Some Favorites

So since I started this blog 3 weeks into the program I just wanted to back track really quick and highlight some of my favorite moments. We just got back from a week in Egypt which was so fantastic but that will have to wait for its own post. So I had a good 2 weeks in the Holy Land before we shipped off to Africa. We had some really great field trips right up front. The second or third day at the center they took us on a "quick and dirty" tour of the Old City. No cameras were allowed so we wouldn't hold up the group. It was my first feel for the city and I got to say I was very disoriented by the end of it all. Jetlag hit me pretty hard traveling over here and the windy narrow streets of the Old City when I was half conscious of where I was didn't turn out well as far as learning the geography of it all. I was just glad to be out there and seeing things right off the bat. The professors made sure to point out the important things to us students...such as..where we can get some shekels and where the best/cheapest falafel stand is. We visited the Church of the Holy Sepluchre on our first visit to the city as well. I really had no expectations coming here so I the only real opinions I have formed are what I have now after having been to teh Garden Tomb and the Church of the Holy Sepluchre both multiple times. We took a geography field trip around all of Jerusalem to get a feel for the area we went to some outlooks where we could view the Old City from the south (above). We went to one hill where we could see the city of Bethlehem in the distance. We learned there that the valley that was right next to us is where the shepherds were that herded the sheep that were kept for the temple sacrifices. It makes sense that the angel would appear to these Shepherds because they were essentially temple workers and also for the symbolism that Christ would be the last great sacrifice. We saw a legitimate shepherd which was pretty cool and he let us all hold his baby lamb!! After about 20 girls wanting to hold the baby lamb he started wanting some shekels before he would let us hold him....gotta get those sheks! The Augusta Victoria Church is right on top of the Mt. of Olives, it was our second to last stop. We went up into the tower there and got a great view of everything around us. We visited the Nabi Samwill synagogue (right) dedicated to the Prophet Samuel. Underneath the synagogue was his supposed tomb and there were some Jewish people praying down there. I didn't stay under and gawk for too long because I didn't want to seem disrespectful. I thoroughly enjoy being able to play around in the archeological sites and try to imagine what the city must have looked like "back then".

What is to be considered the Old City portion of Jerusalem is encased in massive stone walls. Different areas and layers of the wall were built by different peoples depending on who was ruling at the time. A large part of the wall was built during the period of the Ottoman rule. There are walkways on the tops of the walls. A big big group of us got together and walked along the way. There is a north route and a south route. Walking on tops of the walls also gave you a great view of the city and helped orient you to what is West Jerusalem and what is East Jerusalem. I love walking along and just realizing how old all of these things are.


We did the south route the first day so we could have time to go listen to Br. Whipple play the bells at the YMCA tower and came back the next day. Br. Whipple is a service missionary here at the Jerusalem Center. He is here with his wife and together they are over the music for the Center. Every Sunday Br. Whipple goes to play the bells at the YMCA tower and he invited students to come listen whenever they want. The experience was so fun because #1 Br. Whipple is one the most interesting men to talk to and he always has the greatest stories. Also you can play LDS hymns and it's totally cool because nobody knows what the words are. I went to the top of the bell tower and was outside in the warm listening to 'Joseph Smith's First Prayer' be played across Jerusalem.

Another thing I have loved is learning about the other religions here. This is a sacred place for not only Christians but Jews and Muslim people as well. One friday night we went to the Western Wall a little before the sunset to celebrate welcoming the sabbath with the Jews. That was a favorite moment for me. So many things were happening at once. All the men come in singing and dancing to welcome the sabbath. The women weren't allowed to join them because in Judaism men and women worship and pray separately. The guys in our group however definitely seized the opportunity and were right up there dancing with everyone. The Orthodox Jews and pretty easy to pick out. It's a little tougher to pick out the women. Some of them wear wigs because their heads are completely shaved. They do this because they don't want any man to think of them in the wrong way. Some Jewish ladies tried to get some songs and dancing on the women's side of the Western Wall but the group was 70% BYUJC students and none of us knew the words to the songs. But hey it was fun to try. I want to try and go back and visit all of these religious sites as much as I can.

Another definite favorite was visiting the Dome of the Rock. It is at most times closed off to non-Muslims. We made sure to go at a time when we knew it would be open and have time to go around and check things out. I was so impressed by the beauty of it all. I love all of the rich colors and the unique architecture. The language I chose to study while I'm here is Arabic partly because I think the writing of it is so gorgeous. It really is art the way they can write their letters. The dome is built on Mt. Moriah which is significant to not only Islam but Judaism and Christianity as well so it is a pretty controversial issue that the Muslim people have ownership of it currently. In Christianity it's the Mt. that Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son Isaac on. Because the site is so sacred and important to so many people I felt like I had to be very aware of whatever we were doing while we were there. Our professors always make fun of the students for wanting to take 'arrogant jumping pictures'. Which.. that's always kind of a joke but they try to stress to us a lot to remember when we're at sacred places and not make fools of ourselves by taking silly pictures.

So far I have been to the Garden Tomb 4 times and my favorite was when we went with all 80 students one sabbath afternoon. (I have to get used to saying sabbath instead of just Sunday because church here is on Saturdays to coincide with the Jewish sabbath of the Israeli nation). We got a tour of the garden, a view of Golgotha and got to into the tomb as well. After everyone had been through the tour our group got together to sing some hymns. Not to brag or anything but we were pretty much the best sounding group there...no big deal. The tour guide described a lot of reasons why they believe that Golgotha and the garden are the site of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection rather than the Church of the Holy Sepluchre. You can see skull face unique to that hill, also it would have been by a main route in the Roman times which is where Romans liked to do their crucifixion so as many people could see as possible in order to be a stronger example to the citizens. Whether it is the actual site or not it's a great place to come to, read scriptures, write in my journal, just think or whatever I want to do. My favorite thing about it are the words on the door to the tomb that quote the scripture "He is not here, for He is risen." Because for me that's the real message of the whole thing and the thing to focus on.


Just some small things that I have grown to love about this Jerusalem study abroad. #1 they make us wear fanny packs and that's just funny/we totally stick out to the locals as "the mormons" #2 everyone here in the program was practically a stranger to one another and after only a couple weeks I feel comfortable calling each and everyone of them a good friend (having stellar roommates helps a lot) #3 not only do I get to see these amazing cites but I get to go back and see them again and again #4 the Professors here are so knowledgeable and have lived their whole lives studying these things and we have 3 1/2 months to absorb all we can from them #5 they blocked us from facebook #6 you get to barter #7 it may be dirty/sketchy/even hostile at times but I still love every minute.