Update........and pictures!

(Jerusalem! I love this city! this pictures is taken from the east looking west at the temple mount. You can see the old city wall in the foreground, and the newer city of jerusalem in the back.)

(this is a sideways picture of me eating my first felafel!)

Hello again, and sorry for the long wait on pictures. I hadn't uploaded any pictures until today, as seeing as I'm leaving for Egypt tomorrow, I could use the memory space. I've done so many cool and exciting things in the past two weeks. I've been to the western wall to welcome in Shabbat with the Jews, walked through an ultra orthodox Jewish neighborhood, and attempted many times to get onto the Temple mount. I've eaten felafel (very delicious), found an amazing pizza place with a hiliarious owner, and discovered good Israeli ice cream, which I didn't think existed. I've learned the streets of the old city well enough that I can go pretty much anywhere and make it back home, walked along the old city wall, and learned which way is north without the use of Utah mountains! (I figured this would be a nearly impossible feat, so I'm surprised I mastered it this early in the trip) I've started learning Arabic, and I can now carry on a simple conversation with the local shop keepers. I've made friends with Abdul, who owns Lana's, the little shop down the street that we always buy junk and snacks at on our way home from the old city. I try to go out into the city at least every other day, and I'm still caught up in my school work! This place is amazing! Never have I felt unsafe or in danger.....well, I guess only when I'm riding in a taxi bus, but thats not really too life threatening...

Well, I guess this whole pictures thing isn't working out as well as I would like. I will try to put pictures on again when I get back from Egypt and have more time. But until then, I hope you enjoy dreaming about the Holy city as much as I will, because I'm going to miss it this coming week!

and so it begins...

Well my friends, I have arrived safely in the Holy Land! The one hassle I had was the airport loosing one of my bags in Tel Aviv. Don't worry though, it was returned to me today, thank goodness. I wouldn't have had any of my school books if I never got it back. On the upside, because my bag was lost I got left at the airport with four other JC students, so we got a personal ride to the Center. Our driver was Oie, a member of the security staff at the JC and my new hero. He is 26 and has been working at the JC for three years. He loves basketball and American music, and has a wonderful sense of humor. Well, these first couple of days have been amazing! The plane ride was crazy long, and to this point on my adventure I have had a grand total of 7 hours of sleep since I woke up on Tuesday. Who needs sleep anyway?... Yesterday was hours of orientation and trying to get settled into our new home. Home! I live here! The JC is so much more beautiful than any pictures I had seen. I have a room on the third floor with three great girls, Holly, Maryanne, and Sarah. We have a balcony almost as big as our whole room that looks out over east Jerusalem and the Old City. It is a beautiful and humbling site to stand there and look out at the city. We also have a pomegranate tree growing out there. Our teachers are nice and seem like they will be rather interesting, though class doesn't start until tomorrow (Friday). All of the staff (except for three teachers and a few service couples) here are local Israeli's or Palestinians. They are Jewish, Muslim and Christian and all get along and work together in harmony. The JC is the only integrated work force in Jerusalem, a haven of peace in a world of turmoil. Today we took a walk through Jerusalem, which was wonderful! As we walked, we saw so many amazing things: Orsen Hyde park, the garden tomb, the church of the Holy Sepulcher, The Dome of the Rock, the Hebrew University, Ben Yehuda street, churches on every corner from every different denomination on the planet, Herod's gate, walked through Damascus and Jaffa gates, money changers, multiple museums, merchants galor, and many many different people. Some how the merchants new we were coming and would run out to the street with their cards for us. One told us to come to his shop only if we were true Mormons, not Jack-Mormons. One gave us a free lamp like the ones the ten virgins may have carried. Omar (who remembers everyone he ever sells to and loves the JC students) talked with us for quite some time. Back at home we had lunch which was delicious. I think they are trying to fatten us up over here because the food is great and there is so much of it! I also think the staff just don't want us eating outside of the JC, otherwise we might get sick. Well, I better end here because my computer is about to die. Plus, I have breakfast at 6:30 and class at 7:30. From the few days I've been here I can tell this is a land I am not going to easily part with. I love everything about it already. They constant light breeze, the smells on the street, the beauty everywhere. Even the people feel like long lost friends. I can't wait to study more about this Holy Land where so many wonderful things have happened. As I learn, I'll try to let you learn with me, because this experience I'm having is something I want to share with the world.