Perfect Weekend

This weekend was so wonderful! It is impossible to capture how fabulous this world is through mere words and pictures. I am really blessed to be here. On Thursday, we went on a field trip to Negev. Abraham lived in Negev for part of his life. In addition, Negev is where the Bedouins have been living for the past 3000 years. The history here is exciting; I remember learning about the Bedouins in World History my sophomore year of high school. The field trip included a stop in a tiny village where we watched women weave blankets, time for exploring more ancient ruins, and waiting inside caves and jumping out of them in order to scare people. Heheh. It was great. We ended the day by stopping at the tomb of the first Palestinian Prime Minister. I loved the view from the site of the tomb. It was the Judean Wilderness, which is not beautiful, per se, but it is vast and grand. We sang How Great Thou Art and I thought about all the faithful people who have crossed through this wilderness for various reasons. They put their whole faith in God knowing that if they are obedient to Him, everything will work out. That God is the same God I worship and the same God in whom I put my faith. We all journey through our own "wildernesses" but our travels will be much easier if we remember to trust God. These experiences are humbling. Anyway, pictures are below. If you think we look cold, it's because we are. It is soooo chilly and windy here. Every time someone starts whining, we remember how much colder it is in Provo. I don't miss the snow one bit. :)

Bryson let me borrow is jacket; I left mine at the Center :( What a kind soul!

Friday was one of my favorite days of my whole life. I would put it in my top 20. We went to class, then put together school supply kits to donate to needy children...which turned into a dance party....which was wonderful. Dancing is therapeutic, I believe. After that we went to the Western Wall. We had a blast. I have no pictures because cameras weren't allowed but it was blissful. We sang and danced with Hebrew girls our age as the Sabbath began at sundown. There was a girl from New York who we talked with and she explained a few of the customs. She was here with other kids her age for the Birthright trip that Jews take. It was an indescribable experience. I loved the sense of unity in the air. I have really enjoyed observing these different religions. We came back and watched Indiana Jones 3...the one where the last scene is filmed at Petra. We are going to Petra this week!! Weeeee.

Wesley made such a great DJ at our service-activity-turned-dance-party. The crowd was going wild.

The next day was the Sabbath and it was wonderful as usual. I love the Sabbath. I sang in a quartet during Sacrament Meeting. It was fun and we got positive feedback, so that felt nice. :) People are so kind. After church, we went to the Garden Tomb. The Protestants own a site that is said to be just like the one where Jesus Christ was. They gave a little devotional, we went inside the tomb, and then we sang hymns about Christ. It was cloudy and dark but when we got to the line in I Believe in Christ that says "He is the source of truth and light," the sun came out. It was a sweet moment. My favorite line in that hymn is "I believe in Christ; he stands supreme! From him I’ll gain my fondest dream." It's the truth.

Today was our free day. We set out to do the Ramparts Walk but it ended up raining so we stopped at a few shops and then wandered around while it poured buckets. Haha. We stumbled upon a Catholic cathedral just in time to catch the end of Mass. We talked with a priest (I hope that's the right terminology) for a long time afterwards. He gave us a tour and showed us a the mosaic tile floor from the 5th century. Very cool. I loved listening to him. We stopped at the Arab Costco on the way home to stock up on snacks for Jordan and then ran all the way home in the rain. It was hilarious. We got splashed by like 50 buses and all of our clothes were soaked. Such a fun memory.

With Jimmy, one of the men who sells Olive Wood Nativities here. He's so friendly. He gave us hummus and pita bread and other treats; I love his business tactics. Haha.

We were drenched after getting home today!!

We leave for Jordan early tomorrow morning. I'm excited!! I am loving my time here!! :) I will try and write more often so that my posts aren't so lengthy.

Jericho Road

Earlier this week, we went on our second field trip. We had the opportunity to go see Jericho! It was awesome! It was nice to see more of Palestine. Our first stop of the day was the site of Old Testament Jericho. We visited a spring that has been providing water to the people here for the past thousands of year, and we saw parts of the ancient city. There are still pieces of walls and stairs from so long ago. I say "so long ago" because I can't remember the exact dates; we learn lots of cool facts like this...my memory is already fuzzy from a few days ago. :)

Happy to be in the sunshine :)
In the oldest city in the world...18,000 years old, at the lowest place on Earth...1300 feet below sea level!

Then we headed to King Herod's Winter Palace. Sooo cool. This is the same King Herod who talked with the wisemen around the time of Christ's birth. Jerusalem is a little chilly during the winter so he would journey to Jericho and be away from the cold. This was preserved so well! I loved imagining the people in it.

Touching the same walls Herod did. Hehe.

King Herod's Hot Tub hahahah

This part made me sad. As soon as we arrived at the site of Herod's Palace, these two small Palestinian children came walking towards us, carrying baby goats. Everyone gathered around them to take pictures, pet the goats, and ended up giving them sheckles. I wish I had gotten a picture of the barefoot feet, blistered and bleeding, because that is what was most memorable to me. Someone tried giving the little boy a band-aid for his open wound but he didn't know how to use it and just threw it on the ground. It made me feel sad because this is meager means to help put dinner on the table. They live in an shack and make money by hanging around tourist groups who "ooh and ahh" over how cute they are. These children knew the routine well, and stuck around until we left the site. I wish there were a way to give shoes to every child. So many families live in poverty.

Our last stop was at the Quruntul Monastery. It is built into the side of a mountain. Monks live here in order to be "in the world, but not of the world." The monastery is the right in the middle of the Judean "wilderness" that the Bible refers to so frequently. Biblical scholars believe that this is the site where Satan tried to tempt Jesus as he fasted for 40 days.

I walked up the side of the mountain and imagined what it felt like to be the man traveling to Jericho...before the Samaritan came and helped. Then I thought about the Savior spending days in this desert, battling hunger and thirst. I felt the wind in my hair and the dust in my eyes and it was such a lonely feeling. Jesus Christ knows what it feels like to be lonely and tired and hungry. I feel so grateful to be here in this Holy Land.

The Dome of the Rock Rocks. <-- Hehe.

Today was great! :) It's fun having free days on Sunday, since our Sabbath is on Saturday. We started off this morning heading to the Dome of the Rock. Something I like about this city is how walk-able everything is. We see where we want to go, and then we find a path to get there.


It's only open for non-Muslims during select hours during the day. When we got there, it was closed so we made friends with the guards and they let us know when to come back. We had a few hours to kill so we wandered around the city for a while. We came across a Jewish synagogue. We listened to a tour guide tell a little more about Jewish culture. I love learning about these different religions. Every day here, I am humbled by the devotion of these believers. People everywhere have a desire to come closer to God. It is inspiring.


We spent time window-shopping. I'm not a huge souvenir girl; I'm just not lured by trinkets. However, I did purchase a little painting today. It's small and captures the beauty and quiet humility in the streets of Jerusalem.

I love the colors everywhere!

It was finally time to head back over the Dome of the Rock. Below is a view of the Western Wall. I will give more details about the Western Wall after going on our field trip there and learning some interesting facts. :) This is the entrance point for the Dome.

The Dome of the Rock was as grand and magnificent as I imagined! Actually...grander. It was big, and colorful, and just a sight to behold! Hehe. We ate our lunch near its steps. It was so peaceful. What a great day!

Five Happy Jerusalem Moments This Week

So....I guess I've learned here that I shouldn't go more than a few days without blogging. A day in this place adds up to at least a week in my normal world at home! I will try and summarize with five happy Jerusalem moments this week. :)

1. I wrote in my journal in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Sabbath. In Jerusalem, the Sabbath is on Saturday. Everything is closed and although there are many views and beliefs, there is a very reverent spirit of worship. I have been humbled to see how dedicated the people are to keeping the Sabbath day a holy day. Half of the students in my program take Hebrew class from a Jewish woman. She shared with them that every Friday at sunset, she and her family turn off all electronics, gather together, begin their Sabbath worship with a prayer and spend the next 24 hours together, electronics and technology-free. It inspired me to make my Sabbath day a little more holy.

2. Today I tried falafel for the first time. Soooo yummy! We went out into the city today in between classes and found a stand that sold it for 6 shekels! It's as good as everyone says it is (shout-out to Aunt Becca). It exceeded my every expectation!

3. We went on our first field trip this week!! It was really fun! We went around to neat spots where we saw great views of Jerusalem from every angle. We also visited a national park called "Nabi-Samuel." A mosque and a synagogue are both are built on this land because it is the place where the Prophet Samuel is believed to be buried. I remember reading about Samuel as a little girl. I love his story and admire how dependable he is (1 Samuel 3). My favorite part of our field trip was standing atop the Bell Tower of the Church of the Ascension. We climbed many flights of stairs to get a tall glimpse of Jerusalem and surrounding cities. It was amazing to imagine Jesus ascending into the heavens right here in this very place.

*Wesley and I looking cold and feeling cold. It was cold. Hehe. Note: Dome of the Rock in the background!

4. We walked into the city on Tuesday and on our way there, we got distracted by the "Arab Costco" here. Hehehe. Courtney and I headed straight to the candy section. It is fun to see what products are sold here. After that, we went to the Old City. I am still just loving every minute of soaking in this culture here. I love to watch the interactions.

5. On our free day, we went to the National Israel Museum. OKAY IT WAS SO COOL. I saw some of the Dead Sea Scrolls for crying out loud!!! I kept thinking "Wow...this is neat. All of these things here are really old and really sweet. How did this museum obtain such neat artifacts?" and then I would remember that I was in JERUSALEM...i.e. one of the oldest cities in the world....i.e. they have first dibs on a lot of neat things. Hehe. Did you know that an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus is actually made of wood!? My whole life I imagined it was made of clay. The entire museum was awesome and it put me in the mood to watch National Treasure.

I should go do my homework. I am still enrolled in school, after all.
I love it here! This week was wonderful!

Here in the Holy Land

We are here, we are here, we are here!!!!!

(Horton Hears a Who reference for anyone who knows Dr. Suess)

Well, well well, I've had quite the adventure already and it's only Day 2. On Tuesday morning, our group of 80 students started off on the great journey to Israel. We flew to New York for a 6-hour layover and sang Empire State of Mind the entire wait. Haaaaahah. Just kidding...but Wesley and I did hum it as we stepped off the plane. The flight to Tel Aviv was great. Our plane entirely full and it was interesting to me to already see such a cultural dfference before we even stepped foot in Middle East. I slept for 6 of the 10 hours and felt proud. Being able to sleep on planes is something to brag about. They ran out of 'normal' dinner...so my meal was all Kosher. Made me feel "legit"...which when I googled Kosher to make sure I spelled it right..I learned that people sometimes use the word "kosher" as a synonym for legit or genuine. Cool! Heeehe. I got this paragraph from a friend who went to Jerusalem last semester but I love how he worded it:

The whole plane was literally ultra-orthodox jews (with the kipa, hat and side curls) and Mormon BYU students. I sat next to a Jewish guy who lives in Jerusalem. They all were speaking Hebrew to eachother, and being really loud and super restless. I got the feeling they all knew eachother, or perhaps not… When sun rose, all the men got out their robes and hats, stood up in the aisles, and prayed and chanted and read from their scriptures, then sat back down when they were done after about 5 minutes. I was really humbled to see a people so dedicated to their religion that they would do something like that. And to think I feel sheepish about saying a silent prayer over my food in public.

__________

Enough about the plane... we landed, went through security and customs and our Old Testament professors were at the gate to greet us in the Holy Land! I stood in the back and walked alone through the airport....just trying to take it all in. I kept thinking "I am in Israel. This is Israel." The Jerusalem Center is located about 45 minutes from the airport and the drive there was an absolute delight. One thing I love about Israel so far, is all of the white. White is my favorite color and nearly every building here is cream-colored. That first moment when we came in sight of the Jerusalem Center, the Dome of the Rock, and every other building I recognized from pictures...it hit me that I was really here! Here in this place known as the Holy Land by so many. We reached the Center, and it just as stunning as everyone says it is. It's beautiful, peaceful, clean. The senior couples volunteering here are gems. Our professors are assigned to stay and teach here for one year. They bring their families and live in the Center. One of professor's sons was just baptized last week in the Jordan River. Can you believe it!?

Today we took a walking tour of the city. We weren't allowed to bring cameras today because they wanted us to just absorb without trying to capture every moment with a photo. Within the 5 minutes of leaving the Center, we were walking down the Kidron Valley. This place is mentioned in the Bible, and Jesus crossed it many times, including the Thursday evening when He went with his disciples to Gethsemane. Incredible to think about!

Jerusalem is divided into 3 parts. East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem, and Old City. East Jerusalem and the Old City reminded me a lot much of Mexico. It felt like only the language, the terrain, and smells were different. Dad always tells me to remember the smells. Smells can't be documented by a photo. West Jerusalem is very different. I once heard it described as a ultra modern mix of Europe and Southern California. Haha.

I'm so happy I am here. Everyone in my group is so kind. I am surrounded by such good people. It's been fun making new friends. The only drag thus far has been the homework. Time to get to work! Fam & friends, I miss you all! I can't check facebook so email me:) jenniferriding@gmail.com

xo

Thanksgiving Suprise!

We surprised my family for Thanksgiving. Only my dad and brother knew we were coming home. Chris came into the airport to fetch Aunt Nicole and out came Jen and Ally! So happy to home. I feel thankful. Home is my favorite place in the world.

Cool Things

I am doing cool things in Mérida, Mexico. It is great. I am happy. :)

I study at a local university.

I live with a host mother (and three other students).

I wait for the bus...multiple times a day.

I try new food!

I visit ancient ruins.

I ride on boats in the ocean.

I spend time in old plantations.

I play at the beach.

We go to church.

We go to bull fights.

We swim in alligator-infested rivers.

I love going to the Centro (downtown Mérida).

We hang wit da locals.

I swim in underground caves!

And last but not least.......
we make friends!


Learning Spanish and learning about myself.
LIFE IS GOOD:)