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follow his words, a voice in the back of mind reminds me that there are no written tests in this class so taking notes is obsolete.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