Saturday, January 14, 2012

The JC

I now feel that I have fully adjusted to life in the JC (Jerusalem Center for those who are unaware).  We have settled into a routine, or as much of a routine as is possible when we never do the same things for two days straight, and are all making friends and having a great time.  Classes are interesting, the food is spectacular, and Jerusalem is the most amazing city I have ever been to!
So, of course, I am going to try and make anyone reading this feel really jealous of me by telling you about my favorite things here.
1.  The people on the trip with me are wonderful.  Everyone is so nice and outgoing and friendly.  It's so easy to get into a conversation with someone and forget you just met them five minutes ago.  The friend making process is definitely accelerated here. We've been here less than two weeks and I have met all 83 people on the trip and know everyone's names and most everyone's hometowns and majors.  Plus, my roommates, Jen and Letty, are so cool. We've already had extensive roommate bonding.
2.  The Center is so nice.  It's an eight story center that's built into the hillside of Mt. Scopus.  It's a tiered center so the first five layers aren't stacked all the way on top of each other which means that we have to walk up a lot of stairs everyday, but that's probably a good thing since the food is so good. The Oasis Cafeteria is buffet style and you can eat as much as you want.  So they had to give us instruction on how to "not wear your food home with you".  Also, my bedroom is really nice.  There are four beds in our room, and only three of us, table and chairs, a desk, and we have our own bathroom.  Plus we have a nice terrace that overlooks the Old City, perfect for studying or relaxing once it gets warmer outside.
3.  The classes are great.  I have five classes right now: Hebrew 100, Old Testament, Ancient Near Eastern Studies (ANE), Arabs/Palestine/Islam, and Israel/Judaism.  All of these classes but ANE finish at the end of February and for the rest of the trip we only have ANE and New Testament.  And all the teachers here are great.  They know so much about everything they talk about and our Israel and Palestine teachers have really interesting opinions, especially on the conflict.  I have already learned so much and am excited for these classes for the rest of the semester.
4.  The location- living in Jerusalem is such a great experience to have.  I wake up every morning, go to breakfast, and just look out of the window and I can see the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension, and so many other important historical and religious sites.  Last Sabbath (which is actually on Saturday) we spent the afternoon in the Orson Hyde Garden which is where Gethsemane was, and tomorrow a few of us are planning on going up to the Dome of the Rock for a while.  Plus, just walking around the city is fascinating.  People watching opportunities have never been better than they have here since there are people here from all across the world.  Everywhere you turn different languages are being spoken.  Apart from Palestinians and Israelis there are many many Russians, Koreans, Spaniards, Americans, and people from every country there is.   
5.  The traveling- We are going to so many other places while we are here.  On Monday we are going to Jericho, Thursday to the Negev, and next Monday through Thursday we'll be in Jordan visiting Petra, Amman, and other sites. We also have other lengthy trips including Turkey for a week where we'll go to many different sites including Ephesus and Troy, and Galilee for a week and a half.  We get to see and experience so much of the Middle East, or as much as is safe for us to visit and that we have time for. 

I am so excited for the chance that I have to be here this semester and to learn and grow both sprirtually and in knowledge.  My experience here has already changed me and I know it's something I'll never forget.  So, for the next three months all I want to do is experience as much culture as I possibly can and have the adventure of my life!

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