Market Place

I don't know if I can express how beautiful this country is. I hope that these pictures help... all of them are taken within the Old City: The Market Place

Nuts

loose tea... looks like dried fruit, buts its actually tea.

beads, beads, and more beads.

a vary eclectic shop.

see what i mean...

Im Here!!

Im here. I arrived a few days ago. I’m sort of in vacation/tourist mode so I’ve lost track of dates and times. Lets start from the beginning, shall we... Via air plane. I was a secret, nervous reck. After spending the prior evening crying due to fear, wonder of how this is going to go down, and simply sad to leave my friends, my girls, and my family, I was weak and my mind felt foggy. However, I knew that there was no other place I was supposed to be other than Jerusalem. So...I sucked it up, stopped being such a girl, and put on my “I’m trying to be an adult” face. However, when up in the air, I realized that there was no turning back. Oh. My. Goodness. I prayed and I prayed. Constantly asking God for peace. God has the amazing ability to calm those who are anxious in the most perfect ways. and he did so with me. Before my seat crisis (my seat changed without my knowing,so for 15 long minutes I was without a seat on my flight to Tel Aviv... ya, didn’t help with my anxiety), I unknowingly sat in a wrong seat, and God brought me a gift. I was quiet, trying to be calm, and then my concentration was interrupted by a scream that seemed to be directed towards me. and it

was. a 2 year old Jewish boy’s marble brown eyes where casted on me and he raced his voice as loud as his fragile body could and cried, “SHALOMMMM!!! (hello/peace)”. I couldn’t help but smile at the tiny boy and reply a friendly, “shalom.” This boy will never remember what he did for me, but what he did was instantly allow me to feel welcomed into his country.

It was from this moment, where it only got better. Now, I can say that since then I have only become more and more comfortable, used to, and excited to be here. I have never fallen in love with a country like the way I have for Israel. The outer walls that protect this holy and historical location are a master piece themselves. Sunrise to sunset, everyday is an adventure into the Bible. Separated into four quarters, Armenian, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim, all poses their own distinct personalities. Armenian is quiet, cozy, and most of the people keep to themselves. The Jewish quarter is beautiful, the people are lively and excited about life, and very family oriented. Christian is comfortable, its been my home for part of my stay, and its churches are elaborate and breathtakingly detailed. The Muslim Quarter is loud, spices can be smelled throughout the alley ways, and their prayers are announced five times a day off of loud speakers (not kidding).

I’ve done all that a tourist can do within the walls of Jerusalem, not including a trip outside the walls to visit the Holocaust Museum and crossing the boarder into Palestine to tour around Bethlehem. I have witness the Western Wall, the Western Wall Tunnels, the Dome of the Rock, the Garden Tomb, the Holy Sepulcher, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene, the Church and Covent of the Ascension, the Room of the Last Supper, the 15 stations of the Cross, the Burnt House, Hezekiah’s tunnel, and thats to only name a few.

Sean and I have had the experience of a life time. We have shared dinners with Australians, American, and Jews. Tried food that initially looked unappetizing, only to find that we would crave it the following day. We have discussed what we have learned from the tours, what impacted us the most, what we want to see next, sweated our freaking hearts out, tripped to the near point potential injuries, woven in and out of crowds, enjoyed getting lost, gone through dark, wet tunnels, walked were Jesus walked, and ultimately lived an unfathomable dream together (thank you Mom and Dad). I am eternally grateful to have Sean with me to help me prepare for this next semester. In two days, I will move into my dorm, Sean will leave, and I will be introduced to my new classmates. Im excited.

Stay tuned... Look forward to telling you more!

A little catching up to do...

I am officially starting the whole blog deal. bare with me as i figure out how everything works.

Here i go... the Israel send-off countdown begins today! i have exactly 7 days left in the states! how do i feel you ask... well let me tell you. i'm not just going back to the local 30 minute drive to costa mesa. i will no longer have the choice of visiting my favorite hometown of san clemente. i'm traveling 22 hours to live on the other side of the world. i'm going to be submerged into a culture i have read about, studied, and grown to love for the past 21 years.

i am a constant dreamer and thinker. and when im quiet around people, my mind isn't still, wheels are always turning in my head. the question in my mind now, "is it possible to live in a dream?" im not pulling an "Inception" moment (even though i was completely entertained by Leo's beauty and demonstration of seeing the third layer of dream). im talking about a young child's dream to be an astronaut when she's older. im describing the item a young 18 year old girl writes on her "must do before she graduates" list. when does someone have a chance, option, or even courage to live out their dream... rarely. so, how am i feeling? well... im about to live in my own dreams. and im ready.

my classroom