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.
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