Gethsemane with my girls |
I put this in quotes because a free day means that us students pack it full of crazy activities. We ran into the city and hit the ground following Turkey running. Despite the stress of classes and midterms, we accomplished a lot this week. It’s so strange to think about what I did on Tuesday, and say “Oh yeah, that’s when we picked olives to make our own olive oil.” “No, Wednesday was when we went to the Pool of Siloam”. "Okay, was in the Jewish or Armenian Quarter?" It’s just weird to say. Surreal almost. We had 5 or 6 field trips this past 2 weeks which may have topped some of the things that I put down on my bucket list. Monday was difficult, but worthwhile. Professor Yardin walked us through the Holocaust museum, which is always a thought provoking experience. The quotes and testimonies really hit me hard and wiped me out-it was an emotional day.
Olive Picking, like a boss |
Maybe call it the halfway point, but this week was a little bit of a process in it of itself. Possibly it is because we had sometime to reflect on the intensive refining process that is to make olive oil. It was a surprisingly easy analogy to life in some ways. It’s harder than I thought to be away from my solid support system at a pivotal point in your life. Penciling in a time to call or skype is rough, “hi family, can I maybe schedule a time to discuss my life with you?” Though difficult, it has allowed me to rely on myself a bit more and grit my teeth against that sometimes disassociating feeling between my life in Jerusalem and Provo.
Sometimes field trips provoke tired modeling |
There was a point when I was finished snorkeling and just lying on the sand, with headphones in my ear, beachy breeze blowing my hair into some fantastic curls, chatting with friends and sipping a coke. It was perfect bliss. Hey, a day at the beach can fix most anything, can’t it? The drive back continued that theme. Watching the sun set of the desolate desert of Israel created the most beautiful picture that couldn't have been captured by any camera. It was a moment where you had to sit and soak it all in, because no matter how hard you try, you can’t describe it to anyone. And it was beautiful.
Jerusalem. |
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