Mom,

This is a catch-up blog of lots of stuff that has happened in the past month. I definitely don't want to come home yet.

Will this pic work for my graduation announcement? I'll take sibling commentary on this too.



love,

me


THE STEPS OF THE TEMPLE
This is one of my favorite field trips. If you have a newer Bible you can see we are in the exact spot where it is certain that Christ walked. This is definitely rare in Jerusalem where many sites are supposed.

Our Old Testament teacher told us a story about Neil Armstrong, a devout Christian, came to this spot and said that it meant more to him to walk where Christ walked than on the moon.




This is a model from the Israel Museum. I went last week and it actually holds some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The steps that we were at are located on the left hand wall.

This is a pinnacle of the temple mount where Christ could have been tempted by Satan.


BAD HABITS
So I can't break this one. I'm exhausted here and I don't know why because it's like a 24/7 party. I study so no worries there but still I'm tired all the time so naturally anytime we've got a short break I'm down on the ground and taking a little power nap. It doesn't help that the center peeps call me "Dirty Di." Anyway, the last pick is of me on the floor of the Holy Sepulcher. Yes, probably not the most reverent thing to do because we got asked to leave by the cops there. My friend John claims we got kicked out but I say we got relocated because they let us back in with a priest we had made friends with. Anyway, point being I'm learning lots of new things about myself all the time like the fact that apparently I hate standing.





PURIM
This is a holiday that celebrates Esther. It's sort of like Halloween except that our Judaism teacher said it's kind of a commandment for the Jews to be so drunk they don't know the difference between Mordecai and Haman.

Of course I was Michael Jackson. My friend Jeff is dressed as Ryan Seacrest, my favorite outfit of the night.



Cross-dressing is totally normal.


THE SEPHELAH
The real "land of milk and honey." This is where the Israelites had to defend themselves from the Philistines, namely Goliath. They let us play with sling-shots for fun.


As David

As Goliath

Again as David and my roommate Elizabeth as the dead Goliath.


MANNEQUIN IMMATURITY
I don't know what it is but I get a kick out of Middle Eastern mannequins.


Roommate imitation


CHAGALL WINDOWS
Marc Chagall (who I actually didn't know was Jewish) made these as a gift to Israel. Each one represents a different tribe of Israel.

This one is Joseph.


MY ROOM
Dad always said one keep clean is worth a dozen clean-ups. I think a little mess gives character to a room. This is our state in post-sleepover mode.

Can you guess which side is mine?

Here's a close-up for


BETHLEHEM
This is the wall that separates Jerusalem from Bethlehem. It is a Palestinian city so any people that live there that do not work in Jerusalem cannot leave. Those who are Palestinian that live in Jerusalem have to go through the security checkpoint everyday and have to carry identification cards or else they are not let through. Actually from the students that we spoke with at Bethlehem University, the Israeli soldiers are sometimes arbitrary and I find it interesting that on their ID cards the nationality is left blank. As you can see from the graffiti there are definitely bitter feelings. The lion is a symbol of Judah/Israel by the way.


The Church of the Nativity
This is where they claim the exact birth place of Christ was. Who knows this kind of stuff?? I did learn that this is one of the main spots that the Crusaders wanted to defend. Many would come here as a sort of pilgrimage.



View from the top of the University. There is a Jewish settlement in the distance. I asked our tour guide why Jews would ever want to live amongst the Palestinians and he said that they are given such good incentives that it's practically free to live there.