Week 1: My Palace

Week 1: My Palace!!


Ok.. so pretty much Jerusalem is way more amazing than i had ever imagined. I knew it was going to be unreal but boy has it far exceeded my expectations. Those who have gone to Jerusalem before talk on and on about their time here and now i am proud to be one of them. I will never forget this experience. The flight over was suuuuuper long... it took about 5000 billion zillion hours just to get here. Then they made us stay up until midnight Jerusalem time (9 hours later than Utah Time) and then we all unpacked and went to bed around 1:30 am. Waking up the next morning at 6:30am, which felt like 11:00pm to us, was indeed difficult however extremely rewarding when i opened up the shades that leads to our very own patio and looks over the City of Jerusalem. I WAS STUNNED. My first words to roommates was "Oh.My.Gosh. you guys need to see this" After we all freaked out for a few minutes we got ready for the day... the day really was a blur because we were all so tired but we toured the city and stuff. and orientation which is boring....

Today was probably my favorite day! We started our classes, we weren't as tired and we know each other like brother and sister already. Everything about today was amazing. We got to spend some time in small groups in the old city for the first time. This was an interesting experience for me as i am trying to better figure out my mannerisms around Muslims in the Holy Land. Because i am so thrilled to be here with cultures that I already have a huge respect for, I get way too excited and want to smile and hug and visit with these lovely people but i can't.. I made that mistake when a shopkeeper said hello to me, i said smiling, "HI" and then he followed me for a bit and said "Mormon, Mormon come back"... oops. I guess that's a flirty gesture, but from now on i keep a strait face and kindly say No Thank you. Also, everyday i love listening to the Call to Prayer, and there's this camel that grazes on the hill when we eat breakfast in the morning, also there is this one stray cat that comes around during breakfast time. Haha i named her Gia, and i trained her how to sit. It's pretty cool, she actually sits when i tell her to. The food here is amazing, i'm trying to not eat excessive amounts of pita bread for every meal. Gosh i could go on forever... so many adventures everyday. But seriously the Center is an amazing place. I consider it my palace. I have personal body guards, I have delicious food for every meal, rose gardens line every walkway of the center outside, I have a personal balcony, I have teachers who love and care for me, and i get to look over my city that has several of the worlds most important monuments. I love my Palace and am so grateful for this opportunity.


Also, my calling is primary/nursery teacher! I actually really like it because the kids are ADORABLE!! There are about 6 2-4 year olds. hahaha


ALSO, Connor Got his mission call last night which was very exciting! Congrats Connor :)

Falafels and Shawarmas! 

Delicious candy on the street

A look at the beautiful Dome of the Rock