Viva la TACKY

That is my mantra for the semester.  Every Sunday morning (for those who don't know, since Saturday is our Sabbath that is when we hold our church services and Sunday is our free day) I wake up at six in the morning to join a yoga group.  Side note: since being here, the latest I have slept in is eight o'clock.  I'm quite proud of myself for not sleeping in any further... not that I have a choice.  If you're not up early enough then you don't get breakfast.  Anyways, one of the girls here instructs us in our "Sunrise Yoga" session.  I have never done yoga before so I thought I would give it a shot.  We have a saying here: YOJO.  You're only in Jerusalem Once.  Might as well try everything.  So she recommended that we create a mantra to think about.  After much pondering, I landed on Viva la Tacky.

Believe me, it makes sense.  No longer do I care what I wear or look like.  With such a little wardrobe, I have put together some strange outfit combos in desperation to mix things up.  There are some days where I look like a hot mess, but I honestly don't care anymore.  It's great and nobody cares.  But I've realized, that if I purposely embrace the tackiness of how I look, it makes everything more fun.  It's like I put on a character each day, and for those who know me well, when I'm given a character... I live it up!  Due to this, I highly doubt that a single attractive, or even normal, picture had been taken of me so far.  VIVA LA TACKY!!!!!

Last Sunday the party didn't start until the sun set.  I hadn't had a chance to go out in West Jerusalem at night yet, so I found a group and we headed out.  We all split up into smaller groups (still following the rule of three) and went to different places to eat.  My latest craving lead us to a grill were we got some delicious burgers.  I and another girl split the house special which is quite a large burger made of both beef and lamb.  YUMMY!!!  Afterwards we perused the local shops, I educated the guys on proper male fashion, and then we met up with the rest of our gang for what was my very first gelato.

Lamb+Beef=Drool

On monday we had an all day field trip.  It was long, hot, and I emerged with a sunburn the shape of a watermelon slice on the back of my neck and an even brighter Rudolph nose.  Nonetheless, the sights we visited were pretty neat.

We visited the area of Samson and got to discus his story on site.  Fun fact about Eden:  The story of Samson is my favorite Old Testament story.  It has been since I was nine years old.  We also went to Azekah, which is an overlook of the area where the battle between the philistines and Israelites occurred and David took down Goliath.  While there we had our own reenactment of the momentous battle.  It was Broadway worthy.

See what I mean by wardrobe malfunction?

I'm sure I've said it before, and I will probably say it again, but it is a perplexing experience to go to all of these sites.  When visiting places like Nauvoo, it is easy to make the connection that the early LDS saints lived there because it wasn't too long ago.  Our minds can wrap around that idea.  But going to such and ancient place takes more brain power.  For one thing, there is nothing left except for piles of rocks that resemble ancient walls.  Trying to imagine homes with children playing in them, bustling streets and markets, people living out their lives, it is strange.  And that is coming from someone who has a very active imagination.  I things that because these stories happened so long ago, and we are taught them so often, they tend to become just that.  Stories.  Tall tales that parents teach their children to help them learn how to be good people.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining.  As children that is what we need.  But as we get older, there is so much more we can learn from this history when we realize that it really did happen.  It opens new doors for understanding.  I'm not saying that I now completely understand the Bible in its entirety; far from it.  But it certainly adds more to our studies.

Anyways, looking out at the field where we know for an absolute fact David met Goliath, it was interesting to think that if we wound back the clock several thousand years, we would be witnessing the actual event.  We went to many more interesting locations in which battles took place, but also got to see some neat underground housing, as well as old tombs with beautiful fresco paintings.

We're in Jerusalem Baby!

If you are ever in the dumps or could use some cheering up, sit in a chair and have four strapping young men lift you up over and over agin.  It's quite exhilarating.  In our Hebrew class on Wednesday it was a girls birthday and that's how they celebrate it in Jewish culture.  So she got into a chair and four guys lifted her up five times (normally you do it the amount/age she is turning, but that would have taken too long), while we all sang Happy Birthday in Hebrew.  The story doesn't end there.  There was a second Hebrew class after mine and the teacher wanted to do the same thing in there but the birthday girl sipped out.  So the teacher began to ask for volunteers.  I JOKINGLY said that it was my half birthday next week (which is true) and she jumped on it.  I tried to get out of it but she insisted.  So I went in, sat in the chair, and four stripling warriors (that part was nice) lifted me up over and over again while the class sang He.  Let me tell ya, it's quite a rush.  I think I'm going to request that more often.

My genie pants help me achieve inner peace

Arab Culture night!!! In its honor we all dressed up in our finest Arab garb.  Mine consisted of Genie pants and a fancily arranged scarf.  I looked like Aladdin... not a very accurate Arab.  As part of the activities that night two men came to speak to us.  Actually, they didn't speak directly to us.  They spoke in Arabic and the Arabic teacher translated for them.  These two men are some of the best Koran readers.  Their family has been reading the Koran for 500 Years.  If any of you have heard an official reading of the Koran you know that it has a very musical quality to it, but do they do not call this singing.  The reason these two men, father and son, and the rest of their family are allowed to read the Koran to the public is because it requires a certain type of voice that they posses.  Others can recite the Koran, but it does not sound the same.  That is how they are able to make a career out of it.  No one else can read it the way they do.  They read a chapter of the Koran for us and it does have a certain quality to it that would be very hard to mimic.

The father told us how he began reading the Koran.  When he was seven years old, in his words, a miracle occurred.  He started to sing.  His father and grandfather (who also read the Koran) noticed this and that he had a beautiful voice.  So they started to teach him the Koran.  It took him five years to memorize the entire Koran.  He also went to school to learn the teachings, rules, meanings of the Koran and how to sing it in such a special way that no one else can.  So much goes into what appears to be a simple practice.

They also recited the Call to Prayer which we hear five times a day.  With this, they also showed us how Muslims pray during Call to Prayer.  It is quite a process considering they have to do it five times a day.  The praying doesn't consist of anything outrageous, it simply has a lot of repetition that takes some time to go through.

Among the questions that we asked them was what Muslims beliefs about Jesus Christ were.  I found this very interesting.  They believe that Christ was born o the Spirit of God.  He is NOT Allah's son.  He was a great prophet who was not killed, but taken up into Heaven and will return at the end of the world.  Muslims do believe that Christ is the Messiah, but that he is also human.  The number one rule that they have, and is what they recite in their Call to Prayer, is that there is only one God and that is Allah.  There cannot be another God, so therefore, Christ is not Allah's son, just a human born of His spirit.  Very interesting stuff, no?

Then we got to EAT!  I love getting to try new food and being here has been great in that for that purpose.  There is no way I would get to try food like this back home because the rest of the little Lance-lets would utterly refuse anything like it.  We had rolled grape leaves, stuffed carrots, stuffed chicken, stuffed artichoke, lamb shoulder with fruit sauce, oriental salad, and so much more goodness!!! I was stuffed (see what I did there).

YOJO!

Next came my special forte, the dancing.  Some dance instructors came in (they actually looked to be about Mckenzie's age) and taught us an Arab group dance in which we do fancy footwork while in a circle holding hands.  FHE activity for when I get back home?  I think so.  The rest of the night (which ended at eight pm) was a big dance party.  Dancing in genie pants is so much fun.  It brings out my Hammer Time dance moves which became an instant hit among the general public.