Bears, beets, battlestar galatica.

Try saying that 5 times fast. 

Well, dear blogger world (or whoever even reads this. hello? is anyone there?), it's been a good week. I know, it's only Wednesday, but there is no such thing as a weekend here at the JC. Seriously. Classes happen Tuesday through Friday. And lest you think that going to class 4 days out of the week sounds wonderful, let me clarify that each of those days usually consists of over 5 hours of class. Then there’s Saturday, which is technically Sunday. Wrap your brain around that. And Sunday and Monday are free days or field trips, which occur after Sabbath so they don’t really feel like the weekend. Basically, there are no weekends here so I never know when to start my week.

This has turned into a really long explanation as to why today is the start of anew week. But I kind of like shaking things up. Maybe we should think of each day as the star of a new week. Or each hour as the start of a new life. We definitely have the power to do so, to begin each day with a new determination to be a little better. Isn't that awesome?! I love how Anne of Green Gables put it. "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." 

This past Monday--or free day or whatever day-- I spent in the city. Hooray! In the morning I wandered through the Old City with Danielle and Nicole. In the Jewish Quarter we stumbled across a bunch of Bar Mitzvahs. I loved recognizing some of the songs the groups were singing after just learning them in Hebrew class. 

Bar Mitzvahs taking place at the Western Wall.

A Bar Mitzvah on the way to the Western Wall.

Next, we decided to go on the ramparts walk, which is basically walking around the walls of the Old City. We heard from some friends that there was a free part of the walk and one that cost a few shekels, so naturally we had to find the free version. While looking for the entrance, we stumbled across this dislodged park bench in a sketchy part of town. I made sure to squeeze in some quality reading time. 

We eventually found the free entrance to the ramparts walk, which may or may not have involved hopping a fence. The view of the city of David from the walls was spectacular. We also got a pretty nifty view of the Dome of the Rock. 

Walking along the ramparts.

Nicole and me sitting on the walls of the Old City.
The city of David is behind us.

Crevice in the city wall. 

This week is also the beginning of Sukkot, a Jewish holiday that the people celebrate by building sukkots, or booths, at the homes. These tent-like buildings range from wooden structures to simple tarps covered with palm fronds. We saw many people in the Jewish quarter building their sukkots. The Jews eat all their meals in the sukkot for one week to remember the children of Israel living in tents in the wilderness for 40 years. 

A sukkot in the Jewish quarter.

A Jewish boy carrying palm fronds to his family sukkot.
Thanks again to the Quist sists for their rad camera skillz.

Me and Nicole washing off palm fronds for the sukkot.

We spent the afternoon building our Judaism professor's sukkot at his house just south of the Old City. He was really kind to let us come and participate in the holiday and understand more about what it means to the Jewish people. He says that the Jewish holidays illustrate two main points. "God is great. Now let's eat!" I love this because it reminds me of LDS culture.

Danielle and I enjoying ourselves, maybe a little too much. :)

Danielle, me, and Nicole posing with the palm frowns. We cut down
and washed 12 of those huge palm fronds for the sukkot.

Me, Danielle, and Nicole inside the finished Sukkot!
Chag Sameach (Happy Holidays) !!!