Living at the JC. (Pictures!!)

Ok. I haven't been as faithful of an updater...but you have got a lengthy post ahead of you...but it's filled with the rundown of my life, my adventures...and maybe a special guest appearance by Sis. Beck. Oh! And LOTS OF PICTURES!! So, stay tuned!! :)

Basically...I love it! Yep. I guess that's all you want to know. Right? Ok fine. I'll tell more. Maybe I'll just split everything into categories. Yep. That will work.


The Jerusalem Center (JC):

Living in the JC is a funny thing. You get put with 79 other people (there are 59 girls and 21 guys) that you don't know, but then you are eating with them, sleeping with them (ok, that sounds weird...but you get what I mean), going to classes with them, going to church with them, studying with them, exploring with them...you do everything together and are with each other all the time! That's why it seems like you have been with people for more than a week! Thankfully there are places to go and different people to be around, so you don't get sick of each other...but it's just a funny concept.

It's also funny that all of this gets done in the same building. The 8th floor is where the library and where we go to church. 6th floor is the gym, cafeteria, lounge, and classes. 4th and 3rd floors are where we live. 2nd floor is the laundry room. You get the idea. It's just funny that all of our needs can be fulfilled in the same building...but with lots of stairs.

Yet another funny concept...is the fact that you live with you teachers. Ok, not all of them...but some of them. Our Old Testament teachers (there are 2 of them) and our Ancient Near Eastern Studies teachers are from BYU and have been here since August, and we are their last semester. Our other teachers are from the area. But you see your teachers walking around the building, you see them working out, you go on field trips with them, sometimes they eat in the cafeteria, they are in your ward, and in your bishopric. You hang out with their kids! (Their families live here with them...they have bigger apartments with kitchens and everything. Their kids go to the international school, which none of them love. But the kids love hanging out with us!) It's funny interacting so closely with your teachers.

Classes are interesting...but they are kind of intense. They are definitely not easy. Lots of reading. Right now it is hard to find the right balance of going into the city and studying. And even when you think you can do both...you come back from exploring and cannot keep your eyes open to do the reading...and there is A LOT of reading. Not my strong point. I'm kind of a slow reader and my mind likes to wander.

We are in a branch. The branch consists of everyone living in the JC (well, except the none LDS workers), a girl studying at Hebrew University, and other members that are living in Jerusalem for jobs (like, working for the U.S. Government). We aren't allowed to Proselyte, so everyone is from somewhere else. Today I got a calling, I am not a Compassionate Service Committee Member! Woot! Their is a Compassionate Service Leader and Assistant Leader...and basically I am the only Committee Member. It made me laugh. It will be great though.

It's fun! We are a little family here! You can definitely see how you come to love everyone so much! It's not a normal living situation.


The City:

The Old City is great. You've got your Muslims, Christians, and Jews. All with their own living quarters within the Old City. The Old City is so cool to me, because there are stones and buildings that have been there so long! You are walking they streets are some stones that are said to date back to the time of Christ. Ya. Crazy.

Mostly, you've got your shop keepers. Who all know that you are Mormon. At first it caught us off guard that they would just calls us out as the Mormons, trying to get us to go to their shops. "Mormons, this is where Jesus had his first Pizza." (that was a personal favorite). But then I realized that we are pretty distinguishable. We aren't in big tour groups. We are modest, with long skirts and pants. We are generally groups of girls. We are young and exploring on our own. I get it now.

The Shop keepers love the Mormons. They often give us deals. One shop keep told us that we could go in the back and look at his necklaces, because he trusts Mormons. One girl in my group said that she didn't have money with her, and he told her that she could take it now and come back and pay. Man, that's a lot of trust. But, he also knows where we live and that we will be here for a while.

The men and boys love making comments. Some creepy and some just funny. Yesterday when I was getting money from the Aladdins...he said that we were Mormon. Then he asked the other guy, "How do we know that they are Mormon?" and the other guy said, "Because they are beautiful." hahaha. Those were pretty harmless. Some men try to ask your name and have you meet them in the Old City...ya...creepy. Or just as you pass they will say, "beautiful woman!" So forward. hahaha. It's entertaining...well...until they stop and start talking to you and ask you your name and everything. One time I turned into Rebecca...but you would too if some man was asking you to meet him in the Old City.

I realized that I want to buy way too many things. I want the leather sandals, the leather scripture case, the BYU Jerusalem shirts and sweatshirts, the scarves, the bags, the jewelry. Ya. Most of it I will actually use and wear. None of that tourist snow globe action...I want the good stuff. Right now we scope it out, ask around, see what are the cheapest prices. A lot of the shop keepers have the same stuff...so you hate to buy something and find the same thing cheaper at another store.

West Jerusalem is so different than East Jerusalem. West Jerusalem is quite bit nicer. The stores are real stores and you just pay the prices they give, instead of trying to get them to reduce their prices. It's more open, and cleaner. East Jerusalem is more compact, and more like a market...less like real shops. East Jerusalem is mostly Arabic. West Jerusalem seems to be mostly Hebrew. There is a difference, and you see it right away.


My Adventures:

What have I done? Well, a lot of the fun has just been exploring the city. There is so much culture and everywhere you turn there are places to see. It blows my mind that this city has gone through so much! The United States' history is only a couple hundred years old...but this is much different. This is a place that we read about in our scriptures. Abraham, Lehi...Jesus Christ. They were here!! They walked in the places that we are walking. That's crazy!

Friday we mostly explored the city for a little bit. It was our first day out on our own, so we just looked around. Everything closes pretty early on Friday in preparation for the Sabbath.

Saturday (the Sabbath), we had church, took a nap (I am seriously always tired), and after church a group of us went to the Orson Hyde Memorial Park, where Orson Hyde dedicated the Holy Land. We mostly just wanted to get out, but it was cool. It's the only real Mormon site in Jerusalem.

Sunday we have free day. I went with a group that did the Rampart's Walk, where you get to walk on the top of the wall of the Old City. Apparently we could have gone around the whole city, but we didn't realize that and just did a little bit of it. I really enjoyed it. Then we headed to West Jerusalem, went to a food market and ate our sack lunches. We headed towards the Dome of the Rock, and the line was way long to get in the Temple Mount...but we did go up to the Western Wall, which was neat experience.

Monday we had a field trip that was called "Jerusalem Overlook" which was pretty much what it sounds like. We went to various locations and looked over Jerusalem. Most of the locations had significance. We went the August Victoria Church where some people believe Christ ascended into Heaven. We went to a place that honors Samuel. We went to a spot that we saw into Bethlehem. We looked out into the city from the Mount of Olives and were pointed to the possibly path Christ walked after atoning for our sins and being betrayed. It was fun. I took pictures, but all the views pretty much look the same.

(I like this picture of everyone taking pictures. The sky was kind of muggy, so not the best look out pictures. But they are all taking pictures of Bethlehem, which is cool.)

Tuesday we didn't have much time to go exploring because of our class schedule. But we got a small group and went out for a few hours (granted it takes about a half an hour to get into the city and a half an hour to get back). We went to see the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and just explored for a bit. It felt way too short and we were kind of rushed, but it was still nice to get out. Later that day, a group of us made a stop to the "7 to Eleven" which is just down the road from us. I think the Kinder candy will be bad news. It's too good!

Wednesday we got out of class at 10 and those of us in Arabic, didn't have class until 4. Hello! So much time! We went and got money, because I still didn't really have money. A bunch of the past JC students have written little notes and Aladdin has put them on a wall...well, day was basically made when I found a note that my sister wrote over 3 years ago!! Love it!! Picture taken. This was possibly my favorite day. We went to Zedekiah's Cave, which is just caves under the city that Zedekiah built. I'm not really sure...but they were cool. We went and got shawerma's. First shawerma in Israel. Definitely different taste than The Broilers in Fresno. They put fries in it and not rice. But I think places do it differently. Then we shopped. This was my first day really shopping because I actually had money. When you don't have money you don't care to actually look...but I had money, so it was fun. We journeyed over to West Jerusalem and got Gelato. Delicious. I got Kinder flavor. It was a good day! (Lots of good pictures were taken...but many are on my friend's cameras).

Thursday I was a little burned out, and also a little behind in my studies...so I was disciplined and stayed in. I don't know how much studying got done though...I was seriously struggling to stay awake!

Friday I stayed in too, because I had to write a site report for the Garden Tomb before we go on a Field Trip there on Saturday. But I finished, so it was good! 

But Friday night was way cool! We went to the Western Wall as the Jewish all gather to start the Sabbath. There were so many people, and we don't normally get to go into East Jerusalem at night, so this was the only time we will get to experience it. We also weren't allowed to take pictures, normally we can, but since it was the start of the Sabbath, it was disrespectful. The Jews all gather by the Wall, the Women go in one side and the Men go on the other. The Women's side is significantly smaller than the Men's. Mostly they enter and read the Bible in Hebrew, some are quietly crying, and some are singing and dancing in celebration of the Sabbath coming. 

We went up and touched the wall and tried to join in some of the celebrations. There was an LDS tour group there, and guess who was in their group...Sis. Beck! So...I gave Sis. Beck a hug at the Western Wall. So cool! Right? It was actually kind of funny because we were at the Western Wall, but as soon as we started seeing Sis. Beck...we all go so excited to see her and meet her. I love that lady! She is such a powerhouse woman! 

Tonight we have a field trip to the Garden Tomb, which I'm excited about!

Tomorrow a group of us are going to the beach at Tel Aviv for the day. I'm excited about the beach!

Tomorrow I also end my days as a teenager and enter my 20's. Woot! hahaha. 

Life is good! I'm enjoying every minute of this once in a lifetime experience in the Holy Land!! :)

If you read all of that...I applaud you. That was long. 

Also...I love when people comment, because I love seeing who is actually reading this! *hint hint* 

I also love getting emails and hearing about the outside world. *hint hint*

Love and miss you all!