Egypt day 2:

Day 2 wasn't as exciting... but we made it to CAIRO!!!

We spent a long time on the bus, but didn't make many stops this time. We made it across the border into Egypt in record time they say.... only a little over an hour and a half. (I thought it was pretty torturous haha)

We finally made i

t to our destination in Cairo!! We stayed at a nice hotel and were able to go and see the Sound and Light show at the pyramids. It was AWESOME!! They would shine different color lights all over the pyramid as they told the story of how they were made and they would show pictures of the pharaohs etc. So awesome! I could not believe that 

I was really there, sitting in front of the pyramids!! It was gorgeous!! Especially as the sun set behind them and they were a silhouetted! Oh man!! SO AWESOME!!! 

Oh yeah... and my favorite line that we heard constantly, but that is amazing to think about is.....

"and to think that the pyramids were already 800 years old when Abraham touched them!!" 

Now chew on that one for a bit!! lol :)

EGYPT!!!!

So I have quite a bit of catchup to play, as I have spent the last 8 days in EGYPT!!! Now I can say that in the last month, I have been to Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America... CHECK!!! :) haha I'm a dork that way!!

anyways, the trip was amazing!  I have tons of stories and even more pictures, so I will definitely have to be selective in what I post, it will probably take some time, but eventually I'll have my trip properly documented :) Unfortunately almost EVERYBODY got sick, some had it worse than others, but it definitely created quite a bond among all of us. (and when I say everyone, I mean probably onlyl 8-10 people didn't get sick, including all faculty...

 unfortunately I was one of the sick ones... 4-5 days living on bread and rice..mmmm)

DAY 1: We traveled a lot on this day and made quite a few fun stops!! This includes the following: 

(1) Tel Beersheba: where Abraham lived and where he had swore an oath with Abimelech. Here we saw the ruins of the city.

(2) Sede Boker (the wilderness of Zin overlook and David Ben

 Gurion's Grave)... this is where Moses and the children of Israel wandered. At this place he stopped and sent the 12 scouts out but they came back doubting and afraid, so they spent the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness around here.... this was remarkable because there was pretty much NO life there. It just goes to prove that they had to rely wholly on the Lord because there is NO WAY ANYONE could ever be able to survive under those conditions!!

(3) Tel Avdat: This overlooked the trade route and had TONS of ancient ruins.

 Now our bus missed the memo of being careful around the ruins... woops! ha (you'd think we'd know, we are in college...but really, let's be honest- we are all little kids at heart!) These ruins

 were GORGEOUS!! So awesome!

(4) Machtesh Ramon: The biggest Crater in the world!! It was huge!! Really cool to look at too!!

Finally, we went to A KIBBUTZ!!

Now I had NO idea what this was until this trip. A kibbutz is a community of people who all live and work together to survive. You may think this is all normal, but what sets them apart is that they do not receive any Salary. They work to survive and everyone gets their food and housing etc "free". Everything is shared there. There are community cars that you may reserve, and you are not allowed to own your own. Each year they receive a "budget" of a given amount which can be used for more personal needs, ie. savings for a vacation, fancier clothes or furniture etc. Otherwise, everyone does as they are told. Each person gets assigned a job, and if you don't like your job you will rotate every few months. Each person takes a turn working in the kitchen to feed everyone in the community (everyone gets 3 meals a day here) etc. Man, it was unbelievable to see. I had no idea that these types of communities existed! It was awesome!! We then went to a different kibbutz and played games and spent the night there...

Jericho

Field Trip #2:On Monday we all boarded the bus and headed to Jericho! Our first stop was the ruins from Herod's winter

 palace which was pretty cool!! Next was the Mount/Monastery of Temptation. this was awesome!! You can see in the picture, it is randomly hanging off of part of the

 cliffside!! I have no idea who picked the place or how they managed to build it, but it's remarkable. 

So we had to hike up there, and boy was it hot!! Once we got to the top the girls needed a head

 covering... and guess who left hers sitting right next to the door.. yeah ME!!! So... Marie let me borrow her sweatshirt and I wrapped that on my head. lol looked HILARIOUS, but it worked, so no biggy :) The monastery was amazing- so gorgeous!! As you walk down the "hallway" there is a cliffside jetting out on once side. Unbelievable. (PS this is the place where tradition believed Satan approached Christ, who had been fasting for 40 days, and tried to tempt him).

next stop, an archeological dis site where the wall of Jericho was. It was cool to see where the wall had fallen! So crazy to see how real all of these stories are becoming! 

Final destination--an overlook of the Judean plains. This was crazy!! Complete desert looking for as far as you can see!! Basically like in the movies. I would hate to have had to journey

 through there!! It would be brutal!! 

Tel Aviv Pictures

^PURE BEAUTY^ Yummy dinner by the water..though the 

umbrella thing is covering my face!
awesome..umm...thing?? 

Don't know what it is... but photo op. - sure thing! haha
historical site? Let's take a picture! haha
We just explored the city a bit. (My roommate Raven & I)

That's Tel Aviv for ya!
The Mediterranean... amazing
K, ^ so that looks like a jungle gym next to the beach, but it was really a fitness thing. All of those pieces are pieces of workout equipment. Like the two on the right are ellipticals, they had weights etc. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! now THAT is what we need in the states :) I had to document it!

Tel Aviv

On Sunday we had a free day so a 

group of us got ordered a van to take us to Tel Aviv!!! 

It was

 so much fun!! We spent most of our time on the beach...enjoying the 

perfect weather and the Mediterranean!! It was absolutely gorgeous!!! So much fun!! I got some gelato and was able to enjoy that along the sea 

shore... 

life probably doesn't get much better than that... give me some gelato and the mediterranean and I'd be set!!! haha MMMM.....

Then we walked down to the south end of the city along all of the beaches and went to a little market for a while. Afterwards we explored a little bit and went to a cathedral and around some fortresses. It was absolutely gorgeous!!

Finally, we enjoyed an AMAZING meal along the water and watched the sunset. What a perfect way to end a perfect day!! It was super relaxing and was SUCH a fun day!!! I LOVED IT!!! 

Western Wall and Garden Tomb

So this weekend was probably my 

favorite thus far!! On Friday night we were allowed to go to the Western (aka Wailing) wall, where hundred

s and hundreds of Jews gather and pray to welcome in the Sabbath every Friday at sundown. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures, so I don't have any photos to document it, but it was amazing!! 

For starters, it was the first time we were allowed in East Jerusalem after dark..but security was on their

 toes the whole time. As we walked to the Old c

ity they were driving up and down beside us. When we made it to the wall, the women approach the wall on one side while the men approach on t

he other (with a fence/wall dividing them). The two sides 

were very different

 as they welcomed in the sabbath. Women were saying their prayers, rocking back and forth as they show they were 

praying with their all their heart, and it was a very spiritual experience for some. On the other side, the men were singing and dancing in circles as they rejoice and welome in the sabbath. Some of the guys in our group were able to go join in the celebrations. It was remarkable!! I could've stayed and watched forever!!

On Sunday we were able to go to the Garden Tomb and take a tour. This is probably o

ne of my favorite places here... or anywhere!!

 IT'S GORGEOUS!! It is kept very simply and natural, with amazing landscaping and fresh plants/flowers etc. It was such a neat experience to go and see and experience. After we entered the empty tomb and reflected for a 

while, a group of us then went and sang some hymns (imagine singing "he is risen" while you look at the e

mpty tomb.. yah.. ) Many tourists and people gathered around and began to film us and listen for a long 

time, but then it was time to return to the center.. it was awesome though!!!

forgot some more pictures haha

Outside Augusta Victoria 

The KILLER bells!! haha Augusta Victoria Tower

From the Haas Overlook I believe... the gold dome in the back 

is the dome of the Rock

MK... now you know what Nabi Samwil looks like ^

Getting blown off the top of Nabi Samwil

The view from the top of Nabi Samwil- where 70% of the Old Testament took place

more pictures...

Doing the Rampart's Walk
Oh you know, just chillin' on the rooftops in the Old City

In Zedekiah's Cave

PICTURES

About to start the Rampart's Walk ( the walk on top of the city surrounding the Old City in Jerusalem)

                        The Group In GETHSEMANE

Meet our new friend Orson the turtle... Found him crossing the path in Orson Hyde Park :)

Field Trip #1

Last Monday we had our first field trip which was way cool. We went to Nebi Samwil (a memorial for the prophet Samuel.... basically a grave without the body). All of the places we visited this day were look-out points basically, and it was our rotten luck that it was SUPPPEERRRRR windy all day. So between some girls flying skirts (thank goodness I still love my pants too much to wear skirts), blowing hair, trying not to be blown off the top, and all the dust blown up everywhere, our viewing capabilities were quite limited!! Unfortunately it also made it hard to hear, even with our headphones. Anyways though, from this view point I saw Jerusalem in one distance, and Benjamin Plateau on the other side.. and learned that 70% of the Old Testament happened between the 2 places! How cool is that!

 

Telling you about each place individually would basically be a novel, so I'll just tell you that we went to Augusta Victoria Tower (and the giant bells started ringing while we were up there. OUCH! Man those things are loud! Never ran down so many stairs so quickly!), the Seven Arches Overlook (you can see the whole city from there), Deir Elyas, Haas Promenade, and the St. Peter in Gallicantu Overlook. 

I wish I had more time to explain each of these, but unfortunately I have to run. I'll try post pictures next time (if this SLOW internet lets me). The rest of my week has been way more interesting anyways so I'll definitely need to post soon about each of those events... until next time! Have a great day!

Gethsemane

I've been slacking (see.. still trying to get used to this whole blogging thing) .....

So we recognize our "Sabbath" here on Saturdays instead of Sundays to really absorb the culture here. It gets me a bit confused with which day of the week it is, but it is a very cool experience! So once a month in my religion we usually will have a "fast sunday" where we fast for at least 2 meals and give that money that we would have spent on food to the church. So this past Saturday was "Fast Sabbath"...as well as our first sabbath here in Jerusalem.

The Chapel, where our main church service is held each sabbath is located on the 8th floor of the Jerusalem Center and the entire front wall is made of glass windows, overlooking the entire city. It is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! So when it came time to take the sacrament (the bread and water, renewing the covenants that we made when we were baptized, symbolizing the blood and body of Jesus Christ), we usually think about Christ. Well imagine thinking about the life of Jesus Christ as you are staring out in front of you, where he walked, ministered, preached, and died. It was honestly, incredible. It really gave me a whole new perspective on the sacrament and saying it was a powerful experience would be an understatement!! The rest of the church meetings were also incredible and really had a great spirit about them. Everyone shared great thoughts and I am just in awe to be surrounded by such inspiring people!! I am truly blessed!

After church we decided to head down to Gethsemane! (yeah, how many times can you finish church and talk to friends about what you want to do, and decide to take a nice little stroll to the place where Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, that we might be forgiven and return to live with Him again). So a small group of us headed through Orson Hyde memorial, a garden/pathway that was dedicated and given to Israel back in the 1800's I believe. This path took us down to the pace of Gethsemane. It was a lot different than I had imagined, but it was still a neat experience. There was a patch of Olive Tree's fenced in (maybe a square...30 yards x 30 yards? I'm bad at estimating). It was kept up beautifully. Next to this garden was a cathedral that was also really cool. At the front of this cathedral a person could go to the front and worship a stone that tradition says is where Jesus Christ actually suffered on. We then headed across to the Grotto and looked around there at some more places of worship.

Across the street from the main part of Gethsemane is a little larger, quieter piece of Gethsemane, surrounded by cement walls with a gate saying "private". We had heard that other students in past semester could go in there and read, so we were determined to do so. Mason found a guy that worked there and explained we were from the "mormon university" as we are known, and they let us right in. So we had this whole area to ourselves, and this was not surrounded by tourists and loud noises. We all separated and did as we pleased. I read the account of Christ and the apostles in Gethsemane and every few verses would look around me, still amazed that it all took place near, if not at that very place. This also gave me a whole new perspective!! It was unreal to just sit there by myself and read my scriptures for a while in Gethsemane. SUCH a great way to spend the sabbath (...or any day for that matter!!) 

Just a quick update

So just as a disclaimer.. I'm new to this whole blogging thing, so I really don't know what I'm doing. :)

With that said, figured I'd post a little update. I left Salt Lake 5 am Tuesday morning and got to the Jerusalem Center around 5:30 pm Wednesday evening. I'm still adjusting to everything, but I'm absolutely LOVING it.

Yesterday we took a quick tour of the city to get acquainted with everything. We went through the markets, stopped by the Austrian Hospice, the Church of the Holy Sepluchre, explored West Jerusalem... and so much more! (I can't recall everything :X )

This morning we had our first day of classes, which were awesome. It is a little hard to concentrate when the whole wall is glass and you can see the entire city, but it's also pretty tight when your Old Testament professor can point outside to something and refer to what he is talking about. I'm stoked to learn about this culture and more about the Old/New Testament and truly just take in everything that this area has to offer!! 

This afternoon we had free time so we all took off to the city to explore. We went and did the Via Dolorosa, which is what is believed to be the walk that Jesus Christ did while carrying his Cross. Every Friday you can go and follow the Friar fathers (monks), so that is what we did. They would stop at each of the 14 stops and talk about it in a few different languages. It was so awesome to go and see all different people from everywhere around the world come and worship in their own unique way. There were so many ministers of different faiths, and just people in general. I wished it wasn't quite as crowded, but it was still an AMAZING experience. It's been unreal to walk that path and to recall the events that took place there. It's just so crazy to think that I was walking exactly where Christ had walked.

After we finished that we went exploring a bit more and came across Queen Helen's Cistern, which is like a well deep under the city that has been there forever! It was almost cave-like and you had to take a skinny stairwell down. We had a fairly large group at that point so we sang "how great thou art" because we were told the reverberations were amazing... and BOY WERE THEY!! It sounded like nothing else I've ever heard. (Plus it helped that we have a lot of vocal performance majors who could spice it up a bit) So yeah, it's been pretty awesome!! I definitely want to go back there. Taking the time to think, worship, sing, or anything else is such a neat experience and there spirit is so apparent during those moments!

 Tomorrow (Saturday) will be our first Sabbath here... so can't wait for that!!