Marhaba (Hello) from the Holy Land!

I have only been here for 11 days, but it feels like I have been here for weeks. I just love it here. Since I feel that there is just way too much that has gone on….I’ll highlight some key things…..

Disclaimer: I have never blogged. Read at your own risk.

SECURITY
For any of you that have been worrying about my safety….DONT. Security here is so great. We have about 10 security guards checking on the news constantly and giving us updates on what is going on in East and West Jerusalem. If there is any commotion whatsoever in the city, we are not permitted to leave. There have been two protests against the war in Gaza and both times we have had to stay in the Jerusalem Center. Thankfully, with 78 students around, there is never a dull moment when we are banned from the city. We love to play around the world ping pong games, wackee six, and Signs.

PALESTINIAN AND ISRAELI PEOPLE
I just love the local people…here are some of my top reasons.

1. They know who we are
All people seem to know that we are “The Mormons” and know what we stand for. To illustrate….I was at Aladdin’s Money Changers picking up some Israel shekels. Aladdin looks over at my friend Ken who is wearing a necklace and sunglasses on his head. Aladdin said, “Why are you dressed like a Jack Mormon?”

This happens frequently. The shop owners or local Palestinians see that we are taking pictures and they come up and say (or motion) "take a picture!" So cute.


2. They are so charming
Not only do we girls get honked at every time a car passes, but I have had a plethora of animal calls directed at me: many “meows,” and I even got a “quack.”

3. They are so devoted to their religion
The Muslims have a “Call to Prayer” 5 x a day. There are these buildings called minarets positioned through out the city with loud speakers on them. At certain times during the day (5 AM being the first prayer), a muslim will sing a prayer into the loud speakers calling all Muslims to pray at that time. The prayer goes on for about 10 min and it sounds really cool. One day, we were walking back to the JC (Jerusalem Center and saw a man pull his truck over and start praying.

4. They all greet us frequently
When we are walking through the Old City and in the way of a guy pulling a cart, they always yell “HELLO” at us. Even though they are just signaling to us to “MOVE NOW!” it makes me feel good that they talk to us so frequently.

For some background information, the church has a 49-year lease on the land for the Jerusalem Center. We are only permitted to stay here if we commit to not proselyte. If someone asks me if I am a Christian or asks me to explain my religion, I’m not allowed to speak about it. I have to explain the situation or say “I cannot speak about that matter.” Even though it’s hard not to be able to talk about what I believe when there are so many opportunities, I know that there is a lot of power in our examples. I can tell by the way the people treat us that they respect us and appreciate our examples.

ACADEMICS
I am learning so much! I am taking…
*Two modern near eastern classes. One is taught by an Orthodox Jew (he wears a cool kipa ☺) and the other one is taught by a Palestinian. We are getting both sides of the story so we can understand the conflict in the middle east more clearly.
*Old Testament. This is my favorite class. Living in and visting the places I am reading about is the neatest thing. One of the highlights has been going on a field trip to an overlook of Bethlehem and the tomb of Samuel the prophet. Plus my teacher is amazing.

The Dome of the Rock. My favorite building in Jerusalem so far.


A new development that is now covering the fields of Bethlehem. Off in the distance is the Herodian, the part of the mountain that is cone shaped was built by Herod. He had his funeral here so all the people that hated him would not show up and make a scene.


Right as we were looking out at Bethlehem and our professor was talking to us about the shepherds that visited Christ, these sheep walked over the hill! Good thing I got a picture in time because a little Palestinian girl came up saying, "Money." When we continued to take pictures and did not pay up, she forbade us from taking anymore. Oh darn.



Pondering on top of the mosque at Nabi Samwill (the place where the tomb of Samuel the prophet is-supposedly)

*Arabic. My teacher’s name is Ayman Jeballa. He is so hilarious. He is a fairly large man who points to his belly and says, “Want to know what this is from? This is from knaffe(a local treat)?” I feel like all I have practiced in this class so far is producing phlegm from my throat. Quite a fun time.

TRAVELING
So far, we have only ventured around East and West Jerusalem and spending a lot of time exploring the city. It is really fun but I am super excited due to the fact that I leave for EGYPT on January 25th (one week from today!)

I hope I have given you a little taste of what I have experienced so far. I will try my best to keep you updated. If there are specific things you want me to “report on” just email me (annepearson18@gmail.com) and I’ll be sure to tell you whatever you want to know!

Some cool pictures...

This is a lame attempt at our first GQ photo(we plan to take many more) but I've decided that I love Arabic Grafitti. Not only does it look cool, but you can't tell what it says. Thank goodness.



My first view of the Jerusalem center on my deck!



A view of my home for the next 4 months!

How I wished my Dad was here to call out to the horses!


Andrew Skinner giving us the history of Jerusalem from the Seven Arches Overlook







Crazy hair from the wind! So cold (Yeah like 60 degrees...muhahaha)



Two of my Favorite People: Alisha Anderson and Aubri Hilton



Gorgeous Sunset from the deck outside my bedroom