The Israel Saga--The Finale

A bunch of random pictures. A few miscellaneous places. People you've never met. Places you may not have gone. But they are part of me. Pieces of my heart.

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Pomegranites. Roses. Grapes. This is the garden at my school in Jerusalem. Jerusalem University College. Why both, I don't know. But it was a beautiful school. Amazing teachings. Life changing experiences. Great friends. Decent food. Hey, it was still college food.







Thanksgiving. Most all of the students at the school were American, and we needed to have a few American traditions now and then. We hunted around town and got almost all of the typical ingredients for all the foods you would expect. Probably one of my favorite Thanksgivings I have ever celebrated.






Tel Burnah. One of the classes I took was an archeology survey. We actually trekked out to a site, climbed daily up the hill to reach the site, spent numerous hours in the scorching hot sun with no shade wandering around in the site, and found a bunch of rocks. Ok, pottery. I learned a ton about archeology and found that I didn't want to pursue that line of study. That's not to say I didn't love it. We had a blast. But we also found ourselves at the end of the day being refreshed as we drank our hot water. I don't think I have ever been more exhausted.


Herod's Wall. The great wall surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem. The wall that has stood for thousands of years. I walked the perimeter frequently. You can actually walk most of the wall on top. Looking down over the whole city.










You can climb the wall too. But I wouldn't recommend it. It's
really hard.

















City streets. The city is so ancient, but very modern. So beautiful. So alive. Full of history and full of life. I felt like I breathed differently. My heart beat a different rythym.








And soldiers. Not a part of life in America. But every day. On most street corners. And it was ok. I don't know how I would feel if I was living there now. The atmosphere is so unlike our own. Sure, there is fear, but it's stifled. Fear is so common, it's lessened. Or so it seemed.






I was hoping to go back next summer with my husband. Looking more closely at our finances, it doesn't appear to be an option. But someday. I'll show him around to all my favorite places. We'll discover new spots together. There will be more to learn, more to see. Someday.

Here are the first few groups of pictures. JUC. Water. Petra. Sinai.