Busy Days...

This picture is kind of compliments of my family because they got me an awesome camera for Christmas which takes panoramic photos. Not too bad for my first one, huh?

My days in Jerusalem are jam-packed with activities. Every morning we wake up at around 6 because we have to eat before classes, which start at 7:30. It's really tough because I'm not really a morning person. On Saturday (the Sabbath), I went to the Garden Tomb, where Jesus was buried. I went on a tour there, and the tour guide pointed out what scholars think is Golgatha-it's right next to the Garden Tomb! As you probably know, Golgatha means the “place of the skull”, and I always assumed that just meant that’s where they put the people they were crucifying. However, our tour guide told us that the rocks are actually in the shape of a skull.

This is Golgatha. You can kind of make out 1 eye, but the other one crumbled after construction of a nearby minaret (where they do the Muslim calls to prayer) and a bus depot. Also, the mouth is no longer visible because of the bus depot below it. It's crazy what they do to the historical sites here.

On Sunday, we had classes, which was so weird. After class, I went out and walked around the walls of the Old City. The views were amazing. People actually live right up to the walls, so as we were walking, we would see people on their roofs and talk to them. We walked by a school, and there were some little boys sitting on the steps. As I was walking up the steps, one of the boys pinched my butt! I was warned about this in my orientation, but I didn’t really expect it from 10-year-olds. After we got done walking the walls, we ended up right by the entrance to the Temple Mount, where Dome of the Rock is located. We talked to a guard who said that it’s open for a few hours every day, although not when we were there. I’m so excited to be able to go up there because it’s been closed to visitors since 2000! I’ll definitely be taking a ton of pictures.

Today I started my Arabic class. I won’t be learning much in the way of writing the language; the class is only 1 credit hour so it’s more about learning conversation and customs. My teacher is amusing so I’m sure it’ll be an exciting semester with him. I also went to the Rockefeller Museum, which has artifacts from ancient Jerusalem and the surrounding area. There were all kinds of sculptures and frescoes, and the best part-there was gorgeous jewelry! I wish I could have taken pictures but it was prohibited. Tonight we have FHE, and I’m a the “mom”, which means I’ll be in charge of the activities. Anyone have any ideas?

The Old City Walls and part of the view. Amazing!