Perspectives

I think Jerusalem is in some sort of weird time warp. I've been here for about a week and a half yet it feels like we've been here for months already. Our group is getting to know each other better and better. I can't say I'm yet at the point where I know everyone's name...but I do know everyone's faces which I feel slightly accomplished about. The food is amazing! I don't know how to describe it because its not much different than american food except its cooked with different spices than we use back home. As well pita bread is served with every meal. A current in-center favorite is we all take peanut butter and the Israeli version of nutella (its less hazlenut-y and more chocolaty) and put it inside the pita. We then proceed to toast it turning our pitas into a goo of peanut butter- chocolate goodness. As well I've been introduced to persimmons. They are these strange orange fruits that look like tomatoes but the texture is peach-like. I think we have them back home but here they are abundant. Yesterday I finally tried the infamous falafel. Its delicious and can be found all throughout the city.
Since Sabbath I've seen all sorts of amazing things. Sunday was our first free day and we used to get to the know city. I went out with a group of 9 students first thing in the morning. We first went to Dome of the Rock. We entered the city in a different gate than before; this time we entered through Lion's/ St. Stephen's Gate. This brought us into a much quieter area of the city, less hustle and bustle than Damascus Gate. From here we wandered until we found the security that you have to go through to get to the Western Wall. You have to go through two separate metal detectors. When I finally got into the square that is in front of the Western Wall I was surprised how tall the wall is. But it makes sense the wall has been built up every time the city has been flattened and rebuilt. Walking into the square around the Dome of the Rock felt like being at temple square. It was quiet and people were taking lots of pictures. The only difference is the guys walking around with huge guns as security. The Dome itself is absolutely stunning. I found the arabic art so fascinating...and the just the age of the building is amazing. After taking tons of pictures the security guard warned us that it was time to leave. The Dome is only open to non-Muslims before 11am. After that we decided we proceeded to walk across the city towards Jaffa Gate to do the Ramparts Walk. The ramparts walk is the walk around the top of the city wall. This was good for getting oriented around the city and making sense of where everything is. As well you could see more of the every day life of people of the city because you could see right into backyards, rooftops, and schoolyards. I'm falling more and more in love with the city the more I get to know it. It's also interesting to see the difference between the different quarters of the city. This took most of the day but we decided to finish off the day by going into West Jerusalem for Gelato. West Jerusalem is weird because it feels like you've been transported to Europe. We sat on these tables and chairs eating our gelato that did not require bartering, and listening to a man play music. It is a very huge contrast from the Old City.
Monday we had our first field trip. This was the Geography Field trip to help us get more orientated with the area. Our first stop was Nebi Samuel. This is the church where churches have made claims of both where the Prophet Samuel was born and burried...I don't think either are true. Its funny because if you look on the map it looks like we traveled about a quarter of Israel...but it took of all of about 20 min. to drive. Afterwards we went to Augusta Victoria. This church is one of the competing sites for the Ascension of Christ. The mosaics were beautiful and the tower is the tallest spot in all of Jerusalem. We hiked up the 210 stairs to the top and get a view of all of the city. Next we went to the 7 Arches Hotel that overlooks the Dome of the Rock. It would be a really good place to go and watch the Friday afternoon prayers the Muslims do. After that we went to other side of the city to a spot called Haas Promenade. Here was interesting because if you read in the scriptures it sounds like the exact spot that Abraham would have stopped right when he was descending to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice his son. I don't why it feels so neat to be in the same spot where scriptures occurred, but there is just something special about it. Our final spot was an overlook looking right into Bethlehem. On the hilltop next to us was a giant Israeli settlement. I thought was cool because you read all about the settlements in the news...and there was one right in front of me. They slightly look like huge retirement communities of all identical houses. Overall the field trip was a lot of stopping, getting out, and looking at views but it helped with understanding where Jerusalem is situated and understand where things we are studying occur.
Tuesday through Friday we've had classes all morning and then usually have a break in the afternoon before having a later class. Tuesday during the afternoon we started arabic classes so I stayed in the center all day. Wednesday we went to Zedekiah's cave. This was really cool because this is where all the stones for Solomon's temple were carved out. The cave goes really deep underneath the city and was so fascinating because you could see where they had carved out those giant stones years and years ago. On Thursday we went to Mea Shearim, the ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Western Jerusalem. It was an educational experience. All of the people are very sober and the streets just seemed very subdued. It wasn't the most exciting afternoon, but it was a cultural experience.
Today we are going to the Western Wall to see the Jews get ready for Shabat or the Sabbath. I can't wait.  One thing I have learned to appreciate while being here- I always thought growing up Mormon we lived very conservative lifestyles. I was very wrong...I am so grateful for the freedoms and lifestyle we enjoy in North America. I'll never again complain about having a small apartment/room or not much of anything. Seeing the people here stacked right on top of each other, generation atop generation, I feel so grateful for the giant yards, cars and houses we all take for granite back home. Just a thought.