The Top Ten Best Things about the Jerusalem Center

10 - Every day, five times a day, the call the prayer permeates the walls of the building and rings out with perfect clarity, usually just in time to wake you up from a nap.

9 - Every meal is prepared by friendly and talented chefs (who are always giving you an extra scoop of whatever they're serving even though you really can't eat it) and then the food is enjoyed in the luxury of the lovely oasis cafeteria.

8 - Each week you turn in your bed linen and towels which are then exchanged for a wonderfully new and clean set that usually still smells a little like bleach (let's be honest, this is a dream come true for me).

7 - The ping pong table is conveniently located in the laundry room so that you don't have to take time out of your busy day to schedule a match in, simply put in a load and get your ping on.

6 - There are secrets everywhere, more specifically, there is a secret room where hundreds of JC-ites have permanently made their mark on the historical building. Don't you wish you knew where?

5 - Every night is a party, whether there's a movie to watch, a game to play, or a flashdance to attend, the JC has always got something going on to convince you that homework isn't really that important.

4 - The shekel shaq is open daily from 8:30-10pm (except shabbat of course) to satisfy your need for essential things like popcorn, magnum bars, and my personal favorite, snickers.

3 - Everywhere you go there are windows with amazing views of Jerusalem. When asked what would happen if the students were distracted from their studies by this, one director replied "Then they will be poets."

2 - There are only a few flights of stairs between where your bed and class, which means sleeping in until literally the last moment possible is a very wonderful reality.

1 - You get to spend all of your time doing things with 78 of the most amazing people EVER!!!!!!

Distinctly Jeru

So, I've decided that you get to have a photographic tour of Jerusalem while I'm gone in Jordan for the next few days. None of these have people in it, so if that's what you're looking for you better just quit now. However, if you have an actual interest in some of the sights around the Holy Land, here they are.

A view of the Mt. of Olives

The Knesset in all it's governmental glory

A menorah monument outside the Jewish Quarters

The beautiful Church of St. Mary Magdalene

Amongst the rubble still left at the Pools of Bethesda

The Dome of the Rock

The astounding Church of All Nations

One of the incredible mosaics from Dormition Abbey

The Garden of Gethsemane

And of course the beloved Jerusalem Center on Mt. Scopus

Seder It Up and Some Rain

Alright, so I got a little lazy the past few days. I'm just starting to feel like this blog is a chore now. But I will express my sincere thanks to those who are still bothering to read it. My google analytics tells me the page average is a whopping 3 minutes and 14 seconds. Apparently I'm not entertaining enough for a whole 5 mins. But on the bright side, at least it leaves something to aspire to. So, the last few days have been rainy and cold. But that hasn't stopped the action in the JC. Thursday we had our Passover Seder dinner, and it was one great big cultural experience for sure. We got to sing songs (albeit very off key), chant Hebrew, eat things like parsley dipped in salt water, and drink wine...okay so it was grape juice. But overall, it was a very educational and enlightening evening.

Carly and I sporting our Passover books that always seems to confuse me because you have to read right to left.

Here I am participating in Urchatz, which is the washing of the hands in the Seder ceremony. Can you tell how excited I am? For real though...

Mike and Jeff showing off their Jewish rap skills. All I remember is something about "He-be-brewing".

Yesterday a group of us braved the city in the cold rain and took a taxi to the far side of West Jerusalem where we shopped in a boutique. We also visited a bookstore next door to it where I indulged my book buying habits and bought a copy of Mrs. Dalloway. Maybe next year I'll give up book buying for lent, because it's becoming a rather pricey and weighty problem. Oh well. Oh and my chocolate lent fast is pressing forward, but not without great sacrifice. I've had to convert to hot milk instead of hot chocolate. Hard times I tell you. But anyways, our adventure in the rain yielded some good times.

Here's me, Moon, Richelle, and Lauren waiting for our taxis in the pouring rain. I think Lauren got thirsty.

This was in the bookstore. Living proof that the world is going to pot. You know it is if Twilight can be bought in Hebrew.

Chelsea, Miriam, Lauren, Moon, and Richelle holding up their prized boutique purchases. What's that face about anyway Moon? Maybe she was confused she just spent $15 on a leather post-it pad.

Anyways, after that adventure and some dinner, we started a game of what's been dubbed "Body Ball". I wish I had pictures, but I was too busy playing. I'll give you the gist though. Imagine 10 college age students running around a gym with a giant exercise ball and two goals. Add some awkward sound effects, massive body/ball collisions, and a whole lot of laughter, and that's pretty much our game. Of course injuries have been sustained by multiple peoples, but it hasn't stopped us from playing as of yet.

Finally, today was another amazing Shabbat. It was district conference for all the Israel branches, so we had a full auditorium. The speakers were fantastic, the music was incredible, and the view, as always, was breathtaking. I think I'll miss church in the auditorium most when I go home. After our 2 hour session, we had a leadership meeting where we learned about alot of the humanitarian aid things going on here in the middle east. It was really neat to see all the things the church is doing and I think it made a big impact on alot of students and members alike. It also helped me recognize the power one person has to make a difference. So, that's been the week in a nutshell. Monday we are headed to the land of Jordan, but I'm going to try and put some pre-blogs up before then since the blogging work is never really complete. So have a wonderful week!

Lent, Museums, and Tunnels

Today is the first day of Lent and in an effort to acquire more culture in the Holy Land, I have decided to participate. So, in order to make myself more accountable, I am announcing to the blogging world that for the next 40 days, I will be giving up chocolate. I'm not gonna lie, this is kind of a big deal. My name is Elyse and I am a chocoholic. While I anticipate hard times ahead, I think relinquishing my daily cup of hot chocolate will prove most difficult. Thus, any support you have to offer whether through comments, emails, letters, or high fives, will be highly appreciated.

In other news, yesterday I took a trip to the Biblical Lands Museum where I actually knew the context of some of the artifacts thanks to the excellent tutelage of Dr. Skinner and Bro. Wilson. Favorite displays included 'weaponry through the ages' and some incredible mosaics. I was highly tempted to purchase a 'build you own mosaic' from the gift shop, but then I remembered I'm approaching a state of poverty so I saved myself the sheks. I did however, get to bond with some of my favorite people.

Here is Jayne, Nycole, Kim, Suzy, Kara, Teri Ann, Jessica, and I. Of course I have to give props to Miriam who is behind the camera, but no less loved or important.

Here I am making my mark on history among other homosapien handprints, note the sweet nail polish.

Today was yet another field trip, and I have to use my signature phrase...that was awesome. First we got to watch a sweet 3D movie that gave us the lowdown on Hezekiah's Tunnel and the City of David. Then we embarked on our trip down the tunnel. Sloshing around in our jeans and singing disney songs almost all the way down, experiencing history with this group is anything but dull. However, the pictures can tell the story alot better than I can.

Me being so excited to make the descent into a wet and narrow tunnel. It rocked my world.

Richelle and I in front of the millo in the City of David. Brother Huff also informed us that there used to be a toilet in this dwelling. That's history for you.

Here's Janay, Richelle, Aleni, and I striking a pose. JJ, Josh, and Jeff also felt the need to be included. Posers.

This is Jennifer, Ali, me, and Aleni after emerging from the tunnel in all our glory. We're pretty much amazing.

Business as Usual

Alright so I've been getting a little lazy as of late, but blogging just takes so much time. I'd rather waste my time other places rather than glued to my laptop. Anywho, life is business as usual at the JC. Old Testament class got a little dull the other day though, so Moon spiced it up with a little picture. Here was the finished product. My favorite part is the head bandage personally, but judge for yourself.This also reminded me of another important point. I finally had to make the transition from my favorite black ink pen to the blue. It was rough, but all for the better. We'll see if the reprecussions are manifested in my test scores after studying two different colored inks. Hard life huh? Let's see what else...we had an amazing storm on Saturday that provided an incredible backdrop for sacrament meeting. Although choir practice was pretty amazing too since we sang "Master the Tempest" as rain was beating down on all the windows. Then a patch of sunlight shined (is that proper tense? hm) through for just a moment. Things like that just bring life back in to perspective you know? So, shabbat had some great talks and then Valorie convinced me to go to the Spanish sunday school...which was brilliant. I really need to brush up on the espanol though, it's not quite like riding a bike. That night after another intense game of extreme signs, I hung out with those crazy girls from 410. Give us some fiber bars and incense and let the good times roll. Here's Richelle, Miriam, and I showing off our bars.Yesterday was a free day and we braved the cloudy day to visit an Italian Jewish Museum in West Jerusalem. While it wasn't the most impressive museum to date, the crown and circumcision chair made it worth the trip. After that a group of us headed over to a store called American Apparel where I learned how I should be dressing...seeing as how I'm American. What do you think?Of course I can't forget to include a picture of the brownie surprise which has single handedly destroyed all hope for a healthy lifestyle here in Jerusalem. You may judge, but I don't think I'll be able to remember my days in the Holy Land without thinking of these delicious little pastries right alongside things like the wailing wall and the dome of the rock. Plus, when I come home looking like a teletubbie, you will know why. Today has been a beautiful sunny day and I finally got the chance to visit the Dome of the Rock. I can't believe I've been missing out on it this whole time because the entire place just has the coolest feeling. There's such a peaceful feeling and it really is gorgeous. Sometimes I just wish I could just make the world stop and imprint on my memory the things I get to see here. Unfortunately, life doesn't work like that...so we have cameras instead. Here's Anne and I in front of the Dome.

Playing Catch Up

Sometimes I think, hey, I should catch up on my blog...so I go to my usual spot outside the forum where everyone knows I like to hang out. I should make a sign that says "Elyse's Outlet" on the bench by where I always sit. When did I become so predictable? Bleh. Not the point though. So I go sit down, upload my camera pictures, and then stare blankly at the screen wondering how on earth to put into words everything that goes on here. But it's impossible. I think that sometimes I am under the mistaken impression that just because I am an English major, I should be able to convey exactly what I need to through words. But let's be honest, I don't command the English language that expertly quite yet. Oh well, hopefully it'll live on in my memory years from now when I'm living my dull life back in Provo. Remembering days where I got to spend my time sitting inside a mosaic duck.

So, back to Jeru then? Monday resulted in more failed attempts at homework, a quiz that I managed to luck out on with only an hour of studying (why does that keep happening?), and finally crashing and burning after 2 days of lousy sleep. I went to bed at 8:30pm and slept until 6:30am. Tuesday we had more classes and a group of us decided to reward ourselves with some brownie surprise after finishing our Egypt papers. Oh and I can't report on Tuesday without mentioning the committee meeting. All of the committee chairs had a meeting with our new director Bro. Kent Brown. Suffice it to say that words were said and it provided a memorable experience for all parties involved. Although Stefanie and I couldn't discuss it for the rest of the day without getting riled up about it. Next time that happens I'm just going to my room... On a completely different note, yesterday was our visit to Yad VaShem. I can't even begin to describe the course of emotion that swept through me as we walked through this Holocaust Memorial. Devastation, bewilderment, sadness, frustration, heart break, and hope. The things that hit me the hardest were the shoe display and the children's memorial full of candles. This quote by a Danish pastor also struck me as poignant, "I do not know what a Jew is, we only know what human beings are." I hope I never forget that visit.After the memorial we were taught by our Jewish MNE teacher and visited some other sites. Came back to the center for dinner and more class. Finished the night off with a volleyball tournament where sadly, the powerhouse team of Jessica Ralphs, Matt Morgan, Chelsea Bigney, and I, took a loss in match 3. But we still have some pride...Uzi Forever!!! Today had been a whirlwind of adventure following a rather long hour of Old Testament (it's okay Bro. Wilson, I forgive you for keeping us 20 minutes late in class). First we went to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene which was beautiful. Here's our group right after taking the "scenic route" down the mountain on our way.

Following those expeditions we visited some tombs, got lost in the city, ate some falafel, and walked to the Pools of Bethesda. While there weren't actually any pools, we did get to sing in the chapel which had the best acoustics out of all the chapels we've visited thus far. It was incredible. We also got to chat with one of the priests who was from Ghana, spoke French, and knew Mormons by sight. And for your final viewing pleasure, here's a sight of Bethesda.

Too Cool For School

So, it is nearly midnight and instead of studying for a midterm tomorrow I am wasting time doing handstands, singing nacho libre songs, and losing leg wrestling matches. Let's be honest...I'm just too cool for school. And I did pretty good on my religion midterm, so I feel a little justified in slacking off. Well, except I've been doing it for over a month now. Someday I'll care, maybe. Anywho, we'll recap the last few days for those of you at home. Last week we had an amazing talent show where I had the opportunity to behold the magnificence of my peers. Seriously, there are some crazy talented people around here. I wish we had talent shows everyday. Friday was the midterm of death for Bro. Skinner's class and I uncharacteristically spent a 5 hour cram session with a group of people. This is a little taste of what the session yielded....
That night we unwound with a friday the 13th dance party. Getting our crazy on together is always a good time. Not to mention the occassion to wear absurd amounts of makeup and scary/weirdo clothes is a sure fire way to have fun. What a good looking group we are. We also continued a secret JC tradition after that...but that's another blog altogether. Although I will say that pantsing Miriam back definitely felt good. And, "That was awesome."

Saturday was another great shabbat as usual and I'm always amazed by the incredible testimonies and examples of the people here. I love hearing them speak, teach, and perform, and just learning from them. I can't say enough how much I love these people!

Today was another free day, and it was well spent with a visit to the Israeli government headquarters called the knesset (just say it out loud, like kin-ess-et...fun huh?) where they had some awesome art. A triptych tapestry, some incredible mosaics, and a magnificent olivetree/bronze sculpture made the experience worthwhile. However, they were lame and didn't let us take pictures inside, so you have to live with this picture of me and a menorah star outside the knesset. Moon also found in entertaining to physically harrass all of the girls in the group throughout the knesset tour. Thanks for the memories Moon.
In other news, sleep deprivation has reached an all time high and it seems my scholastic motivation is in direct correlation...at an all time low. Yet I somehow manage to find the energy to play extreme signs, sing along to disney movies like aladdin, and play absurd amounts of ping pong (shout out to Stefanie who beat me today!). I think I might be regressing back into idle adolescence. Or perhaps I never left it...