Weekend Bucketlists



Looks like Italy, no?

So, before mentioned and beloved Dr. Seely issued a challenge in lecture last week.  When talking about Egypt, he said one day you will go and purchase an extra ticket in a museum in Cairo and see the pharaoh that talked to Moses.  He said you will go in the dimly lit, climate controlled room and stare into the face of Ramses the II.  It was brief moment, and it soon was followed by lists and lists of facts that were rattled off at an alarming speed.  And right then and there, I began my bucket list.  A real one, written down with all the times I want to accomplish, places I want to see, and things I want to do.  I started writing down various desired accomplishments and countries yet to visit when I realized that I have already done some bucket worthy things. Quite a few, actually. It was a surprising moment. Thanks mom and dad for the headstart.


Playing the Bells with Brealynn :) 

            The past week has been stressful with midterms, but I’ve had this bucket list mentality in mind.  Almost every day here is a bucket list moment.  Several things checked off on my list were accomplished this week.  Saturday for Sabbath, I played an arrangement of “I Believe in Christ” with the whole Jerusalem skyline behind me. When will I get a chance like that again? I went with 5 other students to the YMCA Bell Tower in West Jerusalem Sunday morning to play the bells for all of Jerusalem to hear.  We rung the hour at 11:00 and 12:00, but got to play other songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Follow the Prophet” in between the hour. For Jerusalem!  After, we wandered around the city, found a gorgeous apartment neighborhood, explored Zedekiah’s cave, and found a small turtle outside the city walls.  We named him Burt.   (Okay so finding a turtle wasn’t exactly Bucket Listed, but I may put a category called “saving lives” and count Burt as a list item) On another note, I am now Instagram famous.  Remember my challenge to beat a photo at Herod’s palace?  (See previous post) It was chosen as the BYU Study Abroad Instagam picture of the week.  No big deal.

Goliath Slinging!

Bell Caves-Huge!

             Monday, field trip day, crossed off several items.  We visited six sites, which was a long but rewarding day.  I loved all the caves we explored (This week was really cave heavy for some reason. That was a bizarre thing to say) mostly because they are awesome and it’s still really hot in the afternoon. One cave housed an ancient oil press, while another had a maze of water holding cisterns.  We went to the Bell Caves which were awesome.  That place is enormous.  Enormous. It originally was a quarry which turned it into this fantastically acoustic underground cathedral. Probably the best part about that day was when we went to Tel Ahzekah and the valley that it looks over.  Professors distributed us each a sling and sent us on our way to find 5 smooth stones and let us loose, standing back a ways. We got to practice our slingshot skills where David slew Goliath.  It’s a pretty cool thing to say that I could have killed Goliath with a sling. That I almost could have killed Goliath. That I may have been able to give Goliath a concussion.  That I could have possibly, maybe, given Goliath a smallish bruise.  Those slings are harder than they look to operate.

            The rest of the week was spent pouring over books and doodle ridden notebooks which was stressful and exhausting.  It was a very long week, but I tried to keep my bucket list mentality.  It helps that we leave for a post midterm week long excursion in Turkey.  And hey, it’ll be pretty cool to turn twenty one in Turkey. That is bucket list worthy.