fan of Middle Eastern desserts. It is something that I have come to accept and you should as well. Gelato is wonderful. Chocolate croissants are delicious. Candy bars are delicious. But that is about it. I try to avoid everything else. There is only one kind of baklava I have ever tried that I have liked, both in Jerusalem and Turkey. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Talk about a bummer! After dinner, we all took pictures and then moved to the gym for some traditional Arab dancing. I am not going to be able to walk tomorrow but I think it was worth it. The dancing involves a lot of jumping and squatting. Everyone was in pain by the end of the evening. The four teenage girls who were teaching us all laughed at our inability to do some of the dance steps…most of the dance steps. But it was a lot of fun! Culture nights are the best. I am excited for what we do a Hebrew Night. I think we do a simulated Passover Seder for that night. Should be a blast! Oh, and I failed to mention that we were encouraged to dress in traditional Arab clothing. I wore a headdress made from a scarf. There are pictures. They are on Picasa. (Or will be fairly soon…)

I would count this as yet another wonderful day in one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. I wouldn’t trade tis day’s experiences for anything else in this world.

24 May 2011

This may come as a shock to you, but I actually had to go to school today. I know, I know. It is hard to comprehend right now, but don’t worry. It will get easier and easier to understand as the days go on. I feel like the idea of school is going to become less of an idea and more of a trend in the passing weeks. Something to look forward to…

Classes weren’t horrible today, in case I misled you before. I actually enjoy all of the classes I am taking. I had Old Testament, Judaism, and Hebrew today. In Old Testament, we talked about Joshua and Jericho. I really like all of the insights that Brother Muhlestein, and other classmates, give in that class. It really does help to broaden my understanding of the Old Testament. I never had a desire to study the Old Testament before I came to Jeru. It was just a book of “begats” to me prior to this class. But now, I love it and want to read it. There is so much to learn from it. The symbolism is out of this world! Judaism passed by without any problems as always! Dr. Ophir Yarden is a wonderful teacher. We studied the history and meaning behind “Torah” and “Mishnah”. It was very interesting to learn about the laws of the Jews and what they learn in their studies. The Mishnah is an aid to the Torah; it helps to clarify the text of the Torah. Hebrew is Hebrew. It was really hard today because we hadn’t had class for so long, but I enjoyed it. We learned the letter “M” today. I was jazzed. Now all I need to do is learn the “short i” and “sh” sounds and I will be able to spell my name in Hebrew. That would be amazing!

After classes and linen exchange, I set off into the city with Robert and Jenny. I had a list of things that I needed to do so they happily accompanied me while I did my thing and then we set off for Shabon’s, an LDS friendly shop in the Old City. We began at the post office and went to Aladdin’s (a money exchanger/ATM). We then went down the street to Omar’s. Omar sells some of the best olive wood carvings in Jerusalem. It is beautiful. Which is why I bought a nativity set today! I am so excited to put it up this Christmas. I will probably put it up before then…It is just too beautiful to leave in a box somewhere. It needs to be out where all of the people can see it. We left Omar’s for Via Delarosa in the Old City. We wandered down the street to find a shop where I had recently seen cameras. And guess what? I totally found one and bought it. I was elated. I got it for under $300 which was a steal. 12.1 megapixels, 10X zoom, free SD memory card, free camera case: I am excited to start using it. I took a few funny pictures of Robert while we were in the shop, just to try it out, as well as some pictures of Jenny, Robert, and I outside the Western Wall. It works amazingly well. Robert and Jenny made a wonderful decision. Shabon’s was Shabon’s. He had juice for us, as always. He just loves the Mormon kids! And we love him. He is such a great shopkeeper. Plus, he carries things gear for LDS consumers. How couldn’t we love him? I got a pair of earrings (my third from his shop) and a purple scarf. It’s such a beautiful scarf. My mother would love it; my brother would hate it. I love it! Haha.

The rest of the evening went smoothly. Dinner was delicious. We had duck! I talked to Candace and Samantha on the phone for about a half hour. That was really fun but made me a tad homesick. They are two of my favoritest people on this Earth; it is hard for me to be away from them. I am glad they were home so that I could talk to them for a little bit…even if they were eating lunch! My homework is finished. It is ten o’clock at night. Second day of going to bed before eleven. Life is good.

23 May 2011

My alarm clock went off much too early this morning. My body is craving some time to rest and refresh after a long trip in Turkey. But in Jerusalem, sleep is overrated. There is far too much to see and far too much to do. Like visit the Negev, which is what we did today.

The Negev can be defined as the southern deserts of Israel. We began the field trip by stopping at a couple of Bedouin settlements, one recognized and one not recognized. We began in a small settlement known as Lakiya. While there, we had the opportunity to interact with a few Bedouin women and learn about their lives, where they came from, and their livelihoods. Many Bedouin women are weavers. They make rugs, pillow cases, table runners, and more. We had the opportunity to watch the weaving process at work. Raw wool is spun singly and doubly, dyed, and spooled. Women then take the spools of wool yarn and begin weaving the rugs, the pillow cases, the table runners, and other items. It was amazing to see the entire process at work. It generally takes 8-10 hours to produce one squared-meter. It would take me 8-10 years to produce that much! I ended up purchasing a throw-pillow pillow case. It is beautiful, and I am excited to put it to use! The next Bedouin settlement we visited was one that is not recognized by the government. This means that the settlement is illegal, that there is no electricity or running water, that the people do not own the land. We were there briefly and had the opportunity to observe an Arabic literacy class that was being taught to five or six Bedouin women. This service is supported by the LDS church and is part of the BYU Jerusalem Center’s humanitarian aid. The church offers literacy classes across Israel for many Bedouin societies, helping them to better their lives in hope that they will obtain jobs and better means of income. It was fun to visit the Bedouin towns and to see the ways that they live. It would be very difficult for me to live that way, to rely solely on the land, to have next to nothing.

As always, we spent far too much time visiting the first two sites. Rather than go over time, we skipped visiting the modern city of Be’ersheva. I was disappointed but at least we still got to visit Tel Sheva. The modern town of Be’ersheva is the place of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Tel sheva is dated by most archaeologists to 900-700 BC. It includes a casemate wall and a large underground water system. A four-horned altar was uncovered and reconstructed from stones found on site – the original is now in the Israel Museum. It was quite warm at the site, but that did not stop us from walking around for an hour and learning about the ancient site. It was built like a fortress, like most other cities during this time, with a well on the outside of the walls. Inside we were able to view the foundation of a “Broad Room” Temple.

Tel Arad is a fortress mound similar to Tel Sheva. It was originally an ancient Canaanite city located below the current site. The fortress was inhabited by Israelis up until the 7^th Century A.D. when it was captured by Arabs until its destruction in the 8^th Century A.D. It hasn’t been inhabited in since. The tel is home to a temple where altars, a hewn monument, a stone basic, and articles of worship were found intact. It was a cool site, I have to admit, but we had very little time to wander around.

The bus ride back to Jerusalem passed by the Dead Sea. It was a beautiful view. I saw by Kymberly Stone, as usual, She read Catching Fire as I wrote postcards and letters to loved ones. It took over two hours to return back to the J.C. I hate to say that the amount of time spent on the bus did not bother me. The time spent on the bus in Turkey will never be rivaled. I will no longer whine about a ride on a bus ever again! After F.H.E., I did my laundry and started homework. I believe it is time for once to get to bed before eleven o’clock at night. That is my goal. After all, tomorrow is another day full of adventures in the beautiful city of Jerusalem.

22 May 2011

Due to the fact that we did not return to the Jerusalem Center until three o’clock in the morning, I was quite tired throughout the entire day, but no amount of tiredness could make me miss out on the adventure and beauty that is Jerusalem.

I had planned to sleep in until after eleven in the morning. That way I could wake up and get breakfast in my sweats before the Oasis closed. However, other people had different plans for me. Skylar Olsen knocked on my door near 10:15a in search of someone to go to breakfast with her. Since all of my roommates had remained asleep after she knocked, I was the one to open the door. I decided just to pull on some shoes and risk falling asleep later that day. After all, I didn’t have much planned. Breakfast in the Oasis was graciously welcomed after a week of suffering through Turkish breakfasts. Those people just don’t know how to do a good breakfast! I happily ate a bowl of fruit, Yoplait yogurt, and bread with Skylar as more and more people filtered in to eat. The food was happily welcomed by my stomach.

The rest of the day went smoothly. I checked and sent a few emails, read a couple of homework assignments, talked with friends, and went to seminary. It was a pretty ordinary day of relaxation, trying to get caught up on rest after a long week of travelling, but I couldn’t just stay inside the Jerusalem Center. I had to do something with my time; I had to make the most of my experience in Jerusalem. And that is just what I did.

Pirates of the Caribbean 4 came out in theaters the weekend prior to our field study to Turkey. While there was some talk about the movie, I hadn’t heard much of it nor did I have a desire to see it. On the bus rides through Turkey, the movie was constantly talked about and the previous films were referenced. This is when a decision was made, a decision that changed the course of my entire day. I am proud to say that, along with thirty other students and one professor, that I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4 today in a movie theater nestled deep into West Jerusalem. I don’t regret my course of action in the least. The second and third movies, as many of you may know, were not worth the money to make. The storylines were poor; the acting was shoddy. They just didn’t live up to the name of Pirates of the Caribbean. I went into the fourth movie with low expectations. I expected a movie similar to the second or the third, but I was wrong. The movie held my attention for the full 130+ minutes. It had a storyline. The acting was entertaining. The characters had foundations. I really enjoyed it. As I said, about thirty people went to see the movie, including Brother Muhlestein and two of his kids, Tashara and B.J. They each dressed up as a pirate, with B.J. going as Captain Jack Sparrow. They looked great! But, it got even better when Josh Dance decided to dress as a pirate. With a white shirt, scarf tied around his head, and dark eyeliner, he was ready for the movie. He looked amazing and I wish I had clothing to look like a pirate as well. Some people were embarrassed by his attire, but I was proud to say that I knew him, that I could call him my friend. He made the movie just that much more fun.

The rest of the day was fairly quiet. I received two letters which was a surprise: from Elder Joshua Jeppson and Elder Alex Buchkovich. It was great hearing from them! I attended seminary, as mentioned earlier, but I didn’t do much else. I was able to call my family though. That was amazing. I love talking to them. While I am always the one doing all of the talking (I honestly don’t mean to; they want to know how I am and hardly ever talk about themselves even when I try to get them to…they always turn the conversation right back to me), it is still nice to hear what they have to say and hear their voices. I miss my parents very much. This is the first time that I have been away from them for this long. I spent seventeen days in Europe with a choir group two summers ago, but I have now been gone for twenty-five days. And there are many to come. We talked mostly about my Turkey trip and everything I did there. I think they enjoyed hearing about my adventures in Turkey, or at least I hope they did. I can never tell sometimes. I hated telling them goodbye. We spoke for about eighty minutes. I honestly could have spoken with them for another couple of hours. There is just something about family that keeps you talking, that gives you something to talk about.

It was nice to finally be back in Jerusalem. I had an amazing time in Turkey, but there is something about being “home” that makes you happy, that makes you secure. Plus, the food here is amazing. And the pillows here…they aren’t lumpy or the weight of bricks!

21 May 2011

Our last day in Turkey. It was fun while it lasted, but most of us were ready to go home!

We spent the morning in Bursa where we went to the Grand Mosque, the fifth largest mosque in the world and the largest mosque in Turkey. It was beautiful. Bursa was the first capitol of the Ottoman Empire between the years of 1325 and 1364. The city has many thermal springs and is also the center of Turkish silk industry. We left very quickly for Istanbul so we only got to see the Grand Mosque, nothing more. It was a little disappointing.

We took off for Istanbul to see the Aya Sofia [Hagia Sophia], built by Emperor Constantius in 30 A.D. St. Sophia was for many centuries the world’s largest church and today is the fourth largest one after St. Paul’s in London, St. Peter’s in Rome, and the Duomo in Milan. Throughout its Byzantine history, St. Sophia served as the cathedral of the city where emperors were crowned and victories celebrated. After his conquest of the city in 1453, Sultan Mehment II ordered for the building to be converted into a mosque by the addition of Islamic elements such as a mihrab, a member, minarets, etc. After having served as a mosque for 481 years, the building became a museum in 1934 by the order of Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. It was fun to walk through the Aya Sofia but it wasn’t nearly as informative as when I went with my family. I mostly just wandered and took pictures.

After leaving the Aya Sofia, we headed down to a small bazaar to shop for a few minutes. I got a couple of postcards, a glass ring, a gift for my hermanita, and a banana! The banana was my favorite purchase! I had looked for a banana the entire time we were in Turkey. It was delicious. From the bazaar we went straight to dinner and then straight to the airport to head back to Jerusalem.

We had a delightful time in the airport. Kym and I got ice cream cones. We played games. We chatted with friends. Sister Chadwick and I raced through the airport. Our flight didn’t leave until 11:30p at night so we had quite some time to kill – about three hours. Once we got on the plane, most everyone crashed and slept until we arrived in Tel Aviv. We were all exhausted by the time we got back to the Jerusalem Center at three o’clock in the morning. It was a long day, but it was worth it. The things we saw in Turkey were unforgettable and absolutely beautiful.

20 May 2011

It was a day I will never forget. Pamukkale, the “Cotton Castle”, is located in a valley where calcareous hot springs descended over one-hundred meters to create fascinating travertine in the forms of white terraces and basins. It was beautiful. Some of us braved the hot springs to wade (up to our knees only of course – J.C. rules). Some of us thought it would be to slip and fall into the hot springs. Now that was wet. Luckily, Joshua was there to grab me and my camera out of the water. It became a very long and uncomfortable day on the bus after that. We had a 5-6 hour bus ride to Bursa. I was wet for the entire time. You can imagine. I was a good sport about it and laughed my way through the day.

We got to Bursa in time to eat dinner and walk around the city for a couple of hours. I set out with Kymberly, Robert, Dallin, and Troy. We walked through the Bazaar. Kym got a watch. Kym and I got ice cream. I got boardshorts. The boys were there to escort two very beautiful girls, apparently. But they had great attitudes.

There’s really not much more to say. We spent most of the day on the bus. We slept for a big part of it. I wrote letters and listened to music and read a bit. The hotel we stay in was kind of ghetto. The water turned off the next morning. The air conditioning was set to cold but blew hot air. It was a long night but a good experience. We can’t always stay in Marriott’s. It was good for me to branch out; but I will never do that again! The pillow of bricks was a little too much for me to handle.

19 May 2011

I had a very interesting shower experience this evening. The shower curtain was about one-third the actual length of the shower itself; the shower-head was unattached and most definitely had a mind of its own. I think more of the bathroom got wet than myself. It was festive. I was also attacked by a spider. It will be a shower I’ll never forget.

After another delightful breakfast of food I didn’t want to eat, we drove to the ancient city of Ephesus, the Roman capitol of Asian Minor. Ephesus remains to be the best preserved ancient city in the world and is one of the Seven Churches of the apocalypse. During the Golden Age of the Roman Empire, Ephesus was an important commercial and cultural center. The protector of the city was Artemis (Diana), the Goddess whose temple was one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.” Today, the majority of the ruins are beautifully restored, and one can visit a complete city including the Arcadian Way, the Great Theater (which holds up to 125,000 people), the Marble Road, the Celsius Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Trojan Fountain, and the Gymnasium. The Ephesians were still worshipping Artemis when the Apostle Paul came to the city to establish the Church of Christ. It was in the Grand Theater that Paul preached the gospel, only to receive angry shouts of “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” multiple times from the Ephesian audience. This was my second trip to Ephesus. It was just as good, if not better, as the first time.

Miletus came next. Outside the bounds of the city was the sound of many baby birds. The trees were covered in birds’ nests! There was even one on the wall of the women’s W.C. Each time the mother bird swooped in, we all ducked for cover; it was hilarious but fun! When you first arrive at the ruins, the magnificent theater of the city appears in sight at first. The theater had been constructed during the Hellenistic period, and it acquired its present characteristics by means of the annexes made during the Roman period. The walls of the front façade of the theater are 140 meters long and 30 meters high and are an interesting example of stone workmanship. The theater was large enough to hold 24,000, but a fortress was built upon it during the Byzantine period seizing its capacity down to 15,000 people. The building and temple ruins of Miletus were amazing to wander through when I was there with my family two years ago. This year, however, the entire area was covered by a large swamp. We scampered across stones to make it to a temple where we discussed the role of Miletus in Paul’s journey through Asia Minor. Miletus was the site of a Regional Conference, one held for the leaders of the church. Brother Muhlestein shared this brief history inside an ancient temple. Upon finishing, we took group photos among the columns and headed back to the bus.

We stayed overnight in Pamukkale, but first we had to get there. The bus ride was awful, but a swimming pool was there to greet us at the hotel. It was nice to swim with everyone and just sit and talk! I love swimming. We also played Phase 10, and I got my butt kicked! I swear that I have the worst luck when it comes to games. It’s ridiculous. The most eventful part of my evening was the 5.9 earthquake. I was sitting on my bed reading at 11:15p at night when my bed started shaking! At first, I wondered if there was a heffalump or a woozel underneath my bed trying to steal my honey…but then I looked over at my water bottle and realized that I was in an earthquake! Everyone stormed into the halls to discuss the earthquake. It was awesome.

18 May 2011

Another Turkish day has come and gone. Our days in Turkey seem numbered now. We leave in three more! I hate to say that. I am not excited to leave such a beautiful country, but at the same time, I am. I want to go home to the Jerusalem Center. I miss breakfast. I miss my bed. I miss my pillow without lumps. I miss air conditioning. I miss contact with my family. It is so hard being away from them. I don’t know how everyone else can handle not communicating with them each and every day. It is so hard for me. I am worried about my mom and my dad and my siblings and my niece. I am sure they are doing great, but I can’t help but worry! I love them so much! J

We had another day that involved more bus rides. I just love riding buses. It is more fun than I can say! We began by driving to the small village of Behramkale which faces the Gulf of Edremit. The view over the gulf was beautiful! Located at the top of this village is the ancient site of Assos, where the famous Temple of Athena – built in the 6^th Century B.C. – is located. The panoramic view of the Gulf from the top of the acropolis is breathtaking and the remains of Assos, surrounding the acropolis, are beautiful. We had very little time at this site, as was the case at nearly every site that we visited, but I made the best of my time through photographs. You can only write so much. Photography must make up for the words that can’t be said.

We headed out from Assos to drive to Pergamum, the capitol of the large and powerful pre-Roman Kingdom and one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. The Acropolis of Pergamum, built by the Greeks and later expanded by the Romans, boasted one of the largest libraries in the ancient world. We visited the ruins surrounding the acropolis: the Theater, the Alter of Zeus, and the temples of Tragion and Athena. It was an amazing site. The theater is built directly into the hillside and his huge. Like Assos, words can only go so far when it comes to explaining the beauty of this ancient site. The stones were some of the whitest that I have ever seen. They were beautiful.

We left Pergamum to stop at the Asclepion, the world’s first health center, a sanctuary to the God of Medicine, Asclepios. It began raining while we were there. It felt so good! There were a few people who screamed and ran for cover, but I stayed in the open as much as possible. Warm rain is one of my favorite things! We left the Asclepion to make a quick stop at a rug factory. The rugs were beautiful! If only I was a millionaire. The owners of the shop did give us complementary sour cherry juice. That stuff is delicious. It will be a sad day when I leave the Middle East and can’t find it anymore!

We stayed overnight in Kudadasi, where we all enjoyed a buffet dinner. Kymberly and I were at a table of four. Only, two of the girls kept leaving us so we just looked like pigs because of all the food we had! We assured everyone that we just knew how to work the buffet. None of us felt the need the leave this hotel; mostly because it was right on the beach! Rather, we went down to the beach and walked around in the moonlight. I thoroughly enjoyed it; however, a hand to hold while strolling down the beach would have made it even better! Overall, it was another day jam-packed of happiness, goodness, smiles, and more!

17 May 2011

The Trojan Horse. Brad Pitt. Orlando Bloom. What could be more exciting?
After a quick and simple European breakfast…we boarded the buses for the site of Homer’s Iliad, the site of Achilles’ death, the site of the infamous Trojan War: Troy. However, before we got there, we had to drive six hours on a stuffy bus. If we hadn’t stopped for lunch and to ride a ferry across the Dardanelles, then I may have gone insane. Six hours on a hot bus – yum. I sat by Jenny. She is an absolute delight. She probably didn’t enjoy sitting by me though. I kept falling asleep every five minutes or so. And she’s one of those peoples who likes car rides and doesn’t fall asleep during them; she enjoys looking out the window and watching the scenery pass by. I was just so tired that I couldn’t keep my eyes open – especially when our delightful guide turned on a National Geographic movie. I was asleep within the first five minutes of that movie. As much as I love the Iliad and I love history, this movie didn’t do the site or the story justice. It was awful.

Troy was….Troy. There isn’t much to say about it. The coolest part, in my opinion, was the reconstructed Trojan Horse. I climbed up and inside of it. I was definitely ready to attack! The ruins weren’t the best that I have seen, but I wonder if that was just my attitude now. I went onto the site after being told that this might not have been the actual site of Troy; it was just a logical guess and the best explanation from ancient text. We were also given very little information about each area of the site from our tour guide. He would say a few things here and there, but he would never connect the thoughts nor would he explain the full-purpose and reasoning behind each area. I ended up asking my professors questions because I knew they would give me a full answer. The theater was small, but it set the perfect stage for us to act out a scene from the Iliad. It only seemed right. The remains of the city were excavated by Heinrich Schliemann, a pioneer in the field of archaeology, who used Homer’s Iliad to locate the site. Homer had immortalized Troy with his immortal narration of the stories of King Priam, Hector, Paris and the beautiful Helen. Excavations revealed nine separate periods of settlements. The ruins include a temple, theater, and foundations.

We spent the night in Canakkale, a small seaport and home to Hollywood’s version of the Trojan Horse, as seen in the film Troy. I enjoyed walking up and down the pier with a few friends. I got a soccer ball for a little girl I know back home while wandering around. I wouldn’t mind giving it to her now, though! I look forward to playing with it in a few months. I miss that kid more than I thought possible! We watched the sunset set from the pier with ice cream and cameras in hand. It was beautiful. However, the water was heavily polluted and had an awful smell. It wasn’t something I would ever go swimming in. Ever.

Hopefully I will be able to sleep. Turkish hotels don’t seem to believe in air conditions. My room is boiling hot. Joy.

16 May 2011

Permission to be exhausted?

It could be the altitude change, the climate change, or the inability I have to sleep, but I am so tired tonight. I am rarely comfortable or able to fall asleep during a lecture or something important. I was consistently falling asleep while walking today, however. It was ridiculous! I would just close my eyes and float away.

Our first official day in Turkey began with more wake-up calls than asked for, but we got on the bus. We spent our time only in Istanbul, visiting Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, and the Blue Mosque. It was a busy, busy day!

After eating breakfast, we drove into the old town to visit Hippodrome Square, the scene of Chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic. From there we visited Blue Mosque. It was built in the early 17^th Century and is known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. The mosque is also unique because it has six minarets. I really enjoyed the Blue Mosque. We took a lot of picture in there! And I met a few Turkish boys around the age of ten. They were adorable. And I got my picture taken with them! The only downside to the Blue Mosque was that it smelled horribly like feet because you don’t wear shoes in a mosque. . . It was not pleasant.

The Topkapi Palace was built by Sultan Mehmet II after the conquest of Istanbul in the 15^th Century. The palace housed the sultans and their exotic entourage until mid-19^th Century. The complex is a group of structures which incorporates works from successive periods of Ottoman reign. The museum displays priceless collections of the imperial treasury, numerous pieces of Chinese porcelain, traditional costumes of the sultans and their families, and a special section for the preservation of the relics of the Prophet Mohammed. I enjoyed walking around the palace; I did not enjoy waiting in the long lines to look at the treasuries though. There were tour groups and Primary School field trip groups all over the grounds. It was a bit ridiculous.

The Basilica Cistern is nothing too special. It was built for wartime use by Emperor Justinian in the 6^th Century to store water. The cistern is located underground and has 360 Corinthian columns that support its come.

The famous and historical Grand Bazaar, the largest “souk” covered oriental shopping mall in the world, has 4400 shops under one roof; each trade has its own street. There is a wide selection of leather, jewelry, antiques, copperware, souvenirs, and hand-made Turkish carpets displayed in the historical shopping center. It was fun to walk around, but we had no time! It was so depressing. Everyone wanted to wait around and shop; I think we were given 15-20 minutes. It was ridiculous. I found a black, gray, and white checkered scarf that I am quite fond of, but that’s all. Some people speed-shopped and bought shoes, lamps, jewelry, and more. I am the worst at speed shopping. We had so little time because we wre going to be late for our cruise along the Bosphorus.

The Bosphorus is a narrow strait between the continents of Europe and Asia, connecting the Black Sea in the north to the Sea of Marmara in the South. In the Byzantine and early Ottoman days, there was little settlement on either sides of the Bosphorus, but as of the 18^th Century, it became a favorite place for the sultans and their entourage to build their kiosks and waterside residence. I thoroughly enjoyed the boat cruise! It was such a blast feeling the wind in my hair, taking pictures, and talking with friends. The boat let us off at a fish restaurant. It was delicious. However, many of the students had a difficult time. A lot of people don’t like fish, but the taste wasn’t the only problem. As they do in most countries, they brought the entire fish rather than just a fillet. A few declared their instant desire to become vegetarian. I happily ate my fish; I even made him talk. The people at my table didn’t quite appreciate that, but I had a lot of fun. In addition to my fish, I also ate one of the sardine-like fishes. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world; it was better than the fish eyeball that I ate the last time I was in Istanbul!

The rest of night was spent with Robert and Kymberly. Oh baby, we had so much fun together – as always. We walked around the square outside of our hotel, stopped to get an ice cream, walked through a giant outdoor mall, stopped for some baklava… Haha we like treats! We ended the night by playing Monopoly Deal. I failed – miserably. I don’t even know why I tried!

I feel like I should quickly mention the reason behind the glorious orange-striped shirt I wore on this day. It wasn't my idea. This is Brother Muhlestein's "Shirt of Style." It gets passed around the entire time we are in Jerusalem; the idea is to have it worn by everyone studying at the J.C. during the semester, including professors if they will play along. I was privileged to be the third person to wear it and the first person to wear it in Turkey. I feel bad for the poor soul wearing it on the last day of the Turkey trip. It won't be washed until after we return to the J.C. You can only imagine...

15 May 2011

The morning began calmly. I was able to sleep in because breakfast went until ten o’clock in the morning rather than just eight o’clock. It felt nice to sleep in for an extra hour, but I could have slept in even longer! I was all worried about how long it would take me to pack. It took me about five minutes. I was left with over an hour to stare at the wall. Luckily I had something on the geopolitics of Israel to read, thanks to my dad. Time passed quicker than I anticipated it to and then off we were to the airport!

The Tel Aviv Airport is unlike anything I have ever experienced. The security there is uber intense! They scan bags you are going to check. My checked baggage was actually opened and searched. I don’t know what they were expecting to find in there, but they quickly handed it back and wished me a good trip. I am still wondering what came up on the screen to make me look like a terrorist! After checking in, we went straight for the next security check point, which was for carry-on luggage and walking through the giant metal detector things. We didn’t have to show our liquids or take off our shoes. I found that slightly ironic since this was stuff we’d have with us and our other baggage that was so intensely searched was checked and underneath the plane. We all made it through security and only one person was “patted-down” and searched: “Hot” Rob.

We had less than an hour to wait until we boarded the plane. Most of us wandered around; a few of us bought food. I wanted a Coke; Troy Terry wanted an ice cream cone from McDonald’s. So we set off together. I got my coke. Troy got us both ice cream cones. I was good to go!

The plane ride wasn’t awful – only about two hours. And I was blessed to sit by the great Dr. Chadwick and his wife. We had such a wonderful flight. I want to sit by them all the time now. Sister Chadwick is hilarious. We were constantly laughing and always talking. Dr. Chadwick commented on how strange it is when two strangers meet and become the best of friends. I think we may have scared him just a little bit, but at least we were having fun! She reminds me a little bit of my mom, actually. She is full of life and the world of fun. The Chadwick’s actually determined that if I were to dye my hair black, get tattoos, and dress more Goth-like, I would resemble Abby from the TV show, N.C.I.S. I don’t see it but the Chadwick’s swear that I look just like her! It looks like I have my Halloween costume for the next year all picked out. That was easy.

Istanbul is just as beautiful as I remember it. The sea, the parks, the trees, the architecture – it is one beautiful city. We arrived at The Cartoon Hotel at eight o’clock in the evening. It definitely was not a five-star hotel but it was decent. My roommate was Elise Beckstead. (She continued to be my roommate for our entire stay in Turkey.) It was really nice to get to know her better!

We didn’t eat dinner until 8:30p in the hotel restaurant. Metas, cheeses, meat, dessert, and more: it was delicious. It also took close to two hours to finish eating! Those dang Europeans. . . I played Monopoly Deal with Robert Hickman, Troy Terry, and Kymberly Stone after dinner. And guess what? I WON! I had to reddem myself after my horrifying defeat in Chinese Checkers the night before. The evening ended with a discussion on boys and great anticipation for what the days to come would hold.

I am in Turkey. Gobble, gobble, gobble.

14 May 2011

Shabbat shalom, Shabbat shalom. Shabbat, Shabbat, Shabbat, Shabbat Shalom.

Sabbath days are one of the best days of the week. It is hard to argue against the Spirit that is present in each of our meetings. The focus of Sacrament was “mothers” in honor of Mother’s Day. I love hearing the comparisons of mothers in Biblical times (such as Rebekah, Sarah, Eve, Mary) to the mothers of today; I love learning about their different skills, their different values. They, along with my own mother, are who I strive to be. I hope to be as good of a mother as they were to their children. Sabbath school’s main focus was on the lost sheep and the shepherd. A lot was said about how we can, ourselves, can be the shepherd and how we can bring others back into the fold of Christ. But my mind focused more on what it would feel like to be that sheep. I remembered back to when I was younger and got lost at a waterpark. I didn’t realize how scared and lost I was until I was found, until I was back in the arms of my family. The sheep might be lost and confused, but he wants to find his way back; he wants to be found. I would like to challenge everyone to look for someone who is lost, even if it happens to be you, and help him find his way back to the gospel – or even bring the gospel to him. He may not accept your help; he may turn away; but someday he will be thankful for your gesture, thankful that someone was willing to help him find true happiness.

I spent the afternoon writing letters and emails, reading, and preparing for my seminary lesson. It wasn’t anything big or exciting, but it was nice to do something calm for a little bit and find time to think outside of the classroom setting. I even had the chance to talk to my parents. We are leaving for Turkey tomorrow morning so I will not be able to communicate with them (or anyone) until we get back in a week. I am really looking forward to going to Turkey, though. It is going to be such a wonderful experience!

I taught my very first seminary lesson this evening. It was one of the scariest things that I have ever done in my life. I was so scared that I was shaking, but I did get through it and you could feel the Spirit. I taught from Doctrine and Covenants 117 and 119-122. We focused on sacrifice, tithing, faith, and trials. It was interesting to learn both from preparing for the lesson and from teaching the lesson. The insights that were given in class really opened my mind to so much. I invited the other seminary teachers to attend in addition to the student; I am so glad that they decided to come. It really helped to have them there to support me. It isn’t easy to take the responsibility of a fifteen year old girl into your life.

The rest of the evening was spent conversing with friends and preparing to leave for Turkey. It is going to be quite an adventure, and I am really looking forward to it.

For your information: There will not be any more posts until after I get home from Turkey. I will keep a detailed journal while I am gone and then will add posts from the time I am away once I get home on the 22^nd of May. Don’t miss me too badly while I am away!

13 May 2011

I go to school. I go to more school. And oh wait, I go to more school. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it is beginning to wear on me. Sitting in class for two hours at a time is a lot more difficult than it sounds; or maybe it does sound difficult. The worst part is that once you start to nod off, you can’t do anything to wake back up. The entire rest of the class you are fighting your eyelids to remain open so you miss a lot of what is said. When it’s an interesting class or when you are sitting in front, you feel really bad about it! Luckily, that wasn’t the case for me today. I was just freezing. But I had a good friend by the name of Fenton who let me wear his jacket during the class. It was a dress on me (it went down to my knees!!) but it kept me warm. Classes went well today. In Old Testament we discussed how the Law of Moses relates to the Savior, Jesus Christ. In Ancient Near Eastern Studies, we discussed the history and geography of Turkey in preparation for our field study next week. In Islam we discussed the British Mandate over Palestine. I really enjoy these classes!

Unfortunately, we were unable to leave the Jerusalem Center to go into the city today. There is some unrest in Israel (as I am sure you have heard on the news) so we had to stay inside. I got a bit of homework done which was nice, but it was a very long day! I had big plans in the city today. Hopefully things will calm down by the time we get back from Turkey. For those of you who are worried about this, we are completely safe here. Our security has a lot of inside information and receives word of disturbances and demonstrations before they happen. We have been assured that these demonstrations will not affect us, nor are they directed at us. They are in reaction to Israel’s Independence. For the Palestinian inhabitants, Israel’s Independence is a day of mourning, a day when they lost their own Palestinian state. You can imagine what kind of hard emotions that would draw.

Every Friday night at the J.C., there is a movie that is shown. After dark, no matter what day it is, we are unable to travel into Old or East Jerusalem, and because it is the beginning of Shabbat at sunset on Friday, most of West Jerusalem is closed down due to its heavy Jewish population. Tonight we watched The Ten Commandments. For those of you who have never seen this film, I would highly recommend it – five stars, without a doubt. It was chosen because it relates to what we are currently studying; we kept watching it (the movie runs for over three hours) because it is the best movie in the world. Five minutes rarely passed before there was laughter from someone in the theater. It was a lot of fun to watch a movie with everyone. Although… I really wanted a cherry Icee. That is something that the J.C. should consider looking into.

We may not have been able to go into the city, but it was a good day. The Center has everything we need and more.

12 May 2011

The original blog post for this day was erased off of blogspot.com for some odd reason. I hoping that it will return in a couple of days. If not, I will do my best to recall what happened on this day.

“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem…”

It was another perfect day in the ancient city of Jerusalem. The early morning began with Old Testament as usual. We are currently studying the Exodus and the Children of Israel in the Judean Wilderness. It has been interesting to learn about this while being in the land they were to inherit. It’s much easier to relate to what the people went through. Although, it would be nice if we could actually go to Egypt! There’s not much I can do about that though. We leave for Turkey on Sunday which I am excited for. It should be a really good experience. I feel like I am much more prepared than I was two years ago when I went to Turkey. Brother Judd, one of our faithful religion teachers, spent over two hours tonight going over Paul’s journey through Asia Minor. It was a lot of information, but it will be helpful when we get there. I hope to make this a spiritual experience rather than a tourist experience. I’ve had the latter. So I am going to spend the very long bus rides between sites studying Paul’s teachings.

Due to a family emergency, Dr. Ophir Yarden cancelled our Judaism class today. I felt bad and was kind of worried about what may have happened, but I was also elated. That meant an extra three hours to spend in Jerusalem. I chose to visit the Tomb of the Kings with quite a few other people: Josh, Jess, Joan, Adam, Taylor, and Scott. We had a blast! The tombs are said to have belonged to Queen Helena of Mesopotamia and her dynasty. You have to crawl through a little hole to get inside, and once you do, it is pitch black. The tombs are dark, damp, and smell of mold, but they were really cool. We enjoyed taking many, many pictures and climbing into tombs. Our clothes were covered in dirt and mold and who knows what when we left, but it was fun! After the tomb, we walked around East Jerusalem for a bit before heading back up to the J.C. for lunch and Islam.

I didn’t go back into the city in the afternoon. I ended up doing homework in preparation for Brother Judd’s lecture which I mentioned previously. They asked us to read quite a bit from Acts and Revelations and to study a few maps so that we would have a better idea of what Brother Judd was talking about. It was an exciting afternoon; let me tell you… Haha but it is good to take a break every once in a while. At least I went out in the morning. That was a blast. I really try to go out into the city daily. It would be a waste not to (as I am sure I have said multiple times). There’s no point to stay in the Jeru Center each and every day. Plus, I would go crazy! As much fun as it is to do homework and study and play volleyball, basketball, or ping-pong, it is much more enjoyable to run around the city and interact with the people there.

There is so much to see. I am so thankful to be here and to have this opportunity. I miss being home – more than words can express, but I wouldn’t give up this experience for anything else.

11 May 2011

Another day has come and gone. It was two weeks ago that I hugged and kissed my parents goodbye and got on an airplane bound for the Holy Land. The past two weeks have been unforgettable, some of the best weeks of my life. The fun, the excitement is just beginning. I have three more months to acquaint myself with this beautiful land: its peoples, its cultures, and its religions. But three months can pass in the blink of an eye. What may seem like an eternity when looked at in days, hours, or minutes, can be over before it is even realized, before it is even experienced.

Old Testament was the only class that I had this morning. I was happy…that is until another orientation was brought to my attention. We leave for the country of Turkey on Sunday and will be spending a week there, studying the travels of Paul as they were in the New Testament. So the faculty and staff saw it fit to educate us on the dangers of this foreign country. It was a long sit, but I got through it with the help of a notebook and pen. It is good to see that the faculty will spend two hours making sure we act properly in a country that carries risks so that no harm will come to any of the students. It makes me feel secure and in capable hands. I really am grateful for all of the hard work that is put into arranging accommodations, field trips, and more for each of us students. It makes this entire experience more meaningful and worthwhile.

After a quick Hebrew lesson in the afternoon, I headed out into the city with Jess, Fenton, Lindsey, and Jenny to explore the happenings of East Jerusalem. Our adventure began at the post office where I picked up stamps to send letters to Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, and the U.S. Our journeys then took us to Aladdin’s, the Jerusalem Center’s preferred money exchange bank. With quick decision making skills, we chose to go to the Tomb of the Kings. However, unknowingly, it is necessary to bring flashlights or headlights into the tomb. It is very dark into there. We will have to go back and soon. We walked down Saladin Street (I think) on our way back to the road leading to the J.C. We went into a few bookstores looking for Palestinian cookbooks. A few caught our eyes, but we will continue the search until we find the perfect book. After all, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Gelato seemed in order…after we found our first shop in East Jerusalem! It only took Jess and I two weeks to find one. We were delighted. She chose strawberry. I chose passion fruit. The two together were amazing.

Upon our return to the J.C., I sluggishly walked to the laundry room to wash a few things in preparation for Turkey. Dinner came and went at 6:00p. We then had a forum with a “Religions of the Holy Land” professor from Bethlehem University. He spoke on the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict from the eyes of a Palestinian Christian. It was a very informative forum with a lot of useful information. It has been nice to see the conflict from so many different lights.

This was my day. It wasn’t very exciting, but it was just what I needed for a calming day. I feel like I have been doing nothing but run, run, running for the past couple of weeks and that gets very tiring, very quickly. But I feel like it is necessary to go into at least part of the city for even an hour every day. This is what I am here for after all. It would be a waste to stay in the J.C. day in and day out. Plus, it is so much more exciting to get out into the city and interact with the local populous! The evening ended with a couple games of volleyball, as always, but most of us were so full of giggles that it held little competition. It was still fun to play and laugh with a few close friends, though. Nothing quite compares to a game of volleyball to end another perfect day in the city of Jerusalem.

10 May 2011

Every morning I wake up thinking that the past two weeks have been nothing but a dream. Every morning I wake up, walk out onto my balcony, and stare out at the Old City, the Dome of the Rock, the Mt. of Olives, and I know that I am not dreaming. How could I be? This is reality. I am living in Jerusalem, in the Holy Land. I am walking where prophets of old walked. This is so cool!

Classes went really well today, except for the fact that I couldn't stay awake for the life of me! After only five hours of sleep the night before, my muscles were sluggish and my eyes continually threatened to close. However, with the great teachings of Brothers Muhlestein and Chadwick, I forced myself to stay awake so that I wouldn't miss out on any of their insights. The classes here carry the Spirit in each of their lessons. The materials relate to the land that I see and walk in daily and relate back to the teachings of the Bible, of Jesus Christ in a new light. In Old Testament, we began learning about the plagues of Egypt and the effects that each of them had on the people of Egypt; we learned of the suffering of the Children of Israel and the struggles they had to face. In Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Brother Chadwick presented us with an archaeological time line in order to acquaint us with the order of history, of Bible stories. My attention was swept away in the great words and thoughts of the professors. How could I fall asleep and miss instruction as special and pertinent as this?

The afternoon was spent in the Old City with Jess Ellis and Kim Stone. What a day it was! We had such a blast together walking through the old streets and experiencing the sites and the people.

We began at the Tower of David, an ancient citadel located near Jaffa Gate of the Old City. Built to strengthen a strategically weak point in the Old City's defenses, the citadel was constructed during the 2nd century BCE. Through series of war and destruction, the citadel was often destroyed and rebuilt. The Christian, Muslim, Mamluk, and Ottoman conquerors of Jerusalem have each played a role in rebuilding the current citadel that stands today. This monument is the home of ancient archaeological findings dating back 2,700 years. It was interesting to walk around the walls and the inside chambers of this fortress; while it was just like any other fortress, it wasn't inhabited by only one conquering force. It was used and reused by each succeeding conqueror. The views from the tops of the watch towers were breathtaking, providing us with photographs across the Old City, West Jerusalem, the Mt. of Olives, and more.

Growing tired of the fortress, we exited the ancient building and walked across the street to begin our rampart walk. This walk stretches from Jaffa Gate all around to Lion's Gate, near the Dome of the Rock, and provides the individual with views across Jerusalem. I have to say that walking on 500 year old walls was a thrill! It is cool to be able to say that I walked on the ancient walls of Jerusalem. The stairs were a bit of a set back, being steeper than Mt. Vesuvius, but it was worth it. My sore feet and tired legs can't take away any of the beauty that I saw along those walls.

We stopped on Omar's on the way back to the J.C., an LDS-friendly shop found on in East Jerusalem. The shop contains olive-wood carvings of the Nativity, of Peter and John fishing, of Christ walking on water, and even a few LDS figures, i.e., Captain Moroni and Joseph Smith. I found at least one Nativity that fell in love with; I guess I'll just have to go back!

After returning to the J.C., I immediately called my mom to wish her a happy, happy birthday. Unfortunately, she was at the gym, but that didn't stop me from leaving her three different messages and calling back later so that I could sing to her! I was elated when she picked up the phone during my last call. It was nice to get to talk to her again. She makes me so happy. I couldn't really explain it to you. She's just easy to talk to. And she's probably crying right now as she's reading this, but Mom, it's true. I love you and am so thankful that you were born and that you are my mother. I hope that all of your birthday wishes came true and that you are happy. That's all that really matters. After the phone call, dinner came with a pleasant surprise. Elder Piper from the Quorum of the Seventy was there to eat dinner with us. It was nice to meet him, shake his hand, and listen to his guiding words. He talked about missionary work and the spreading of the Gospel; he talked about the roles our testimonies could play in the coming world if we have Faith. We were lucky to have him in our midst, to be able to speak with him one-on-one.

The evening ended with a bang, as always. Volleyball is back after a couple days of not playing! It felt great to bump and spike that ball over that net again and ace a couple of serves. Who doesn't love the thrill of a job well done? My volleyball skills are improving. I can finally hit backwards and my serves go over at least 80% of the time. It feels amazing. In addition to volleyball, I decided to do a bit of cardio by riding a stationary bike. I keep forgetting that I hate stationary bikes! But it was good for me to get my heart racing for a few minutes.

The night is coming to a close and I must head back to my room to sleep. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be another full day and I am really looking forward to it. Laila tov (good night).