Hello my friends,
Since my last update I have been all over the place. After the Kibbutz we spent 10 days in Nazareth, volunteering at Nazareth Village and 4 of those days were spent hiking the Jesus Trail. The Jesus trail might have been my favorite part of the whole trip thus far. I really enjoyed it. To read about our experiences there you can go to
http://emu.edu/now/crosscultural/2011/04/11/nazareth-village-and-the-jesus-trail/
to read the blog written by another group member.
After Nazareth we flew from Tel Aviv to Athens, Greece. We spent 5 days there learning about Paul's missionary journies in Greece. We toured the Acropolis and the Parthenon and a bunch of other really awesome ruins. We had plenty of time to walk around the area in Athens and we got to know it pretty quick in the short time we were there. I ate lamb gyros and huge sugar covered donuts almost everyday. It was awesome!
On our last day in Greece we took a bus to Corinth and Linford gave us insight to the work Paul did there, and we read some of Corinthians. It was pretty cool, I love traveling in the land of the Bible. After Corinth we rode the bus for a long time and then reached the coast. That is where we boarded the Ferry that would take us across the Meditteranean Sea to Bari, Italy. The ferry was so fun. It was my first time being on a boat in any body of water bigger than a lake. So i really enjoyed that. I even got to see a beautiful red glowing sunrise over the water. It was amazing.
After we arrived in Bari we boarded a bus and rode all day to reach Rome. This is where I am currently. It has been an awesome week so far. We get to eat out for lunch and dinner, so you know I've had my fill of pasta and pizza and gelato. The food here is wonderful. I love it! So far here in Rome I have seen the Colosseum, Pantheon, went to Vatican City, saw the Pope and heard him give the Ash Wednesday service, toured St. Peter's Basilica, went to the Vatican Museum which included seeing the Sistene Chapel which was so cool!, been to numerous other huge and richly ornamented churches and walked until my legs ached each day. It has been wonderful.
Today is the first of the four days of free travel in Italy that we get. I am currently still in Rome but a group of us are taking a night train to Venice, staying there one night and then taking a night train back. It will be a short but I'm sure unforgettable experince. I have wanted to go to Venice my whole life, and I finally get to. And of course, a trip to Venice isn't complete without a gondola ride, so that is definately going to happen. I can't wait, I am so excited for that!!!
Next Tuesday we leave the hotel at 6 am to go to the airport. After that the plan is to arrive back in Dulles at 3 pm. It has been a wonderful semester and I am so thankful for all the support I have gotten from everybody at home. I can't wait to see you. It won't be much longer now.
Blessings to you all and see you soon!
-Allison
Friday, April 22, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Week at the Kibbutz
Hello all,
Currently I am stationed in Nazareth at the Fauzi Azar Inn. We arrived on Sunday and I have really enjoyed my time here thus far. We got a tour of Nazareth Village last night. Nazareth Village is Mennonite affiliated and it is a recreation of a 1st century town. They have people come in and work and dress first century and it is really neat. We even had a 1st century meal last night. We ate with our hands and made our own pita over the fire. It was so fun and the food was delicious. On Thursday we start hiking the Jesus trail. It is a 40 mile hike over 4 days from Nazareth to Capernaum. If you want to know more about the Jesus Trail, the website is www.jesustrail.com. So we will do that until Sunday, and then we will return to Nazareth for a few days before we end our journeys in Israel and head to Greece.
Last week we stayed at a Kibbutz. A Kibbutz is a intentional group living community. In the days when they first began they shared everything, and were very communist based. They are much more modern now, and they had a guesthouse where we made our home. While at the Kibbutz we were with a program at a nearby college, Oranim. Three days last week we went into Oranim and had lectures and toured and met with students. It was a really good time. We also spent a few days at the Kibbutz relaxing and working on our final papers for the semester.
On Friday I had the opportunity to help our leader for the week, prepare a Shabbot meal in her home. It a lot of fun, and very eye opening. The Jewish beliefs make it difficult to cook easily, as their kosher laws require meat and dairy to never interact. This involves the oven being cleaned after a meat use to cook something dairy. The same with the sink. And she had special dishes and utensils that were for meat or dairy. It was a pain, I'm so glad I don't have to cook like that all the time. Though, the food was delicious despite the difficulty in preparing it.
This may be my last update in Israel. I'm not sure if I will have time the few days back in Nazareth before we fly out.
So to all of you, I love you, I miss you, and I can't wait to see many of you in a short 3 weeks!
~Allison
Currently I am stationed in Nazareth at the Fauzi Azar Inn. We arrived on Sunday and I have really enjoyed my time here thus far. We got a tour of Nazareth Village last night. Nazareth Village is Mennonite affiliated and it is a recreation of a 1st century town. They have people come in and work and dress first century and it is really neat. We even had a 1st century meal last night. We ate with our hands and made our own pita over the fire. It was so fun and the food was delicious. On Thursday we start hiking the Jesus trail. It is a 40 mile hike over 4 days from Nazareth to Capernaum. If you want to know more about the Jesus Trail, the website is www.jesustrail.com. So we will do that until Sunday, and then we will return to Nazareth for a few days before we end our journeys in Israel and head to Greece.
Last week we stayed at a Kibbutz. A Kibbutz is a intentional group living community. In the days when they first began they shared everything, and were very communist based. They are much more modern now, and they had a guesthouse where we made our home. While at the Kibbutz we were with a program at a nearby college, Oranim. Three days last week we went into Oranim and had lectures and toured and met with students. It was a really good time. We also spent a few days at the Kibbutz relaxing and working on our final papers for the semester.
On Friday I had the opportunity to help our leader for the week, prepare a Shabbot meal in her home. It a lot of fun, and very eye opening. The Jewish beliefs make it difficult to cook easily, as their kosher laws require meat and dairy to never interact. This involves the oven being cleaned after a meat use to cook something dairy. The same with the sink. And she had special dishes and utensils that were for meat or dairy. It was a pain, I'm so glad I don't have to cook like that all the time. Though, the food was delicious despite the difficulty in preparing it.
This may be my last update in Israel. I'm not sure if I will have time the few days back in Nazareth before we fly out.
So to all of you, I love you, I miss you, and I can't wait to see many of you in a short 3 weeks!
~Allison
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Good Bye Jerusalem
Today is my final day here in Jerusalem. It is about 6:30 a.m. and I am up because I got up to watch the sunrise over the city. It was so beautiful. I am going to miss this place so much, but I also have so much to look forward to still. Next week on a Kibbutz in the Galilee, that is going to be fun.
This week we had it pretty easy. Each morning we would have some sort of guest speaker, lecture, or Hebrew class. We got to learn a lot about Judaism and how it works here in Jerusalem. Learning Hebrew was a lot of fun. The time was short, but I did learn a few things, and I can even write my name in Hebrew. It is pretty awesome.
After the morning classes, we would have the afternoon either free or to do activities that Linford assigned us. On Tuesday we went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum. We took the public bus system there, and it a very meaningful, eye opening time.
As you may have heard, on Wednesday there was a bus bombing here in Jerusalem. Someone dropped off a bomb in a bag at a bus stop across from the central bus station. The blast killed one woman and injured many others. When I heard about it I was kind of in shock. We had ridden those buses the day before, we stopped at that bus stop. It is terrifying to think what could've happened. However, everyone in our group is safe and we praise God for looking out for us. This bus bombing is the first one in Jerusalem in seven years. Our leader was just beginning to think it was safe, usually they don't let the students take the public bus system. So I just want to ask each one of you to remember Jerusalem in your prayers. Pray for the people who where injured and their families, pray for the person who set it off that he will hurt no more, pray for peace here in Jerusalem. That is my prayer everyday.
On Friday night, Shabbot, the Jewish sabboth begins at sundown. So, we had a Jewish man and his family come lead us in a typical Friday night (Shabbot) tradition. First we went down to the Western Wall, previously known as the "wailing wall" and watched all the Jews praying, and singing, and dancing, and celebrating their holy day. It was pretty cool to see. Then we went back to the place we are staying and had a Shabbot meal, with the family. There is the ritual of breaking bread and drinking grape juice and some songs and prayers. It was fun to be a part of, and really great to kind of experience what the Jewish holy day is like.
Today we leave at 1:00. We will go to church somewhere this morning, eat lunch, and be on our way. My time here is drawing to a close, and I am on the brink of a new adventure.
Blessings,
Allison
This week we had it pretty easy. Each morning we would have some sort of guest speaker, lecture, or Hebrew class. We got to learn a lot about Judaism and how it works here in Jerusalem. Learning Hebrew was a lot of fun. The time was short, but I did learn a few things, and I can even write my name in Hebrew. It is pretty awesome.
After the morning classes, we would have the afternoon either free or to do activities that Linford assigned us. On Tuesday we went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum. We took the public bus system there, and it a very meaningful, eye opening time.
As you may have heard, on Wednesday there was a bus bombing here in Jerusalem. Someone dropped off a bomb in a bag at a bus stop across from the central bus station. The blast killed one woman and injured many others. When I heard about it I was kind of in shock. We had ridden those buses the day before, we stopped at that bus stop. It is terrifying to think what could've happened. However, everyone in our group is safe and we praise God for looking out for us. This bus bombing is the first one in Jerusalem in seven years. Our leader was just beginning to think it was safe, usually they don't let the students take the public bus system. So I just want to ask each one of you to remember Jerusalem in your prayers. Pray for the people who where injured and their families, pray for the person who set it off that he will hurt no more, pray for peace here in Jerusalem. That is my prayer everyday.
On Friday night, Shabbot, the Jewish sabboth begins at sundown. So, we had a Jewish man and his family come lead us in a typical Friday night (Shabbot) tradition. First we went down to the Western Wall, previously known as the "wailing wall" and watched all the Jews praying, and singing, and dancing, and celebrating their holy day. It was pretty cool to see. Then we went back to the place we are staying and had a Shabbot meal, with the family. There is the ritual of breaking bread and drinking grape juice and some songs and prayers. It was fun to be a part of, and really great to kind of experience what the Jewish holy day is like.
Today we leave at 1:00. We will go to church somewhere this morning, eat lunch, and be on our way. My time here is drawing to a close, and I am on the brink of a new adventure.
Blessings,
Allison
Monday, March 21, 2011
To Turkey and Back Again
Wow, the past week has been quite the adventure. Last Sunday in the early morning Darian Harnish, Emily Harnish and myself set out to the airport. We arrived to Tel Aviv three hours before our flight departed and it took 2.5 of them to get through security and make it to our gate. The airport workers did not like that we had traveled to Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. So we got asked many questions and got labeled a 6. That is the highest number on their security system. A 6 means that everything in our check luggege and carry ons get taken out and searched. They run a stick with a cloth on the end over everything and analyze it, checking for explosive residue. A 6 also means that we get taken to a back room and "strip searched." Which pretty much meant I had to take of my jacket and they patted me down. Not as intense as it sounds. But after finally deciding that we were innocent travelers they led us through all the other security stops and we made it to our gate just in time for the final call.
The flight was uneventful and we made it to Turkey in about an hour. Arriving in Antalya was phenomenal. Antalya is a port city on the Southern coast of Turkey. There are snow capped mountains in the distance. It was quite lovely. Our hotel was about a minutes walk from the coast line. However, to get to the old city and marina it was about a 2 hour walk. Which we did three of the four days we were there. The third day we walked about 2 hours in the other direction to see the waterfalls off the coast it was so amazing. The entire coastline is lined with public parks and pathways. It was wonderful to walk there each day. Also each night we were in Turkey we watched the sunset over the snow capped mountains, just beyond the Mediterranean Sea. Such a sight to behold. 4 days in Turkey were not enough, but very enjoyable. I am so glad that I went.
The Duden Waterfalls.
The sun setting over the snow capped mountains.
The coastline of Antalya from a lookout near our hotel.
We returned to Jerusalem on Thursday and stayed at a newly opened hostel just outside the Old City. We relaxed there for 3 days before rejoining the group at Ecce Homo convent.
It was a very wonderful and relaxing week. That's all for now!
Much love,
Allison
The flight was uneventful and we made it to Turkey in about an hour. Arriving in Antalya was phenomenal. Antalya is a port city on the Southern coast of Turkey. There are snow capped mountains in the distance. It was quite lovely. Our hotel was about a minutes walk from the coast line. However, to get to the old city and marina it was about a 2 hour walk. Which we did three of the four days we were there. The third day we walked about 2 hours in the other direction to see the waterfalls off the coast it was so amazing. The entire coastline is lined with public parks and pathways. It was wonderful to walk there each day. Also each night we were in Turkey we watched the sunset over the snow capped mountains, just beyond the Mediterranean Sea. Such a sight to behold. 4 days in Turkey were not enough, but very enjoyable. I am so glad that I went.
The Duden Waterfalls.
The sun setting over the snow capped mountains.
The coastline of Antalya from a lookout near our hotel.We returned to Jerusalem on Thursday and stayed at a newly opened hostel just outside the Old City. We relaxed there for 3 days before rejoining the group at Ecce Homo convent.
It was a very wonderful and relaxing week. That's all for now!
Much love,
Allison
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Done already?
Wow, so the two weeks at JUC have passed very quickly. Since my last post we have been up in the region of the Galilee. We spent 4 days and 3 nights in the Galilee region before returning to Jerusalem last night in time for the Shabbot (Sabbath) meal.
Beginning on Tuesday we battled rain every step of the way. We had almost constant rain the whole 4 days we were in the Galilee, with breaks in the clouds just long enough to get some great pictures, or to tour a site without getting too soaked. Thank goodness for my waterproof shoes and coat. They were amazing!!
So on Tuesday we set off and went to Beth-She'an, an important trade city back in the day. We also went to Megiddo, another important trade city, and then we went up to Mount Carmel and read the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. It was so cool. If you keep reading the story, you find that Elijah goes down to Mt. Sinai and finds God in the quiet whisper after the earthquake, wind, and fire. So while we were reading this story, a big storm was blowing in, and all of a sudden, the rain came pouring down on us. It was awesome! We all got soaked running down the muddy path to get back to the bus, but it was totally worth it. I will think of that every time I read the story of Elijah. God's works are so amazing. After the torrential rain had passed, we headed over to the Nazareth Ridge. There we went to what is known as the "jumping cliff." This is supposedly the site where Jesus was taken by the people of Nazareth to be thrown of the cliff. Some say that Jesus jumped off instead and was carried away on the wind, thus the name "jumping cliff." Below is a view of the Jezreel Valley from the "jumping cliff."
Then we headed to En-Gev, a Holiday Resort on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. It was an amazing place to stay. When we pulled up the sun was beginning to set and this was the view we were greeted with on the shores of the Galilee. So amazing!
Then we headed to En-Gev, a Holiday Resort on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. It was an amazing place to stay. When we pulled up the sun was beginning to set and this was the view we were greeted with on the shores of the Galilee. So amazing!The next three days passed in sort of a blur we drove around a lot and saw so many things. We went to Hazor, Capernum, Ceasarea Philippi, Dan, Kursi, Qasrin, Bethsaida, Mt. Hermon, different outlooks on the Golan heights, we rode on a boat across the Sea of Galilee, and ended our time in the Galilee by heading to the Mediterranean Sea to visit Ceasarea.
Most of you probably recognize most of the places I visited, and that's okay. A lot of them were important trade cities. Pretty much the focus of the Galilee was the accessibility for trade. So I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Galilee and look forward to returning to it in a few weeks. This time we will be staying on a Kibbutz and hiking the Jesus Trail. It should be fun.
For the mean time though, I leave for Antalya, Turkey early tomorrow morning for my free travel. I'm looking forward to a few relaxing days on the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea. Then we will be returning to Jerusalem for a week, and then up to the Galilee again. Only about 6 weeks left. Time is passing quickly.
Much love,
Allison
Monday, March 7, 2011
A Very Busy Week
Wow, this week has been crazy busy and so amazing. I have loved every minute of it. We have done so much traveling around the country and seen so many awesome sights. Let me try to tell you about them all.
We are studying at Jerusalem University College for a two week historical geography course. This consists of getting up bright and early each morning, jumping on the bus after a quick breakfast, and heading off to all reaches of the country of Israel.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, in the morning we had 4 hours of class time, lunch, and then in the afternoon got walking tours around Jerusalem. This included going to see the Temple Mount, Western Well, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the City of David, walking through a water filled tunnel, going to the Mount of Olives, and various important historical sites around the city. Wow. I just love Jerusalem. So much history of the Bible, so much history in general, and it is a beautiful city. Below are pictures from Jerusalem.
A night scene of New Jerusalem from the roof of JUC.
A view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the City of David.
A view of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
A great picture I caught of the sun rays while walking through the old city.
Then on Thursday we traveled to different locations around the city of Jerusalem so we could get a picture of the lay of the land. We saw Jerusalem from almost all the different approaches, North, South, East, and West. We started off in a beautiful hiking area called Safat, went to Mt. Scopus on the Mount of Olives, for lunch we had a picnic on the "hill of evil counsel" (ironically this is where the UN building is located), then we went to some archeological dig site towards the western part of Jerusalem.
The last three days have passed in kind of a blur so I will go through them quickly. We went to Shiloh - site of the wilderness tabernacle, Gezer, Bet-Shemesh - possible home of Deliah of Sampson and Deliah, had bus trouble, made it back safely, had a Shabbat meal of Friday night, went to Azekah - site of the story of David and Goliath, Ashkelon - got to swim in the Mediterranean Sea, Beer Sheba - home of Abraham, Arad - an important trade city, stayed overnight in a youth hostel in Arad, hiked up to Masada - one of Herod's many desert palaces, swam in waterfall pools in En Gedi - where David spared Saul's life, floated in the Dead Sea, visited Qumron where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, made it back to JUC.
Now it is today. I'm exhausted from such a busy but amazing week. I got lots of sun, thankfully no burns. The weather has been glorious, though I think it is going to rain this week. I had a wonderfully relaxing free morning, and in a little while we will have a test on everything we learned in the past 7 days. Craziness.
Tomorrow we leave and have a 4 day/ 3 night trip up in the Galilee area. We will be staying in a hotel on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. So much more to learn and see. I'm looking forward to it.
Love you all,
~Allison
Sunday, February 27, 2011
In Jerusalem
Hello all,
Sorry it has been so long since my last post, but we have been very busy! Since my last post our group has traveled to Allepo and Palmyra while still in Syria. Then we headed to Jordan for a week where we visited Amman, Petra, and camped in the desert with the Beduins in Wadi Rum. While in Wadi Rum, we got to tear around the desert in the back of trucks, watched the sunset while sitting on top of a sand dune, and got about an hours worth of a camel ride. It was all so much fun. After Jordan we headed into Palestine for a week.
This past week in Palestine we stayed with host families and did a one week tour program with ATG (Alternative Tourism Group). I was with three other girls from my group and we stayed with the Awwad family. I really enjoyed the setup of their house. The mother (grandmother) lived on the first floor which is where the four of us girls stayed. The 2nd floor was home to one of her sons, his wife, and their 4 children. The 3rd floor was home to the other son, his wife, and their 3 children. We ate breakfast every morning with the grandmother on the first floor, and we switched each night between eating on the 2nd or 3rd floors. We usually ate by ourselves, just the four of us since their big meal of the day is early in the afternoon around 2. The schools get out around 1:30 and most shops close between 12 and 3, so this is when they all gather to eat. Then in the evening they just have a small snack and fruit. We were taken such good care of while in Palestine. The food was so good, I miss it already. After the dinner meal we would retire to the living room where we would be served tea or Arabic coffee. Then a little bit later some sort of snacks or sweet would be brought out. Then even later a variety of fresh fruit and more drinks were offered. I was never hungry while in the Awwad's house. The one family had a little girl about 7 years old. She spoke hardley any English, but we were able to play together anyway. It was so cute because she could say Allison, so she decided to call me Lucy. Her mom kept telling her my name was Allison, but she would shake her head and say "no, Lucy!" She was adorable. It was a wonderful experience, and I was sad to leave them this morning.
With the tour program we did a lot of things packed into the week. We had about 6 different lectures, got to see a small portion of the separation wall, went to a refugee camp, toured both Bethleham Bible College and Bethleham University, went to the Church of the Nativity and saw where Jesus may have been born, saw the Shepherd's Fields where they watched over their flocks by night, went to Hebron, helped plant grape vines at Tent of the Nations, went to an Israeli Settlement and had a discussion with a settler, hiked inthrough Wadi Qelt to Jericho and possibly through the "valley of the shadow of death," saw the Mount of Temptation, and the Sycamore tree that Zacchaeus climbed. It was a pretty amazing week. I saw things that I never imagined I would ever experience. And walking through the land where Jesus lived is such an amazing feeling, it is hard to wrap my mind around.
Now I am in Jerusalem. We are staying at Jerusalem University College where we will be taking a two week Historical Geography course. Our orientation begins at 8 am tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. JUC is located just outside the walls of the old city of Jerusalem, and there is plenty of shopping to be done!! We have dinner in about 20 minutes and I can't wait to see what kind of good food will be prepared for us!
If any of you are interested in leaving comments of any Bible verses that are encouraging to you, I would love to hear from you.
Much love,
Allison
Sorry it has been so long since my last post, but we have been very busy! Since my last post our group has traveled to Allepo and Palmyra while still in Syria. Then we headed to Jordan for a week where we visited Amman, Petra, and camped in the desert with the Beduins in Wadi Rum. While in Wadi Rum, we got to tear around the desert in the back of trucks, watched the sunset while sitting on top of a sand dune, and got about an hours worth of a camel ride. It was all so much fun. After Jordan we headed into Palestine for a week.
This past week in Palestine we stayed with host families and did a one week tour program with ATG (Alternative Tourism Group). I was with three other girls from my group and we stayed with the Awwad family. I really enjoyed the setup of their house. The mother (grandmother) lived on the first floor which is where the four of us girls stayed. The 2nd floor was home to one of her sons, his wife, and their 4 children. The 3rd floor was home to the other son, his wife, and their 3 children. We ate breakfast every morning with the grandmother on the first floor, and we switched each night between eating on the 2nd or 3rd floors. We usually ate by ourselves, just the four of us since their big meal of the day is early in the afternoon around 2. The schools get out around 1:30 and most shops close between 12 and 3, so this is when they all gather to eat. Then in the evening they just have a small snack and fruit. We were taken such good care of while in Palestine. The food was so good, I miss it already. After the dinner meal we would retire to the living room where we would be served tea or Arabic coffee. Then a little bit later some sort of snacks or sweet would be brought out. Then even later a variety of fresh fruit and more drinks were offered. I was never hungry while in the Awwad's house. The one family had a little girl about 7 years old. She spoke hardley any English, but we were able to play together anyway. It was so cute because she could say Allison, so she decided to call me Lucy. Her mom kept telling her my name was Allison, but she would shake her head and say "no, Lucy!" She was adorable. It was a wonderful experience, and I was sad to leave them this morning.
With the tour program we did a lot of things packed into the week. We had about 6 different lectures, got to see a small portion of the separation wall, went to a refugee camp, toured both Bethleham Bible College and Bethleham University, went to the Church of the Nativity and saw where Jesus may have been born, saw the Shepherd's Fields where they watched over their flocks by night, went to Hebron, helped plant grape vines at Tent of the Nations, went to an Israeli Settlement and had a discussion with a settler, hiked inthrough Wadi Qelt to Jericho and possibly through the "valley of the shadow of death," saw the Mount of Temptation, and the Sycamore tree that Zacchaeus climbed. It was a pretty amazing week. I saw things that I never imagined I would ever experience. And walking through the land where Jesus lived is such an amazing feeling, it is hard to wrap my mind around.
Now I am in Jerusalem. We are staying at Jerusalem University College where we will be taking a two week Historical Geography course. Our orientation begins at 8 am tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. JUC is located just outside the walls of the old city of Jerusalem, and there is plenty of shopping to be done!! We have dinner in about 20 minutes and I can't wait to see what kind of good food will be prepared for us!
If any of you are interested in leaving comments of any Bible verses that are encouraging to you, I would love to hear from you.
Much love,
Allison
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