Another amazing week!

What an incredible week I've had! I've been staring at my computer screen for the last few minutes, trying to think of a way to put my experiences into words - somehow, I know even my most whole-hearted attempt will not adequately describe them. With that caveat in mind, I'll begin!

Last Saturday, my roommates and I took a day trip to the Dead Sea (in Hebrew: Yam ha-Melakh). Located about an hour and a half from Jerusalem, it was interesting to see how drastically the scenery changed as we got farther from the city and deeper into the desert. If I thought Jerusalem was hot, was I ever wrong - - the Dead Sea area was stifling; one in my group had a near-fainting spell on the walk down to the beach! Of course, we finally did make it into the Dead Sea and what an experience that was. I have never felt so buoyant in my life! To say I was 'floating' doesn't at all describe being in the salty Dead Sea; I almost felt as if I was suspended in mid-air. Relaxing in the incredibly warm water was wonderful until I rubbed my eyes - who knew that my bad habit could have such painful consequences! The Dead Sea, the Earth's lowest point and one of it's saltiest bodies of water, is located on the border between Israel, the West Bank and Jordan and has served as a place of refuge for such notables as King David and Herod the Great. Wading into the Dead Sea was as surreal a feeling as any I've ever had; it was quite overwhelming to think of the many, many generations who have come to the very spot where I was taking my afternoon dip.

That surreal feeling I had at the Dead Sea, well, it didn't have much of a chance to fade upon my return to Jerusalem. Just a day or two after our excursion, I went to the Old City, this time to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Located in the heart of the Christian quarter, I was introduced to the Old City's shuk (market) on my way to the holy site. From beautiful pottery, to hand-crafted and bejeweled clothes, to tee-shirts that say "Someone in Israel loves me", this market had every trinket a person could possibly want. My friends and I had a great time walking through the market; we used our Hebrew to barter for things like leather flip-flops and cotton tee-shirts, and we laughed at the many shopkeepers who tried to lure us into their kiosks with claims like "Everything, one shekel. Anything you want, one shekel, for such beautiful sisters."

After finally tearing ourselves away from the sights and smells of the market, we arrived at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church was the most beautiful I have ever seen - and huge! The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most venerated Christian religious sites, as the ground underneath the church is described in the New Testament as the place where Jesus was crucified and buried. Upon entering the church, one is immediately overcome by the size and beauty of the building; the centuries old paintings and stone carvings seem all the more impressive by the light of the thousand candles lit in every nook and cranny. As I lit the one thousand and first candle, I was overwhelmed by the history of the place; for centuries upon centuries Christians have been coming to that very spot to light candles for their families. To be a part of that chain was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

When asked why I want to spend a semester in Israel, I've always answered "to live what I'm studying in the classroom"; Thursday night my flatmates and I got the opportunity to do just that. This adventure was unlike any I've had in Israel so far - we attended dinner with a Muslim family in the Arab quarter of the Old City. Suzanne, our host, is a student who has lived in Jerusalem her entire life. She is now in the same Ulpan program as I, in hopes of someday perfecting her Hebrew and attending the University. Her family, a group of the most hospitable people I have ever met, laid out a feast for us that was beyond anything I've seen in recent memory. Tasting dish after dish of traditional Arab food and meeting member after member of the family, all while the Call to Prayer floated over the loudspeaker, was truly an incredible experience. The architecture of Suzanne's home is very typical: the different apartments are built literally on top of one another with open spaces for hanging laundry or cooling off in the summer. The building's tenants are all members of Suzanne's extended family; throughout dinner small children ran in and out of the dining area, babies cried, and the stream of relatives dropping in to meet us was constant. Because we had only just met Suzanne's family, the conversation never strayed too far from traditional pleasantries. However, we did delve into politics for a moment when a young mother of three children began to speak about the difficulties of Israeli imposed travel restrictions. She bemoaned the impossibility of sending her children to the best schools and spoke sadly about the almost two hour trip she has to make daily to the hospital to see her newborn, premature son. It was an eye-opening moment for a group of Jewish and Christian girls from the United States. While the food and drink was the tastiest I've had in Israel, Suzanne and her family provided for us something far more important: a window into the lives of those who often seem so far away from our experience here at Hebrew University. (Photo above: Damascus Gate, entrance to the Arab Quarter of the Old City)

I'm not sure what this week will hold for me here in Jerusalem, but if the last three have been any indication, I have a lot to look forward to!

B'Shalom,
Meagan