Update

Hi!  Well, I have a lot of updating to do. So...first of all let me tell you more about Jerusalem itself.  The Old City is awesome. I love going there and exploring, talking to all the merchants who love Mormons, meeting other young adults who are here studying, and just watching all the people observing their different religions. It’s all incredible to me.  The city is REALLY dirty. It smells bad. But in a way it reminds me of Paris: smelling terrible body odor when a waiter reaches over my shoulder to hand me my food, avoiding stepping in garbage or other droppings while walking on the sidewalk, and smelling the smoke from cigarettes everywhere.  There are other reasons Jerusalem reminds me of Paris and other parts of Europe though. Cars parked on the sidewalk for example, or anywhere they want to be parked for that matter.  West Jerusalem is completely modern with a big mall filled with stores that girls love like H&M.  I can find French bakeries here, or gelato shops and LOTS of places to eat Falafels and Schwerma.  I knew I liked Mediterranean food when I was in Paris, but Falafels here are definitely my favorite.  And of course, you can find McDonald’s almost anywhere.  Many of the streets are cobble stone and there are several round--abouts here.  (Does this bring back memories Julie?)  I finally understand the expression “Walking uphill both ways” but I honestly don’t believe anyone who uses that expression back home understands how I literally do have to walk uphill both ways if I ever want go anywhere outside of the Jerusalem Center.  Totally worth it for the view that we have though.  I live on Mt. Scopus which is really the same hill as the Mount of Olives, but it goes down and up between here and the Mount of Olives, so technically I live right next to the Mount of Olives.  Directly up the hill from the JC to the east you can see the Judean Wilderness and if it wasn’t so hazy here you could also see the Dead Sea in the distance. So we’ll pretend I can.  Also up the hill is a pharmacy that I have been to twice already for different prescriptions from my doctor.  Fortunately I am feeling better - as far as my cough goes, and now I just have the same virus as everyone else.  After living in Jerusalem for a week or two I told my doctor (Brother Chapman) that I was allergic to the JC, because I was always fine outside, but as soon as I got back indoors (at the JC) I would have cough attacks during that day and the night.  It really was miserable. So I’ve been using an inhaler; I only have to use it now if I have a hard time breathing instead of every 4 hours. (I could have adult asthma like Ryan or walking pnemonia) but I think I’m good.  We’ll see.  It’s just hard to be exhausted from coughing when I could just be exhausted from having fun out in the city.  Life is good though!  I love it here.  Hopefully this description gives you a good glimpse at my life here.

Now you can go to any of the posts to get caught up on my last month if you'd like.  Enjoy!

Jericho

Have you ever felt like you were going to fall over and die of heat exhaustion? If not, I've found the place for you...Jericho. 'Twas a splendid field trip.  

Site of Herod's Winter Palace

hot

standing on the remains of the palace

Thumbs up! on top of Tel Es Sultan. it was so exciting...

Me and Jaclyn

Jericho is the oldest city in the World!

I bought the yummiest dates here and ate them within ten minutes.

Liz, Shannon, Lacey, Aubrey, me and Catie

drinking fresh water from the spring...I hope it was fresh

standing in the spring! if felt sooo good...

more pictures of the Spring

The Monastery on the side of the cliff of Wadi Qilt

On top of the hills next to Wadi Qilt that lead to Jerusalem from Jericho. This is probably the way that Mary and Joseph traveled.

Wadi Qilt

I didn't ride the camel this time - too scary on top of a steep mountain.

Tel Aviv

I really wanted to go to the beach soon after being here so I organized a trip and started asking others if they wanted to go too.  The word spread, and since I'm so popular the group ended up being 57 people!  I am never planning an open invite group activity again. haha.  It was so much fun though. I just haven't been so stressed in a long time. Tel Aviv is a fun place and it was so nice to swim in the Mediterranean.  Here are some pics.

Jaclyn and I have a new beach tradition of flipping our hair out of the water :)

the humidity got to my hair

Me, Kaylie and Jessica

Jaclyn and I at a small port just outside of Old Jaffa

Entering the old city

This monument represents Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses

A view of Tel Aviv from Jaffa

Walking along the boardwalk back to Tel Aviv

Melissa, Lindsay and myself. We spent the whole day together and became great friends!

Gethsemane

September 10 - I went to Gethsemane with Jaclyn and others for our Sabbath afternoon (yes sabbath is on Saturday for us, not Sunday - so Sunday school is now Sabbath school :)  It's only a ten minute walk down the road from the JC.  We walked around the garden and sang "I Stand All Amazed".  Singing Hymns here in Israel has been one of the neatest things.  I honestly didn't know what to expect when i thought about visiting sites from Christ and his apostles' lives.  It is amazing.  It makes it more real just because it's easier to picture in your mind.  We had an incredible fireside about Gethsemane also. I will write about it soon.  Here are some pictures of the garden.  By the way, Gethsemane means "Olive Press" if you didn't know.  So symbolically, Christ was crushed by his pain in the garden just as olives are crushed by the Olive Press.

Looking up at the Old City from the Garden

 After visiting the Garden a few of us went by the Church of the Virgin Mary.  This is where her tomb is.  In a Greek Orthodox church.

This is a shrine to the Virgin Mary

These are some boys who were sitting outside the lower gate with their soccer ball.  I filmed a video of a few of the girls playing soccer with these boys, but like I said - I can't upload videos.  The little boy just to "my left" said their team name was Barcelona! I thought Ryan would like that.  A few days later the men who run security asked us not to play with kids or hang out with anyone at the lower gate because then they have problems with people trying to climb over the gate to get into the center (probably just to come find us to play) oops :)

Night out on the Town

On the 11th some of us went to West Jerusalem after dinner just to hang out and support a few of our friends playing music on the street.  It was so much fun!  I want to go out to West Jerusalem on a lot of evenings.  However, we have to get a taxi back to the JC if we're out after dark because we can't go around East Jerusalem (where we live) at night.  I will post a video one day.  But I can't do that right now since the only thing I have access to is my email and blog.  Here's a funny picture of Taylor Olson, a girl in my group, and a random Jewish kid who sat down and started playing his guitar with her.  We had a few photographers take pictures of us (that happens all the time) and one old man who kept walking by yelling and swearing at us.  He was doing that to all of the people playing music though, not just our group.

Dormition Abbey

Another group of us went to the Dormition Abbey the following day where Protestants believe the Virgin Mary died, or rather, fell into a deep sleep and then was taken up into heaven by angels.  Apparently it's now called the Basilica of the Assumption.  Before going to the Abbey/Basilica though we went around the corner to David's tomb and the "supposed" location of the upper room where the Last Supper took place.

The upper room. Now with Medieval architecture if it was once  the upper room.

Dormition Abbey

Statue of King David

A Memorial for the Virgin Mary (not her tomb)

I was given another opportunity to speak French this day.  My friend Nick was trying to ask a woman about the Memorial, but she didn't speak English, she was speaking French! I went right up to her and started talking to her. She told me all about it - mostly what I wrote just now in the blog about the Virgin Mary and the memorial.  I love speaking French, it makes me miss my home in Paris.

And my favorite part of the day.  This man rocking out on his guitar in West Jerusalem.

Pool of Bethesda

Today (September 6) a group of us went to the Pool of Bethesda, on the way we stopped by the Birthplace of the Virgin Mary.  This church has signs in French so my friends asked me to translate.

The Pool of Bethesda was the most spiritual experience for me so far.  I am definitely looking forward to coming here more in the future.  After walking on the grounds and looking at the ancient “pool” we went into the Cathedral to sing.  We listened to a religious American tourist group sing some hymns and we joined them when we knew the songs. We sang “Amazing Grace” with them for their last song.  It was beautiful. I had chills up and down my spine and I could hear several of the students crying.  I loved watching these people and the way they showed their devotion to the Savior.  They were so passionate and you could feel how much they love and worship him.  After they finished their tour our group sang How Great Thou Art and ended in silence.  We all sat there for a couple minutes because it was so incredible.  Then when looking behind us we realized that a couple groups of tourists had been sitting there listening to us the whole time.  They kept thanking us for how beautiful it was and then they sang some of their own songs.  They too asked us to join them, but they were German and we didn’t recognize the hymns very well.  It was so fun though!  

Me, Leslie and Whitney

Layers that have been added on top of the pool over time. (My pictures of the pool are all too dark)

Stairwell that leads down to the pool

The chapel where we sang