A Day of Gratitude

We got back from Galilee on Thanksgiving Day right before dinner... little did we know a great surprise awaited us! The service couples and faculty wives went to so much trouble to make our Thanksgiving feast special. The cafeteria was decorated and apparently the cooks had been slaving away for days.

Dr. Chapman offered a prayer of thanks and Sister Chapman read us the story of the first pilgrim Thanksgiving dinner. Although the food was a little different and there was no pumpkin pie, you could tell they went to a lot of effort to make it as American and authentic as possible. It was nice to have a little taste of home and I appreciate the thoughtfulness and preparation that went into making everything so enjoyable. 

I made this to help me reflect on what I'm grateful for and to more fully realize all the blessings I've been given. I'm one lucky girl... there's so much to be thankful for!

Somber Remembrance

 

Yad Veshem Holocaust Museum

"A name and a memorial" 

This site was built to memorialize and remember the 6 million Jews murdered during the dark and tragic period of Hitler's rule. 25% of those killed were children.

Hall of Remembrance
Has the names of 21 Nazi death camps engraved on the floor.
At the center of the Hall is a casket of ashes from the cremation ovens taken from the concentration camps.
The eternal flame signifies that those who perished during the Holocaust will never be forgotten.
When important officials from other nations visit Israel, this is the first place they are usually taken after they land at the airport. They come to pay tribute by laying a wreath on the tomb of the unknown Jew. You could say it's equivalent to the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

At the very end of the museum was a large room filled with pictures, along with rows and rows of binders containing the names of those who perished. Although I'm really grateful that I was able to see the museum, it left my heart really heavy and aching as I thought of the agony that occurred.

The shoes, the photographs, the names in those binders, the concentration camp clothes, and the artifacts I saw all had a human life attached to them. I tried to imagine what horrors those eyes had seen, and what the lives of those precious individuals had been like before the Holocaust.

They were normal people. They had emotions... they had families... they had jobs... they were human. 
They didn't deserve this.

Mount Herzl
The tomb of Herzl, the leader of the Zionist movement, was brought to Jerusalem as a shrine for secular Jews to worship.

 

It was a windy and cold day... this is what we looked like most of the time as Ophir lectured us. Huddling together to keep warm=precious bonding   :)

 

Mount Herzl was beautiful with all the greenery, but I spotted this lone little tree with yellow leaves and it made me so happy! It's the only tree I've seen in Jerusalem that's had its leaves change color.

Hurrah for a little piece of fall!

Sisterhood

We made an exciting discovery the other day.... my roommates and I are the sisterhood of the traveling pants. So much so that it's kind of scary!

It all started when Asia bought some skinny jeans in West J. She looked amazing in them of course. Devin wore them a few days later and they fit like a glove. Kelly tried them on a few days later and rocked 'em. I came into the room one night and Devin and Asia handed me the pants, ordered me to try them on, and wouldn't let me leave until I did. The second I put them on and they fit they started SCREAMING and jumping up and down. Of course they had to run and get Kelly to show her.

I kid you not, these are magical Jerusalem pants! Despite our different body shapes and sizes, they fit each of us. After our discovery we got thinking about the 4 girls in the movie and realized each of our personalities were similar to one of theirs.

This discovery has caused great agony, however, because we want to watch the movie together but we don't have it out here. Sad day. But whenever I watch it I'll forever be reminded of these sweet and beautiful girls that I've been lucky enough to live with.

Me=Lena

Most cautious and conservative of the 4, good listener

Asia=Carmen

Sassy, not afraid to speak her mind, empathetic, everyone loves her

Kelly=Tibby

A little bit of a rebel, sarcastically hilarious, supportive, brave

Devin=Bridget

Athletic, easy to get along with, gorgeous free flowing hair, life of the party

We all have very different personalities, but maybe that's why we get along so well. I'm all for the sisterhood. Love these girls!

Ode

Life in Jerusalem: 

Having the best view in the world, right in your backyard

Learning a lot about a person as you walk alongside them in the city or on field trips

A trip to the Old City and back to the Center involves walking uphill.... both ways! Thank you, Kidron Valley.

 We walk EVERYWHERE. The other day we mapped it out and we had done 8 miles. They've finally lifted the ban on public transportation, however. Hurrah!

Everyone can tell you're a Mormon no matter how hard you try to 'blend in' with your loose khaki pants and high collared shirts. Haven't worn jeans since I've been here. Shopkeepers LOVE you. Some will sing to you... some will give you a 'special price'... others will give you juice and a place to sit and relax for a few.

Getting stared at, whistled at, honked at, or sweet talked by men is an every day occurrence.

Probably taken more showers and done more laundry in the short time I've been here than I have in my whole life time.

Stray cats are EVERYWHERE. If you leave your porch door open they'll wander into your room.

Trash lines the streets. Sometimes if you're lucky (more often than not) unidentifiable smells will waft across your path.

No facebook, youtube, online chatting, or cell phones

You get to see your teachers hold hands with their wives and interact with their kids. You get to live in the same building as your teachers and actually become friends with them.

Religion class and a spiritual high everyday. Learning about the scriptures and then visiting where those people walked and those events took place.

Looking out your window and feeling gratitude everyday for the opportunity to be here.

Yep, Jerusalem has taken a piece of my heart... I'll never be the same.

Jerusalem is my rose