Monday, April 30, 2012

Weekend Number One

Sunday mornings are our free days as Saturday is the Sabbath. So Sunday morning we set out to experience the city. First stop: the money changers. I only had cash, but it turns out cash gets a better exchange rate than checks anyway. When I asked if I could get a picture with the exchangers (I tried to remember their names, but alas, I am finding that foreign names are borderline impossible for me to grasp), they were more than happy to oblige, and even pulled out a thick stack of hundreds for a prop. Former BYU students have left notes for future students, and I found both Sarah Jane and Brielle's--my roommates from this past year. I loved that almost every note held advice regarding pita bread--usually something along the lines of warnings to stay away from it, or admonitions to get enjoy getting fat from it.

Sunday morning we walked the ramparts of the city (Saturday is the Sabbath here, so Sunday is our free day). Perhaps the strangest thing I've seen yet was two men tossing mattresses off the top of a rather tall building. What was below was hidden... but I hope no passersby were bombarded. We also looked over a school, and it was fun to see the kids playing; I caught one particular boy in the process of checking his belly button lint. Or at least that's what it looks like. We were all photo-happy, and literally hundreds of pictures were probably taken between all of us. I loved the walk and will definitely be doing it again!

After the Ramparts Walk, we visited the Shuk--an Israeli market in West Jerusalem. I loved walking through the vendors. I think people here must like gummies more than Americans, because every sweets store we pass has piles of gummy candy. My personal favorite were the sunny-side up gummies. I have yet to try them, but their resemblance to actual eggs was worth noting.

The Western Wall (Wailing Wall) was our next stop. I didn't get the chance to actually go up to the wall, but it was still pretty neat to see. One interesting observation: men and women visit the wall separately, and the men's portion of the wall is about 3 times bigger than the women's. I asked Brother Huntsman about it today and he explained that in Jewish culture, women's worship is no less significant than men's, but that as caretakers of children they have less time to devote to formal observance and so are not expected to worship as much. If you look on the righthand side of my picture of the Wall, you can see the separation of the genders.
A group of soldiers visiting the wall were excited to take pictures with "American girls"... and we were probably just as happy, if not more so, to take pictures with them.

I thought I show off where I get to study. The center behind us and the city in front of us.

This was just a typical, beautiful street in the old city--taken when we visited on Friday.

These pictures are solely for Sarah Jane Curtis, who loves Yogurtland, Puns, and Jerusalem.

Sunset over the city.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Into the Holy Land

Reunion: These are my roommates from sophomore year, including Sarah Jane from fall, home from Jerusalem, and Brielle from winter. I love these girls. My year has been so incredible, and I owe it to these six ladies.



And here we are with our blood brothers/partners in crime/the Backstreet Boys themselves...



After careful thought, I decided to fully deactivate my facebook account while waiting for my flight at the SLC airport. This picture is proof of my total isolation from the world of social media! World without facebook?? Indeed, I am venturing into this unknown territory. Email and letters will be my only form of communication: 

rachelcarolineedwards@gmail.com

Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies
Rachel Caroline Edwards Room 305
P.O. Box 19604
Jerusalem, 91196 ISRAEL

I love getting letters in the mail. Any letters received will be greatly appreciated and senders of such will find the likelihood of receiving souvenirs greatly increased.



Here we are at JFK airport, waiting to board. One of my favorite traveling incidents happened here: As our mass of BYU students in our ultra-modest outfits filed into the gate a southern lady with short spiky blonde hair hailed us with "Here come the Mormons!!" I intentionally use two exclamation points to more fully illustrate to you the exuberant energy, enthusiasm, and, frankly, volume, radiating from this woman. She was full of questions and excitement about the Mormons. I have to admit, my first impulse was to wonder if she was a bit tipsy, but I was informed by fellow student investigators that she was not.



A already-late dinner situation took a turn for the worse when our flight left over an hour late. Thus, Jelly Bellies were my sustenance until "real food" (if we dare term in-flight food as such) became available. (Thank you Charlie!) This represents the contributions of myself and my flight buddies to the rations.

On the long plane ride to Jerusalem there were ultra orthodox Jews dressed in traditional robes and side locks, and when I went to use the restroom at one point, a different man was saying his prayers in the back. It was really cool to see the culture that I am now immersed in.



The bus ride to the Jerusalem Center For Near Eastern Studies. After a two hour wait, a five hour flight to New York, a three hour wait, a ten hour flight to Israel, customs, and baggage claim... this forty five minute bus ride was nothing. And we looked pretty good, considering!




My first halting views of the city.





My first morning at the center. Most people were waking up around 3 in the morning with jetlag, but I slept soundly through the night--even through Call to Prayer at about 4 thirty. I woke up with the sun at 5 forty five and watched the sun rise over the city from my bedroom balcony.



There are roses everywhere at the Jerusalem Center. I'm not sure why, but they are so much more beautiful than native Utah roses. Notice a rather famous dome in the background?



The Dome of the Rock from my bedroom balcony.




Saturday, April 21, 2012

Marathon

Nine o'clock bedtimes.
5 o'clock long runs.
Injuries and icing.
Cheering, wonderful roommates.
Cheering, wonderful parents.
Brother in from Boston.
UTTER MISERY.

Twenty-six point two? Done.


Thank You
  • Emily Hales and Chloe Sumsion: Thank you for coming to see me run.
  • All my roommates: Thank you for encouraging me every step of the way this whole semester.
  • Mom and Dad: Thank you for watching me run, dealing with my stress, and driving me around this entire weekend.
  • Angela my cycling teacher: Thank you for enduring the daily questions and providing invaluable advice.
  • Spencer William Edwards:Thank you for not only running with me, but also providing every encouraging word, laughing at every funny sign, and dragging me to the finish line. Champions we are!

My only disappointment: Spencer forgot to bring back my favorite sweatpants. Sigh. They are due for a trip through the mail system.