Sunday, September 12, 2010

OCEAN!



Today I went to the Mediterranean Sea for the first time ever!! It was probably the funnest day I have had so far on my trip. We all took vans to Tel Aviv and were dropped off right on the beach. It was pretty much right in the middle of the city though. The weather was perfect and not too hot. The water was beautiful and really warm. We also went to a shop just across the street and got some great gelato. Other than getting super sunburned, it was a really awesome day! Here are some pics...





Friday, September 10, 2010

Field Trips, Holidays, and Genie pants



So here I am in Jerusalem! I will be here for the next 3 and a half months studying at the BYU Jerusalem Center. I am taking classes that will help me understand the history of the Holy Land, and also things happening here now. It is such a great opportunity and I am so excited to continue my adventures!

I have been here just a week, but have learned so much already and have done so many great things. For our first field trip we went to different sights all over Jerusalem and were able to look out to areas outside of Jerusalem where different biblical stories happened.















Here we are with the whole city behind us. You can see the old city wall, and to the left of that is where the old City of David used to be. It really is such a beautiful city and there is so much to be learned from all the things that happened here and in the surrounding areas.

We also have had some fun just going through the city and shopping!!! One of the days we went into a ton of shops and checked on prices for things to see where the best prices were. One of the first things I bought was genie pants. These things are great. Other than looking super cool, they are really cool (temperature wise) and fun and comfortable. I will probably be wearing these things a lot here, especially when we go to Egypt and it is so so hot. :)


Right now here in Jerusalem there has been many holidays going on and it is really exciting. The Jewish holiday Rosh HaShana which is like their new year. We also just ended the Muslim holiday of Ramadan where they fast for a month. We found a treat out in the city that was special just for Ramadan and had to try it. It was called Ku-tief (I have no idea to spell it at all) It was pretty much a pancake type thing that they put sugar in and then folded it and pinched it shut. It was interesting, but fun to try. This is it...



Well, these are just some of my exciting adventures so far in my trip. My next two trips coming up will be to Tel Aviv to the ocean and also to Jericho so stay tuned!! :)