Major Update!

School Week Update:

Monday we went on our first field trip in Archaeology of Jerusalem. On the field trip we went to the Mount of Olives and to the City of David. Mount of Olives was really awesome...and I learned so much about Jerusalem as the "holy-city." Mount of Olives is about 10 minutes from Mount Scopus, where I live, and where Hebrew University is located. We can see Mount of Olives from the look-out on campus. Mount of Olives is very holy..said to be the place where Jesus was resurrected, where Muslims will start their walk to the Temple Mount on Judgement Day, and home of the Jewish Cemetary (jewish cemetaries are always located outside city walls, in this case, outside of the holy city of Jerusalem.) From the Mount of Olives you have a perfect view of the Temple Mount, the holiest place on Earth for many people. After the Mount of Olives we boarded the bus to the City of David. We learned all about the city, how it was constructed, protected, and hypothesized where the actual kingdom of David stood..no one knows for sure where it was. We walked through underground tunnels used for protection and saw the spring/pool where much of the water supply came from. It was a really cool experience..I love this class because its like getting a guided tour of the city..FOR FREE, and personalized. Wednesday I had my first test in a non-hebrew class..my holocaust class. It was all essays and identifications..but I think it went okay.

Weekend Update:

SUCH A GREAT WEEKEND! Thursday we did our own little Tiyul (trip.) Me, Becka, Emily, and two of our guy friends Max and Matt took a bus to Ein Geidi and the Dead Sea. Its about and hour and 15 minutes from Jerusalem. We started hiking Ein Geidi and swam in the fresh water springs. It was a great day..hot, but just perfect for a swim. Ein Geidi is home to many waterfalls and springs, and the hike is gorgeous. After the hike we walked to the dead sea, had lunch, and floated the afternoon away. Max and Matt covered themselves in some mud and did some good exfoliating. The dead sea is the lowest place on earth! It was such a weird experience to float..no matter how hard to try you actually cannot sink..the water just pushes you right up! It hurts a little bit because all the salt gets into your scrapes/cuts/ or if you have recently shaved your legs..it doesnt exactly feel so good..but your skin feels amazing afterwards! It was so much fun to travel in a small group, and do what we wanted to do..take our time..and really explore.

Friday me and Becka woke up at 530am to get ready for our overnight hike in the Judean lowlands, left at 630am. We spent all day hiking, it was super hot out. We went on the hike with about 30 other kids from our program, Inna (our madrich), Ori (our hiking leader,) and 2 guards. It was our job to navigate the hike, we got lost one time and had to trek through ferns/trees/brush to get back to the trail. After 7 hours of hiking we took a nice long lunch break in a shady area. We all took the food from the bus in our backpacks and carried it communally. We made Tahina, brought bread, corn, tuna, chocolate spread, peanut butter, tomatoes, cucumbers..it was delicious. And I was starving! We continued hiking after lunch till sunset when we finally reached our "camp grounds." We set up camp..and by camp..I mean..I unrolled a sleeping bag on a bed of rocks. Then we made two fires and started cooking dinner. Dinner was rice, vegetable soup, and potatoes..all made by us, using communal dishes. After dinner we roasted some questionable israeli/kosher marshmellos and went to bed. I don't think I slept a solid hour because I literally had rocks jabbing into my back and woke up covered in morning dew. Oh, and as hot as it was during the day...it was EVEN colder at night. It was quite the experience, one that we laughed about the entire time. We were woken up by the guards at 630am to have a quick breakfast of cereal, peanut butter, and bread..and we started hiking again. We hiked..had a similiar lunch..and then stopped hiking at sundown. There were a couple kids on our trip who are Shomer Shabbos (meaning the keep Shabbat) so we were not allowed to leave by bus until after sunset..after shabbat ended. I came back..took a well deserved shower..and passed out watching Friends in my bed..AT 9:15pm!!! I was so exhauseted! It was the best workout I have ever had...we hiked about 30 kilometers! I got very tan :).

Update as of Today:
In class I received a text message from our program, it warned us not to visit the old city for the next couple days due to rising tensions in Jerusalem. Joe Biden came to speak on Thursday in Tel Aviv. There have been issues regarding territory in Jerusalem between the Arabs and the Jews. I encourage everyone to read and educate themselves about it. After walking home from class I could already see a change in energy in Jerusalem. At the entrance to our apartment complex instead of one guard checking IDs there were about 5 armed guards patrolling the entrance and ID check was intense. We also received messages from our Madrichim to stay away from the Old City. I don't want anyone to worry..we are exercising caution..listening to all the warnings and being safe. I do want people to read about it..read about the situation I am living every day because it is important that Americans stay informed because we have such a strong connection to Israel.

I will be posting picutres from the weekend very soon. Hope everyone is doing well. Love and miss always

Kayla