Something brought you here. Fate. Destiny. A horse.

Wondering how I got here? -----> ------> ------>

On top of Tel Azekah, with Danielle and Suzy. Behind us
 is the valley of Elah, where David slew Goliath.

That would be on a bus. [Not a horse.] Which broke down for approximately 20 minutes at our second to last stop. The most exciting part was when we "borrowed" the other classes bus to see our last stop. But we only got 30 seconds down the road before our bus got fixed, so the other class never realized their bus was hijacked. Bummer. 

Our field trip this week was to the Shephelah, a series of mountains that served as a natural defensive border for the Israelites to defend themselves against the Philistines. The Shephelah is located between the coastal plains and Judean Hills. Our first stop was at Beth Shemesh, a fortified city in ancient times which means "house of the sun." The area surrounding this hill is where Samson grew up. 

Looking out from Beth Shemesh.

While we were busy learning about Samson and the geography of the area, Brother Harper's two sons started throwing rocks down the hill. I think we know who had the most fun at that site.

Observe the perfect release of the rock.
Next Olympic sport, anyone??

Another site we went to was Lachish, an archeological dig that archeologists say best fits with biblical texts. Three major battles occurred here: the conquest under the leadership of Joshua, a battle of the Israelites versus the Assyrians, and the Babylonian campaign. 

Me, Danielle, and AnnaLeah at Lachish. 

Our last stop was my favorite. We visited Tel Maresha where there are a bunch of underground caves. I thought it would be nice nice and cool underground, but it was surprisingly humid.

This is the Columbarium Cave, a place for raising doves.
There were over 2000 niches carved in the walls. 

One of the shafts of light in the caves.
(Me, Suzy, and Danielle). 

Me and Suzy turning the ancient olive press. 

At this same site we walked over to the bell caves. The area reminded of southern Utah, except whiter. The caves were very tall and really cool to walk around in. 

Sining hymns in one of the caves.

Danielle and me.

That is all. 

There's such a lot of world to see.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white. 
Bright blessed days and dark sacred nights. 

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. 

It's a beautiful day. Don't let it get away.

I'm in the middle of midterm week and the end is in sight.

That's right!
No more studying all night.
My backpack will once again feel light.
This rhyming might give you a fright.

[insert awkward pause here]

Hey, I've been stuck in the center for almost 3 whole days. That's 72 hours, people. Have you ever been in a single building for that long?
It's weird, because it feels like I've been outside with all the open areas and windows throughout the JC. And technically the hallway to my room is outdoors. But I still haven't set foot outside the building in quite some time. And I might be going a little crazy.

In other news, I have discovered a new tasty treat. It makes studying so much better.
Ahem, introducing... the happy hippo!

Yes, that's right. It's a hippopotamus-shaped wafer biscuit, filled with chocolate-hazelnut goodness. Perfectly designed for 3 delicious bites. The only problem is the tiny size. I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. Probably 50, if you catch my meaning. I will definitely be bringing some of these home, so family, get excited. :)

Our field trip this week was awesome. First, we stopped at a Bedouin village in Naqab. We got to hear the history of these nomadic Arab people from a Bedouin women association called Sidreh. Sidreh is an organization that helps Bedouin women develop their literacy and economic stability. We got to meet some of these women. They showed us the process of making yarn, dying it different colors, and then weaving it into rugs, pillows, and blankets. They have a business that allows them to sell these products. You can read more about Sidreh here. It was very encouraging and exciting to see these women proudly explain their jobs and the great contributions they make to their family and village because of the skills they have developed.

Bedouin woman weaving a rug.

Some of the colored yarns they have made.

Decorations under the tent where we sat.

Our group listening to one of the Bedouin women.

We also went out to an unrecognized Bedouin village in literally the middle of nowhere. I'm pretty sure our professors didn't even know where we were. The people there live in shelters with no air conditioning and dirt floors. While we were trekking through the dusty village, several helicopters flew overhead. I felt like I was in the middle of some movie. Also, I was wondering if there was some war going on that the Jerusalem Center had just failed to mention to us. :) Seriously though, for living in Israel it's surprising how sheltered we are from what's going on right outside our home.

Bedouin women walking up a hill.

3 helicopters that flew over the village.
P.S. Thanks to Danielle for taking pictures throughout the day.
1, her camera is better and B, I was too lazy to take any pictures!

Next, we went to Tel Arad, where an Israeli fortress has been excavated. The area is west of the Dead Sea. Arad was repeatedly settled throughout biblical times because of its strategic geographical location, positioned directly along routes coming from the east and southeast. We saw an ancient temple there, complete with the Holy of Holies.

The Israeli fortress on top of the Tel, taken from down
in the valley where the water would collect.

Awesome dust devil seen from atop the Tel.  

Me and Danielle in the temple ruins.

Observe the falling man. Peter and James, I thought you would
enjoy this! 

Danielle and me standing in the Holy of Holies. 

Our final stop was at Tel Beer Sheba. Go here for a sweet aerial view of the Tel. This is the place in the scriptures where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all had encounters with God. It was amazing to explore this location after reading about its history in the Old Testament.

Awesome power line we saw on the bus to Tel Beer Sheba. 

Me, Maddy, and Danielle at the entrance of Beer Sheba.
Yes, that's a plum in Maddy's mouth.

A group of us on top the lookout tower at Beer Sheba.
We loved the hard hats. 

Going down to an underground cistern.  

The classic bathroom pic. I experience this on a daily basis. 

In my research of Tel Beer Sheba, I stumbled across a New Era article written in 1975 by a women who helped excavate the site. It is a very interesting and insightful article and you can read it here. The author, Janene Wolsey, said something that really struck me.

"When you are placed out in the middle of nowhere and denied most of the conveniences you are accustomed to, you become grateful for things you never realized you were blessed with before. It amazes me that I could be completely covered with dirt, have blisters on both hands, sore muscles, flies flying around my head, and an upset stomach, and yet feel so completely blessed for experiences in which physical discomfort teaches patience and gratitude. I started thinking past the physical and material things because I was living on so little and was amazed at how little I need materially and how much my whole life depends on my Father in heaven."


I experienced a little of what Janene went through as I visited these hot, dusty sites in the middle of the day. But this quote switched my paradigm, my point of view, and reminded me of all the incredible blessings I have. Often times you don't realize what you have until it's gone. 

Take time to be holy.

This weekend is general conference. I'm excited to hear the words of our great prophet and leaders of the church.

I'm going to miss cinnamon rolls and watching conference in my pjs and being with my family.

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.  ~Thomas Jefferson


Happy conference weekend!

Every generation gets a chance to change the world.

Coming back to Jerusalem after our week adventure in Turkey felt good. Like coming home. Despite the sudden inundation of classes and homework, I made sure to get out in the city. I love how I can finally find my way around most of the Old City.

Yesterday, I went out to the Old City with Eliza, Shalyn, Kristine, and Tiffany. We rushed over to the Dome of the Rock and barely made it before the guards' lunch break. It was my first time there and even though I've seen the Dome of the Rock in pictures, it still was a little unreal. I had never fully appreciated the blue decorated tiles all around the structure and the sun was shining perfectly on the golden dome. Also, there were very few people there, so it was very peaceful and quiet.

First time seeing the Dome.

I love the contrasting blues and golds. 

Me, Eliza, Tiffany, and Kristine. 

After the Dome of the Rock, we meandered through the Jewish Quarter. The Jews are currently celebrating Rosh Hashanah, their start to the New Year. Hey, this would be a perfect time to make some goals. You only have to keep them until January 1st! We stumbled across this sign at the entrance to a home close to the Western Wall. 

Yeah for Fiddler on the Roof. :) "Tradition!" has been stuck in my head ever since. You're welcome.

Our final stop was for some challah at a local bakery. This is bread that the Jews make on Shabbat and holidays. It is a specially braided sweet bread and tastes absolutely delicious. I will have to restrain myself from eating challah every Sabbath ;)

Me and Eliza outside the bakery. 

Is there anything here not swimming in gravy?!

Continuing on my adventures in Turkey...

I forgot to mention the underground basilica cistern that we saw in Istanbul. Possibly one of my favorite sites, because we just stepped off the street, followed some stairs down, and bam! there's a huge, eerily lit underground cavern. Made by the Romans. Oh, and I might also have loved it because it was 100 times cooler down there.

Apparently people bring fish down here
because there were tons of them swimming around.

Our next stop was Troia (Troy). No, Brad Pitt was not there.

I'm not gonna lie, my favorite part was the giant Trojan horse just chillin' outside the entrance to the ruins. I'm pretty sure our group spent more time hanging out in the horse then wandering around the sites. But don't get me wrong, the ruins were amazing, and the surrounding countryside was beautiful. It reminded me of the Italian countryside.

Me and AnnahLeah.

Inside the original Trojan horse :)

We spent the night at a hotel right next to the Aegean Sea. Walking along the beach at sunset was awesome. Then we had a dance party on the beach with a huge bonfire. It was epic. Apparently other people thought so too, because about 8 Turkish men joined in for our last couple of songs. 

Some of our group at the beach.

I loved visiting Assos because the village was not very touristy. We hiked up the winding, cobble stone streets to get to the top of the hill. The site was where Paul went on one of his missions. I loved how our director, Dr. Skinner, reminded us that while it's neat to walk where the apostles walked, it's more important to do what they did, namely living as disciples of Christ.  

View from the top of Assos.

Here's a lovely picture taken while at Pergamon. We got right up to the top and it started pouring rain. Of course, right when we left it was sunny again. But I loved every minute of it. I will never forget those rainy moments because everyone embraced the rain and didn't complain.

Another day we spent at the ancient Greek city of Ephesus. There are extensive ruins there and it was fun to just wander around them. 

AnnahLeah, Me, and Danielle.

Danielle, me, and Kaitlyn at the great library of Celsus.

Here's one of my many creeper shots from Turkey. Classic European men. It's almost like they were posing for me.

Thanks Danielle for "posing for a picture" for me :)

We also got to visit the calcium pools at Pamukkale (Pamukkale means cotton candy in Turkish, which is a very good description of what the site looks like). It also looked like a snowy hillside so it was weird to feel the warm water on my feet.

Danielle and me.

One of our final stops was at the silk market in Bursa. I loved the arched walk ways around the shops. 

Me, Nicole, and Danielle (the seesters).

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Just got back from Turkey!

No more fish, mystery meat, and desserts soaked in honey.
No more brushing my teeth with a bottle of water.
No more sketch bathrooms with tiny showers.
No more squatty potties.

YESH.

In other news, Istanbul was brilliant! (the rest of Turkey will come later...)

I had no idea what to expect, but I loved it. The city reminds me partly of a European San Francisco, with windy, steep streets, green landscapes, and the Bosphorus winding through the city, occasionally covered by bridges. Also, Istanbul reminds me of something out of Star Wars, with all the different mosques scattered across the horizon. After dry, hot, and brown Jerusalem, Istanbul's greenness and 60 degree weather was perfect. 

The Blue Mosque.

We only had 2 days in Istanbul, so we were constantly herded from site to site like a bunch of cattle. Our Turkish tour guide Fatih would continually say "hurry up, hobbits!" Not quite sure why he called us that, but he always made me laugh. Other favorite quotes from him: "Attention all Harper bus!" "Hello aliens." "I'm a mountain goat."

On the first day we saw the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace (where the sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived for over 400 years), and the Grand Bazaar (4000 shops + over 60 streets + in-your-face shopkeepers = craziness. *Favorite comment from a shopkeeper: "You are so beautiful, like angels. I will be your Charlie." Wow). We also took a boat ride on the Bosphorus. It was great to sit on the boat after walking around all day and watch the sun set on Istanbul.

Inside the Blue Mosque.

At Topkapi Palace.

The Grand Bazaar.

Boat ride on the Bosphorus.

Sitting on the back of the boat.

The fish I ate at dinner. The eyeball was disgusting.
(AnnaLeah seems pretty excited about the food)

Our second day in Istanbul was equally exciting. We saw Hagia Sophia and walked through another bazaar. 

Inside Hagia Sophia.

The upper deck at Hagia Sophia. 

One of the mosaics. 

Cat sleeping at Hagia Sophia. I felt like joining him.

Enjoying our last Magnum ice cream bar in Turkey.