Unda' The Sea

Snorkeling in the Red Sea opened me to a whole new underwater world. Never knew what my life was missing all these years and now I know that it was a snorkel. Finding Nemo, here I come.

Yes, Moses did part this shiz . . . ok, OK that actually was the Reed Sea but a girl can dream.

Supposedly this is the 2nd best snorkel spot in THE WHOLE WORLD. Or so my roommate's travel book says, and I absolutely believe everything I read in a travel book.

Sailing is next on my list of 'things to discover'. Just call me Ferdinand Magellan.

If I had an underwater camera this blog would be PLASTERED with pictures of Dorys and Nemos and various marine wildlife but instead all you get are these pictures of me and friends. At least we're really good at taking pictures.

These are going in my portfolio. Call me if you need a swimsuit model and my secretary will schedule you in.

A Saturday Stroll

So we have Sabbath on Saturday. I know...it throws my whole week off. In writing this blog I had to correct my use of Sunday three times. In any case, what I meant to say is Saturday is our Sabbath but after a whole week of classes no one wants to stay in the center all day, so we usually take a little Saturday stroll to one of my two favorite places. Plus the no-lunch-on-Sabbath policy is a little extra incentive to get out and forget my ravenous stomach. Saturdays are hard for me guys.

Number one is...the garden tomb! Though this might not be anywhere near where gur Good Lord was buried it's just such a beautiful spot to sit and think about the Atonement and Resurrection.

"He is not here for he is risen" - written on the door of the tomb.

Sometimes it's good to switch it up though so my other fav haunt is the Garden of Gethsemane. The actual garden is all fenced off and tourist-y and there is this huge church right in the middle of it. Lucky for us right across the street there is a smaller gated garden perfect for small groups trying to avoid tourists.

People sometimes put prayers into the olive trees. This isn't the Western Wall, people.

So recap: Garden Tomb or Garden of Gethsemane ere' Sabbath. NBD.

My Millie

Today my (ex) roommate got herself hitched! I figure now that she's married I can finally post all the creeper phone pictures I've been dying to put up. Don't hate me Mela!


Amelia I am soooo happy for you and excited for your new life. Now that I know where you'll be living expect me to show up everyday next semester to hang out with you and hubby. It'll never get old. Promise. Love you tootsie!

Oh hey, Tel Aviv, haaaaaaay!

Sunday day trip to Tel Aviv (September 15th 2011)!

Tel Aviv is like the Miami of Israel. Super liberal and extra pruuuuutty beaches.

Look Mom! I'm doing all my homework!

Jaffa, where Jonah was eaten by a whale.

I'm happy. God is good. I miss you all!

PS If you texted me because I begged you too and then I never replied, it's because I never received it. Better just email me! Saaawy!

'Text Me! Text MEEEEE!' -Joey

Amelia please say you remember this.

I've got texting via Google. I love you Google. 1-514-315-3815.

Text me please! And include who you are ;)

Dome of...on...in(?) the Rock

Just kidding friends, I know it's Dome OF the Rock, but every time I say the name I manage to use a new preposition. 'Of' is a preposition, right? Of the box? Yep. Preposition.

Last week, in between classes, friends and I hiked up the temple mount. The Dome of the Rock has weird hours due to the six times a day the place is preoccupied with prayers. So on Sat-Thurs the temple mount is open for a couple of hours in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. In any case there are lots of special rules about the area. You have to have sleeves that come to your wrists and long skirts and there is no touching ever. Ever. Even if you are just young, heterosexual girls that want a cute picture to put on refrigerators or magnets. There is no touching.



So we walked around and took lots of kewl pictures of the al-Asqa mosque and the Dome of the Rock and ogled at the brilliant and intricate tile adorning the outside like the good tourists we are. Then we spent a good five minutes considering all the ways we could actually get inside the mosque (ie bribing the guard, befriending a muslim, playing dress up) but ultimately decided that would be a bad idea and fairly irreverent. Also, I’m not sure I want to in any case. Imma use my imagination.


There are two theories as to what the rock of the Dome of the Rock is. Supposedly it is the rock on which Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac or else where the Prophet Mohammad was taken up into heaven. The actual rock is beneath the mosque and the Jews refer to it as the creation rock meaning Adam was created. It's the site of the past and future temples because it is where heaven and earth meet.

Awkward and Awesome in Jerusalem

Awkward

• One guy and five girls incited polygamist comments frequently, "Morrrrmons? Morrrmons? Oooooh I see, one family. One famalee." Uh, no. Not those kind of Mormons.
• The 50+ shopkeeper that cornered Lauren and repeatedly asked her to dinner. You can't barter your way into a date, buddy.
• Imagining Mary prego, walking through the Judaen Wilderness. There is nothing there. It's you and a donkey and 100+ weather and Joseph. That's all. Woof.
• My Modern Near East-Palestine teacher's slights at America during lecture. You do realize we are all American, right?
• The man who sat next to me in an Israeli Jazz concert, took off his shoes, and then produced absurd rubbing noises for the remainder of the concert especially during the quiet parts. Sir, this is a classy concert, not a take-off-your-shoes-add-your-own-sound-effects concert.
• The amount of sweat I produce per day. It's in the gallons, folks.
• Turkey orientation: "...you'll be paying for your own toilet paper. Generally, for one very small square of toilet paper."
• I'm diseased. Lots of phlegm everywhere.

Awesome

• Finding Emily's and Jeanelle's notes to me in Aladin's money changing business. Love you gurls!
• I'm crushing on all my classes. How great it is that I get to spend this whole semester studying history and people of the Middle East, which I LOVE? The past few weeks have very nearly convinced me to pull a Condelizzarice Rice and switch my major from Neuroscience to Middle Eastern Studies and minor in Arabic. Then the CIA would hire me as a Middle Eastern expert until I got a gig as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ilovemymajor Ilovemymajor Ilovemymajor.
• Falafel. Nom nom nom.
• The security staff here at the Jerusalem Center. On class outings they follow us around and stop traffic and help us down steep hills and lead really hard conditioning classes twice a week. My thighs are burning.
• Roomies! I'm loving how my life always turns out better than expected. Perfect, in fact.
• TURKEY. I'm spending the next week in TURKEY.

Judaen Wilderness. Less wilderness, more desolation.

Oh hey roomies! First day of school!

Again, taken from my balcony :)

Shabot Shalom!

I'm entirely sure what that means...something nice about the Sabbath though. Like a Sabbath greeting? Here we have Saturday Sabbath and lemme tell ya, I could get used to this. It definitely bodes well for procrastination purposes.

I've been here for a little less than a week and already there is too much to say. So I'm gonna bullet point it. If I could I'd bullet all my communications.

• The Jerusalem Center is spectacular. This is the view from my window.
  
  Yes, that's the Dome of the Rock, and the Mount of Olives, and the Old City. No I will never get used to it.
• Sometimes it seems like all we do is eat all. the. time. Junior twenty here I come. I’ve had a stellar time trying out all the local cuisine but I’ve been amazed by some of my more conservative classmates. At breakfast I sat next to a guy eating French toast and pancakes. Um hello? You’re in Israel. #whatareyoudoing
• This week's highlight: Garden tomb with tour guide Pastor Atkins. Pastor Atkins is a retired Church of England pastor and just generally a beautiful man. As we toured the potential Golgotha and tomb sites he gave a wonderful sermon about it being the person, Jesus the Christ, and not the place that we celebrate. "One of the few definitions I know of heaven is coming face to face with our Lord. As we lay down our life for Him may we come face to face with Him in joy and thanksgiving." Such a lovely man.
• I was surprised by the number of people who cried out at us as we passed by and obviously knew BYU and the ‘mormons’.Today when a shopkeeper stopped us and asked if we were Mormons, new-found friend Lauren asked how he knew and he replied “the eyes, the eyes.” Isn’t that nice?