Happy Purim!

Happy Purim everyone! For those of you who aren't familiar with that holiday, it is a Jewish festival that celebrates the story of Esther and the Jews being saved from evil Haman's plots. (Left - Aimee doing my makeup as we got ready for Purim). We, being BYU students and in Jerusalem to boot, could not turn up the chance to celebrate Purim, especially after our last final. That was for my Palestinian class. It was a lot easier of a final than I was expecting. But then again, we didn't really learn very much in that class. That was mainly due to the fact that many students were disrespectful to him and didn't pay attention in class. That meant that he repeated the same material over and over again. It was really frustrating for those of us who were paying attention. I guess that is why the final was so easy. It was just the material we had covered three plus times in class.
It felt really nice to be done with classes and having a holiday was just an excuse to celebrate. Purim is celebrated by dressing up and then the story of Esther is read/acted out. Usually the entire Book of Esther is read. We gathered together around a bonfire. Most people dressed up. I was really impressed by the ability of our students to throw together costumes at the last minute and with limited supplies. At the bonfire, we had banana boats and many people burned their textbooks. (Right - Kendra, Megan, and Katy getting ready for Purim). We danced a little (surprise surprise!) Then a few students acted out an abbreviated version of the story of Esther. It was a lot of fun.
So, we leave for Galilee on Sunday. I'll be gone for over a week. I won't have access to the internet, either, so I won't be posting the entire time I am gone. I will try to be quicker about getting those entries posted than I was with Jordan. It should be easier if I can just type them up as I go (I'll have my laptop with me) rather than type them up after I get back.
Since tomorrow is our Sabbath, Shabbat Shalom!!

Elizabeth and Jade as Goths. Me as Queen Frostine of Candyland. If you look closely, you'll see that my hair has blue in it, too. Burning textbooks at the bonfire. The Esther play.

Notte italiana

Italian Night - what a great way to end a very stressful day. Sorry that it has taken me so long to post pictures on my previous post as well as post the other Jordan ones, I've now finished both. I've been very busy studying for finals. (Left - The dinner spread. It not only tasted good, it looked delicious!) Today was the second to last final. I thought I studied well, but when I started looking at the exam, nearly half of the questions I had no idea. I answered the ones that I knew and then guessed on the rest. I left the room feeling that I had failed. But, after about an hour, we began to correct our tests and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but well enough that I don't hate myself.
Since then, I've been doing homework for tomorrow. (Right - the desert spread. This is only half of the deserts and when this was gone, they brought more out!) It is kind of cruel for them to have classes scheduled before a final. We have two classes and a lot of reading. We were going to have a quiz in each class, but we convinced our professors to have mercy on us. Instead, we just have our last final (at least until the end of the semester) tomorrow afternoon.
For dinner, we had a theme night. It was Italian night. The food wasn't really Italian, but it was beautifully set up and tasted great. All in all, it was a nice way to end such a stressful day.

O Little Town of Bethlehem!

What a day! There was so much to take in and now I am exhausted! I am practically falling asleep while typing this entry. Luckily tomorrow is a free day to prepare for our finals.
Anyway, the day began with a trip to Bethelehem. (Right - Bethlehem University. Students come from Hebron and Bethlehem, mainly). The city is very near Jerusalem and used to be considered part of the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, but with checkpoints it took us an hour to get to Bethlehem. Our first stop was a place called The Applied Research Institute, an organization that was founded by a man named Jad Isaac. He has been involved in the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and had gathered a lot of data on what has been going on in the West Bank and Gaza. I was appalled at some of the actions of the Israeli government. Basically I got the feeling that the Israelis were doing much of what the Nazis did at the beginning of WWII. That is a horrible connection to make because the victims have become the victimizers, yet they don't even see it. They are putting the Palestinians into walled areas and using military control to keep them there. (Left - The Tent where we had lunch).Then they use the system that they know how to work to keep foreigners unaware in the international arena. In addition, they are doing all they can to circumvent agreements that are made both with the Palestinians and then nations on their side. It is really horrible.
At the same time, Palestinians are not completely innocent. The problem is, they don't really have a voice that is being heard in the West. That may partly be due to acts of violence that are seen as terrorism in the West. That definitely doesn't help their cause in the eyes of the rest of the world. But I think it also has to do with the fact that they don't know how to work the system. Don't get me wrong, I'm not placing full blame or responsibility on the Israelis, but I believe that the Israeli government is not working towards peace though they claim to want it.(Right - Manger Square. In front of me is the Church of the Nativity).
After the ARI (check it out on arij.org), we went to Bethlehem University where we had a tour of the campus. That was nice, but the best part was a question/answer session with the students. We ended up talking about the conflict and learned that the word terrorism is very offensive to them. I can see where they are coming from because there isn't much they can do to retaliate against terrorism perpetrated by the Israelis (I use the term terrorism to mean any act perpetrated against innocents such as women, children, and other civilians). (Left - The Wall as we were leaving Bethlehem. This wall keeps the residents inside of Bethlehem making it difficult for them to visit family or friends located in other parts of the West Bank).They do not have a military and any efforts to organize one would be seen as terrorism. It is frustrating to live in a situation where your family is unsafe and you are powerless to ensure their safety.
Our next stop was significantly less politically charged. First we ate lunch at The Tent (which was good and also very filling). Then we went to Manger Square. Manger Square is the square right outside of the Church of the Nativity. The Church of the Nativity is a basilica built by Justinian over the site of a church built by Constantine. According to tradition it was built over the cave that Joseph and Mary used the night the Savior was born. Thus, it is the site where the Savior was born. There is evidence that that cave was known as the place of Christ's birth all the way back in the 2nd century AD so chances are that it is true. (Right - Huddling together in Shepherd's Field after reading the Christmas story. This field is across from Bethlehem, outside of the surrounding wall, though still within the West Bank. It overlooks the old city of Bethlehem and so it is very probably the place where the Shepherds watched their flocks by night). The basilica is shared by the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches and there is a Cathedral built onto it for the Roman Catholic Church. It was quite interesting.
We had a little time to shop before we headed to our next destination. I bought some olive wood carvings. They are pretty nice. Then after everyone gathered together, we drove to Shepherd's field, a field across from the location of the old city of Bethlehem. There we ate dinner and had a nice devotional. (Left - a sign mourning the assassination of 4 Palestinian leaders. This sign sure makes them look like terrorists, but as with most nations, leadership doesn't always reflect the general populace). We talked about the Savior's birth and we also sang many Christmas hymns. It was amazing. I watched over the city of Bethlehem, saw how still it lay, and glorified God. It was incredible to sing lines such as, "Come to Bethlehem and see . . ." and actually BE at Bethlehem. It was such an interesting contrast of what once was and what is now.
Well, I am so exhausted right now that I think I better get to bed. Good night!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Well, I hope everyone has had a jolly holiday. I really enjoyed the day despite the fact that I had my Arabic final and I found out about my grade for my Old Testament final. Maybe I should really say that that contributed to it. I did a lot better on my Old Testament final than I was expecting and the Arabic final was the easiest final I have ever taken in my life. (Left- Family Home Evening. From left to right is Steven with Sebastian on his shoulders, Clausia, Jenny, Megan, David, Davey, Elizabeth, me, and Shaelee in the front. Steven the second took the picture for me. His turned out better than mine which is why I chose to put that on here. You can't really see the chips and salsa, though). It literally took my five minutes, and I took my time.
I'm sorry that I haven't gotten my Jordan postings up yet. Life has been crazy the past week or so. We have assignments due and finals. I have two more finals this week. Then we leave for Galilee, so chances are things will not get any easier. But, I'm hoping to get my Jordan postings up before I go to Galilee. I'll let you know.
Anyway, the other reason today was an enjoyable day was Family Home Evening. We went over to a family's house from our branch. Their names are Steven and Claudia L (I don't remember their last name) and they have two children, Steven and Sebastian. They are really cute kids. Claudia is originally from Mexico and this is their first overseas assignment. The highlight of my evening is when we got to eat chips and salsa. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love chips and salsa. That is my choice snack. The lesson was great, the activity was fun, and it was just nice to be with a family, but chips and salsa was the icing on the cake.
Tomorrow we are going to Bethlehem. I am really looking forward to that.

Palm Sunday

The past few days have been very interesting. It all began when we were able to once again visit the Western Wall for Shabbat. (Left - students walking along the Mount of Olives on our way to Bethphage). That was a great experience, even though I'd been there before. We joined a group that was singing and dancing. The group only spoke Hebrew so we couldn't really understand what the leaders were saying, but one of the guides started translating for us. That was really cool. (Right - the town of Bethphage on the east side of the Mount of Olives). I felt like a part of the celebrations. It was great to be accepted by the Jews celebrating there.
The next day was our Shabbat (yesterday). We had our usual church meetings. Then after church we had Enrichment. (Left - a group of Poles waiting to begin the walk to Jerusalem). That was fun and we had tasty treats (as usual with Relief Society). It was very different than our experience the night before, but not bad (obviously).
That brings me to this afternoon. Maybe some of you didn't realize, but today is Palm Sunday. (Right - inside the church at Bethphage). That is the day that is celebrated for the Savior's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Nearly 2000 years ago today, the Savior rode a donkey from Bethphage a city on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives up and over the Mount of Olives, down through the Kidron Valley and into Jerusalem while the people waved palm branches. (Left - The traditional rock inside the church at Bethphage). We walked that same walk.
We began by walking south from the center along the Mount of Olives. Then we headed down into Bethphage. (Right - With a palm branch while waiting to begin the procession). At Bethphage there is a church that was built around a rock that traditionally was the rock that Christ used to get on the donkey. There is a mural around it. It was a really beautiful church, but very crowded. Then again, this is a world event. People from all around the world come to Jerusalem for Palm Sunday and the week of Easter.
(Left - People watched the procession as we passed by). There were people selling palm branches and olive branches as we walked to the church. Several of the boys bought large branches, trying to get the largest one. Then we began the walk. I was near a group with instruments who were singing. (Right - many children were seen being carried by relatives while the kids waved little branches of their own. This little girl was really cute to see). It was a lot of fun especially since the songs that they were singing were very simple and easy to sing the chorus to. (Left - here you can see the mass of people in the procession behind me. It probably wouldn't have added so much time except people stopped to take pictures). I enjoyed myself a lot. The walk was long because it was slow going. You should have seen the mass of people there! It was incredible!
Finally we arrived at St. Anne's Cathedral near the Pool the Bethesda. (Right - view of the Old City as we walked into the Kidron Valley from the Mount of Olives). There we gathered in a large area and listened to music. We joined in dancing and even started some of our own. It was fun. It was also very different from the two previous days, but not in a bad way. That was my first time celebrating Palm Sunday. I guess this is a good way to start, walking the path that the Savior walked. It was great.

Lion's Gate - the gate by which we entered the Old City. The entrance on the left side of the street is the entrance to St. Anne's Cathedral. The band in the square by St. Anne's Cathedral. It always surprises me what you can find inside the city walls and behind other walls.