Citadel of David and Free Day

NEXT

Sunday was a free day for us and I went into city for the first time since before Egypt! I don't think anyone really understood how excited I really was hahaha. I went in a group of 5 and we did a great many things! Our first stop was at Omar's, where I got myself a beautiful olive wood carving. I will reveal a picture later after I actually take it home, because I don't want to spoil it :) Then we went to the Old City in the Christian Quarter and we went to the Citadel of David. It was soooooooo fun and we spent over 2 1/2 hours there just exploring and taking weird pictures.

I love this place :)

 Some of the flags!

Tower of David behind us. I love this picture hahaha Robert's face is priceless! The tower has the crescent on the top which means that it is a synagogue.

David and Goliath statue. Hahaha I love Kylie's face!

Sometimes you just have to take an epic arch picture.

A cool 3D model of the 2nd Temple. This is the one that was around during Christ's time in Jerusalem and it was destroyed in 70CE by the Romans.

Oh Emperor Hadrian. How you were not nice to Jews. Jerk.

Anyone know Monty Python and the holy Grail? Think COCONUTS!!!

This guy looks like the Sith lord guy from Star Wars. Hahaha

 random. I think it is actually a monk...

Ben Yehuda street! With my delicious mint lemonade slushee goodness.

Cool clouds.

Sunday was such a great day! We were out in the city for most of the day and then when I got home I watched this movie with Megan...

Definitely 2 thumbs up.

Shfelah! Shfelah! Goliath's Back!

So I have a lot of catching up to do. But first things first...MY POWER CORD CAME!!!! :) After 3 weeks of travelling from California to Israel, I have a working power cord and adorable pictures of my new nieces as well as my nephews. I was a very happy girl yesterday. 

So on to some ketchup. Or catch-up. However you wanna say it.

First is our Shfelah field trip from a week ago. We were out of the center allll day long, from 8am sharp to 5:30pm. It was a long day, but so good. 

Dr. Chadwick on his home turf. He was one of the excavators at Gath, or Tell es-Safi, where Goliath is from. Archeological sites can be semi-boring, but it is really interesting when you understand the history of it.

In the Bell Caves. Great acoustics.

Tombs. 

After the tombs haha. It was a very 

dusty day in the Shfelah.

Tell at Lachish. This place was really cool - it was the last city that the Assyrian king Sennacherib conquered in 701BC before he went to Jerusalem. The Assyrians did not conquer Jerusalem though. It was because of Isaiah and divine interference, and we learned today that this time was the single most important time in the Bible because if Jerusalem had been conquered at that time then nothing would have been the same today.

Re-enactment of David vs. Goliath where the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites actually took place. I stood where David killed the giant! I slung stones like he did. Except I'm really bad at it haha.

NEXT

Last week was all school. It was a hard week and I'm glad it's over. We all felt overwhelmed every single day. I have a feeling that quite a few future weeks will be like that...

We did have Arab night with a good program, good food, and good dancing.

Yummy food! We all ate so much. And then right after we learned some very simple dancing moves!

I didn't get any action shots. But we were in this huge circle in the gym all holding hands and getting into the moves. Good times. Especially the JC couples ;)

Saturday we got to watch the 2 Sunday sessions of General Conference and they were great. I love Conference. I love President Monson!

JC arrest is over! Kind of...

So the past week and a half for me has been the most uneventful for me as far as sight-seeing goes. When I hurt my ankle last week, I had to stay inside the JC because I couldn't walk all that great on it. I guess it was good because it motivated me to be more productive with my time relating to school, but if you ask me how much I actually got done it probably isn't that much more than anyone else. I just took longer on it. And there was the fact that EVERYONE would go out and see something awesome and eat a schwarma or something...and I got to hear all about how much fun it was. Ok, so this is a venting post, because then when they'd come back from the city they would ask "How are you doing? How's your ankle?"...something that I really really do not like. I hate attention from an injury. But that's that. But now, I can walk around really good now. :) And less people care which is even better! It is still purple and puffy, but considerably less than a few days ago and I am much happier! But thanks everyone for your concern.

Other not so awesome things of this week...

1. My package still has not arrived. So I still do not have my power cord. And it is really frustrating because a laptop is much more convenient to do homework on. And post pictures on...And plus I need to charge my ipod for my sanity and majorly update my journal and look at other pictures and more. Yeah...I miss my laptop.

2. The reason that JC arrest is NOT over yet is that this week we are attacked with a plethora of homework assignments. Including an Old Testament midterm, Judaism midterm, and a 7 page single spaced paper. All of these things did not want to do themselves. OT test is done, with an average grade but not super great. 7 page Islam paper is done a day early, even after he decided to give us an extra day. And I am super glad I am not one of the people who only has 3 out of the 10 topics done today. Only thing left this week is my Judaism test tomorrow, which is going to be ridiculously hard I'm sure. On top of all this homework, we have like 6 hours of class almost everyday this week, all spread out usually. It's quite inconvenient. So I still have not gone out into the city since before Egypt. That is completely WRONG.

But here are some funny and wonderful things also!!!

1. One of my best friends, HANNAH HORSPOOL, got her MISSION CALL to RUSSIA, MOSCOW!!! I'm so very very happy for her!!! She's going to be such a good missionary!

2. I got some x-rays taken of my ankle. So I got to experience a Jewish emergency room! And nothing is fractured or anything so life is good. I met a kid from New York there who has been in Jerusalem for a month and broke his elbow playing basketball. Poor guy...

3. Last night while finishing my paper, a girl in my group sits by me with her laptop and I see her background picture and a girl looks familiar. I ask what her name is, and then I realize that this girl was in my freshman ward. Megan then looks at me and says, "Then that means I was in your freshman ward!" SERIOUSLY!?!?!?! HAHAHAHA That will probably be one of the most random experiences about this place...we've been here 5 weeks and neither or us made the connection. Because neither of us seriously remember the other. Oh my goodness it was such a funny moment.

4. Despite the dumb ankle, I was able to go on our big day long field trip this past Monday and be able to participate in and see everything. I got to to sling some stones where David killed Goliath! I got to go see a tell at Lachish and see the place where Senacherib the evil Assyrian king conquered one of the last cities still standing in Israel during his time. That was intense to think about. I got to see lots of other places, sing in some bell caves with cool acoustics, get extremely dirty from lying in dirt, and wave my cane around at people. It was a long day but good. And I was so so so happy to go outside.

5. Last night we had Arab Culture night. We had the guys who sing Call to Prayer come sing to us. They read some of the Qur'an and the Call to Prayer, all in Arabic, and then showed us how Muslims pray when they pray 5 times every day. Then we had yummy cultural Arab food. Then we did Arab dancing together as the entire group and it was so much fun.

6. People are really really funny.

7. General Conference is one of my favorite things ever in the world I think. Along with slurpees and hiking and my family :) We have only watched the 2 Saturday sessions so far, but I loved them! I really loved Elder Scott's talk, the last one of the 2nd session, that talked about character and how our testimony is not our emotions. We get to watch the Sunday sessions in a few days now and I can't wait! And then we watch the Relief Society session next weekend during church. It's gonna be good.

So some of this post was ranting, but hey, this is just as much for my future remembrance as it is for you to read about my life in Jerusalem, and this is my life at the moment. So details and complaining is what's sometimes. As well as other great things too :) I will post pictures of the field trip and others when I get my power cord...eventually.

Church music

I love family traditions. Yesterday at lunch someone was eating guacamole and it made me somehow think of eating chips and salsa every Sunday with Dad growing up. I miss that a lot. Today I had the desperate urge to listen to church music. So I borrowed my friends power cord once again (bless her soul) and updated my blog finally and have been listening to some Kenneth Cope and Jim Brickman. It made me very very very happy. I miss the large variety of Sunday music we would listen to at home every week. I want to do that in my home someday.

Elephantitis

So, this week decided to be a really fun one. We got back from Egypt Sunday night. Monday I stayed inside to try and be productive but wasn't really so much I guess. We had FHE that night and Josh gave a fantastic thought and shared one of my new favorite poems. His thought was about being a friend to people and how when we meet the Savior we want Him to call us Friend over anything else. Here is the poem he read and then gave us:

Corners and Spaces

A corner is a solemn place,
A place more often sought than space.
For in a corner walls surround,
Lending ease to hold your ground.
For in a corner darkness lies,
And masks the deeds of one who hides.
But corners evoke more than this,
Corners evoke an ignorant bliss,
Where one can sit and never care,
And never help, just sit and stare.
Where some just hide avoiding pain.
When all there was, was joy to gain.
That joy you find among a space,
Where one can stand and the world face,
And evoke a light so strong and bright
Inside sad souls whom now delight.

The souls of corners who sit and hide,
Were saved by one who stood and tried,
Tried to let his knowledge and light,
Bathe those who lie in dark and fright.

So I bid you now be like the one,
And let your light allow work be done.
To fill the corners of every place,
And stand with firmness in every space.
-Anonymous

This poem really touched me. I hope you like it too.

So FHE was good, then on Tuesday I also stayed in. We only had a couple classes and after Hebrew in the afternoon I decided to use the weight room here for my first time. It was a good workout for me, but I'm super out of shape. Then some people were going to play volleyball, so I decided to procrastinate my homework a little longer. Played some volleyball, and about 15 minutes in me and Chris decided to collide through the net and I decided to become completely disoriented to my surroundings and come down completely wrong on my foot. Result:

Elephantitis! Or a cankle. Either way, my ankle and entire foot is pretty shades of purple. This is 3 days later, but it was almost this bruised just 1 days later. It is now darker than this picture. I was on crutches the next day, a cane the 2nd day, and the past 2 I've been walking on it but it still really hurts. It's a degree III sprain at least. They don't know if I completely ripped anything or broke anything yet, but they haven't checked it either really. I am walking on it which is good, but who knows whats going on in there. The whole left side is bruised, as seen from above, and the right side is also bruised and also up by my toes now too. It's pretty gross. And it hurts. And I'm sick of people asking me how I'm doing....blah. 

I haven't gone out into the city since before Egypt and I'm having withdrawals as everyone else goes out. We have an all-day field trip on Monday and I am going even if it kills me. But it won't :)

So this has been my life this week. Sitting a lot, limping a whole lot. Yet life is still good and I am still happy. So no worries.

EGYPT

I have a wonderful girl here who is letting me use her power cord! Since mine has not arrived yet I have gotten greatly behind on blogging. MASSIVE UPDATE WITH PICTURES RIGHT HERE. I have had to do this in a couple separate sessions because it has taken so long...

DAY 1 - Bus ride through Israel still, Tel Sheva and Tel Arad, then a kibbutz near the border crossing where we got to swim and spend the night in a Jewish community

TO THE FORTRESSES!!! Tel Arad

Me and Miriam at Tel Sheva, near modern Beersheva. There is original straw in these bricks from thousands of years ago.

DAY 2 - cross border, bus ride through Sinai, arrived at Cairo/Giza at Oasis Hotel, saw Pyramid Light Show

Our 1st view of Egyptian desert outside the bus! After the border crossing

1st view of the Pyramids in Giza! From the bus

DAY 3 - Pyramids in Giza, Ramasses II statue in Memphis, Stepped Pyramid in Saqqara, flight from Cairo to Luxor

Yeah...no big deal.

Me, Kylie, and Megan in front of the pyramids! 

That Sphinx sure ain't kissing me!

Baby Sphinx in Memphis!

The Stepped Pyramid in Saqqara. This is the 1st Pyramid built in Egypt.

This big guy paid us a visit in the tomb of Ti. Huge scarab in a tomb...kinda freaky. 

The view from our Sheraton hotel room in Luxor! That is the Nile River and then Valley of the Kings is lit up in the distance. It was a gorgeous view.

DAY 4 - Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple, Faluka ride on the Nile, Camel ride, Luxor by carriage at night

We weren't allowed to bring our cameras inside Valley of the Kings. But we went inside 4 tombs: Thutmoses III, Ramesses III, Ramesses IX, and KING TUT. Yes, I saw King Tut's body...or mummified remains I guess...

Original drawings/carvings on the wall inside Hatshepsut's Temple. These are original colors as well.

In front of Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut! This is on the other side of Valley of the Kings. She was a woman-king and helped Ramesses III rule Egypt.

That little cave behind me is the most likely site where the scroll of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price was found!! If not there, then a cave just like it in the immediate area. So cool!!!

The cutest Egyptian kid I ever saw! His name is Ahmed and look at that smile! He helped us on our faluka ride on the Nile.

Me and my camel, Michael Jordan! On our ride Michael Jordan kept eating the marijuana plants...hahaha what does that mean?

After our carriage ride through Luxor! Our driver was Ahmed (this seems to be a popular name in Egypt). We joined with 4 other people in another carriage and got a tour around the downtown and it was pretty sketch sometimes...but very educational to see it all. 

DAY 5 - Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, night train ride back to Cairo from Luxor

Early morning view again. Nile River, Valley of the Kings, and hot air balloons!

Inside Karnak Temple

HUGE obelisk 

Yep, this place is humongous. And old.

In front of Karnak temple. This place was incredible and I feel like I didn't take enough information from all that it has to offer. It's an incredible place. Our tour guide, Islam, made it worthwhile completely because of all he knows.

Inside Luxor Temple! At this point in our trip we were getting really exhausted and dehydrated...

More artwork on the inside of the temple walls. It's amazing how it can be preserved for so long because the sun doesn't reach it.

Beautiful.

DAY 6 - Churches, Egyptian Museum, Hard Rock Cafe, Bazaar, go to bed early!

:)

Nicole and myself in front of Ben Ezra Synagogue. We went to a few churches and sadly we were all falling asleep. We weren't really there for very long either.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the Egyptian Museum sadly. But 20% of the museum is due to the treasures found inside King Tut's tomb in Valley of the Kings, so it was cool to see them. Including the gold face mask he had on his head...

Yep, I saw this in person! As well as many mummies and thousands of other treasures. I looked Ramasses II right in the face. Just like Moses did.

Then we went to Hard Rock Cafe and my camera decided to die. So I didn't take any pictures the rest of the day. But we went to the Hard Rock and ate real American hamburgers and french fries and ice cream. except none of us ate the vegetables they gave us to put on our hamburgers :( I was afraid of getting sick since we didn't eat ANY raw fruits or veggies while in Egypt. It was still delicious though :) 

Then we went to the bazaar, which is the market in Cairo. These shop vendors are INTENSE and CRAZY. I bought a very pretty scarf though :) And a bracelet from a little boy for 50 cents! Jackpot.

Then we had a little sacrament meeting and then dinner then I went to bed really early and it was heavenly. But not before I got to watch a little bit of the movie Sahara in my hotel room and feel really legit because I was right next to the Sahara desert. 

DAY 7 - Synagogues, bus ride to Sinai

Mohammed Ali Synagogue. Not the boxer. This place is gorgeous. Inside it has the 3 symbols of Islam (crescent), Judaism (star of David), and Christianity (cross) all somewhere inside.

Love this picture.

I climbed a tree!!

Then we got to Sketchball Hotel...otherwise known as Morganland in the Sinai peninsula. Slept for 4 hours...

DAY 8 - Sinai hike, border crossing, kibbutz back in Israel, home at JC

Pre-hike. 3AM

DOMINATION OF SINAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunrise. Gorgeous.

Love it :)

On our bus ride back we stopped at another kibbutz and we ate any food we wanted with no fear of getting sick!! Then we had ICE CREAM and then I bought some CHOCOLATE MILK! It was glorious :)

Egypt was a grand success. I had so many good experiences while there. I am definitely glad to be back in Israel though...