Dome of the Rock!

When I first saw Jerusalem the first thing I noticed was the Dome of the Rock.  You can't miss it, even if you try to avoid it.  The whole city is basically made out of white and gray materials, and then BANG this huge gold dome pops out of nowhere.  Today was an entire free day, to do whatever my heart desired.  So a group of us planned a day-o-fun in the city which included getting close and personal with this beautiful mosque.  
Historical note according to Wikipedia:
According to Sunni Islamic tradition, the rock is the spot from which Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel. Further, Muhammad was taken here by Gabriel to pray with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

Ya we had to get a jumping picture..don't judge:)

It's huge!!!!

This is what happens when you hand off your camera...

The tile work is incredible.  There are so many colors and patterns that for some reason all work together.

It's an interesting building because so many religions have ties to it, and view it as holy.  Some highlights of that temple courtyard was of course people watching, the girls in my group taking these Arabic kids on in soccer, and being able to touch the tiles and columns of this amazing building!

So this one guy in the BYU-Jerusalem group has been taking portraits of very distinct/unique people that he meets in the city, so I decided to take my own spin on that idea.  So I will be posting excerpts on some of the people that I meet in my adventures in the old city.

First contestant is this guy who was sitting by the Dome of the Rock.  He was surprisingly happy for me to take his picture.  I wish I knew his life story..just look at that smile:)

Next was a guy that met us on the stairs leaving the Dome.  He wanted us to kiss the top of his cane stick thing...sanitary I think not haha.  But he ended up trying to talk to us, which I had a hard time understanding his english (not sure if he was speaking english actually).

We were lost which is a frequent happening, and this group of jewish men walked by, and basically I liked his beard so I took a picture.

 Okay so this was while we were still lost in this intersection area...these two men were playing that board game (forgot the name of that game) and being the curious person I am, I asked if I could take a picture of their game..but actually I just wanted to take a picture of them! I know I'm just so sneaky...not.

 The kids here are the cutest by far!  This boy was just chillin' eatting a pita.  I introduced myself and told him my name, and he was more than willing to pose for the camera.

 This girl was on the same street as the boy.  She was so cute.  I think she was actually advertising (she had her hair in a updo and henna on her arm) for her mom who was a hairdresser and a henna artist.  We were talking with the girl and then her mom came asking if we wanted henna done....maybe another time?!?

You will not find a more loving and caring people then here in the streets of Jerusalem.  First of all, they put up with me and all the other students wanting to take their pictures.  But also they are always willing to help (aka when you're lost) and a smile here really goes a long way.

Chillin' with the Israeli Soldiers

Okay so here is the sparknote version of the past week!

The first fieldtrip we went on was to get use to the geography os the land.  It's interesting because Israel is actually really small.  The area of the country is about the size of New Jersey.  And from North to South it is like driving from Logan, Utah to Nephi down south.  This is a land of hills and valleys, and so we took a bus to many different look out sites.  The first stop was to the ancient site of Saul's Palace where David played the harp etc.  There is an unfinished building on the mount than King Hussain who ruled over Jordan started the building of a home, but it has been left unfinished.  

Chadwick=the smartest guy ever when it comes to Biblical geography

My Old Testament Class

Ashlyn and I 

Standing in the abandoned building

A stone that was part of Saul's palace

Another place we went to was Augusta Victoria chapel.  It is just east of the Jerusalem center and is one of the prettiest buildings I have ever been in.  It is a church that was built in honor of Kaiser Wilhelm II's wife, for Protestants.  We were able to climb the 200+ stairs up the bell tower for another beautiful overlook.  As a class, we also were able to sing hymns in the chapel which was an amazing experience because the acoustics of the building made it so the words would echo all around us.  Even though we are not able to talk about the gospel with people in this country, being able to share the words of the hymns with them I think is away to share our testimonies.  

Depiction of Jerusalem that was on the ceiling

The decorations were influenced by the Muslims

This is my Old Testament teacher pointing out the gyro symbol

View from the Bell Tower

So the past two days have been very school related.  Also known as 4-6  hours of classes a day and hours of reading about the history of this area.  I never knew that I could understand the history of this area but it's actually really interesting.  We have a Jewish instructor and an Arabic instructor, and it's interesting to see their two different views on the history and current happenings of the land.  I'm also in a Hebrew class which I love!  Our instructor said by the end of this semester we will be able to read all of the 10 Commandments in Hebrew....I'm not so sure about that, but we'll see.

The tradition here is that most people gain at least ten pounds.  One would think with the none stop walking we do to the Old City and back that that would not be the case.  But here is the problem....Pitas are the best things ever!  The "Oasis" is the cafeteria here in the Jerusalem center where we eat all our meals.  The chefs rock at making authentic meals for us.  Basically it is a feast every single meal.  Some of my favorite foods are:  falafel (chickpeas crushed with seasonings rolled into balls), cucumber/tomato/cheese mix, every variation of potatoes known to mankind, and hummus!  

The other day, a group of us walked the "Ramparts" which consists of walking on top of the ancient wall of the Old City.  It was an amazing experience, because I was able to see the residenctial areas of Jerusalem.  Jerusalem has many different areas like the Jewish sector, Armenian sector, Christian sector etc.  Here are some pics from that walk!

Cats are everywhere

The BYU-Jerusalem Center

Some of my newly made friends!

The red poppy which is what is refereed to in the scriptures in the verse, "See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do  not labor or spin."

          Today was probably the craziest day so far.  As a class we went to the Western Wall.  A little background on this site is that this wall was part of the surrounding wall to Herod's temple.  However, Herod's temple was destroyed, so the Jews see this remnant of wall as a really holy site.  So to start the Sabbath which here is on Saturday, every Friday night Jews congregate to this wall to pray.  I was able to go to the wall, which was interesting.  You first have to pass security, and then the women and men are divided.  Most of the people there were actually teenagers it seemed like.  I always think of teenagers hanging out at the mall on a friday night, but I think this is a better option!  I was able to touch the wall, after getting through the crowd.  At the wall many people write scriptures on little pieces of paper and tuck it into the wall for luck.  Obeying Jewish customs after touching the wall, I walked away backwards, because they believe that you never turn your back on something holy.  From then on it was a party!  Some of the girls in my group joined these Jewish girls in dancing.  I'm pretty sure we all looked kind of awkward as we joined them in a dance while they chanted a song in Hebrew.  To give you an image of this, think of that dance where they go in a circle holding hands in "The Fiddler on the Roof." 

           It was touching to see how accepting the worshipers were to all the visitors aka. me that were there.  After leaving the "strictly women side" we joined a group of Israeli soldiers.  These soldiers look intimidating thanks to the machine guns they carry everywhere, but once you get past that aspect they are really nice to talk to.  They invited us to play a game with them.  Most of you know this game.  It's the one where you stand in a circle and one person goes around while everyone sings "ride ride ride that pony" except they were saying it in Hebrew.  Then the person in the middle picks one person and dances in front of them, then back, then side.  K, I hope you guys know what I'm trying to explain! haha.  So we all clapped as the soldiers started.  But after a few times girls from my group were getting chosen to dance in the middle.  And eventually I am proud to say that I was able to dance in the middle of the circle of Israeli soldiers/BYU students.  

I'm really coming to love the people here.  Yes, there are differences, but there are definitely more similarites.  I am growing to have the upmost respect for the cultures/beliefs here.  Jerusalem means "city of peace" and it is so true.  Before coming here I thought this area as a place of anger, contention, and hate.  Even though there is contention, there is so much respect for cultures and the many types of people that reside here.  Jerusalem has a very inviting spirit, and I'm so blessed to have 4 months to learn as much about it as I can!

A couple highlights so far!

Here are some random pics that I have taken!  Today was occupied by an amazing but long field trip which I will post about later this week:)

These 2 pics are of one of the thousands of olive trees that flourish here.  Those small green things are the olives that are just starting to grow.

Yup McDonald's is EVERYWHERE including West Jerusalem!

My tour group on our first walk around the Old City

First Day of Classes

Yes, that is a tour guide trying to get his groups attention with a light saber

So I might be a people watcher...I'm super sneaky taking these kind of pictures!

The kids here love it when we talk to them or take their pictures!  Just imagine what it would be like growing up in such a beautiful and historic city!

Oh Jerusalem!

I have made it to the Middle East..finally!  It was the craziest flight x 3, that I've ever had to go through.  However, thanks to modern day medicine (travel motion sickness patch) I made it in one piece.  When we arrived to the airport, we had to go through customs and declare that we were there to see the holy sites.  Security is really high in the airport, and a bunch of BYU students kind of stick out!  We were then met with our professors and a bus to take us to the beautiful Jerusalem Center.
That night I woke up at 5 am. to prayers being broadcasted throughout the city.  This chanting went on for half an hour plus.  JET LAG!  Jerusalem is 9 hours ahead of Utah, so my body is still trying to catch up with the time.

Me and my new roomies!

 I have officially fallen in love with the Jerusalem Center and the Old City.  The view from the balcony of our apartment is amazing.  You can see the Dome of the Rock and the old city with the many small villages around it.

Today (Saturday) is the Sabbath, so we had church which is held in the center's auditorium.  It was cool because people from tour guides joined us for sacrament.  After church we decided to go on a trip.  We ended up going to the Garden of Gethsemane.  The garden is fenced around, and there is a church right by it.  The olive trees were so beautiful, and the grounds were well groomed.   It was cool because people from all different faiths were there, and the respect for this site was so special.  Here are some pics:

Slow internet, and a very long flight.

So I made it to the Holy Land in one piece!   Our flight schedule was from SLC to Dulles, Dulles to Vienna, and then Vienna to Jerusalem.  What a crazy day and a half.  I still don't really know what today is, or what the time change is.  All I know is that I'm exhausted even though I slept hours on each leg of the flight.  Actually on the flight from Washington DC to Vienna, we had to wait for 1.5 hrs on the plane before taking off.
When we arrived at the final airport, a bus picked us up and we drove to the Jerusalem Center.  After dinner in the "Oasis Cafe" in the center, we had a tour of the building, and many orientations to classes and schedules.
Tomorrow we get a tour of the city!
Also the internet here is ridiculously slow, so we will see how many pictures I can post tomorrow.
If any of this is not making sense, I blame the jet-lag!!

Let this Journey Begin!

It has been a long waiting process, but I'm finally leaving tomorrow. However, this includes having to wake up at 4 a.m to get to the airport tomorrow, and seeing if my suitcases are under the weight limit (have a strong feeling they won't be!).

Today my mom and I went to a four hour orientation in Provo to listen to the cram course in how to dress, behave, and stay safe in Jerusalem.  I am so blessed to have this opportunity to travel to the many Biblical sites with 80 wonderful soon-to-be friends!

So the next days will include 16.5 hrs. in a airplane not including layovers in the airports, and a major time difference to work out!  Thank goodness for travel motion sickness medicine!!!!!

The Jerusalem Center on the Mount of Olives

Its been a good year (of school) folks!!!

To end the year in a orderly fashion, we as roommates (Chelsea, Ashlyn, Serena, Jenessa x2, and Kirsten) celebrated by going to a fantastic place known as Earth Fruits Yogurt.  This year has literally flown by, but I'm so grateful I was able to spend it with these great girls!  After many awkward pictures/videos and quoting stupid things each of us had said during the past two semesters, are year together was complete.

Some of my favorite moments:
1.  When the couch ate the cellphone.
2.  Scaring Chelsea (daily occurrence)
3.  Jazz fingers
4.  Jenessa Smith opening her mission call
5.  Cafe Rio
6.  Singing Celine Dion at midnight
7.  "Over Analyzing" together
8.  Learning how to be good at quoting movies
9.  Having to tell time off of an Algebraic clock
10.  Conversations that started when trying to have roommate prayer together at night!