This is already my third Shabbat!

Time is accelerating by! The first few days were slow because everything was new. Now there's a rythmn to things. Bro Huntington said after Egypt it flies by. My goal is to write on my blog at least once a week. Problem is once I get going I get into more and more detail and it turns our really long then it takes me a while to write again.
Tomorrow morning at 6:30 am we leave for EGYPT! I'm so excited, I'll get to go see a lot of the things I've heard about all growing up. The Nile river, Pyramids, all the famous art from Egypt I studied in art history. Brother Seeley has been getting us ready to go. We've been going over the kingdoms of Egypt's history. In addition he suggested some movies for us to watch before we go that they have in the library here. That journey of Faith movie we watched before I left was one of them, along with a Hugh Nibley movie and “Death on the Nile”. A group of us watched “Death on the Nile” (part of it I went to bed partway) last night. Its an old murder mystery movie that reminds of The Great Gatsby movie. You should watch it and you'll have a good idea of what I'm going to be seeing next week.
Yesterday we couldn't go in the old city at all so we took a cab to the west side. We went to the Jewish open air market. It was really crowded and busy (probably cause it was right before shabbat). Really exciting atmosphere. We went down one of the streets and it was maybe the most crowded place I've ever been. Venders yelling every way and the little old ladies won't budge at all to let you around and will just run into you if you get in their way. They just slowly trudge along. We shopped around Ben Yahuda street a bit but everything was closing early for Shabbat (Ben Yahuda is kind of an outdoor mall, its way different than the old city it's just like a European city- British influence). Before we left the west side we went through an orthodox Jewish village. Before you go in that had big signs posted that said “Loud tourist groups severely irritate us” and “Immodestly dressed women may not pass through”. The people walking around reminded me a lot of the American Amish. It seemed like they were all hurrying to get ready for Shabbat, maybe some were going to the Western wall. It's strange how different parts of town can be so dramatically different here.
After we got home I took a nap then went to practice with Brother and Sister Galbraith. I'm playing a violin duet with SG and BG is accompanying on piano (for B G's organ recital in a few weeks). They are awesome musicians and I'm so happy I get to play with them. (They are good friends with Jack Ashton, both played with him in the Utah Symphony, SG even dated him! until she and BG met while playing in the symphony).
Also yesterday Bro Huntington gave a forum about the Arab/Israeli conflict. He explained the history behind the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Brother Huntington served his mission in England during the Six Days War (which is really cool because the middle east today is pretty much a product of the Brits). The countries of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait are all a British empire creation from not that long ago. Since his mission Brother Huntington has been studying Arab/ Israeli conflict. He went to Gaza a lot between 1994 and 2000 doing research. He said he used to think he understood everything but 'it's a complex issue'. He says the more he studies it the more he realizes he doesn't understand. It was a really great lecture and helped me understand a lot. I'll tell you about it some other time.
Other highlights of the week were going to the Rockefeller Museum and the temple institute on Sunday. The temple institute is a museum sponsered by a group of jews. They have things in there that they will put in the third temple if and when it is built. Monday the lower gate was closed becuase of strikes that were going on in the city becuase of what has been going on in Gaza lately. Most stayed in to study. A lot of people stayed in because they were sick. It seems like there is some kind of cold and fever going around. Many are trying to get better before we go to Egypt. I really don't want to get sick, especially in Egypt. I scared myself a little on Wednesday becuase we played soccer in the afternoon and I got really into it. I lunged a little too far and hurt my ankle a little bit (the one I broke, it isn't as strong as my left one). I didn't really realize it until the next morning when I got out of bed. Luckily if felt better as the day went on and I think it will be okay. I'm going to be more careful when I play soccer. It would really stink to not be able to climb mount Sinai. Another girl hurt her feet really badly from walking around the city all day in her Sunday shoes. She had to wear tennis shoes with her skirt today to church, trying to get them to heal before we walk a lot in Egypt.
Other than that I did alot of reading this week for our Modern Near East Studies class, Jewish perspective (we started this class on Tuesday). The teacher for this class is VERY organized and we have a lot to read. Much different teaching style than our Palestinian class. I'm going to learn a lot while I'm here. I think I've found a pretty good balance between staying in the center to study and going out to see stuff.
I've been to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the old city three times now but there isn't a guide there so I don't really know what everything is yet. It's a really beautiful building and it's a nice place to just wander through.
I'm going to go now because we're watching the ten commandments tonight. Hope all is well at home and I'll write again when I get back from Egypt!

Day 8 "We walked a lot"

Wow this is getting long, Day 8, January 16, 2008. This was our day completely off. There was only Arabic in the morning (and I'm taking Hebrew) so everyone was excited to make big plans this day. I ended up going with a group that wanted to take a sharut (10 person van) to west Jerusalem (the modern side of town) get dropped off and then stop by the sites as we walked back all day. The Knessat(Isreali parliment) was closed so we decided to go to the Biblical zoo and the botanical gardens instead. The zoo was nice and the weather was sunny so it was warm and nice. We stayed til about noon when we were hungry, then we started walking, and walking and walking. We were way out in the boonies where things are really spread out so it took a while to find a place to get lunch. Then we walked and walked and walked. We saw the city go from the soccer stadium and the mall to Suburbia, to more city Suberbia (kind of like Sugarhouse) to a University area (where the boys that 'knew where we were going' finally called security to find our where we were) to downtown western Jerusalem. Where we found the famous international YMCA (Across from this building is the King David Hotel where President Bush stayed when he visited here last week, the whole hotel was booked just for him (and it's a really nice hotel))! The guy there told us we couldn't take the elevator so we climbed up the 100-something steps (painful). Then we could see exactly where we were. The Old city was only a little bit away. By this time it was about 3 pm and we were exausted. Since the city was so close now it was pointless to call a Sharut. (Before while we had kept walking and walking we kept thinking about calling a Sharut but kept saying 'we're probably not that far now'. On the way how we stopped on Ben Yahuda street. A fun part of town for shopping, I got my first Swarma with Heather and the rest of the group went to good old Burger King. I bought some gloves to keep my hands warm (been needing them) and we walked the rest of the way home, hiking up to the gate at twilight, just before dark (we can't be in East Jerusalem, where the center is, after dark). Moral of the story is. West Jerusalem over by the zoo is much more spread out then downtown and the old city, so get a ride back.

Day 9 Geography Field Trip

Now on to Yesterday, Thurday Jan 17th, Day 9, we went on our first official field trip. "The Geography Field Trip". Brother Draper said 70% of the Bible events took place in the area we saw in one day! We went to five overlook places in different locations where we could get a vantage point from all directions. First we went to Nabi Samwill north of the city, the highest point on the Benjamin plateau. We went to the roof of the Monestary and Brother Draper told us the history, geography and Biblical reference for the site. It was really cold and really windy up on the tower we all huddled together to stay warm and got off as soon as possible, but it was a great view. Its interesting to see the walls between Israel and Palestine but there are still Jewish neighborhoods springing up on the Palestinian side. Most of the sites we visited for the geography tour were in the West Bank. When we went to the second site, Deir Elyas, a hill overlooking Bethlehem (south of Jerusalem) we climbed around Isreali bunkers from not that long ago. Our third site was the Haas Promenade a really touristy overlook with a view of Jerusalem from the south. We studyed the Georgraphy around Jerusalem: the three Valleys that the city of David was built around. The Seven Arches Overlook (also touristy)is a spectacular view of Jerusalem from the East (Mt. of Olives). There was a man there at the outlook with a camel for people to take pictures with and ride. This camel was special because if you make a kissing noise he will nibble on your face. My roomate tried it, the camel pretty much ate her face, haha. Finally we went to the Augusta Victoria Tower. This tower is just up the hill from our center. It's a beautiful Luthran church with a tower and the best Palestinian hospital around. Palestinians in the area who can't afford care can go there. Brother Draper told a story from 1994 when a school bus crashed near hear. The bus driver was killed and many children were hurt and went to the Augusta Victoria Hospital. Many of them needed blood and they we short on plasma and needed a source they could trust for good blood. A couple of the nurses volunteering there were from BYUI so they ran down the street to the BYU JC and came back with 120 students to donate. Many of the people in this area still remember and especially love the BYU center for that. I really like the Augusta Victoria the chapel has great acoustics. The tour guide let us sing. I really want to go up there sometime and play some Bach on my violin in there.

10 day update

I've been here 10 days now at the BYU JC. So much has happened so I'll just start with today. I just got back from dinner in the Oasis we are all starting to get used to the food here. It's very similar everyday (at breakfast especially). The guys that dish up our food now know what we are going to get so some of us walk up and they just start dishing, eggs for you, no fish for you, its funny. Before dinner we got a group together and played soccer in the gym. We ended up playing for 2 and 1/2 hours and no one got hurt! (The Heye's always cring when people say we're playing soccer because they tend to "break each other"). The reason we had so much time to play is because we are not allowed out of the center on Friday's because it is the Muslim sabbath. This morning we had Old Testament and Near Eastern Studies class. In Old Testament we studied Jacob and Esau and then on to Joseph of Egypt. In Near Eastern Studies we studied the early part of Egyptian history. Brother Seeley is getting us ready to go to Egypt! In only just a week!! He said going to Egypt can be compared to getting married, you only do it once so don't mess it up. I didn't know this but we will be flying and then riding a train up (down) along the Nile. He said we will never forget the train ride.

This was actually written January 10th, 2008 :)

Sorry it took me so long to answer I just got on the internet for the first time since I got here. It is about 11:00 pm on Thursday night here. I don't know what time it is there. I just got back from going to a concert they had in the center (for the community). It was an Isreali dixieland band. Very interesting with two British guys a russian. Anyway, it was fun. Today we had a walking tour of Jerusalem mostly the old city. There is a lot to see here. I'm glad we have four months but that still won't be long enough. It will take a while for me to get oriented but like they'be been telling us Once you've 'lived' in Jerusalem it becomes your city. They urged us to explore and 'make the city ours.' During our short tour we they showed us where we can change our money, The garden tomb. We entered the Old City through Damascus Gate, which is kind of an intense area, lots of pick pockets and crowded. They told us not to go through Damascus gate without a guy. They said probably don't go through Herod's gate cause its more residential and sometimes little kids throw rocks. Next we went on the roof on an Austrian hospice for a view of the Old City. It's a little hotel you can stay in right in the old city. Then we went past the Christian Church of the Holy Seplucure. The whole way through the city we were nearly attacked by merchants "BYU! BYU!" They know who we are, some gave us their card and free drinks and stuff so we'd come to their shop.
Anyway, I love the center here. When we came in last night from the airport in Tel Aviv we were so tired and everyone was so hospitible. When our bus pulled up their were a ton of security guys waiting to take our bags to the 5th floor (my rooms on the 4th) We came straight in and had dinner at the Oasis. Didn't enjoy that meal as much because all I wanted to do was sleep. Then we had a couple hours of orientation with our teachers and a tour of the center then we went to bed. Slept so well until it got a little cold, had to turn up the heat at 4 am. (I didn't even here the call to prayer at 5 though) I love the center and the food oh its soooo good. Everything just different and unexpected. Particularly this morning I had the best cream of wheat type stuff. It had a really good mellow taste and in the city today we had circle bread with salty blue stuff forget what its called.
The Proffessors and service couples are so cool. There's Aron the director and a bunch of security and secretary staff that are from here. They are very professional and sensitive (street smart). The professors and they're wives took us on the tours of the city in groups of ten I went with Bro Huntington's wife Sandy.
Also interesting, Bob Galbraith is the Organist up here. He's also a violinist. Aparently he and his wife met playing violin together in the Utah Symphony years ago. He now works in San Fransico for the opera there or something, My religion and Ancient Near East classes are the best. (I haven't been to any of the other ones yet, they will be taught by natives, so cool!) It's kind of overwelming because there's so much to do and see and only 4 months to do it.
The classes have to push things along quickly to get through it all. Speaking of which I have more Old Testament to read so I'd better go because I love sleeping. I really didn't plan on writing this long I thought it would be only a few sentences.
I'm excited for tommrow, we go to The Western Wall. In only 2 weeks we go to Egypt.
I guess I'll post this up on my blog as well. It probably has lots of errors so sorry. But yeah the purpose of this message was to tell you they let me into the country and none of my baggage was lost or stolen. Oh, something else interesting on our plane ride from New Jersey to Tel Aviv there were lots of jews on the plane and in the middle of the night they all got up in the aisles to pray. It was cool.
Anyway, I hope everything is well at home and wow mom 45 emails when I checked today, its gonna take me a while to read them all. Thanks for everything. Also I'm trying to decide whether to get a calling card or not it cost 40 bucks and its huge like more than 1000 minutes. I don't think I'll talk that much. Maybe I'll pay someone to let me borrow theirs sometime or something.

Love ya, Emily