Valley of the Kings

Funerary Temple of Ramses III

In the Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Kings

Yes, the fanny pack is cool. So is the valleyof the Kings. I already want to go back and visit it again. We rode these little cart things up the valley and then unloaded to file through several of the tombs found in the valley where the great Pharaohs were layed to rest. I can't even believe how great of shape they are in. The carvings on the wall and the paint that decorated them are still bright and visible. I played ancient Egyptian historian all day as I tryed to look at each of the millions of pictures that covered every free space of wall. I tryed figuring out what was happening in the picture and what it was communicating. I wasn't much good. I suck close to my friend Nathan who has a gift for seeing things much differently than I ever could and explaining it so it makes sense to me. One of my favorite parts about each tomb were the beautiful blue cielings with gold stars painted perfectly in rows. I would love to have an Egyptian themed room someday that reflects many of the things I loved about visiting Egypt. The last tomb we visited was the tomb of King Tut. Tut really wasn't that important of a pharaoh becasue he was so young and his reign was short, but the discovery of his tomb was important because it was undiscovered by grave robbers so it was just the way it was meant to be when he was placed there to rest. It was much, much smaller than I expected, but exciting none the less. His mummy was displayed near hte entrance of the tomb. In most of the tombs I went into that day, we were rushed through and pushed along so that other tourists could file through. We happened to come to tut's tomb at the right moment because nobody else was pushing to get in so we were allowed to linger for a few more minutes. Tut's mummy was small and he looked like he was a short man. I would put up pictures but we were not allowed to take camers in any of the tombs, so pictures outside of it will have to do. As we walked through many of the tombs, the guys who have all been on missions kept pulling eachother to the side and pointing out "ah ha!" moments as they saw pictures dipicting things they have learned in the temple. It looks like the Egyptians had a larger portion of the truth than we may think. I loved seeing the connections between what I have been learning in my classes at the Jerusalem center and seeing these amazing structures and writings literally THOUSANDS of years old in real life. After the valley of the Kings, we visited the funerary temple of Ramses III. His funerary temple was breath taking! The statues, the pictures carved into the walls, everything, was larger than life. As our tour guide took us around the temple, he kept pointing out scenes dipicting the final judgement as the Egyptians understood it. It was amazing much of the truth showed up in their altered version of the gospel. I am sure I didn't understand it all well as those who had been through the temple, but I would watch their expressions and snap pictures of what ever it was we were looking at when their eyes would get wide and they would look around to see if any one else had made the same connections they did. I will understand someday. I was amazed that I could get the reaffirming feeling of the spirit of how true the gospel is is a several thousand year old Egyptian temple, but if that feeling can come to me when I am on my knees next to my bed or when I am in the middle of a tough trial, I guess it can happen in an ancient Egyptian temple. As we came to the bcak of the temple, our tour guide pointed out that the elevation of each room in the temple got higher and higher the further we entered the temple. All of us let out a unanimous "Oh!" I am sure he was wondering why that was so amazing to us, but for having no idea about our beliefs, our Egyptian guide did an amazing job of pointing out the reflections of the truth of the gospel throughout the funerary temple of Ramses II. We then went back to the hotel for a some free time and then those of us who wanted to pay 10 more dollars go to go on a boat ride up the Nile and then on an hour long ride on camels. My camel's name was Michael Jordan and the young boy pulling my camel along kept telling me not to forget him at chirstmas. I think that was his way of hitting me up for money. That evening we ventured our way into the city and braved the bazaar. I have never been to a marketplace as aggressive as the Luxor Bazaar. The vendors all yelled to us and would not take no for an answer. I ended up buying a couple of pointless things just becasue the bartering for them was so much fun. It was fun to get back to the hotel and compare our spoils of war and how much we all overpayed for the same things. It was then back to the pool for another night of acting much to young but not caring because it was too much fun.

The day of the Pyramids

It is hard to see, but it says Hi Family!

September 23rd. The day of the Pyramids. I don't believe there is any better way to start out a day than going to the pyramids. The first pyramid we visited was the Great Pyramid. It is huge! How did these people build these things!? I am continually amazed with how innovative and unique the Ancient Egyptians were. There was a smile plastered on everyone's faces the whole day. I have always imagined myself going to these far off locations around the world, but when I actually get here, it is hard to get myself to believe I am really there. Egypt! The Pyramids! How many books did I read about this when I was a kid? I don't believe there is anything as fun as fullfilling a childhood fantasy. After snapping pictures in front of the great pyramid, we drove over to the second pyramid. We were able to actually go inside of this pyramid. In order to get into the pyramid, you have to duck down and walk up a small shaft with not ventilation. I usually don't get closterphobic, but I was fighting the feeling of panic as I took deep breaths trying not to inhale the sweat from all the other tourists climbing in and out of the small shaft leading to a opening within the pyramid. Inside the opening, was an empty tomb. There were no decorations or signs that a great Pharaoh had once been layed to rest here. Grave robbers had erased any trace of that long before. Just a few minutes inside the small room within the pyramid was good enought for me and I crouched my way back out. As my friends and I came out of the pyramid, we hurried to a find a camel to take pictures on in front of the pyramids. The man selling his camel serivces told us it was only 5 dollars so we jumped at the chance. We rode the camels around for a while and had a photo shoot. We realized it was time for us to get back on the bus so we attempted to get off, pay, and then jet. I purposely only brought 5 dollars with me so there was no possible way for me to pay anymore. Two of my friends had a hard time getting away without feeling guilty, so the man sucked 25 dollars out of them. I handed my five over, said thanks, and then took off. After running as fast as we could back to the bus, we drove over to the Sphinx to fulfill yet another life dream. I should have tryed a little harder to look good that day considering all the Kodak moments of the day, but when you can't drink the water, you have to lug a weeks work of clothes around in a small bag, and the heat melts every ounce of makeup within seconds, it is near impossible. After the Shpinx and the pyramids, we drive to the museum that has the staue of Ramses II. It is massive and all cut from one stone. Then it was over to the step pyramids. These were the first pyramids to be built, and although they don't look like the pyramids we usually think of, they were the steping stones to the Great Pyramids. We then were able to go to a tomb and look and touch (which I later found out we weren't supposed to do) all the of ancient egyptian hyrogliphics. Much of the paint that was originally on them was still there. It was absolutley amazing to be so up close and personal with the ancient writings I stared at in the pages of books as a child. By this time it was later afternoon and we were all starving. We loaded up and made our way to one of the most authentic resturants I have ever eaten in. The walls were sheets stretched across poles surrounding the rows of tables and chairs. The pitas were hand made by a woman covered in soot across from out dining. The food was delicious and the company great! The bathrooms were a different story. As you walk in, there is a girl with small squares of paper towels. You tip her and she hands you one. While still braving the small stalls, I heard my roommate and the girl distributing paper towels giggling as my roommate shreaked and jumped out of the way as the sink shot water out at her. My favorite moments in forgein countries are moments like these when people connect regardless of language, religious, or cultural differences. We all sat in there and giggled for a minute before saying goodbye. After our late lunch, we battled traffic to the Cairo airport where we boarded a small plane that took us further south to Luxor. Our hotel in Luxor was more than we could have hoped for. It was a five star hotel with each of us staying in rooms that were located in bungalows around the pool. Small shops lined the walkway from the front desk t the pool. The hotel was literally right on the Nile. The staff was more than accomodating for us and let us swim until all hours of the night even though the pool was supposed to close at 5 pm. As soon as we could, we all jumped into our swimsuits and hopped in the pool. I don't believe I have ever laughed as much as I did that night. All 80 of us students reverted back to 8 years old. We were playing games and laughing about absolutely nothing. We all attempted to be quiet, but it is just to hard when you are having so much fun. Our teachers came out and sat by the pool and laughed right along with us. There were people trying to build human towers, synchronized swimming, and games of pure imagination going on. I laughed so much I had to take two advil to relieve the headache I got from smiling so big.

Third World

September 22nd. The day of the bus rides. We left the Kubbitz in the morning and drove 15 minutes to the border. We had to unload all of our things and walk through a million Israeli checkpoints to get out of Israel. As soon as we left the Israel border crossing station, it was apparent we were in a different country with a different standard of living. The guards in Israel were all young, well dressed, carrying massive guns, and interested in security. The guards in Egypt were all middle aged, unshowered men, more interested in being friendly(especially with a bunch of yound Ameircan girls.) We had to wheel our luggage down the road to the Egyptian border and go through security and fill out paperwork in a building that hadn't seen cleaning supplies in years. We then loaded up on our new, well, new in a past life, buses. I was a little worried about touching anything and just kept telling myself that no matter what, I could enjoy this bus because it was taking me to the pyramids. In Egypt, each tour bus has to have a armed body guard traveling with them everywhere. We also had our agent from the travel agency with us. It was a packed bus with smaller seats, little air conditioning, and a long drive ahead. I don't know if deoderant is not common knowledge or what, but America should really promote that around the world. The bus driver, the travel agent, and our securtly guard were all stinky! The bus drive to Cairo was 8 hours long. It possibly could have been shorter, but my bus broke down twice so we had to stop while the bus driver patched things up and got on the road again. It was more dirt and nothingness with men on camels every once in a while. As we approached Ciaro, it was very apparent we were entering a place like no other place we had been before. There were 6 lanes of cars crammed into 4 lanes. Camels and donkeys carrying people cruised along the side of the road. The city looked like a bunch of projects or ghettos stretched form miles on end. None of the buildings were finished, making it easier to add more stories if more space was needed. There is somewhere betwenn 17-20 million people living in Ciaro! The best part of the drive was seeing the pyramids right there in the skyline. It looked like they were right in the middle of the city! Oh wait...They were! All the miserable hours on the bus were worth it. We rushed to the hotel, cleaned up, and then sprinted off to the pyramids to watch a sound and light show. They lit up the pyramids and had lasers showing pictures. The show told the history of the pyramids and truthfully, resembled an old british documentary. It was exciting to be so close to the pyramids, and was a great way to get pumped up to see them them next day.

To the border

Kibbutzin it up!

True or False?

Like you would like to wander around this for 40 years either

Walking down into the well in Beersheba

Our first day of traveling didn't actually land us in Egypt that day, but we able to stop and see some amazing things on the way. We woke up bright and early and were on the bus by 7 am. Our first stop was in Beersheba and the Zin Wilderness outlook. Beersheba is where Abraham dug a well. NOt quite sure why that is important, but I'll figure it out. At the Zin Wildreness outlook, we were able to look out over the absolute baren land that the children of Israel spent most of their wandering years in. As we drove to these locations, I couldn't help but note how strikingly similar it looks like New Mexico. I was pretty sure for a while there that they had played a trick on all of us. We had to be driving from Shiprock to Gallup. They were only telling us that we were in Israel. We really were just on the rez. Then a sign with Arabic and Hebrew would sneak up on the side of the road and I would really believe we were in Israel. As we were looking out over the Judean Wilderness, I came to the realization that if I had been one of the Children of Israel, I would have given up after about 3 hours and headed back to Egypt. It was SO hot. I can understand why they just were unhappy and complained instead. After a quick lunch near Ben-Gerion's grave, we hopped back on the bus and went to Avdat. We were all so excited to just get to Egypt we were all wondering why we were making all these stops. None of us had a clue what Avdat was. We unloaded from the buses, squeezed 80 plus of us in a little room (with no air conditioning) to watch a horribly made video on an ancient nomadic people that placed roots where we were. They became successful traders, pottery makers, and booze drinkers. After the movie, we were all wondering why we stopped to come here. Then they drove us to the top of the hill and let us loose. There were ruins and we were allowed to walk through them, check them out, and play. It turned out to be one of the funnest parts of the day. There were millions of cool pictures to be taken, and beautiful views all over. There was one spot where there used to be a building but all that was left was an archway overlooking blue sky and miles of untouched desert. I grabbed one of my friends and we attempted to take fake engagement photos. They are not great because it was so spur of the moment. Everyone was still in the awkward "do I put my arm around you when we take pictures" phase at this point in the trip, so engagement photos were hilarious to take. It turns out we started a war, and now there are a few of us having a contest to see how many cool fake engagement photos we can snap in the world's best locations. After the ruins, we drove to the Israeli-Egyptian border and took a tour of a Kibbutz. A Kibubutz is a community of people who all work together and share all their profits equally. At this particular Kibbutz, they farmed dates, had a dairy farm, and raised horses. It was kind of odd. We then drove a short distance away and stayed the night at another Kibbutz. We got to the Kibbutz in the late evening and none of us were ready for bed. Having been stuck on a bus for a good part of the day, the creative wheels started turning and pretty soon most of us students were playing games and entertaining eachother. A few of our professors came out and joined us. I absolutley love the professors here. They are so down to earth and you can tell they are enjoying every minute as much as we are. After staying up way too late talking out on our front porches, we decided it was time to turn in and get some sleep for the next day's journey into Egypt.

Back from Egypt!

I am not sure how I am going to format all the adventures I had in Egypt, but I have a feeling it will be a bunch of new posts so the pictures can coincide with the days. I want to get as much as I can on here as soon as I can so all my thoughts and feelings are fresh. Egypt was a blast and it still is hard to believe I was able to see all the things I saw. It feels like I have become a marathon traveler and I don't know how our professors do it! They have every minute of everyday plan, and they know how to direct our herd of 80 students better than should be humanly possible. I loved this trip for so many reasons, but I think one of the greatest things to come from it were the fullfilling of dreams, and the bonding that happened between all of the students. I am continually amazed at the caliber of people I am surroundfed by and have felt inadequate at times to be lumped into a group with them. There are so many intelligent, kind, and down right fun people here. Each minute of everyday is filled with a new adventure. Let me share my adventure of Egypt with you.

P.S. DISCLAIMER: You will see a fanny pack in many of my pictures. They are standard issue. Don't make fun. It is actually a lot more useful than you would think. ha ha! I love looking like an absolute dork and the fanny packs we all wear only help out the image!

To Egypt I go!

Tomorrow I leave for Egypt and I can hardly wait! Is it really possible for one girl to be fulfilling so many dreams in such a short time? The 8 day trip will be a little nuts, so I won't be able to get on and blog about it for the week . I know, I know, how will you all live! Just so I can make you jealous, and so you can know what I am up, I will give you my itinerary. We load up on the bus at 6:30 tomorrow (the only times I wake up that early are when there is food or traveling invovled). We will be going to Tel Beersheba, Wilderness of Zin overlook, Be Gurion's grave, and then stopping at a Kibbutz to stay the night. On Monday we will get back on the bus, and go to Cairo. Tuesday is going to be my favorite Tuesday of all time. That day we will be going to the Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Saqqara, Memphis, and then a papyrus factory. How we will do all that in one day, I don't know, but I can hardly wait. That night we will take a flight to Luxor and stay in a five star hotel. Isn't life rough! let's just hope they are using the American star system and not Egypt's. On Wednesday we will be going to the west bank of the Nile temples and tombs, the Valley of the Kings, and the Funerary Temple of Ramses III. That afternoon I will be going on a Camel Safari! Thursday we take a carraige ride to Karnak Temple and then over to Luxor Temple. That night we will take an overnight train back to Cairo. We are not allowed on the club-car on the train, but I plan on creating my own club car. On Friday we will be having sacrament meeting becasue Friday is the holy day for Muslims. Then we will be going to the Egyptian Museum where we get to see a bunch of mummies, then to the Ibn Tulun Mosque, then the Anderson Museum, then to khan al-Khalili, and lasy but not least, Lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe! Our professors know how to party! JK. I don't know what half those thing are I just listed, but I will find out! On Saturday we will tour Citadel and then head off to Mount Sinai. On Sunday, we will get up a 2 am so we can hike up to the top of Sinai for the sunrise. I am not going to lie, I am not too excited about the whole hiking thing. I am sure it will be amazing, but I have a hard time thinking happy thoughts in the morning anyway, let alone while I am hikinh up cliffs. After the hike, we will return to the mother land...a.k.a. Israel. Whew! Wish me luck! I am hoping I can get through the week without any stomach problems.

I hit on a gay man

Perry! I was so happy to see you at the beach! (p.s. This is NOT the gay man I hit on. I named this one Gilligan. He has a captains hat)
My roommates Lauren and Angela. I love them!

The Western Wall

Before I tell you about my Tel Aviv trip, I will back track and cover the days before that. On Monday I was able to go to the Western/wailing wall for the first time. I was planning on staying in and reading, but when I heard a group was going I grabbed my stuff and took off with them. I figure the best education doesn't come from books. I was so excited to see it because it is a place I have always wanted to visit, and since our field trip got canceled the other day, I have not been able to see it. The western wall is the only thing left of the second Jewish temple. It is the holiest place on earth for Jews. The wall isn't actually a wall of the temple, but a retaining wall that held the temple. There is absolutely nothiong left of the temple, so it is this the wall that the Jews come to pray at and read scripture. There is a divider along the wall seperating the men's side from the women's. The women's side was packed. I wrote a little prayer on a piece of paper and walked to the wall to add it to all the prayers from around the world. I had to wait a while to get close enough to touch the wall. As I tryed to stuff my little piece of paper into a crack in the wall, I knocked down about 20 other prayers. The only picture I have of me at the wall is when I am turning around after making a mess of a sacred place...nothing new in the life of Mikael. After visiting the wall, I went with a few girls to go into the old city to try and find some skirts and sandals to wear. I only brought church skirts becuase, well, I thought that was the only time you wear a dress. Wrong. Skirt are SO much better to wear here because it is so dang hot and sweaty! Anyway, What I learned from that little outing into the old city was to never go with those girls again. I know Dad hates it when I say mean things about some of Heavenly Father's other children, but these girls were stupid! Sweet as sweet can be, but just plain stupid! I thought we were either going to- A. be shot because they were so rude to the shop keepers or B. get run over. I don't know how many times I pulled them out of the street because they kept wandering out into the middle of the road. Lesson learned.
That night we had a forum given by the leader of the American Jewish community here is Israel. He is pretty far up in the government. He talked about his view of the Israeli-Palistinian conflict as well and information just coming out about the whole Hezbolah incident last year. It was so interesting to hear his thoughts on the war in Iraq as well as see how different everyones views are on this conflict. I was just talking to one of the guys here about how each of our teachers talks to us about this, but they all have such differeing points of view. It is hard to get a clear picture of what really is going on and how to start moving towards peace.
Yesterday just about every student went to Tel Aviv for the day to hang out on the beach. We were all suprised with how beautiful the beach was and how warm and clear the water is. We were a funny group of tourists to behold. 80 students modestly dressed, having the time of their lives. Aparently Tel Aviv is the gay capital of Israel and the beach we were on confirmed it! You are probably wondering about the gay guy I hit on, aren't you. Well, this tall drink of water was strutting down the beach and I spotted him in the distance. Was he wearing a speedo? Yes. But he made it look good! All the other girls started giggling as he came down the beach, but I decided I was going to try and outdo them all by hitting on him. As he came close, most of them looked away (probably out of embarresment for him and his outfit). I got eye contact and smiled real big at him. Unintentionally, I started swinging my arms while still giving him googley eyes. Bad idea. I had been playing in the sand and had dirt clods in my hands. One flew out and pegged him in the leg. He turned around, gave me a funny look, and started strutting away. Oh well. Proably gay anyway.
We all stayed in Tel Aviv until the late evening before returning to Jerusalem. It was good to get out and see a different part of Israel. A few kids left their bags on the beach to go take a night dip in the Mediteranean. They got all of their stuff stolen. It was a good reminder to the rest of us that we really do need to be more careful. It was a fun day and I hope we get to go back to the beach before it starts cooling down too much. So far Brittani has been right about how much fun this place is!

4 minutes to save the world

I only have 4 minutes before class starts and I realize I haven't written in a few days so I will just add a couple of lines to update you all. On Sunday I was sable to go see the Western Wall for the first time and add my own prayer to the wailing wall. I will want to go back again becasue it was packed when I got there and I wasn't really able to sit and enjoy it. I got some leather sandals and have been trying to break them in, but they are breaking my feet in is how it seems to be going. Yesterday was a crazy day packed with classes, Egypt orientation, and a forum. We leave for Egypt on Sunday and I can hardly wait! The man who spoke at the forum was amazing, and i will have to tell you more about it later. I have to run to class, now and then it os off to Tel Aviv for a day at the beach! p.s. I tryed calling several family memebrs yesterday. Mom and Chelsey were the only lucky ones to pick up.

Isaiah Scrolls

Today was a "free day" where we don't have classes. We usually have classes 6 days a week, but this week we got today off. Because there were no classes, the center organized a trip for those of us who wanted to go, to see the Isaiah scrolls at the Israeli museum. For any of you who don't know what those are, they are the oldest biblical records as well as the largest scrolls found not too far from here. They are part of the dead sea scrolls. The Isaiah scrolls have not been seen for forty years because they want to preserve them, but they brought them out for a short period in the museum and they will be returning to hiding in two days. One of my professors (Andrew Skinner) is one of only a few historians to have direct contact and has worked with these scrolls. Is it possible for one person to experience so many great things all in such a short time? At the museum there is also a scale model of Jerusalem before the temple was destroyed. It was neat to see what the city I have been walking around in for the past week and a half used to look like and where it got it's original shape.

After the museum, a big group of us was dropped off in Ben Yahuda street to go explore the western side of the city. Some friends and I ended up back in the old city but in a different section than I have ever been. It was the most empty I have seen the streets becasue it is Sunday. My favorite part of walking around town is when we come across a residential area and the children are running around everywhere. They are all so cute! The curls that the Orthodox Jewish men wear are not flattering, but the little bos working on growing them aure are cute. We found a set of stairs leading to the roof tops of the old city. It was like a completely different world. There city has such diversity and just going up one level reveals a whole different world. Somehow a boy with a donkey was riding around up there. On our walk home, we came across a chapel on the Via Dolorosa. It was the Sanctuary of the Flagellation. When we walked by and I read the sign I could not stop laughing! Wow! I know they build a church over just about any sight that is important, but who was important enough to fart and get a chapel build for that! At first I think my friends were trying to be mature about the church name but when I couldn't stop giggling I think they found the humor in it. It is really supposed to be the place Christ was crowned with a crown of thorns and got the cross, but my religion teacher told us that it probably isn't. I know, I need to grow up, but I think they could have named it a little better.

Shabbat #2

I have been here less than two weeks, but it feels like so much longer than that! We had our second lockdown at the center since I have been here. Apparently if the Israeli police blimp is out, there is danger in the city. During Old Testament class, the police blimp came out. I was so sad because we were supposed to be going to the wailing wall that evening, but the field trip got postponed until after Ramadan in over and we get back from Egypt. Having to stay inside the center for the night ended up being a blast. My roommates and I actually had time to just sit around and talk girl talk for the first time. Because we couldn't leave the center, we had to get creative. We watched 'What about Bob', and then got a game or sardines (it is like hide and go seek but backwards)going. The game was my idea and I am proud to say it was a big success. By the end we had a big group of people playing and it was fun to run around the center and play. I actjually really loved yesterday because I feel like I really got know people better than if the day had gone as planned.
Today was my second Shabbat here in the Holy Land and it was great one. For some reason I volunteered last week to teach Relief Society this week. I guess I miss everyone looking at me. JK. I don't know why, but church just seems to fly by here, but seems eternally long everywhere else. A girl gave a talk in Sacrament today and told her conversion story. It is pretty amazing. Her mother is Muslim and her father is Jewish. Her parents divorced and she had to live with here dad and step mom. They didn't want her having anything to do with Christianity. After searching a long time she joined the church and they found out and disowned her. She hasn't talked to them since. People like that amaze me!
After church a group of us went to the garden tomb before dinner. This has been my favorite place I have visited so far. It was the first place that there was reverence and you could actually image how the place looked in Christ's time. The tomb as well as the natural environment were still there. There wasn't a shrine built on top, adn then a chapel on top of that. It is amazing the difference in the feeling going from the street into the Garden Tomb. Other than the evangelicals shouting praises in the seating area behind us, everyone was revatively reverent and in awe of where we were at. I am continually amazed at how much Christ did for us. I have now been to the two spots where the two most important things that happened for mankind happened, the garden of Gethsemane, and the the Tomb where Christ conquered death. Without the resurrection, the Atonement would have been useless, and without the Atonement the Resurrection would have been meaningless. Would it be okay if I just stayed here forever? I love going from one amazing place to another, and being told "Hello! Welcome! You are beautiful!" from all the men on the way. ha ha!

These boots were made for walking

Recognize this building?

The girls who went on the the wall tour. We made the boys take the pictures

I have never walked so much in my life! I went to the old city with a group and we walked about half of the wall around the city. It was cool to see the city from a different view. I had my first nervous moment since being here. We were walking along the wall and at the bottom of some steps there was a man leaning over the wall talking to people below. As I got closer, I noticed he had a gun and was yelling into a walkie talkie. I thought to myself, "Great, I am going to witness my first murder, and then they are going to send us home." After we all passed him, he ran down a set of stairs and into a house. Wierd! Nobody died, so we kept on with our tour of the wall. After walking around on the wall for a few hours, we went back to the center and I met up with a couple of other girls and we headed back to town. This time we went to the west side so I could help a girl find a pair of sandals. It is about a 30 minute walk to the western side of the city, and when I say it is an uphill walk both ways, I am not kidding. I don't know how this city makes that happen, but I swear it is uphill no matter where you walk. I have my first farmers tan, and I am quite proud of it.

This Sunday was are going on a field trip to the Israeli Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. One of my professors just so happens to be one of the few scholars who has handled and traslated them. He gave a forum tonight on them. it was interesting to see how even the Dead Sea Scrolls testify of the truthfulness of the gospel. They don't day anything about Joseph Smith or anything, but there are things that the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed about translating and history that Joseph Smith could not have known. After his lecture I ran to the concert hall and watched some of Israels most famous Guitar players perform. It was a father and his two sons. I never knew someone could move their fingers so fast! It was amazing! Tomorrow We are going to the western wall, also known as the wailing wall, for a field trip. I can hardly wait! Tomorrow at sunset it is the beginning of Shabbat so it is an awesome time to go. It is a dream come true for me so I can hardly wait.

Synopsis of my day: Walk along the walls built before America was born, listen to a lecture by a world famous historian on a project he personally took part in, and then mosey on up to a free concert featuring world class musicians. What is a girl to do with herself!

First Field Trip

I just really liked this door and wall in the synogague/mosque

Today was our first field trip. We drove around to different locations around Jerusalem to try and get a better uderstanding of the geography so it will help us understand the scriptures better. One 7 hour long geography field trip later and I still don't know which way in North. I was able to see some pretty amazing places though! We went to a church build by the Germans to house people coming on pilgramiges to the Holy Land. It is a gorgeous building with amazing artwork everywhere! I never imagined that the chapels here could compete with the ones I saw in Italy my senior year, but I think some of the ones here are better. We also stopped at a church that was later trasformed into a mosque, and now has a synogog in the basement. Probably one of the few, if not the only, places where both the Jewish and Islam faiths comes to worship. There were ancient ruins all around it. Ruins here are everywhere so they are no big deal to most people. A bunch of Orthodox Jewish school boys were at the church as well and they were running around the ruins playing. Which reminds me, I must look Jewish becasue twice already I have had Jewish people come up to me and speak in Hegrew and then act suprised when I say "Sorry I don't understand." I know, it's my big shnoz, but I don't think I look Israeli.
One of the funniest things to happen to me while being here, is I was somehow got put on as the Chair for the Linen and Mail exchange commitee. Mom knows how good I am at that! Today was out first linen exchange day and it was actually a lot of fun. I have fun commitee so we had a lot of fun seeing everyone come through. We decided to make a secret note box and we will hand them out on Shabbat. I hope I get one! I already wrote myself three, but maybe someone else withh write me one too! JK. Other than that it hasn't been too much of an eventful day. No shopping today Chels! Next adventure... my bus buddy Mitch and I are going to figure out how to kiss on the bus to Egypt without anyone noticing. Oh just kidding mom! But it would be fun...

Meet Modern Jerusalem

Some of the friends I spent a night on the town with

I am extremely ticked off at my New Mexican education. I know NOTHING about history! I had my Modern Near Eastern Studies classes again today, but I think they might have been teaching in Hebrew and Arabic the whole 4 hours becasue I only understood what they were talking about when they said class was over. Here is what I have gotten out of class so far: Every country to EVER exist has ruled the Middle East at one point in time. That, and Jews don't know who or what they are.
After classes, I decided I better stay in and study since my years getting donuts and breakfast burritos for all my history teachers instead of actually learning something in class, did me no good. After dinner, I got together with a group of kids and we walked over to the Western, or Jewish, side of the city. It is like a completely different city over there! It is modernized and there were tons of great shops I am definitely going back to shop at. We stopped and got Gelatos, and that made my day! That and dancing with the hobos in the street. There were some people playing their obviously homemade CD's on the street, trying to sell them. Some homeless men walked over and started dancing. It looked like fun, so I convinced two of the guys with me to go over and join them. As soon as we joined in, they shut the music off. We must have been terrible dancers. It was a fun night, and it was good to see another part of the city.

They're not Gay after all

Pictures: 1. My roommate Lauren and me with one of the not gay guys. He overheard me tell Lauren I thought he had a nice toosh. Now he doesn't talk to me

2. just outside The Church of the Holy Seplecher. This would have been a way cool picture had I noticed the guy walking through it and waited til he left

3. A dome just about the Shrine build over the tomb most Christian faiths believe Christ was buried

Just when I don't think I can love this place anymore, I do. Today I had Old Testament and Hebrew and then it was off to the city for another day of fun. But before I jump into that, let me explain the title of the blog. There are 25 boys and 55 girl here. Of the 25 guys, two are engaged and one is here with his girlfriend. That leaves only 22 boys to got out into the city with for 55 girls. (It is safer if you take a guy with you and you have to have a guy for some parts of the city) There is a group of guys that when I first met them I thought, "These guys seem like a lot of fun. I bet we end up hanging out a lot" Then, as each day came, I noticed a little trend. These boys sit together at each meal, class, and meeting. They walked everywhere together. And there were never girls with them. They probably handed toilet paper to each other under the stall. It was kind of making me mad that here are all these fun girls to hang out with, and these boys decide to ignore them and spend every waking moment with boys.
Today as I was looking for people to go into the city with, I invited myself to go with them and brought a couple of girls along. We ended up having a blast! They had the route all mapped out, books telling about the sites we went to, and plenty of jokes to keep us all laughing. I have come to the conclusion, they are probably not gay. We went to the Church of the Holy Seplecher first. I took some cool pictures but I won't be able to post them for a while because we aren't supposed to upload images, but I just do it anyway. Then we went to a cafe and go falafels (spelling?) On our way out of the old city, we tried some pastries and then split up because some of the kids had to get back to school for Arabic class.
Those of us who stayed went and found the olive wood shops to see what kind of things we could get. The famous Omar wasn't in his shop when we went by, so we went to try and find Jimmy who owns another wood shop that all the BYU kids love. Jimmy found us. It is so fun to have the people run out of their shops, or in Jimmy's case, hop out of a moving car, when they see us to make sure we are headed to their store. He took us in and showed us all of his beautiful nativity sets. He loves the business we bring him, so he gives us killer deals. A medium nativity is about 45 dollars for the BYU students. I found an opal ring I loved and asked him how much it was as we were leaving the shop. He stuck it on my finger and said, "You just pay me next time you come in." I of course refused and payed him 50 sheckles (a little less than 15 dollars) for a beautiful opal ring. He gave us oil lamps as a gift on our way out, and business cards to give to the other students. I love the people here! After that we went over to Hebrew University to see what it was like. I have to say I like "The Mormon" University better.

My Maiden Voyage/Poop for Brains

Demascus Gate

Today was the first day of Modern Near Eastern Studies-Judaism, Modern Near Eastern Studies-Islam, and Hebrew. I have felt pretty stupid before, but man was I lost! Here is how much I know about the tribes of Israel... 10 are lost. The end. And Islam? I've got nothing. All those hours watching the news have done me no good. The classes are interesting and it is fun having an Israeli and a Palistinian as teachers, but I guess they figure we all know a little bit about each of their histories. Once again, I don't plan on being the star student, I just plan on surviving. Hebrew class was a lot of fun and my teacher is great. She taught us a song and we are starting to learn the alpha bet. Guess what the first to letteres are. Alph, and bet. No joke!

After classes were over, I got together with a couple other girls and we went into the old city to do some shopping. Everywhere we went, everyone was saying "Hey Mormons!" Don't worry, they love us... as long as we don't get in their way while they are trying to drive. There are several shop owners who LOVE the BYU kids, and give us killer deals. There is one shop where everyone goes to get their monet exchanged, and he only charges a 1% fee. It was my first time being able to wander a round the old city and it was a blast! I bought snacks and some other things I needed and then just checked out all of the other stuff to scope out what I want to buy when I leave. Any of the shops that do a lot of business with the Mormons always give us a cheaper price. I was looking at some leather sandals and asked the guy how much they were. He said 50 sheckles (about 16 dollars). He then asked if I was Mormon and then said "For Mormons, 45 sheckles." Another shop owner searches for us in the market and walks us all around to the different shops, as well as his. It was so much fun. I stopped in one shop, and I don't know where this kid came from, but he talked like a Palistinian surf bum! He had a perfect American accent, and he kept telling us about his "rad purses" and the "radical prices" he was going to give us. I was trying hard not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. Then his dad came over and they started with the Mormon talk. They said they could tell I was Mormon because of my smile...Oh Please!

After a couple of hours of looking around, we went back to the center so we could make it in time for dinner and before sundown. We aren't allowed in the Eastern side of the city past dark.

After dinner, I was able to go to an amazing concert here in the Jerusalem Center, They put on a free concert every Sunday. Today was a quartet with a flute, chello, viola, and violin. The musicians were unbelievably good! I asked the senior couples who run this place if there is some way I could just move in here permanently.

Other than feeling completely lost in classes today, it was another wonderful day in the Holy Land.

My First Shabbat

Today was my first Shabbat (sabbath) in Jerusalem. Even though it is Saturday, it still felt like Sunday. I kept having to try and convince myself I am really here all throughout sacrament meeting. It is hard to pay attention to the people talking when the large windows behind them overlook the beautiful city. As I took the sacrament, I couldn't help but smile becasue as I was trying to think of all the Saviour has done for me, and the covenants I was renewing. I realized I was just a short walk away from where those sacred events happened that allowed me to make baptism covenants. I loved the testimony meeting. It was just like every testimony meeting should be. Everyone testified of Christ, and each testimony was simple and short, yet powerful. The Gospel is so simple. I think that is what I love about it. There doesn't need to be frills. I think Elder Worthlin is a great example of that, I love his talks because he knows how to say things so simply, yet you can feel the power of what he is saying.
After church, a group of us desided we were going to find the Garden of Gethsemane. It was our first real opportunity to break out of the University and go explore on our own. We walked up the hill and came across an lookout point with a beautiful view of the city. And waiting at the top was a camel! Of course, it is also the one time I forget my camera! A little boy came up to me and handed me a bunch of olive tree leaves and then walked off. I just kind of laughed and didn't think much of it. Then he came back to me and said "I love you. Give me money" I laughed, told him I loved him too, and then handed him back the leaves. He shoved them right back and said, "I love you. No mom. No dad. Give me money" I tryed ignoring him, but like most other boys who have something on their mind, he didn't notice.
Our group eventually made it's way down the hill and into a garden where Jesus supposedly sat and looked over Jerusalem and cried while saying "O, Jerusalem. O, Jerusalem." We were supposed to pay to get in, but the man who watched over the garden let us in for free becasue we were dressed modestly. At least that what all the other kids thought. It was really because he heard I was coming. Oh just kidding. After spending a few moments here, and discovering that I was already soaked from head to toe in sweat (YUCK!) we made our way down to the Garden of Gethsemane. At first I was having a hard time getting into the mood (that sounds awkward) and really feeling the spirit of how sacred this place should be. The grounds are well kept and there is a beautiful Catholic Chapel on the grounds, but I could hear the traffic just outside the wall, and was being distracted by all the German tourists walking by in their matching yellow hats. Then as I stared at the twisted trunks of the olive trees, I realized it didn't matter if I didn't have an life changing feeling while I was in the garden, I have already felt the Atonement is real. It has been when I have needed it to get me through a rough trial or bring cleansing from a sin that the Atonement felt the most real to me. I don't have to be in the Garden to know it is real. I did feel blessed and in awe that I was standing in the same place that the Savior performed that act for me, but it is when I put it into use that I truely feel it's power.
Finally it was time to head back to the Jerusalem center and get some grub! I was also regretting trying to look cute and where my cute brown leather flats that matched my outfit perfectly. Forget it! These blisters are not worth it! I got back to the center, ate more food than I thought was humanly possible, anad drank my own body weigh in lemonade. Oh, and don't tell anyone, I also snuck two desserts.

Day one in Jerusalem

The view from my room

What a day! I hardly slept last night because of jetlag, but my 3 hours of sleep somehow have carried me through this amazing day. We had more orientation and then went on a walking tour of the city. How in the world can I describe Jerusalem to you?! I live on the Palinstinian side of the city, which is not exactly the most well kept part of Jerusalem, but amazing none the less. As we walked along, we were told which sides of the street we are allowed to walk on, and which ones are forbidden. We walked into the old city through Demascus gate and wound our way through all the vendors and shops. Everyone knows the BYU students here. I am not sure if it is because they like our business, or because we love them so much. They sure know what the "the young Mormons" like to here. "You come to my shop! I have carvings of Nephi, Lehi, and the Liahona. My liahonas works!" "Here BYU. Take my card. I do business with you becasue I like you eyes." They know how to business alright. We have been told over and over again how modest we must be in order to not get ourselves into trouble. I even felt a bit immodest walking around in my elbow length sleeves, one size too big, t-shirt.
I can't quite believe I am really experiencing this. We went into the Church of the Holy Seplicure (where most other christian faiths believe Christ's tomb is) and was so amazed at how sacred this city is. Even if all of the sites I see are not sacred to my religion, they are still sacred. I also can't help but notice how beautiful people are all over the wolrd. These two feet have been a few places, and the one thing I notice everywhere I go is how beautiful and unique people are in each country. Middle Eastern men are not used to women looking them in the eye, and we have been told to try and avoid eye contact so we don't send the wrong message. I am not going to lie, it is harder than you would think to not look at people and smile back when you know they are watching you. Don't think I am trying to seduce and men over here, but seriously, who doesn't like to be stared at every once in a while. Ha ha! One of my favorite parts of the tour today was watching our school security. Yes, we have our own security squad. They kept appearing out of nowhere and directing us in the right direction. These guys are good!
Once we walked through the Palistinian section, we then left the old city through Japa gate and went to the western, or Israeli section. Let me tell you, it was like enterning a completely different country. It was a lot more clean and modern than what we had just spent several hours walking through.
Once we got back the the Jerusalem center, it was lunch, more orientation, and then a short break before dinner. I walked out on to the balconyoutside of my room and took a picture of the view. AMAZING! I overlook the old city as well as the Dome of the Rock and a thousand other historical buildings. Tomorrow was suppposed to be our first day with free time to go explore the city on our own, but we have been informed will will be having out first lockdown. This week is the first week of Rhamadan, the month of fasting for the Muslims. Friday night apparently is party night becasue thousands of Muslims will be coming into town to worship and then break their fast at sundown. The streets are supposed to be packed with people praying, and then partying. We aren't allowed out of the center because their leader will be talking before the celebration, and his speeches can become politically charged, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea to have a bunch of American kids wandering the streets overflowing with Muslims that just heard how terrible American are. I am going to be Candian for the next few months.
Well, I am going to go to bed now so I can get some sleep before the Muslim call to prayer blasts through the air at 4:00 in the morning!

I MADE IT!

Yes, it is true, I survived a flight, trapped on an airplane with 40 other Mormon kids for 24 hours. It wasn't so bad and I really like most everyone. I was having a little trouble being as... perky... as everyone else, but I have a feeling the bubbles everyone else has coming out of their ears will die down in a few days. My roommates are all great girls and we will have a lot of fun together.
You wouldn't believe how beuatiful this place is! I don't know if it is because it reminds me of New Mexico a bit, or just because it is The Holy Land, but I am in love! The Jerusalem center is definitley one of the most amazing building I have ever been in, and am blessed enough to live in for the next four months. I just can't believe how beautiful everything is. I wish I could be sharing this experience with everyone I love, but I guess I will just have to tell you all about it instead ;) I already knew one of my professors because he taught in Idaho. Thankfuly he remebered me and I already know I am going to love his class. He is here with four of his children who are all way cool.
This jetlag is a killer. I was sleepy all day, and now that it is time for me to be going to bed, I feel great! I also am STARVING, and for any of you who know me at all, that is not a good thing. I should have eaten more at dinner, but with all that airplane food still in my system, it was a little hard. It is very rare for me not to have food stuffed somewhere in my purse or backpack, but with security checks and all, I thought it would be too much of a hassle. If I get sent home soon, it will be because I tryed to break into the kitchen...

I'd rather fall on a cactus than pack

Well, tomorrow is the day! I am leaving for the Holy Land! (Today as orientation we learned that is a politically nuetral word) Getting all my CRAP there will be a trick though. The airline allows us two check-in bags, but the school is only allowing us one. I have packed, repacked, weighed, and weighed my bag again, but I just can't win. My carry-on is a whole other story and I am hoping they won't notice how GINORMOUS it is and the fact that I will also have my turtle shell of a backpack on my back. I am going to pray really hard that all of the flight personel still have crusties in their eyes tomorrow and I sneak by.

If you can't tell, the picture is me with Cactus spines in my hand. I really would rather pull those out again than think about all this packing stuff.

Other than the whole checking in, getting on the plane thing, I can hardly wait! I met my roommates and they seem like a lot of fun. The other kids I have met look fun as well and I just want to get over ther already. For all of you who keep saying "Maybe you'll meet your husband on the trip!" Wrong. 25 boys: 55 girls. The odds are not in my favor, and I definitly need as much help as I can get. I'll just be happy if I don't poop my pants in Egypt. Apparently we live on packaged food when we go there because stomache issues are the thing to get there.


Well, keep me in your thoughts and prayers these next few days. They will be exciting, but pretty tiring as well. Thanks Mom and Dad for this opportunity. I know I don't say it enough.