"Cheers to The Freakin Weekend"

Rihanna said it right-"cheers to the freakin weekend." This past week has been so crazy. We have had six exams and one huge paper that was due.  All week long we would move from studying for one test to the next.  Hours and hours and hours I put into memorizing facts, dates, and history. But I am so glad it is over...especially because tomorrow I fly to Turkey. Woot.Woot. I am so excited!!!

Jenessa's Mission Call

So I just wanted to give a shout out to my home girl Jenessa.  She is the best nook mate I could ask for.  She was just recently called to the Jacksonville, Florida mission.  We have spent many hours talking about this decision and I am so proud of her decision.  She is going to be an AMAZING missionary.

Right after she found out her call was at the J.C.

Teaching English

Something I love about the Jerusalem Center is there are countless opportunities to serve. One service opportunity I was able to participate in was teaching English at a nearby school.  I taught four year olds how to say school supplies such as bag, eraser, pencil, and lunchbox.  I also reviewed the letter F with them by teaching a frog song, and playing “duck, duck, frog.” I had so much fun. It was actually a lot harder than I had originally anticipated though. You get there being so excited to teach. However, when you start trying to explain what you are going to do, you realize they can’t understand anything that you are saying. Failure. The kids there speak Arabic so there is that language barrier… if only I would have learned more in my Arabic class. However the teacher was a wonderful translator. 

The children were all SO DARLING!!!

Half Marathon Baby!!!

Here in Jerusalem we have a saying… “YOJO.”  This is an acronym that stands for, “you are only in Jerusalem once.” This is how we students justify everything we do.  Let me give some examples. Perhaps you are debating on whether or not to eat your fifth chocolate pita… “YOJO.” Maybe you are wondering if you should buy that really cute scarf… “YOJO.” Or maybe you are debating on running a half marathon that you have not trained for… “YOJO.”

Well this acronym is how it all started.  I have always wanted to run a half marathon which is why it was on my bucket list.  A lot of my girl friends and I decided it would be really cool to say our first half marathon was in Jerusalem.  This is why we decided to sign up for the Jerusalem half marathon. However pre and post sign up I was REALLY nervous because my legs had been really sore from running only just a couple of miles at a time...  Jerusalem is really hilly.  I also live on a small mountain, the Mt. of Olives. Because of this, it is really hard on your legs.  I was nervous that I was going to run this half marathon and injure myself so that the rest of my trip here would be affected.  However I am not really keen on backing away from a challenge.  I also could not stand to have a lot of my friends run the half and accomplish such a feat without me.  This is why I didn’t switch to the 10 K ( which most students were doing.)

The night before the race everyone who signed up for the half marathon were invited to attend a pasta dinner….carb load! However the entire time I was not really enjoying myself because I was freaked out for what the next day entailed. 

Well the next day rolls around.  The van we hired to take us to the race dropped us off almost two miles away from the race because he couldn’t find any roads that weren’t blocked off.  It is kind of hysterical if you think about it. Here is a car load of kids walking two miles to find the start of a 13.1 mile race.  It was even funnier how a majority of the people working didn’t even know where the start of the race was. But we found it in time.

Right before the race. 

The race began and there were thousands of people there.  I think with all of the races combined(10k,1/2 marathon, and marathon) there was a total of 17,000 people signed up. There was such fun energy.  Before the race I talked to my friend who has run a few marathons and she told me your body gets to a point where it becomes a machine.  Your body is doing the motions while your mind is elsewhere. I kept this in mind as I ran.  I decided to start off slow and gage how I felt as I went. The first mile or two my legs were receptive to the burn.  However shortly after something miraculous happened. The Lord had seriously answered my prayers.  My legs became numb and I couldn’t feel any pain.  I felt so energized and I was smiling and waving my arms in the air as I passed spectators and camera men.  I ran with my darling friends Jenessa and Lindee. When we got to the hills there were usually people dressed up in costumes and music blaring.  They always had water stops and fans to help you along the way.  We ran all over the city.  It started in west Jerusalem and we made our way through the old city and along the roads of Jerusalem.

This man was trying to offer moral support during the race. 

 I felt so great the entire time.  It was the most invigorating feeling ever.  I sincerely felt so happy and at peace with life.  I ran the entire time.  The very end was the hardest when we had a hill.  But for the most part I felt good. And oh man was it wonderful to see that finish line arch.   

I crossed the finish line holding Lindee’s hand with my arm raised. I had accomplished my goal and I felt like I was on top of the world.  I got my medal, and shoved my face with oranges, bananas, and chocolate bread.  Some of our friends also brought gummies and chocolate bars that we ate after as well….I know super nutritional.

It has been about a week since the race and I feel great.  The two days after the race I was sore but not too bad.  So moral of the story is that we can accomplish our goals.  We can do hard things, and the Lord will look out for us. 

Shepherding Is Not In The Cards For Me

Neot Kedumim is a land reserve that captures what the land would have looked like during biblical times. One activity we did there was herding sheep. I never thought the day would come when I would get the opportunity to herd sheep and goats.  I gained so much respect for shepherds that day because it was really hard.

 I was taught that you must love the sheep.  Well I guess the sheep were not feeling the love because they did not acknowledge my presence or attempts to herd them in the slightest. It was kind of hysterical watching other people try, however I am sure it was even funnier watching my group’s attempt. Some groups of students did better than others..based on the pictures I will let you decided which category I fell under.

Despite my failure, someone who will never fail is the Savior. He is my shepherd and he will gather those who are lost. “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day….I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.” -Ezekial 34

We made some Hillel, a common spice that we put on our homemade pitas.  We set up camp by building a fire that we used to make ourselves lunch.  With some flour, water, salt, and oil we concocted dough for pitas.  Other students helped make some lentil soup to go with it. It was actually pretty good.  We also had sack lunches just in case, but overall I am impressed with the meal we made.    

Fun fact about the camp site.  They had the most artistic toilet seats I have ever seen.  That is what I call camping with style. 

Meeting a Torah Scribe was another incredible stop on this field trip.  We watched him read a 200 year old Torah scroll. These Torah scrolls usually take 2-2 ½ years to make( one year to write, and another year to double check it.) These scrolls could be sold for $25,000- $35,000.    Something really cool I learned was what they do with sacred text that they mess up on.  They do not believe one should burn these papers so they will literally bury them in a cemetery opposed to throwing them away.  I think that is so astounding. He also showed us some prayer ornaments, telfillin, that they will wear on their head and arm as they pray.  These boxes usually take 5 months to make.

Here is some grade A team work. Olive presses are pretty big in Jerusalem.  

Tel Aviv

So the Jeru Crew got a group together to go to Tel Aviv.  There were about 78 students who went and it was quite the party.  I have serious doubts whether Tel Aviv is really in Israel or not. The entire time I was in Tel Aviv I felt like I was in California somewhere.   I had to keep reminding myself that I was actually in Israel.  When our vans arrived we got out to a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea.  Everybody flocked down to the sand to put their feet in the water.  It just reiterated to me how much I LOVE beaches. I can now officially say I have been in the Mediterranean Sea now.

One thing we were excited about was this fabulous flea market we had heard about.  However the first one we went to seemed more like a garage sale then a flea market. This is a picture of some of the merchandise they had. Yes, that really is a Barbie head.  Fortunately for us we found some other markets that had things other than Barbie head necklaces.  We continued to wander around Old Jaffa when we stumbled upon an old church.  That is something I love about Israel.  There are old churches EVERYWHERE!

 Although we were going to Tel Aviv, I didn’t bring my swimsuit top because I didn’t think I would want to swim. I luckily brought my swim bottoms just in case I wanted to put my legs in.  But how can you just sit and look at the sea without getting in?  So I was super impulsive and I swam in my tank top and swim bottoms. I am so glad I did.  It was so much fun!

Does everyone remember that book, If You Give a Pig a Pancake? Well essentially the book talks about if you give a pig a pancake, he is going to need other things to go with it. Like syrup for example.  Well that is how I felt with riding bikes in Tel Aviv.  If you go to a Beach with a boardwalk, you are going to need to go on a bike ride.  So that is just what I did.

 They had self check out machines for the bikes.  This was an adventure in itself.  My friends and I could not figure out how to check them out. After going to two different bike stops, giving 15 minutes of sheer determination, we figured it out and were off!! It was so great. I felt so much bliss just crusin around the city with my girls.

 Purim is a Jewish holiday.  They read the story of Ester and people dress up.  So essentially it is kind of like Halloween for Americans. People in Tel Aviv were celebrating this holiday while we were there.  IT was fun seeing lots of people dressed up in fun outfits.

 To top off the night we found a stellar restaurant.  We were looking around for a good place to eat when we stumbled upon this place. I can’t even tell you what it was called because the name was in Hebrew…I think.

  They brought us out dozens of little dishes of toppings we could put on yummy pita bread.  That served as the appetizer because after we had chicken shish kabobs.  It was all so good. After dinner we decided we would end the night with a bang by getting gelato. I would definitely say the day in Tel Aviv was a success. 

Fun pictures that I like:

Passover. Synagogue. Israeli Dancing.

 Passover 

We were able to celebrate Passover, even though it was early. Passover is a Jewish spring festival that celebrates the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. It is held through the 15th to the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It is suppose to remind them of what their ancestors went through, and how much God has done for them. It was super interesting.  They had a very specific layout of when you eat, drink, sing, say certain passages, etc.

Ophir, our Israel teacher, reading a passage.  He is holding Matzo bread. The Matzo bread symbolizes the hurried flight of the children of Israel. They left so early they did not have time to have their bread rise.  It also could symbolize pride and not being puffed up. This is just one example of an item of food that has lots of symbolism in the meal. 

More symbolic food items. For example we dipped the parsley in a bowl of salt water to symbolize the tears of their ancestors. 

We volunteered to sing "Dayenu." It is in Hebrew and it is super upbeat. It was so fun. It basically means that the Lord has given them so much. They would have been good with so much less then the Lord gave them, yet he continued to bless them. 

Synagogue

 Every student gets the opportunity to go to a synagogue with Ophir, our Israel teacher, once during the semester.  It was so interesting.  We went to a liberal orthodox synagogue which is actually one Ophir goes to a lot. I went on a Friday night for us, but to them it is really Saturday evening which is their Sabbath.   They usually pray three times a day;evening, morning, and afternoon. The evening prayer is the first one.We went to the overlap session of Friday afternoon and Saturday evening.   We watched them welcome their Shabbat, their day of rest.

Ophir gave an interesting little riddle.  He personified the Sabbath day. Sabbath went to God and told him that he felt very left out.  Sunday had Monday, Tuesday had Wednesday, Thursday had Friday, but Sabbath had no one.  God then told Sabbath that he could have the children of Israel.  This was a mutual commitment by the Children of Israel.

Jews generally treat the Sabbath with a ton of respect and excitement.  They look forward to it each week.  They also have strict rules.  For example they can't drive a car.  This is why Ophir and his kids walked home from the synagogue after the service.  They generally try not to do any work.  They don't write, use electronics, some people don't even use lights (use candles instead), etc.  Most all of the woman's hair was wet there. Probably because they didn't use a blow dryer.

The actual service was interesting. They sang prayers in Hebrew the whole time.  The prayer book I was using had the English translation next to it. I tried to follow along but it was kind of hard. But the prayers were super tender.  All of them were praising God and saying how thankful they were to Him.  At one point during the service they had a man come up and give like a five minute sermon. Ophir told us that he was talking about Purim, a Jewish Holiday that celebrates Ester.  Essentially from what I have heard it sounds kind of like Halloween.   For the Holiday they dress up and read the story of Ester.

Because of Purim, they tried to mix things up in the service .  They did this by allowing people to dress up if they want and by switching the sides the men and women sit on. Ophir's son, who is darling, was wearing a skeleton sweatsuit.

On Monday and Thursday mornings they read the Torah. Shabbat service is generally always the same where they sing the same prayers. The other services are usually shorter, like 15 minutes.  The Shabbat service was like an hour in a half. .

Israeli Dancing

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture. But this week we also had an Israeli dance class. An instructor came and taught us a handful of dances. It was way fun.  

Basically this week I had a lot of first hand experiences learning about Jews and Jewish traditions.  They really are incredible people.