Hezekiah's Tunnel

It all started with an abrubt phone call at seven thiry Monday morning. My roommates and I were just wandering aimlessly around the apartment, doing our morning routine of incoherent conversation and lots of laughing. The phone call was from the security desk.

Security JC:"Are you coming on the field trip?"

Me: "Yes...?"

Security JC: "Well they are leaving you right now!"

Me: "WHAT!?!"

Frantic hang up. Scream. Panic with roommates. Shove everything and anything in a bag and run out the door with an empty stomach, bed head, and a passion to go to Hezekiah's tunnel. This is officially the second time I have almost been left by the field trip bus...I am a very lucky girl.

Monday was a day I looked forward to since the beginning of this study abroad. Water, swimsuit, dark tunnel, head lamp, and lots of fun! What more could you ask for? 

Hezekiah's Tunnel was so wonderful. All the girls wore long dresses with swimsuits underneath because when we got to the tunnel we were able to strip down into bball shorts and swimsuits in order to truly and fully enjoy the water experience.

We sang loudly and boistfully throughout the tunnel. It was built in order to better distribute the water to the ever expanding City of David. It is about 1750 feet long full of knee-high deep water. I love how this tunnel illustrates the history coorelated both between my Old Testament class and my Ancient Near Eastern studies class about the archeological sites and biblical history.

I loved it, I loved it, I loved it!

 Victoria and I at the pool where Christ healed the blind man in the New Testament located after the tunnel.

 Here we are learning about an ancient home built against the outer walls of the city.

 Entering the beloved Hezekiah's Tunnel.

 Jess and I inside the tunnel with our darling headlamps.

 A little mosh pit inside the tunnel. It was so crowded with people I love.

Emerging from the tunnel a little wet, a little cold, and mostly full of pure bliss.

Livin the Dream

It completely boggles my mind to think we are half way done with this glorious experience. I can't even fathom how fast time flies over here...I have been thinking the hours must be shorter in Jerusalem than back home but there is simply no evidence to prove such a thing. The days are so long but the weeks just fly by....I am enjoying every second of it.
I am completely out of the loop when it comes to the outside world. I have removed myself from the Provo bubble and have now entered the JC bubble. However, the one word that I have heard coming from Provo starts with a J and ends with an I-M-M-E-R. He is a legend both at BYU and Israel. I am currently in a classroom with fifty other students, overlooking the Old City, watching BYU play San Diego State University. It is literally the same environment just a few thousand miles away from our dear old P-Town. Sky, my roommate, pulled out her little trumpet and began playing the BYU fight song….haha it brought back pure memories of BYU. I LOVE IT HERE!!!
Blogging has been a difficult endeavor. I know I have been slacking a bit. Work load is heavy. Spontaneity is overflowing. Therefore time is simply vanishing before my eyes. Sorry family. Thank you for being patient with me.
Here is my life this past week in a nutshell. Right now I study. Run on a good day. Laugh. Visit the city. Talk to Natives. Eat random fruits and seasonings. Old Testament. Laugh even louder. Play with the YW. Journal. Think of sleep then quickly avoid such a thought. Eat. Crave Chocolate. Organize pictures. Break out into random song and dance. Take more pictures. Bond with my JC peeps. Do the weekly laundry (only when it comes to drastic measures….the swimsuit). Start a movie but get distracted during the credits. Did I mention laugh? Run eight flights of stairs 20 times a day. Call the Fam. Entertain the idea of academic productivity in the day light but realize how silly it is and start the hw around midnight. Roommate makeover party (we finally realized we don’t need to be as creative with the three outfits we brought when we borrow each others’ clothes).Predict/sympathize with the JCC (Jerusalem Center Crushes).Send a few emails. Get the news my little sis got into BYU (YA GIRL!!! BYU just won’t know what to do with three Jackson girls down there in the Fall). Do a little Jillian Michaels workout video in the gym with thirty other girls (estrogen?). Run around like a hooligan at the service project to make hygiene kits which always eventually turns into a large JC mosh pit. Baby watch in the post office (seriously this is the best place to find hundreds of darling babies all in one location). Lastly, look out to the beautiful land I call home.

I am simply living the dream. I simply cannot express my love and joy in words. We are going to the Holocaust Museum on Monday and I am anticipating this moving experience. I will keep you all updated on the many adventures of the JC. However, I have loved following other friends’ blogs and receiving random updating emails. I am glad life is moving just as quickly everywhere else in the world as it is here.

My Temporary Home

These are just a few random shots of us roamin the Old City and attending activities held in the JC. Although I love the planned field trips and scheduled activites, some of my favorite moments have been simply relaxing and venturing around Jerusalem. I love the freedom and the peace I feel when wandering aimlessly around the small side streets of the Old City without a care in the world. It is fun to get lost and explore. There is so much to see and so little time. We (the students) try to take advantage of every moment and opportunity available to us. The Old City is never a waste of time because there is always something to be learned around every corner. These are just a few of the many adventures within the walls of this historical city we now call home:

Cats, cats, oh ya more cats. We all made friends with this little guy. What a little charmer he was.

Just chillin in the Old City! Sprite never tasted so good.

These are two of my favorite boys outside Orson Hyde Memorial Garden. Oh how they make me laugh...

With all the hustle and bustle it is often nice to stop and smell the roses. The flowers are beginning to bloom and it is BEAUTIFUL!

This is the Shuk or market place. The colors are fabulous. The people are friendly. The food is great.

For young womens this week I taught about eternal families. Our motto: "Find the right Hubba and make him last."

Arab Night.

We learned about the Call to Prayer, ate traditional Arabic food, and learned an Arabic dance which eventually turned into a crazy mosh pit...oh silly Americans.

This is our Arabic teacher, Ayman. He is honestly the most hysterical man alive I am convinced.

 I really struggle learning the material because I am too distracted by his crazy facials and quick tendency to pop (or should I say demolish) any "space bubbles" anyone may have had.

I love being here with Rach, my best friend.

Many times we need to take breaks from all the walking. This is a common sight by the time lunch rolls around.

Enjoying the Western Wall.

Our relationship in a nut shell. Haha I love these girls...and Brock.

Love in the Old City

Service, service, and more service. Before I left on this wonderful study abroad they assigned me to be chair for the humanitarian committee. Therefore this week has been crazy!!! I love my life. It has been nothing short of wonderful and all of the students here are very excited and willing to participate. My life has currently been consumed with trying to establish the most effective humanitarian projects for the JC. It has been a great experience and I am grateful to have been given this opportunity to work so closely with the Bentleys, the service couple, to find ways to better serve the students and the community of Israel.

This past week, the Bentleys took two other students and I to Princess Bosma. This is a hospital/school for children with disabilities in need of rehabilitation. The outside of the building was nothing short of a dump. Honestly it looked like we were entering a cinderblock prison. However, once we stepped into the building it was a dream come true. I could feel my temperature rise with excitement as I saw many children running, wheeling, and skipping throughout the hallways. One of my favorite parts of the inside were the mural covered walls. Most of the murals happened to be done by previous BYU students in previous semesters. Our task at this building is to paint a mural of our own on their cafeteria wall. Not only do I love service and children but I am passionate about art. This is the perfect humanitarian activity EVER! We scoped out the building and picked one of the three walls we were given permission to paint. I liked the wall in the cafeteria the best because of the location and size. While we were taking measurements of the wall I began talking to a woman eating with her little son. She told me she was staying in the center for 21 days in order to help her little boy (precious beyond reason) heal his little leg. At times the parents are required to stay with their children in the center for the purpose of learning ways to aid their children. The mother went with her son to his different classes to learn how to walk again. I was amazed by her diligence and willingness to sacrifice much of her time to be with her darling child. My excitement and passion for this project increased dramatically as I talked and associated with the many people inside the building. After we toured the building, we went downstairs to meet the children. Oh how I loved it. These little Arab children are outgoing and very welcoming to strangers. They were learning English and therefore would scream random phrases like, "HELLO" or "HOW ARE YOU?" Many of the littlest chidren (4-5 years of age) liked to shake hands and high five. So cute! I wanted to stay there all day. Bless these little children and the wonderful teachers who encourage them to get better. From disabilities such as hearing impairments to mental disabilities-these little children spend much of their time healing and learning. I am so excited about this project. A group of students and I brainstormed sketches to put on this wall a few days ago. We will eventually get to drawing and painting the wall next week.

Today we journeyed on another activity the humanitarian committee created. The Bentleys are so wonderful and have all these wonderful activities to get us students out into the city to interact with the people. A group of eight students, the Bentleys, and I went to the Elderly Supportive Community Service Society. It is a small building within the Christina Quarter of the Old City. We entered at the Jaffa Gate and wandered around the busy streets until we came to the entrance of what appeared to be the same building of the many thousands of shops wer passed by along the way. Raja, the charitable man in charge of this charity, came out to meet us at the door. We went into the building and up the stairs to his living room. He sat us down and talked to us about the city and his charitable organization. It is independent of any religion, therefore the services are open to anyone of any denomination. He talked about the poor treatment of those with mental disabilities. “They are not crazy, they are simple.” He talked about the love he had for each individual. This man radiated purity and kindness. “We don’t need any more preachers, we have enough, but rather we need service.” He talked about the need for action rather than words. This man, whom we later learned came from a difficult past with drug addictions and associations, changed his life around (found Jesus as he said) and dedicated his life to blessing others. I felt so much love for him as he was talking about the people this service society blesses. He took us around to two families. One in which spoke English very well. They were very appreciative of our visit. The woman had prominent dimples with dark crow feet wrinkles (smile wrinkles as I like to call them) around her eyes. She was aged and spent 80 years within the Old City raising her children. Her husband recently passed away last year and therefore her son came back to live with her. He works for National Geographic and made an award winning documentary called “The Last Supper.” They were so nice to us and I just loved being with them so much. We sang a few hymns and asked a few questions, then moved on to the next house. Along the way to our journey fot the next woman, we stopped into a man’s house in whom recently recovered from a stroke a few years ago. Raja was so kind and gentle with him. All of the people we met just loved him. He was so nice to his man in a wheelchair who was previously smoking from a pipe when we entered. Raja pattted the man on the head and gave him a huge hug then quickly took the pipe from his mouth. Haha the man was a little distraught. I knew how good a man Raja was simply by the way these wonderful people looked at him. A few doors down we entered a small, aged woman dressed in a pink nightgown. Her house was a one room home. Her bedroom, which acted ast he living room during the day time, connected directly with the kitchen. She reminded me of the old witch on Sword and the Stone if anyone has watched that movie recently. Although we could not communicate with her directly I could tell of her spunk and love for life. She offered us a plate of chocolates which I am sure was at least a year if not two years old. We enjoyed them, for it is disrespectful not to. Then much to our surprise she again offered us cookies and pretzels because we did not get up fast enough. Raja told us, “hurry stand up, she is trying to offer you another thing.” We had to run out of her house in order to avoid her many offerings. This is a simple example of how charitable these people and the culture are. I love it!

I felt peace as I walked along the cobblestone streets. Little boys playing soccer along the cobblestone pathways, the smell of freshly baked bread, and the laundry hanging over the porches of little homes that have been there for hundreds of years is quite an incredible sight. Although they call this winter semester, the weather is perfectly sunny. I am in heaven. Meeting people within the city is definitely one of my favorite pars of this trip. These are the moments when all our classes and training regarding culture become the most apparent. I learn more in the few moments I am at someone’s house then an hour of class. I love to see how the classes directly correlate with the city. We learn about the people and then go out to see them and their culture first hand. It is so fun to meet people who live here and hear of their perspective on the land and culture. Oh to be in the land of Israel!

 This is the cafeteria wall we are venturing to paint.

 One of the many incredible murals.

 This wall is the semester of Daniel Wade I believe.

 Color, color, and more color.

 Children in the classroom.

 Haha devious little guy. They are all so cute!

 This is the crew. The Bentleys on the right, Sister Judd in the middle and there is Greg and Kate on the outside.

 Chattin with the children.

 It was so funny to me how the kids always wanted to shake your hand or give a high five. Compared with the children in the city, these little kids were much more friendly and outgoing. They loved the attention.

 Ha the flirt of the class for sure. I waved to him and he giggled and waved his little, stubby fingers back. Can you say DARLING?

 Here we all are in this woman's one room house. A little crowded but all full of love.

 This woman had a larger home with one of the only pianos in the old city. She was so kind and I can't wait to go back to visit her.

The gang on the bus.



I AM TWENTY!!!!

It is a little late I know but I have been twenty for three days now. It feels great!!! Honestly the 9th was one of the best days thus far. Oh thanks Mom for sending Rach and I the package of letters and goodness. We opened it yesterday and loved it! I am excited to be twenty. I can't believe the day has actually come. I am no longer a teenager which is so weird to think about. Adulthood is on the horizon and I still feel so young. Although its just another year, there is something different about saying I am 20. I am excited to get past those, "ha your 19 looks" I often received at BYU (especially by those I dated). 20 20 20!!

Twenty Lessons I have learned the past year:

1. My parents really do know best!

2. I love who I am and no one can tell me otherwise.

3. Running soothes the soul! Can you say endorphins?

4. There is nothing like a good pair of jeans.

5. Carbs are where its at-yum!

6.Laughter is the best medicine (the louder the better)!

7. "Seize the day!"

8. Don't stress over things I don't have control over (wasted energy)!

9. Service is the key to true happiness.

10. Brunettes do have fun (almost as much as blondes:)

11. All babies are cute!

12. Stamps can be quite expensive.  

13. Change is constant-embrace it!

14. I LOVE TO LEARN-education is power!

15. "Austin Aimes is a worthy opponent."

16. My family is rock solid!

17. Don't let fear keep you from "botching!"

18. Don't be afraid to love.

19. Live for myself!

20. JERUSALEM IS AWESOME!

I woke up with no expectations...little did I know...

This is Aladdin. We go to him to exchange American money for shekels. He is a darling, old man. I like him SO much. He seems to have created a special bond with Rach and I these few short weeks we have been here. His face lights up when we go to the counter and he says "TWINS!"  When he found out it was our birthday he sang and cheered for the large crowd waiting to exchange money and then suggested we hold lots of money...

no complaints from me.

Anyone who has been to Jerusalem knows who this proud, shining face is...OMAR! We finally took a trip to his place on our birthday. Omar is a very passionate person especially when it comes to wood and Mormons. He sells wood carvings to thousands of people year round (especially BYU students). His wood carvings are absolutely beautiful. Talented is an understatement. He treats every individual wood carving as one of his babies. I love to see people doing what they love. Go OMAR! 

Mint Lemonade. My darling roommates and Rachel's wonderful roommates treated Rach and I to a meal in the Old City. It was just a group of us girls wandering around, laughing, talking and doing what we love-eating!

Yummy Pizza. I have never been so excited to eat pizza. One thing that I struggled with at first was adjusting to the food. The seasonings and overall taste is very unique. Don't get me wrong the food is great. Every meal in the Oasis (JC Cafeteria) is beautifully prepared. Every student here loved it from the start with the exception of Rach and I:) However, I am loving it more and more each day. Though I cannot tell you the joy I felt when my friends told me we were going to get a slice of pizza.

Jess (Rachel's roommate) and my good friend. She was one of the masterminds of this brilliant plan.

The Gang in all their glory. I love these girls so much. We played catch-phrase and ate gummies/chocolate outside the Austrian Hospice. What more could we ask for? I am so blessed to have such great friends. They also gave Rach and I a pair of earrings and a new adapter for my computer because I lost mine somewhere in this black hole we call the JC.

After dinner I did a little more studying because my day happened to fall on midterms. Rach and I were studying with a group of students when I heard "happy birthday" coming from what I thought a small army. Then before our eyes, 40 students piled into this room with two cakes singing to Rach and I. I couldn't believe my eyes. It seems as though there is a birthday every other day here in the JC but never has anyone gone to such great measures to make one so wonderful. We are blessed. I was so happy and I honestly don't deserve such attention and love but I am grateful. In that moment I just felt loved.To preface this, Rach and I got sung to at least twelve times each meal plus a message by Mallory. Earlier brother Muhlestein and his darling family made Rach and I muffins and sang to us in their apartment. They have the most beautiful little girl named sabrina. She has blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes and has labeled us as "her twins." Haha she makes me laugh. I thought being a twin was fun but being a triplet is a party in a half. Man are birthdays great over in Jerusalem. I went through withdrawals on the 10th because of all the attention one gets here on their birthday.

This was the sky the night of the 9th. I just thought it was beautiful.

There is a Green Hill Nearby...

Who said deserts had to be dry? This place is far from what I expected. I predicted brown, brown and maybe yellow if we were lucky. No it is green, lush and beautiful over here. A few days ago while we were wandering around the city visiting the upper room and attempting to attend mass, we traveled over to West J to an artist colony. Honestly I was in heaven. It was gorgeous. Cobbled streets with flowers of all colors hanging over railings and out of windows. Everything but dry and depressing. Winter is the best semester to come I am convinced. We were wandering around laughing, eating, feeding the birds-it was just one of those relaxing days I thoroughly enjoy. This place is beatiful. We then wandered toward the Citadel of David and learned more about the history of Jerusalem. It is gorgeous both the architecture and history. It still boggles my little mind to learn about the history of Israel and actually correlate it with the specific site. 
  To contribute to the beauty of this land we went on a field trip to different tels in Shephelah. We went to Gath (where Goliath) grew up as well as the predicted site of the battle of David and Goliath-so fun! We also ventured to caves and other tels to get a better perspective on the land and the many sites found in the Old Testament (such as Sampson's journey as well as the many locations of the arc of the covenant). I am loving life more and more.

 BLISS

 JOY

 LOVE

 I could barely contain myself. I was so happy to see such a beautiful place. I want to live somewhere like this. I thought beauty like this could only be seen in movies and dreams..oh how I was wrong.

 B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

 Jerusalem has the most breathtaking doors. I could (probably should) do an entire album solely on the doors here in the Old City. Every entrance to any building and garden is absolutely exquisite.

 Tel Tsafit National Park

 We hiked to the top of this tel to see an archeological site. Professor Chadwick, who is my ancient near eastern studies teacher, explained how he dates the pottery and random structures found on these sites. If there is anyone more passionate about archeology than Professor Chadwick I would definitely love to meet them because I don't think its possible.

Here is my little gettup when we take field trips: a camelbak, headset, scriptures, and notes. And many times we rock the fanny! Trendy I think so!

Tombs. A litte dusty if you ask me. These girls are my roommates! Victoria, Keri, and Skyler is on my right.

 Emerging from the dusty tombs.

 Bell Caves. This place is beautiful and I am sorry I don't have a better picture. We sang hymns inside this glorious place. The acoustics were amazing!!! LOVE! We sing all the time (understatement) especially when we travel to beautiful places like this.

This is a great picture of a Tel (we have seen many tels since I have been here and have many on the horizon I am sure).

 

It began to rain while we were learning about this Tel. Best moment ever. There was a rainbow (not quite a double) that only contributed to the gloriousness of this experience.

Haha one of the best moments of this field trip was when we went to the site (or near it) where they claim David killed Goliath. It was so fun and quite hysterical. Our class reenacted the story. The biggest boy, Lorence, vs the smallest boy Spencer (celine dion boy). I was part of the Philistine crew. Ya girl! 

  

This is my first attempt at throwing a stone like David. If Goliath were 5 ft smaller and 50 yards away I would definitely have him beat (no accuracy whatsoever). I am so grateful to be learning about these wonderful examples in the Old Testament  like David. He took only five stones with him to kill Goliath. Confidence is something David did not lack. One should not fear if they have the Lord on their side. This is a perfect example of  the principle-whom the Lord calls, he qualifies. Goliath was definitely the underdog because David was always going to win.