So I am officially back from Jerusalem. Have been for a week now, but it wouldn't be fair to you if I stopped blogging simply because I don't live there anymore. So much happened that I haven't talked about yet! We just became so busy the last couple of weeks that I had no time to write. So I guess that means it time to play catch up!
On the first of April we set off for Galiee. I assumed we would be traveling most of the day, which we were, but I didn't anticipate so may amazing stops along the way. I have reached a point where getting off the bus at each new site isn't as exciting as it once was. Most times I want to remain on the bus and continue to sleep instead of look at some fallen rocks that look just like twenty other places I've seen. But I'm not one to pass up a good photo op. We stopped by Bet Shean, an old Byzantine city with lots of old stones. But most importantly, it had a bathhouse. How could I pass up the opportunity to get a bath in the same spot as ancient Romans? And while I was at it, I finished my field trip reading on an ancient loo.
We then visited Nazareth, the home of Christ. There are several churches there that hold significance as either the synagog in which Jesus read scripture and introduced Himself as the Messiah, where Joseph the carpenter's home was, or where the Annunciation of Mary occurred. At the latter church, they have artistic interpretations of the Annunciation from many different countries (I can't remember the exact number). Anyway, after much searching, I managed to find one from Uruguay. Hurrah for family history!
We also stopped by St. Peter's Primacy which is traditionally believed to be the spot where the Savior told Peter to feed His sheep. Our last stop was the Jordan River where we had some free thinking time which I always appreciate. Finally a bunch of tired, travel worn, hungry students arrived at En Gev, the Kibbutz we were going to stay at for the next ten days.
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| The Jordan River |
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| Yay for family history! |
The next day we took a boat ride out onto the Sea of Galilee. We hoisted a flag, sang the national anthem, and had Christian rock blasting on the intercom. But after awhile we stopped the engine and floated on the calm water while we had a devotional. I will tell you right now that that was the highlight of my day.
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| On the Sea of Galilee |
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| Capernaum |
The rest of the day we went to Mt. Arbel, Capernaum, and the traditional Mt. of Beatitudes. It doesn't sound like much but by the time we arrived back at En Gev I was so tired I went back to my apartment and passed out! However, a bonfire was scheduled for that night so I woke myself up in time to eat dinner and sing some kumbaya around the campfire with my peers.
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| Overlooking Gamla |
Later on in the week we also hiked to Gamla and Kursi. Gamla has an absolutely gorge-eous view (get it? cuz it's got a lot of gorges). And Kursi is one of the many spots where the miracle of the casting of devils into swine occurred.
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| It's all good in the Kursi Hood |
After we got back from Kursi some of us slipped into our swimsuits and headed down to the Jordan river. We put on the worlds grimiest life-jackets, picked our kaiaks and partners, and slid into the water. That's right, I went kaiaking down the river Jordan. My partner Lindsay and I quickly paddled past the five/six person rafts and down a giant two foot waterfall (I'm a wild woman I know) until we had left the noise, splashing, and boat-tipping behind us.
Lindsay and I were the perfect team. I enjoyed proving my awesome strength and stamina by paddling by myself and she enjoyed the role of photographer. Both artists, we preferred to take in the beauty around us, hence our quick escape from our comrades and boat tipping. We/I paddled casually along, enjoying the moment, our surroundings, and situation. It was very calm and relaxing mixed with the occasional patch of strong current which switched our fight mode on. Before we knew it we had reached the end. Not quite ready to be done and since everyone else was still behind us, we decided to turn around and see how far upstream we could go. We then pulled our paddles in, stuck our feet into the water, and floated along discussing the natural beauty around us the way only artists could. How the light seeped through the trees and landed on the water, finding hidden colors everywhere, and discussing the various techniques that could be used to recreate it. It was so refreshing to be able to have such a conversation with someone who understood my thought process on the subject. No explanations were necessary.
Eventually we had floated back to the end and our friends had caught up with us, so we exited out of our water vehicles and boarded the bus to head back to En Gev.
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| Just call me a hairless monkey |
The next day a handful of us went on a hike. In case I hadn't made it clear before, I love the outdoors. More specifically I like climbing things outdoors. Piles of rocks, vines, cliffs, mountains, trees are a particular favorite of mine and back in the day I was queen of the monkey bars at recess. I don't get many opportunities to do stuff like that though so I was really excited for this chance. Our "wilderness" guide was a spry, gray-haired fella who had lead 20+ BYU groups through this same trail before.
We hiked down, through, and up a gorge. It wasn't anything like climbing up to the Y in Provo, which I'm ashamed to say I have yet to do. More like a nature exploration. Climb over here for a great sight, down there for another, and as we went our guide would give us little brain teasers that made me feel like I was back in middle school. Along the way we passed two waterfalls, the latter of which we got to swim in. While the majority of us had our swimming gear with us, only half of the group actually got in the water.
For those Bill Cosby fans out there, you might recall a certain story of his titled Niagara Falls. To summarize, he and his wife go swimming there, he dives in, not considering the fact that the water is runoff off melted snow, and as he describes it, the freezing water turns his body into a giant goose-pimple. I now know what that feels like and I sympathize with you Bill, where ever you are. Stepping into that water was like.... stepping into really cold water. But I wasn't about to miss out on this opportunity so I dunked myself under and got the worse part over with. I found that that, along with a lot of screaming, really helps. Everyone in the water was screaming their heads off... now that I think about it, that's probably why the others weren't so keen on joining us... Regardless, eventually our bodies numbed to the cold and it was actually quite a delightful swim. But we were smart, and before there was even a risk of hypothermia, we dried off and resumed our hike feeling fresh, alive, and our senses heightened.
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| At the top of the waterfall... |
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| ...and swimming down under it. |
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| Family photo! |
