Flight Plan

Airport: Ben Gurion.

This is what happens when you make 60 students stay up all night to catch an early flight.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

I love Jerusalem more than I can possibly explain.

The only people who know exactly how I feel about this place will only be living with me for 2 more hours. It's so heartbreaking to leave them because I know no one else will ever understand completely my love for this place and the experiences we've had here.

I feel like Israel is my home now, but I have another home in Utah and I know after the initial joy of getting home, after everyone stops asking me about my trip and when I'm left alone, I'll be homesick for Israel.

I don't want to leave, but I've learned all that I needed to learn in Jerusalem and it's time to go home.

This girl is coming home TONIGHT (Israel time). I'll see ya tomorrow.

LDS--Last Days Syndrome

They say that usually the kids who come to the Jerusalem Center gets LDS--Last Days Syndrome during the last few weeks in Israel and break a lot of rules because they just don't care. So far, we're the best semester yet and the extent of our rule breaking has been wearing hoods in the cafeteria and socks on the limestone floors.

Some other great things about the last days of being here: Cloudy Sunsets We went to the Western Wall for the eighth day of Hanukkah.

And I put a prayer in the wall.

Rainshadow

Dad,

Look where I went finally.

I knew you've been waiting for me to go here, and I finally did! I'll tell you more about it in 9 days when I get home. :)

I bet it didn't look like this when you were there.

That's because there's only 4 inches of rain there a year, so we are some of the only people who can say we were on Masada when it rained. It was pretty awesome and really really windy. Plus we saw this:

Look at that double rainbow! In Masada!

Also, I floated in the Dead Sea.

And yes, you really do float.

Most incredible sensation ever.

Carol of the Bells

Today we went to the YMCA to play the carillon bells that can be heard all over Jerusalem.

Just like the Coldplay song, Viva la Vida:

"I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing,

Roman Cavalry choirs are singing,

Be my mirror, my sword and shield,

My missionaries in a foreign field”

Which we listened to on the way to the bells to pump ourselves up.

I can’t read treble clef (dang that cello!), so me, T. Dub and Andrew just played a chord (C-E-G).

It was a big moment for us. A million people heard it, so obviously there were hi-fives involved.

Right now I have 63 bars of chocolate in my closet:

That’s what I get for having friends whodon't have self control—I have to hid their candy from them.

Too long

My friend Mickell made a list of "You know you've been in Jerusalem too long when......"

Read the condensed version on her blog here.

The people who read my blog and have been to Jerusalem (aka Bod) will understand some of them.

Mickell staying hydrated. Brother Judd would be proud.

IS this REAL life?

Our awesome T-Shirt idea thanks to Steph and T. Dub

Here.

I love living here.

But I'm excited to go home in two weeks.

don't PETra the camels

Some people who have never been to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (or Jordan, for short) have questions about the place. I'm here to answer them. Is Petra cool?

Yes, Petra is really cool. And almost exactly like it was in Indiana Jones. We literally walked where Harrison Ford and Sean Connery walked after they saved Sean Connery's life with water from the Holy Grail and the Nazi woman died. I know this because we had to watch it two times before we went there so we could understand its significance.

What kind of animals do you see in Jordan?

We're in the Middle East, so there are camels. The camels like you to ride them and they absolutely LOVE to pose for pictures. If you look close enough, you can see that this guy is smiling with his teeth. And there are cats. Cats, cats, everywhere. But that's no different than Israel.

Can you ride a tiny horse by yourself in Petra without a guide?
Yes, you can. If you just tell your guide that you have ridden a horse before, he might let you go off by yourself. (Only some guides will let you though) But at the end of the ride, you won't know where to put the horse, so you'll have to tie him up to a pole and leave him.What does the area around Petra look like?
Mostly it looks like Moab or other places in southern Utah, but with more colors in the rocks, and the rock formations are both real and man-made. We had a fun day exploring in all of the tombs and caves.
Is it worth it to walk up 1,000 stairs to get to the Monastery, even though it looks the same as the other buildings in Petra?
Yes, I'd say it was. The hike up and down was killer, but that Monastery was massive and incredible (as shown in the next picture:)

(One of the columns from the Monastery. And me. I'm hugging it because I love Petra so much.)

Other questions include:
Can you brush your teeth/drink the water in Jordan?

Can you eat the fruit or vegetables in Jordan?

Are there other awesome things in Jordan to see besides Petra?

No, No, and Not really.

Are the hotels in Jordan the worst you've ever stayed in?

Is the King of Jordan (King Abdullah II) really cool?

Was it the best feeling ever to come back to the center after 4 days in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan?

Yes, Yes, and Yes.