Eilat!

how does a day trip snorkeling at Eilat sound? if you said perfection then you got it.
the red sea is gorgeous.
just check out the strips of blue and green in the sea. the water was crystal clear- at one point rach, alys and i swam far out and i looked down into the dark blue.
several feet under me i saw a black figure swimming and immediately thought it was a shark! but it turned out to be a scuba diver swimming at the bottom of sea.
and i could see that far down.
pretty sweet.

out in the sea was a massive floating island that we all played on while we took turns using the snorkeling masks. the fish were beautiful and super fast- i tried to catch one but i was too slow. after the beach we went to a mall to shop.
and that was strange it almost felt like an american mall except i was dressed like a beach bum. on the drive way home we stopped at a kibbutz for dinner which was delicious!
it was such a luxury to have a whole day of fun before our week of finals.

Oilve Picking!

every fall semester (because of the harvest time) we students get to do the most amazing activity!

We get to make our own OLIVE OIL ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
pretty sweet huh?
i have been looking forward to this for a long time!
The JC has tons of olive trees in the garden and we just had to wait for the early rains to let the olives get ripe enough.

the first step is to pick the olives

after they are picked you let them sit in water overnight then the next day you can start to make the oil. to make the oil we used the same process they used in the Bible.
the olives need to get crushed to begin the process.
We put them in a stone basin then pull a stone wheel around make olive mash.
then you take the olive mash and press it.
olive juice and oil comes out- you let the liquid sit for a few days and the oil separates.
i had such a good time during this activity, i feel so lucky to be here in the fall so i could do this!

Seder Passover Meal

Last week we had a Seder Passover meal with our Jewish professor.
It was beautiful! Just check out our table.
The whole evening was the same evening Jewish families have- you start out with reading a book that takes you through the whole Exodus.
You sing songs, eat symbolic food, say prayers and do all the traditions like washing your hands a certain way and leaving a door open for Elijah.
The whole night is dedicated to remembering how the Lord took his people out of Egypt into Israel.
the food was delicious (except for the bitter herbs haha which was the point) and the grape juice was excellent.
i loved learning the Hebrew songs that the little kids sing as part of the evening.
just another unique and spectacular evening provided by the JC and our hardworking professor!

City of David

Another fabulous field trip! We went to the City of David- the site of ancient Jerusalem.
Just south of the Temple Mount. It was a blast!!! Here is a list of things we saw:

1) walls from King David's Palace
2) an old Canaanite toilet seat (a big hit with the boys)
3) Pools of Siloam where Jesus sent the blind man to wash off the clay he put on his eyes to heal him
4) HEZEKIAH'S TUNNEL : once upon a time the Assyrians were coming to attack Jerusalem, so King Hezekiah redid the water system of Jerusalem to protect it. aka make a skinny, narrow, loooong tunnel underneath the city. and we walked through it! the walls were close and the water high. and we went for 45 mins underneath the city.

pure awesomness!!!!! i felt like such an adventurer!

1st Rain and Jewish Quarter

we just finished the absolute worst week of school.
3 days.
22 hours of class (i counted- seriously 22 hours)
1 old testament midterm.
7 page single spaced paper due in Islam.
1 Judaism midterm.
aka no sleep what so ever.
this is was taken right before we took our last midterm..... no comment

BUT once we came out of our last class we were free!
and it had just rained! the first rain of the season!!!! (this is a BIG deal here!)
nataly and i did a rain dance for joy.
and because we are twins.

we went up to Crash Corner for treats.
i found a chocolate santa and devil. love it!

the next day the girls and i hit the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
The Cardo (street Romans built when they conquered Jru)

the Temple Institute:
place where a sect of Jews make pieces to be put in the 3rd Temple. they are preparing now so when the time comes for the Jews to rebuild their Temple, they will be ready.
all the objects are beautiful and very deeply researched.
i recognized a lot from the Bible- like the lever to wash feet etc. etc.

view on top of the Hurva Synagogue (near the spot where Dr. Chadwick says Lehi would have lived in Jerusalem)

the Ariel Museum- display of jewelry found in 1st Temple tombs

shopping along the Cardo

the Brunt House: the kitchen basement of a house which belonged to a priest during the 2nd Temple but was burned by the Romans

shawarma bar for lunch! delicious!

Damascus gate (taken on the walk home)
this is my favorite gate- it was built by the Ottomans)

i loved the Jewish Quarter. you cross this invisible line and suddenly the streets are SO CLEAN!
and its is quieter and calm.
less crowds and pressure from shop keepers.
fav moment: watching a pack of little Jewish boys playing soccer down an ally. they all wore kippas and side curls.

Arab Night

we had a cultural night dedicated to the Arab and Muslim culture.

let me tell you- it was awesome!

we started off with a presentation in the forum.

we were fortunate enough to have two men from the Al-aqsa mosque (one by the Dome of the Rock- the 3rd most holy mosque in the Muslim World) who are the voices for the call to prayer.

they were father and son, and this talent/right has been in their family for 500 years! it is an upmost prestigious honor to call to pray. the son memorized the Qur'an at 9 and started calling at age 13. it is a huge responsibility and rare talent- it is different and harder than just singing. these men never present or do this type of thing for anyone else but the Jerusalem Center.

they read a surah (chapter) of Mary from the Qur'an and prayed for us. it was sssssoooo interesting to see it right in front of me. it was the first time i have seen it because whenever we go to mosques, it is a time where there is not a service or prayer.

then we had a traditional Arab dinner. my favorite

thing was a circle of bread with a spread of spicy meat on it and a chicken burrito-esque thing. haha. wish i knew the names and how to spell them.

the night ended with all the students going in the

gym and learning Palestinian Folk Dancing! From an amazing dance team! we learned this one dance where we all hold hands in a big circle and wind up in intricate designs. super fun and i got a compliment from one of the instructors - maybe i will bag going back to the US and stay here and join a Palestinian Folk Dancing Team......

this is my Arabic teacher who put the whole night together.

It's a Friday night. It's been a stressful week. There are 80 college kids. Naturally that translates as "wild dance party."

Lisa, Me, Alyssa, Rachel, Amy, mystery person

Ok I know it doesn't look very wild with just girls and the "Holy Land Stand" in the background.

But trust me. It was wild.

Ok oK ok...so it wasn't that wild, but do you know what? It was still really fun!

Before the picture was taken, lots of people were actually there. But the party kind of died when the boys left. Amy, Alyssa, Rachel, and I saw them talking outside. We simply had to play Harriet the Spy. We sneaked into a dark classroom...and propped the door open...It was really intense because we could see the boys shadows but didn't know where they were. Also it didn't help that I could not stop giggling. I probably would not be so great in the CIA. We couldn't hear what they were talking about but it was still quite exciting. The thing is, I don't even think we succeeded - I am pretty sure that as soon as they saw us walking guiltily out of the classroom and avoiding eye contact, they knew we were up to no good.

We finally were able to watch the rest of General Conference today, and I loved every second of it!

xoxo,

elizabeth anne

Old City Sites and Shfelah Field Trip

in one of our classes we were given an assignment that completely rocks. dr. chadwick gave us a three page list of places to go before the end of the semester, and we are just suppose to go around and site see! i love school here. four sites some girls and i checked off the list were
1. Church of the Flagellation

2. Sister of Zion Convent: huge caves under the city

3. Roman Plaza: gate and stones from Jesus's time under Damascus Gate

4. RoMe Of ThE rOcK!!!!!! the men there made the two blonde girls (mel and i) wear some fashionable covering. don't you just love it? i just might take it home with me :)


our last field trip was all about the low hills of Israel aka the Shfelah. we went to Gath- the Philistine city Golaith was from and where dr. chadwick excavates. it was so cool to be at a site with the actual and current archeaologist. we showed us some amazing things and let us take some pottery shards.

next was the ancient fortified cities of Mareshah and Lachish.

then to the Elah Valley where David slew Golaith! we got to throw stones with a sling. pretty awesome. i am one deadly shot.

Birthday and Sukkot

the day after we got back from Egypt and my bday the girls took me out to lunch in West Jerusalem and it was a total blast! We got the best waffles ever--- but really. sssssoooooo ggggoooooodddd. It was also a party in West Jerusalem because of the holiday going on. We made it back in town for the end of the Feast of the Tabernacle. We went to an Art Festival, parade and saw the traditional sukkots (huts made from symbolic leaves to dwell in and pray for rain) along the sides of the street.


ps i forgot to say one last thing. on our last night in cairo the hotel threw us a special dinner. the reason being we had a VERY special guest- the man who is in charge of all of the JC's travel plans SINCE THE CENTER ORGINALLY OPENED came all the way from Israel to Cairo just to check up on us. and the guy is 95+ years old. how sweet it that? so during dinner the lights suddenly went out and men with swords on fire came out with a massive fruit and chocolate cake in honor for our guest. Then the travel agency said "we have a birthday- is miss faust here?" i was so surprised and touched! he had me and another girl (who had her birthday a few days before) come up and had everyone sing to us. and blow out candles. and gave us a beautiful scarab necklace. it was the sweetest thing ever!


the next morning for the last day of the holiday we all woke up early aka 5:30 am. and a few of us + doctor chadwick skipped over to the Western Wall to watch the celebration to finish off the Feast of the Tabernacle. needless to say it was AmAzInG! i am uber lucky to be here for all the major holidays!

EgYpT day#8

MOUNT SINAI and MY 20TH BIRTHDAY.

obviously the was the best day of my life. the most unforgettable and epic!
it started with waking up at 2 am and eating hot chocolate and rolls for breakfast. (my fav by the way) i actually loved waking up this early because it meant i could start the brithday celebrations early haha. after breakfast we hopped on the bus to drive to the base of the highest peak of Mount Sinai. (well i hopped, everyone else trudged groggily. i also discovered this egypt trip that along with my high tolerance of heat, i can be quite the morning person)

we started out and it was still pitch dark excpet for brillant stars above us. it was so riduculous because i would be walking and suddenly almost run into a camel. and it wouldn't even phase me. it seemed like a given- "oh a camel. and another guide asking me for the zillionth time if i want a ride to the top." just normal. haha but that's crazy because if i was hiking back home and saw just one camel i would flip a lid. its insane how you quickly you adapt here. the climb to the top had 2 parts- a steep switchback then 750 stone steps to the summit. the steps are said to be made by a monk as part of his repentance process. that is intense.

on the hike up i thought of how i was hiking to the place to meet God. it was symbolic of my life and how i have to struggle, climb, and work my way back to Heavenly Father. it wasn't easy. and i thought that in life when i fall down or can't quite reach the top, the Atonement will come in and take the last part of the way i can't take myself. i was determined to walk every single step and not give into riding a camel. i toiled and sweated my way all the up to the tippy top. and it was unbelievable and indescripable how i felt.

at the top i was met by some of my friends who started before me. and i could start to see different layers of ridges in colors of violet, navy and black. we settled in and watched the sunrise. we began to sing lovely hymns and the spirit was so sweet. i cuddled up in my pink cupcake blanket (yes i did haul that all the way up mount sinai. a camelbak is a magical, magical thing), pulled out my bar of pop rock choc (chocolate with poprocks in it) and savored the moment and sunrise. what a perfect way to celebrate 2 decades of my wonderful life so far.

we had a devotional with Dr. Muhelstein which was perfect. took some pictures and started the way back down. Rachel and i stayed behind to take some jumping pictures of course and we found a donkey. we just had to stop and have a mini phoot shot with it. we looked around and we were the last ones at the top. so we decide to do something genius: TRAIL RUNNING. never done it before but heck, its my birthday on sinai so why not. we blazed down and past everyone and many camels. it was thrilling and slightly terrifying. we giggled all the way down and made it on the first bus back to the hotel. beat that.

also i passed Moses. check it! is it or is it not Moses?!

back at the hotel we had time to swim. which was a birthday first for me, it always too cold in september in Utah. then we packed up and drove home to Jerusalem. (isn't that fun to call Israel home?) at the border crossing they checked my bags AND took my passport for special testings. they didn't know it was my birthday so i forgive them. and on the bus at 10:30 pm (it was a long drive on which i got the best seat with the most AC) we overtook the sterio system and HAD A MASSIVE DANCE PARTY! aka everyone in the aisle of the bus dancing wild to whatever song i wanted. best. thing. ever.

and thus concludes my outrageous trip to Egypt. the end.