So, I've been thinking that I need to add some of the more interesting experiences that I have been having here in Israel on to this blog to illustrate just a few of the fun things that life here in the Holy Land has to offer. I'll probably just end up copying and revamping them from a journal that I am keeping of my experiences here. Here's one from a while ago...

I was standing around with a few friends of mine outside in the student village one night before returning to our respective apartments when we were approached by a young man, also a student at Hebrew University (studying music composition or piano performance…something of that nature). His name was Gilad I believe. He approached and kind of asked if he could join us…somewhat a weird introduction, but we were all nice about it and started to talk to him. We then began talking more in-depth about ourselves- somewhat splitting into smaller groups of twos or threes as these things are want to do. So I talked with him a little, and he (having spent time in the US) asked if I was Mormon upon hearing that I was from Utah. I affirmed this and the conversation moved elsewhere upon my own promptings since I’m not supposed to talk of my religion (least of all with a Jewish Israeli). Then whole group conversation came back together again at that point and he was astounded somewhat to figure out that of all of us, he was the only Jew. Out of the people there, one of my friends was Protestant (Baptist) and the other couple were Roman Catholic. So then he, addressing the group as a whole, said, “ok, so we have Catholics, a Protestant, and a heretic!” I immediately guffawed because it was hilarious. He said it with a slight smile, indicating that he was aware somewhat of the theological controversies historically arising between all of us and even showing that he understood not only the Mormon position on some aspects of Christian doctrine, but the place of those doctrines in Christian history and the modern response from the Christian world to the Mormons. I wasn’t insulted at all, but rather thought it was great because it was the first time I had openly been called a heretic. Oddly enough, that never happened on my mission. I later asked my protestant friend if she viewed me as a heretic, and she said she didn’t. Nevertheless, it was an experience that all Mormons should have at least once.

Go Mormonism!

monthly post...

Well, it seems like I only get around to posting on this about once a month, so here's the catch up. School has continued, and I have continued to bear it. With only 2 weeks to go until the end of the semester, I am praying that I will make it without completely combusting. Oddly, as a coping mechanism I have developed the habit of making extremely long term plans- in this case trying to plan out what I will do this summer (where I could live, how I could make money, how I could avoid losing all the language ability that I have worked hard to develop...). This has the strange effect of leaving me with feelings of productivity and at the same time removes any feelings of guilt over my laziness with regard to writing the papers I need to. For some odd reason, the school system here works weird so that they expect people to work on papers for the month in between semesters, making them all due on the day the next semester starts. These two facts (laziness and weird school program) couples with the fact that the library and the IT department at Hebrew U don't like me (in the form of not letting me sign in and use the electronic journal resources) means that I probably will have to set aside some of the time that I am in Utah researching in the HBLL. What a vacation...Thanks HebU!

Otherwise, things are on the up and up. I keep making new friends and having funny experiences. Being here for the war was especially interesting. But I'm going to need to put a post up about that all alone. One of the funnier experiences was wandering around the market and being asked by a random religious Jew if I was Jewish because he said (in Hebrew) "you have a Jewish face." I told him no, but had a good laugh about it, plus a little more of a chuckle at the funny look on his face as he realized that he had just had this conversation with me (a Gentile/Goy) in Hebrew. I wish I could have gotten a picture of his face.

What I do have is a picture of a tile map on a wall at a municipality building here in Jerusalem which is a representation of an 18th Century German religious map of the world- shows how they conceived of the world with Jerusalem at the center.

Catch up...

So, I've been lazy and am finally getting around to putting up a short summary of all the interesting things that have been happening in my life. Ok, so there are only a few.

First of all, school is annoying. That is the only word for it. I go to class everyday almost, and just about all of it feels like a waste of time. Either I am being taught something that I really learned in the first two years at BYU or they are forcing me to take a class in something that I have no real interest in and no real life application because I'm not about to spend the rest of my life planning awful research designs while cackling maniacally on the top floor of the Ivory Tower. Hebrew class is almost just as bad. The language pedagogy here at Hebrew U is leaving about everything to be desired. Basically, I'm learning how to look slightly interested while being completely bored because the only thing that happens is the teachers will stand at the front and talk in Hebrew the whole time without giving us, the students, the opportunity to even speak to one another. In all honesty, I could probably go a week without saying one word in Hebrew if I so desired. After teaching Arabic at the college level for a year, this is painful.

Otherwise, I'm just psyching myself up for a great Christmas season with hardly any Christmas...The BYU center is now empty, the students are gone (as of tomorrow) and that means that I am back to recieving the full brunt of any and all scorn and derision from the Senior couples for not being married, and for apparently letting the best opportunity of my life slip through my fingers by not snatching up one of the BYU kids. How they expect me to even begin getting to know any of them beyond a cursory, "so what do you do at BYU?" conversation I have no idea. It really isn't that bad, but I'm in kinda a bitter mood right now, so I'll put the worst possible spin on the facts as I can.

Anyway, 2 weeks ago, I headed down to Cairo for a regional Young Single Adult conference. It was loads of fun and way too hard to come back here. It was surprising how good it felt to hang out with other Mormon kids and to just be relaxed. I'll include some pictures at the end. It was cool to see a bunch of friends from both BYU and from living in Jordan as well as to meet a bunch of new people. It seemed like we as a group were able to bond really well even though we only had 2.5 days to do it.

Egypt was dirtier than I remember, but it was still fun to hang out at the pyramids and see the Nile. I also finally got to scratch riding a camel off my list of things to do. And it will be good to not have to think about doing that for a long while. They are the most awkward things in the world to ride.