Not Your Typical First Day of School

Shalom! I have made it safe and sound to the Holy Land.  After a prayerful morning, I received my passport from the safety deposit box and was on my way to the airport. Thank goodness I'm not 'the girl who didn't bring her passport', though I've accrued some other nicknames already. (Anecdote: These scrawny cats lounge around the outdoor patio in Jerusalem and another student thinks I'm some crazy cat lady because I am rather attached to a smallish kitten.  Nice impression, Em). That aside, my anxiety of meeting people was vanquished rather quickly. Everyone is friendly and eager to ask the general questions of "Hi, what's your name? Where are you from? What are you studying?" I have lots of basic acquaintances, 80 to be exact.  From SLC to JFK to TLV was loooooong.  I slept a ton, but even those blow up neck pillows (ridiculously fashionable, I know) aren't meant for 8 hour stretches. But then we were in Israel! There were lots of little hints that helped the shocking transition from the US to the Holy Land.  It was Jewish New Year when we arrived to we received an apple and some honey as a gift to welcome in the holiday.  Each airline announcement was made in English, then in Hebrew and there were quite a few people dressed in religious garb on the flight.  Very cool.  You also can't stand up the last 30 minutes of the flight to Israel due to Israeli law.  Kinda scary, but cool too.

We met our faculty at the customs gate and were loaded onto buses to drive to Jerusalem. Though jetlagged and exhausted, the first glimpse of the Dome of the Rock was something I'll never forget.  We drove up the winding pathway, following the freeway signs that read "Center"and "Mormon University" in English, Hebrew and Arabic. It's quite amazing to see. (That's how everyone knows the gorgeous building at the top of the hill)  The Jerusalem Center is incredibly beautiful. The architecture fits to well into the layout of the Old City, which can be seen through the massive windows and arches that make up the center.  It's incredibly hard to focus when every where you look you can see Harod's Gate, or the Dome of the Rock.  Each bedroom as a balcony where you can see the whole city, since the Center is up on Mt. Scopus.  It's surreal to even say that, but even more amazing to actually see it, let alone live there. I've slept rather well here, though I have woken up each morning at 4 am to the Muslim Call to Prayer. It's one of the most beautiful things I've heard, and don't mind it one bit. I just go back to sleep after listening.  I usually go out on my outdoor patio and listen while the city is sleeping, while looking at the olive and pomegranate trees that are right on my porch.



First day of School picture overlooking the Old City

There is so much to tell, even though I've only been here a few days. The food is incredible here-and from a culinary minded person, it's as exciting as the city itself.  I'm motivated to try all the selections, but terrified of those "pita pounds".  There is a scale on the 5th floor and our orientation packet said something along the lines of "Don't bring Jerusalem home with you! The Jerusalem Center houses both a gym and a scale for your use".  Yikes.  I'm using that scale once...Before I fly home to make sure my luggage (not me) is not overweight. Only 3 days in has been an overload of information.  Yesterday we took a camera-less walking tour of the Old City just to orient ourselves.  The city is beautiful and busting-there are tons of vendors with rich carpets, painted tiles, religious souvenirs, pomegranate juices, incense and the bustle of people.  It fits in well with what I thought Jerusalem would be like. We had bodyguards from the Center at check points in the city which was very helpful with my group of 8 got stuck in the middle of a massive pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It took us over an hour to walk just a couple blocks down the crowded bazaar.  Everyone was singing, burning incense and carrying basil (which was supposedly found on Christ's tomb).  It was such an amazing experience and involved all of my senses which solidified so much detail.  It's crazy to talk about something so incredible as a part of everyday life.  Today (Friday) was the first day of class and can I tell you how cool it was to study the Old Testament and the geography of a place when it is literally a stone's throw away?  It was rather difficult to focus because being in a classroom is torture when you could be wandering the city. But this is an academic experience, not a vacation. (We are told that about 13 times a day)

That is only a teeny view into the packed few days here in Jerusalem.  I was waiting for a moment where I would be hit hard that I'm living in the Holy Land, but I feel this feeling of acceptance.  I feel very comfortable here, despite the tight security and political sensitivity we are constantly discussing.  There have been some challenges, but they don't really concern me and I think it's because of where I am. I mean, why else would I not be upset that my straightener isn't working?

There is going to be lots more to come, count on that.  Tomorrow is Sabbath, and we have a free day on Sunday and a field trip on Monday.  That's sure to produce some pretty cool stories and photos, right?