Field Trips Galore!

The past 10 days we've gone on three fabulous field trips! The first was a geography field trip where we went to several places with views of the surrounding country. It was great to see Jerusalem from multiple points of view and see some other biblical points of interest. Our second field trip was a morning at the Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on display. The highlight was seeing the Great Isaiah Scroll. It hasn't been on display for 40 years and probably never will be again. It was awesome. In the afternoon I went with some friends to the Zoo :) A good time was had by all. Our third field trip was a day trip to Tel Aviv. I spent most of the day at the beach swimming in the Mediterranean. It also involved eating Falafuls in a Russian restaurant and of course our family staple when we're abroad...an ice cream cone at McDonalds! Speaking of field trips, we head out on Sunday morning for ..... ..... EGYPT! It should be an interesting and exciting trip.

Life in Jerusalem

I arrived in Jerusalem last Wednesday afternoon. This study abroad experience is incredible! When we first walked in the BYU Jerusalem Center I couldn't believe that I actually get to live in it! It is so nice and undoubtedly has the best view of Jerusalem including the Dome of the Rock and the Old City. I remember it being pretty cool when I was here 9 years ago, but when I set foot in the BYU Jerusalem Center this time, I knew it was truely something special! From the auditorium on the 8th floor to the "Oasis" caffeteria to my room and deck overlooking the city on the 4th floor I love it all! I still wake up every morning and go out on my deck just to look at the view. Some of my favorite activities outside of the Jerusalem Center so far include visiting the Garden Tomb, walking around amongst Muslims in East Jerusalem, just exploring the Old City, watching tourists get manipulated by rogue merchants, hearing locals yell "Hello Mormons!" everywhere we go (seriously, how do they recognize us???), listening to the call to prayer five times per day, watching Orthodox Jews go about their business, looking at the Dome of the Rock, etc. The list goes on and on.

Rookie!

I'm a blogging rookie and right now this might honestly be the ugliest blog ever! Just give me some time... I'm working on it.

Bon Voyage!

I'm on the way to Jerusalem now! I should be there in about 15 hours or so! I've heard that I'm not supposed to post pictures on this blog from Jerusalem since the internet connection there is a bit ghetto.