HOLIDAYS

Holidays are an interesting thing here. So far we have been in Jerusalem for Ramadan (Muslims), Rosh Hashana (Jews), and Yom Kippur (Jews). It is neat to learn about the holidays but it also means a day of not leaving the JC. This is usually for safety precaution because on these major holidays there are so many people out in the town and Ramadan and Rosh Hashana overlapped. On big days like this there is a police blimp in the air and a helicopter watching things from above. There haven't been any problems yet and hopefully we won't see any either. Ramadan is particularly interesting because the Muslims fast during the hours of daylight. The JC is on the East side where the Muslims live. So we can't eat in public unless we go to the West side of Jerusalem.

FOOD

The food here is something else. They use a lot of strong spices. Luckily at the Jerusalem Center we have a cook who makes all three meals for us. They are American food but definitely have a different twist. I for one am tired of cafeteria food since I ate it all summer while working for EFY. I can't wait to get home and be able to make my food, know what is in it, and decide what I actually want to eat. The good thing about the cafeteria is it gives a sense for what the locals eat. They don't put any preservatives in their breads here and most locals just purchase it from vendors off the street. At the JC we eat tons of pitas because they are amazing. Breakfast is the exact same every morning. Lunch is typically pasta and dinner is always meat. We get fresh fruit at lunch if you are at the front of the line. We only get milk at breakfast, which is a sad thing for me because I love milk and used to have it with every meal. The dorm parents worked hard to make sure we had peanut butter at every meal so if you are ever homesick for American food you can make a PB&J. It is great. The running joke about the food is actually about the cook, Jimmy, who serves us our food. You ask for a little and he always loads your plate up. We have been working on how to word the exact amount of food we want. Some people think he doesn't understand us, I think he just believes we all have huge appetites and that we all love his food as much as he does. It really isn't bad food though.

My Time Here in Jerusalem

I hope this allows you a chance to get a glimpse at my time here in Jerusalem. I will attempt to post updates of what I have done, seen, and learned so you can enjoy the experience too. Luckily the set up of the program is very similar to that of the semester at Nauvoo so I feel confident and comfortable with it. We get up early, breakfast is 6:30-7:20 on a typical day, and then go to classes all morning. The afternoon is time for us to go out into the "Old City" to shop, see sites, and to be around the people. We also use the afternoons for homework and study. Often in the evenings there are planned events, meetings, or occasionally classes.
To start off it is amazing here but nothing like I ever expected. It is cool because everything looks so old because it is all built out of local Jerusalem limestone, so all the buildings are white and squares. The East side of Jerusalem is the Arab side and the West side is the Jews side and also the current location for growth and more of a modern feel. The "Old City" definitely has an old city feel. It is the area within the walls around Jerusalem. The streets, or better said walkways, are narrow and usually crowded. There are shops all over and the people transport things by placing them on big boards and carrying them on their head or by putting them in carts, similar to the handcarts we use on trek, and wheeling them through town. It is quite a site to see. In the Old City everyone bargains, no questions asked. I am not a fan of bargaining because I haven't the slightest idea what a reasonable price to pay is and I don't want to get ripped off. There are all sorts of cool things to buy here. They do lots of jewelry, bright bags/purses, leather works including sandals, and so much more. I personally just like to look and haven't really purchased anything yet.
The people are really nice here. Surprisingly many of the Muslim women wear a covering over their hair even though it is not required. I've even seen some where their head is completely covered except for a little hole for them to see out of. The Muslim men are interesting because they do exactly opposite of what you would think. Many of them wear tight fitting shirts and pants and they dress in more modern clothes. The women mostly wear long black or brown dresses. For the Jews it just depends on if they are Orthodox or not. There are Secular Jews who dress what we would consider immodestly in our religion. They are trying to make a statement and be different from the rest of the community. There are the Orthodox Jews, where the men have the curly locks, the little hat on top, the long black coats, black pants, the whole nine yards. The Jewish women usually wear black and white church clothes essentially. If they are orthodox then the women wear long sleeves and ankle length skirts. We dress modestly according to the outline standards but we definitely stick out no matter what. It is funny because when walking down the streets in the Old City, merchants will make comments about us being Mormons. The Mormons always shop at my shop. We love the Mormons. They actually pretty funny.