10 August 2011

As the last full day at the Jerusalem Center…in Jerusalem…I decided it had to be a full day spent in the city. No sitting in the J.C. staring at the ceiling; no pointless naps. I would spend the entire day in the city no matter what, and guess what. That’s exactly what I did.

After saying goodbye to my blessed headset and fanny pack and eating a breakfast of delicious pancakes, I made my way to the fourth floor lounge to wait for Jarom Smith and Ashley Wilkinson so that we could begin our day in Jerusalem. By 8:30a we were walking down the slope of the Kidron Valley, making our way to the walls of the Old City. On our way to our designated entrance into the Old City – New Gate – we stopped and took different pictures of the scenery, of the city. We didn’t want to miss a thing; we didn’t want to risk forgetting a thing either. It is amazing how clear the city is in the early mornings. There are few people, few shops open, and few cars driving down the streets. It’s very picturesque.

We began the day in the Christian Quarter of the Old City at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. While we had gone there only a few days before, Ashley and I were eager to get some better photos and be inside of the church without a million other people. There were still people there, but it wasn’t anything in comparison to what we had previously experienced. It was nice to finally get some uninterrupted photos and to truly appreciate the beauty of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Finishing up in the church, we made our way to the Western Wall. Our intent was to take pictures, but we ended up saying our own prayers at the wall as always. I think the Western Wall is my favorite site within the Old City of Jerusalem. There are other sites that are grander or more beautiful, but none of them are the Western Wall. The atmosphere, the spirit of that part of the city is different than all of the others; it makes you feel at home, like you belong. It doesn’t matter if you are Jewish or if you aren’t Jewish. You are welcomed with open arms to say a prayer to God and to keep Him in your heart.

The time eventually came that we had to leave the Western Wall and do some other things. We began by making our way up the stairs to the Jewish Quarter of the city to do some last minute shopping in the Moriah Bookstore. That store is probably one of my favorite stores in the old city. It can easily be compared to a Jewish version of a Deseret Book! Haha so yes, I spent a lot of time in there but I got what I wanted! And that’s was all that mattered at the time. Our stomachs began growling at about this time, but we had to head over to Christian Quarter Road so Jarom could exchange money before we could get anything to eat! It turned out, as it always does, that we did a bit of shopping on the way. Ashley needed to find something for her sister; Jarom needed some t-shirts; I needed to buy something else for my niece (because I haven’t gotten her enough already). It was really fun though and we met up with some fellow J.C. students along the way. We actually ran into a lot of people today; that rarely happens! It was nice to see a smiling and familiar face every once in a while!

Our stomachs led us back to the Jewish Quarter for lunch (because apparently we wanted to play ping pong between the two quarters all day). We ended up in Hurva Square at B.B.Q. I don’t know why, but that place has the best schawarma in the world! I got mine on laffa bread with tomatoes, onions, pickles, and tahini sauce, and oh my goodness. It was possibly the best thing I have eaten in a very long time. The meat was amazing. The accompanying vegetables and condiments were amazing. And the onion rings that I got…equally as amazing. Haha Jarom, Ashley, and I all ended up with the same lunch, actually. Well, except that Jarom got French fries….psh. Why he chose French fries over onion rings is a mystery!

We spent the next couple hours or so in Independence Park talking and resting and massaging shoulders. At one point, Ashley was rubbing Jarom’s neck as I took a nap on his stomach. Haha it is nice that we can all be such good friends…we may be a tad too close though. Maybe it’s a good thing that we will all be going home very shortly! We need some distance from one another. Haha but really, it was nice just to sit in the park. It sounds like doing nothing, but nothing is the best thing that you can do. It gives you a chance to appreciate your life a little bit more and to take in the world around you. Plus, it gives you time to sit down! We eventually made our way out of the park as ice cream called our names from Ben Yehuda Street. As we walked up and down Ben Yehuda with our ice cream cones, we were reminiscent about our first time on Ben Yehuda…our first day in Jerusalem, actually. It was weird to think that this would be our last time on Ben Yehuda Street…well, our last time as students at the Jerusalem Center. I don’t know about everyone else, but I will be coming back here; I can’t not come back here. This city has become such a part of me now; and I want to share it. I want to walk my friends and family around the Temple Mount and show them what a Herodian stone looks like. I want to teach them about King David and King Solomon and King Hezekiah. I want to show them the infamous Broad Wall that I walked by every single day. I want to introduce them to the shopkeepers and to the amazing foods that you can eat. I want to show them where Christ performed the Atonement and where he later raised from the dead. I want to share with them the Jerusalem I know, the Jerusalem I love. I want everything I have seen, everything I have experienced, and everything I have loved to become a part of their lives just as it has become a part of my life.

We made it back to the Jerusalem Center at about 4:30p in the afternoon. We wanted time to relax and clean-up before the barbecue. The barbecue was absolutely amazing! There were steak, chicken, hot dogs, kabobs…salads, desserts, breads. It was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t hungry because of the giant lunch I had eaten! That seems to happen a lot lately, but that’s okay. I ate what I could and then called it quits…so that I could begin packing. The good news is that I finished all of my packing tonight! The bad news is that I have no idea how much my big suitcase weighs! I hope it is below the limit…because I really don’t want to have to worry about repacking. And my small suitcase is completely full so I don’t know what I would do! Haha cross your fingers for me!

Tonight was our Memory Slideshow. I think most people expected it to be a sad experience but very few tears were shed. Mostly it was nice to see pictures of everyone we love and to remember all that we had done and been through together. Incorporated into the slideshow were different skits put on by different students. As always, they were entertaining and funny. There are some very talented people in this group! After the slideshow, we all got together as a group to take a few pictures. It took forever, but the pictures are worth it. The more memories created here, the better.

I spent the night outside on the grass talking with different people. We shared different stories about our time here at the J.C. It was nice to recall our embarrassing moments, our happiest moments, our spiritual moments. We have had so many great experiences the past few months. I am sad to see it go, but I hope to always have it with me. It would be near impossible for me to forget Jerusalem, to forget everything I have gone through here. I may be going home, but Jerusalem won’t be leaving me.