Best Bananas in the World

Heveinu Shalom Alacheim!  I had my first Hebrew language class Tuesday, so I’m now on my way to ordering a bagel in West Jerusalem.  Because, unquestionably, learning to do that is my first priority.  Is bagel a Hebrew word?  I’ll give you all updates as this project develops.  I really do love being mistaken for a native Israeli, but it’s hard when I travel with my fanny pack-wearing peers.  Might as well just throw on their Hawaiian shirts and socks with sandals while they’re at it!  Stupid Americans (said with a French accent, or else it doesn't count)!

We watched the first Indiana Jones movie last week.  Special effects from the 80’s + Harrison Ford’s hairy chest + some seriously bad writing = my kind of Friday night!  The man has some serious whip skills and when there’s a whip, there’s a way! (for those of you who haven’t watched the animated version of The Hobbit, get on that.  Most critics wouldn't call it a "classic," but I have to disagree.)

Lizzi & me at the DOME

Sunday, we visited the Dome of the Rock for the first time.  It's open from 7:30-10:30 A.M., so we were only there for about 45 minutes.  You can bet it that was enough time for about 200 jumping pictures- aka my worst nightmare since I am always that one person with an ill-timed jump.  I can't wait to go back multiple times because it's beautiful.  And, there's more than just the actual mosque itself- there are gardens and other beautiful buildings in the enclosure.

Following some shopping, we went on a walk around the ramparts of the Old City.  The first 20 minutes were cool, but there's a limit to how long one can reenact fight scenes/pretend to duel (hint: it's more than 2 minutes and less than 4). After the rampart walk, we headed over to West Jerusalem.  Somehow, we got sidetracked and ended up staying in the Jewish Quarter for a few hours.  The fact that it's a meeting place for the army may have been a factor.  Another reason I need to learn  Hebrew- there are some fiiiiine Israeli soldiers here.  I'm sure I'll learn a lot of Hebrew in a 100 level language class.  At least enough things to say on a first date (fingers crossed)!

Back when we liked the ramparts

Hey, look! It's the JC (Jerusalem Center)!

Monday, we visited the Negev, aka the southern part of Israel.  The majority of the year, it is hot and dry.  Lucky for us, there is some greenery in the winter since it is the rainy season.  Of course, by green, I mean I spotted a grand total of 3 weeds.  (Speaking of weed, a Palestinian vendor tried to convince us that parsley was “mariguana.”  Psh yeah, right- I’ve seen [trailers for] Pineapple Express!)  The sad thing is that already all of the excavated ruins are starting to look the same, like the European cathedral effect.  It’s all just a sea of sand and exposed bricks and who even knows what’s real anymore and where even am I and have I really eaten 100 pitas since being here?

Ahh, Bikini Bottom the Negev

We actually stopped at some great sites in the Negev, like a Bedouin weaving center.  They gave us hot tea and we sat under a shady tent passing around the (nonexistent) hookah pipe... now THAT would be a story to write home about.

Our second stop was at Beersheba.  Sure, Abraham lived there, but more importantly, we got to wear hard hats.  I don't mean to sound conceited, but highlighter yellow and my pasty white skin is a match made in heaven.  We wore the hard hats to walk through an abandoned underground water system.  Can you imagine drinking out of an enclosed water system that collects water infrequently?  And I thought I would die without my Brita water filter! (Insert “Princess Tess” comments here.)

Into the depths of Beersheba's water system

Ruins at Beersheba



Tel Arad- a major fortress and small Israelite temple have been excavated here

The other night I finally played in a volleyball game.  I did my best to “pretend” that I was really unfamiliar with the game.  I asked one teammate what “setting the ball” meant.  He then volunteered to be on the other team.  Maybe he was upset that I'm more into coming up with team cheers than winning?   GO TEAM PITA!!!!

One more sports story- I was shooting hoops the other night (no, that is not a typo.  This one time in 5th grade someone told me he wasn't the worst athlete he'd ever seen, and I’ve been riding that wave of confidence ever since.), and a boy gave me tips on how to shoot better.  Thanks so much- unsolicited advice is my favorite!  Good thing he coached me, since I'm really working hard to make it to the WNBA.  In fact, I just found out you don't shoot the ball with both hands, so I'd say I'm practically there!

Yesterday, we went to different sites near Jericho.  We saw the tower in Jericho (from 9000 BC), the Spring of Elisha, the Mount of Temptation, and the road where Jesus walked from Jericho to Jerusalem.  Jericho is the lowest city (and possibly oldest) in the world!  When our teacher asked which superlatives Jericho is known for, somebody said it has the best bananas in the world.  Yeah, that's definitely not true and my teacher had never heard that.  But now, I'll always associate Jericho with the best bananas in the world!  While there, we sang “Under the Sea” (in four-part harmony, natch) and saw the excavated Tower of Jericho from 9000 B.C.

"Joshua fought the battle of Jericho"

That's how you play a trumpet, right?

Elisha’s Spring came next.  Unlike many of the other Bible sites that are only rumored to be the real sites, Elisha’s Spring is the real deal.  Less cool than it sounds, though.  People frantically snapped pictures of the few drops of water that came out of the spring.

Later, we stopped at Herod’s Palace.  You can’t go to the actual site, so we stood on an higher and extremely windy hill- pretty sure rat's could've live in my hair afterward- to look at the site further away.

Ze palace

The place where Jesus walked from Jericho to Jerusalem is called Wadi Qelt.  It is a huge canyon that houses a few Bedouin encampments and the St. George Cathedral.  It is also most likely the road where the story of the Good Samaritan occurred and where Jesus was tempted after his 40 days of fasting.  We reenacted the story of the Good Samaritan and I was the star- that’s the lawyer, right?  From Wadi Qelt we could see both Jericho and Jerusalem.  It may be my favorite site we have visited.

Wadi Qelt

Those two towers in the distance are Jerusalem!

Pretending to walk from Jericho to Jerusalem...posers

 I realize my updates are few and far between, so I am reluctant to share some bittersweet news.  We’re going to Jordan (!) Monday through Thursday of next week, and I don’t think I’ll have access to Wifi.  So, you can keep checking the bloggy blog, but I make no promises to post until a week from now.  I’ll return with an abundance of pictures and wonderful stories (Petra and Amman and Jerash, oh my)!

Shabbat Shalom!

You're a Strange Bunch But We Love You

Warning: I am now 20 years old so I'm like so totally mature and my jokes may be too sophisticated for you and I am allowed to eat candy for every meal.  

Happy birthday to me! At this moment my legs are super sore and I'm eating Cookies and Cream eggs (yes, they're a thing.  Jerusalem does our chocolate better than we do), so I would call my day pretty successful.  I also haven't been this popular since fifth grade- everyone knows my name and sings me songs and shares their cookies at lunch.  Yeah, I peaked in elementary school.  It's cool.

Monday, we went to places with different views of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.  Among others, we visited the Bethlehem Overlook and a site commemorating the presence of an ancient aqueduct.  We also sang four-part unaccompanied harmony in the Auguste Victoria church.  We love to sing everywhere we go.  71 out of 82 students are in the ward choir, but I decided to opt out of that.  Every choir needs an audience, right?  I pretend not to see the glares from the choir conductor as I sink lower in my seat.  The best part about going to so many overlooks is that I am familiarizing myself with many of the buildings in Jerusalem.  I can always tell you where the Dome of the Rock is! 

RIP, aqueduct

Auguste Victoria Church

I'm convinced that everyone here has buns of steel because the hills are STEEP.  Before coming here, they said we should be able to hike the Y (aka walk straight up a mountain) twice.  I walked the treadmill at .00001% incline for 20 minutes once last semester, but somehow I am struggling to keep up.

Trekkin'

Bethlehem Overlook

I could've sworn today was only my third time going into the Old City, but then how

have I already eaten ten pieces of baklava?  Well, that's an exaggeration, but I would definitely win a baklava-eating contest hands down.  Did I mention I like baklava?  Okay, I'm done now.  Wait...baklava.  Another food I recommend is shwarma.  French fries + pita bread + mystery meat + tahini sauce.  Need I say more?  We went to a place recommended to us by Ali Baba.  He has created BYU Jerusalem T-shirts and sweatshirts for decades now.  In fact, Center students are well-acquainted with many of the shop-keepers.  They like to poke fun at us by saying "Awesome!" and "Oh my heck!"  How could they not eagerly await each a new group of naive students' arrival?  As one vendor put it, "You're a strange bunch, but we love you."

Notice I am the only one who is actually eating...priorities

Today we explored the Old City's many quarters (Muslim, Jewish, and Christian), then made our way over to West Jerusalem.  On the way, I had to stop for some cereal- we have to eat breakfast by 7:15 on Monday and ain't nobody got time for that!  It's fun being mistaken for locals in West Jerusalem (the Israeli side), while having either "Mormon," "BYU," or "American," yelled at us in the Old City.  Those matching blue backpacks are hard to miss in a crowd.  As are the Center-issued fanny packs.  Just because I wear men's Old Navy pants, does not mean I will ever wear a fanny pack.  Is there ever REALLY an excuse to sport a fanny pack?  They may take my short-zippered, fitted pants, but they will not take my dignity!

Little chocolate clouds of heaven in cereal form

I've got shekels in my pocket and I'm ready to conquer the city! My days in the Jerusalem Center are jam-packed but very exciting.  Believe it or not, the "studying" thing is actually real, so I have to make time for that in-between looking at cat memes and brushing my hair (I have loads of free time now that I can't access Netflix).  Actually, they keep us busy between our classes and field trips.  And I've spent our last two free periods of time exploring this beautiful city! Tomorrow is another day of classes and free time, as well as a party for all of the January birthdays.  Here's hoping that I'm the only one born in this month! 

Never Touch a Middle Eastern Cat

This is it, the waiting is over! That applies to my loyal readers (hey, Mom!) and to myself.  Because I made it to the Holy Land!  We have yet to leave the Jerusalem Center, since our first field trip was postponed due to snow.  "It's a hot and dry desert," they told me.  "Don't bring any warm clothes," they said.  Don't worry, this diva (barely) survived the freezing temps.  Actually, my favorite moment thus far has been looking out at the snow-covered city as mosques broadcasted the Call to Prayer.   The Center is located on the top of a hill, the perfect vantage point of the city below.  

Seatmates from SLC to JFK- Janessa and Montana

Our first view of the Dome of the Rock from the bus

So far, it feels like all we have done is eat.  The cafeteria serves a variety of American and Arabic foods- is rice pudding for breakfast a thing?  Three different administrators told us to workout and eat less.  Where's the fun in that?  I was hoping after a few months we could all break through cutouts of our former skinny selves, like a reversed The Biggest Loser finale.  Another piece of advice we received is reflected in the title.  Wild cats here carry fleas, are mangy, may have rabies (okay I made that up for dramatic effect), and can be pretty gross.  It'll be hard for me not to pet them, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.  

You can't tell but it's snowing really hard!

All of us are going pretty stir-crazy since we have yet to leave the center.  Some people are resorting to things like playing volleyball. Weird... I've met a lot of cool people, but I am excited to get past the "major" and "hometown" questions.  Whenever I meet a (South)East Coaster, I know I've found a life-long friend.  I've met one so far, which means I've officially hit my friend quota!  My favorite interactions have been when people mistake my sarcasm for sincerity.  Seriously though, I'm pretty sure I miss my cat just as much as you miss your fiance!

Our view of the "armpit of Jerusalem"- aka no Dome in sight

The last thing I want to say is how grateful I am to everyone who helped me get ready for this trip on such short notice.  It was definitely not ideal timing, but thank you for supporting me without hesitation.  It was a stressful few days, but I'm here now! 

Tomorrow, we have church and then we're off to visit the Garden Tomb!

 ,כל טוב

Tess

Whoa what!

JERUSALEM: THE CENTER OF THE WORLD

At 2:30 on Friday afternoon I was walking running on the treadmill (level 10.0 like always NBD), when I got a call from Provo. Totally out of breath from my intense workout, I took the call--from the Jerusalem Center program director. I was off the waiting list, four days before departure! Great! Obviously there was no way I was going to leave the country in four days with no notice at all, but great!

And yet...here we are. Some might call me "crazy" and "unprepared" and "completely ridiculous for thinking I could go to the Middle East at the drop of a hat." I prefer..."adventurous."

I knew when I got the call (and when I checked this week's low temperatures in Provo) that I wanted to go to Jerusalem. So, I figured I can definitely get a semester abroad together in a single weekend.

Now I have about 36 hours to throw some scarves, maxi skirts, and men's slim-fit khakis in a suitcase, tie it together with the sincere hope that Israeli toiletries are up to snuff, pack up my entire apartment in Provo, attend my first and only informational meeting, and hightail it off to the Holy Land. Amazing adventures to come. Shalom!