Day one in Jerusalem, NO CHICKEN and it rained alot. This is all you need to know.
Okay, Okay, I will indulge you a bit more with details. We got to do a walking tour through Hezekiah's Tunnel, and I did not get the memo that there we were going to walk through water and that I needed an extra pair of shoes! It is so weird to think that an army actually snuck through the tunnel, because I could barely fit through some of those passages. So imagine an entire group of people going through with full armor in complete darkness.
It feels like Jerusalem is constantly under contruction, or being dug up. We spent a lot of time going underground to different places today, usually going underneath buildings. Both Herods ruins and Hezekiah's Tunnel/Shiloam Pool (I forget the exact spelling) were quite a bit underground. We passed through a lot of dank and musty passages as well. When it rains, we get dripped on a lot. So yes, umbrellas are needed in doors!
One thing that really stood out to me today was watching groups of teenagers walking around casually toting M-16s. Of course they were wearing olive drab Israeli Army uniforms, but it was weird watching groups of twenty of them pass by us. Again, this is a reminder that we are so blessed back home and that we did not have troops roaming around our cities.
I did finish my family shopping already! I think they will like what I got them. If not, at least I learned valuable bartering skills in the process =) Don't worry, I actually put thought into what I bought, and did not just look at something random and say, "This does not remind me of them, but I will give it to them anyway!"
Now that I am over my jet lag and can remember yesterday, we had a fun encounter at a local pizza shop. We met a Christian guy who talked with us cheap water. He thought we were all related... mind you my skin tone was a clear indicator the answer was no! I just thought it was interesting that there is a decent sized Christian presence in the old city.
It was a good day, but I was happy to go home and take a shower. Travel lesson of the day is if you are told that the weather can be between 30-80 degrees, it is smart to pack a winter coat and Umbrella. Don't give into wishful thinking, it will lead you astray!
Off to bed, g'night!
JASON
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Jesus during 1st night
I was typing away and all of the sudden guess who I found sitting at my right hand...
Ooooooh Jesus :)
Ooooooh Jesus :)
you speak spanish but not english?!
yes. the title of this post will soon make sense. but first a quick recap.
plane from Norfolk to Newark to Tel Aviv on Friday 26--CXLED
rerouted
plane from Norfolk to Philly to Tel Aviv on Friday 26--CXLED
rerouted AGAIN
plane from Norfolk to Philly to Tel Aviv on Saturday 27th - GAME ON!! :)
So as you can see from the crazy snow storm that hit the Northeast many of our flights were cxled, half cxled, or rerouted...
Actually the airport called me on Friday (which was nice) as i was on the way to the airport to tell me it was cxled and that I would leave the next day. I was ok. That meant that i would miss one day of the tour but was cool. it actually gave me amazing time to read for a class and post (YES, i know.. i did homework! lol) AND i also had an amazing girly night. Four of us ladies got together, did facials, whipped out our nail polish, sipped on tea, divulged in chocolate covered strawberries, and watched "How to Make An American Quilt" (a must see).. we had an incredible deep discussion afterwards and really shared our hearts.. twas lovely, invigorating, and so heart satisfying. with my crazy schedule between classes, internship, homework, student government, and being an RA it is rare that I get to hang out with ppl outside of those parameters.. so i cherished every bit of it:) we all left around 2:30am :)
then off to bed I went and was ready for the next day. I prayed that I would be able to get to Jerusalem with much ease and so thus it happened.
flights were great.. no conflicts.. no delays.. no turbulence.. everything went smoothly..
well until the taxi.
since I got there after everyone taxi was the best way and fastest way to travel..
so onto a taxi I go and after he was told the name of the hotel he said ok and started putting the bags in the trunk. as he was trying I realized he didn't have any idea where the hotel was other than in Jerusalem! lol. uh oh. well i wrote it down for him because it didn't seem he was understanding me in english. he spent the next 20 mins or so calling everyone on his cell phone telling (from what I could make out) that his gps couldn't find mahlon gloria (gloria hotel).. great! he even asked ppl on the street and no one knew.. booo! so this called for prayer! and finally the man ran into another taxi driver and found out that it was at Jaffa Gate. (yes! Jesus answers prayer!). somehow spanish was spoken and then he asked in spnaish "hablas espanol?" and he said he did!!! craziness! i could have talked to him the whole time in spanish! i found it hilarious that i get in a taxi with an Israelite who doesn't speak English but speaks Spanish! welcome to Israel, Cindy. It was cute.
so we finally found it.. came in and showered and now will have dinner with the team! yes!! yaaaaaaaay! can't wait!
~Cindy
plane from Norfolk to Newark to Tel Aviv on Friday 26--CXLED
rerouted
plane from Norfolk to Philly to Tel Aviv on Friday 26--CXLED
rerouted AGAIN
plane from Norfolk to Philly to Tel Aviv on Saturday 27th - GAME ON!! :)
So as you can see from the crazy snow storm that hit the Northeast many of our flights were cxled, half cxled, or rerouted...
Actually the airport called me on Friday (which was nice) as i was on the way to the airport to tell me it was cxled and that I would leave the next day. I was ok. That meant that i would miss one day of the tour but was cool. it actually gave me amazing time to read for a class and post (YES, i know.. i did homework! lol) AND i also had an amazing girly night. Four of us ladies got together, did facials, whipped out our nail polish, sipped on tea, divulged in chocolate covered strawberries, and watched "How to Make An American Quilt" (a must see).. we had an incredible deep discussion afterwards and really shared our hearts.. twas lovely, invigorating, and so heart satisfying. with my crazy schedule between classes, internship, homework, student government, and being an RA it is rare that I get to hang out with ppl outside of those parameters.. so i cherished every bit of it:) we all left around 2:30am :)
then off to bed I went and was ready for the next day. I prayed that I would be able to get to Jerusalem with much ease and so thus it happened.
flights were great.. no conflicts.. no delays.. no turbulence.. everything went smoothly..
well until the taxi.
since I got there after everyone taxi was the best way and fastest way to travel..
so onto a taxi I go and after he was told the name of the hotel he said ok and started putting the bags in the trunk. as he was trying I realized he didn't have any idea where the hotel was other than in Jerusalem! lol. uh oh. well i wrote it down for him because it didn't seem he was understanding me in english. he spent the next 20 mins or so calling everyone on his cell phone telling (from what I could make out) that his gps couldn't find mahlon gloria (gloria hotel).. great! he even asked ppl on the street and no one knew.. booo! so this called for prayer! and finally the man ran into another taxi driver and found out that it was at Jaffa Gate. (yes! Jesus answers prayer!). somehow spanish was spoken and then he asked in spnaish "hablas espanol?" and he said he did!!! craziness! i could have talked to him the whole time in spanish! i found it hilarious that i get in a taxi with an Israelite who doesn't speak English but speaks Spanish! welcome to Israel, Cindy. It was cute.
so we finally found it.. came in and showered and now will have dinner with the team! yes!! yaaaaaaaay! can't wait!
~Cindy
Saturday, February 27, 2010
What day is this?
This is my life since Thursday 6pm...
At six o'clock on thursday, my phone rings. It is a strange number, but I pick it up anyway. A cheery automated voice told me that my flight 12 hours later will be canceled and that I will be taking a flight at the same time on Saturday from Norfolk, to Cincinnati to JFK airport, which does not help. I would have rather had a cheery human voice instead that I could negotiate with! Jackie (my friend and travel buddy in this story) and I were unable to get the flight rearranged since we could not get a hold of anyone. At 10 o'clock, we realized that our only hope is the Chinatown bus that goes from Virginia to New York. So we end up going, braving the snow storm and hoping for the best. We make it in to New York with little trouble and little sleep, and then creatively navigate the subway system to make it to our flight in time.
Everything became a bit more calm after that as we met up with a few members of our group. The flight was a bit more comfortable than the train...okay, a lot more comfortable since we could watch movies and I had a three seat row all to myself! Ten hours later, we arrived at Turkey.
It did not take me long to figure out that I was in a different world when we were in Istanbul. As we stood between the hulking Blue Mosque and the timeless Hagia Sophia, we heard singing thundering from the towers of the three mosques (I am not sure what the third was) calling to worshipers to pray. This is when I began to know that this was not Christian territory anymore. We were completely safe, but it hit me... these are about as normal as church bells are to us.
There were many differences I noticed as well. As I looked at the writing to trying and find a similarity to a familiar language, it is evident that it is a completely different language, but it is written in a form that looks like our own. As we drove through the city, there remains of the mammoth walls that once protected the Byzantine Empire. There is a brick road that is still in use that is believed to be one that Paul had walked on. Massive mosques are perched on the hilltops, with their Minorets that seemingly reach into the clouds.
In contrast to this rich history, there are multi-colored buildings that house the diverse citizens of Istanbul. Brightly colored signs hang over the doorways of time ravaged buildings and scream of a westernizing influence that is shaping this unique society. This collision of modern and ancient made for an amazing experience, one that I wish was a little longer than a few hours.
I found one similarity between our cultures... we both eat chicken. Americans have a reputation for it, but during a 24 hour period, I had 4 different chicken meals! Between chicken breast, chicken steak, chicken kabob, chicken salad, I found that if I ate the scrambled eggs for breakfast, it would have been five times! The chicken was good, but I do not think I am going to have it anytime soon.
We arrived in Israel today. It was too dark but I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow! Now I need to find a way to recharge my camera battery. But my lesson for today is that just because it looks like a toilet handle, it could be a lever to a hose that sprays you in the leg. Just be careful of that when you are overseas! Good night, and talk to you soon!
JC
At six o'clock on thursday, my phone rings. It is a strange number, but I pick it up anyway. A cheery automated voice told me that my flight 12 hours later will be canceled and that I will be taking a flight at the same time on Saturday from Norfolk, to Cincinnati to JFK airport, which does not help. I would have rather had a cheery human voice instead that I could negotiate with! Jackie (my friend and travel buddy in this story) and I were unable to get the flight rearranged since we could not get a hold of anyone. At 10 o'clock, we realized that our only hope is the Chinatown bus that goes from Virginia to New York. So we end up going, braving the snow storm and hoping for the best. We make it in to New York with little trouble and little sleep, and then creatively navigate the subway system to make it to our flight in time.
Everything became a bit more calm after that as we met up with a few members of our group. The flight was a bit more comfortable than the train...okay, a lot more comfortable since we could watch movies and I had a three seat row all to myself! Ten hours later, we arrived at Turkey.
It did not take me long to figure out that I was in a different world when we were in Istanbul. As we stood between the hulking Blue Mosque and the timeless Hagia Sophia, we heard singing thundering from the towers of the three mosques (I am not sure what the third was) calling to worshipers to pray. This is when I began to know that this was not Christian territory anymore. We were completely safe, but it hit me... these are about as normal as church bells are to us.
There were many differences I noticed as well. As I looked at the writing to trying and find a similarity to a familiar language, it is evident that it is a completely different language, but it is written in a form that looks like our own. As we drove through the city, there remains of the mammoth walls that once protected the Byzantine Empire. There is a brick road that is still in use that is believed to be one that Paul had walked on. Massive mosques are perched on the hilltops, with their Minorets that seemingly reach into the clouds.
In contrast to this rich history, there are multi-colored buildings that house the diverse citizens of Istanbul. Brightly colored signs hang over the doorways of time ravaged buildings and scream of a westernizing influence that is shaping this unique society. This collision of modern and ancient made for an amazing experience, one that I wish was a little longer than a few hours.
I found one similarity between our cultures... we both eat chicken. Americans have a reputation for it, but during a 24 hour period, I had 4 different chicken meals! Between chicken breast, chicken steak, chicken kabob, chicken salad, I found that if I ate the scrambled eggs for breakfast, it would have been five times! The chicken was good, but I do not think I am going to have it anytime soon.
We arrived in Israel today. It was too dark but I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow! Now I need to find a way to recharge my camera battery. But my lesson for today is that just because it looks like a toilet handle, it could be a lever to a hose that sprays you in the leg. Just be careful of that when you are overseas! Good night, and talk to you soon!
JC
Thursday, February 25, 2010
WHAT A MESS!
so intensity and craziness struck it's all time high just an hour ago!
As I was walking away from an interview (which I made time for with my crazy schedule and was truly blessed by b/c i got the chance to meet Jason Upton's producer.. He was the one who interviewed me!! how fun!).. ok.. back to the main point: so yes, as I was walking away my cell phone starts vibrating and I see that I have 2 voicemails and I listen and lo and behold my flight tomorrow to Israel got cxled.. yup that's right! flat out cxled! All that snow hitting the northeast is making airlines cxl their flights! I was like "What in the world.. now what?!.. what if I can only get a flight today? I haven't even packed or washed clothes yet!!!" the stress kicked in! lol.. so after an hour or so going back and forth with the airlines they managed to find me a flight and reroute me through philly. .. the only catch is that no one really know what philly's weather condition will be like tomorrow.. sooooo I might just get rerouted again! BUUUUT, i'm so happy I did get at least a flight and didn't not have to wait for an hour over the phone with their central reservations dept.. i got connected locally to the norfolk desk and had 0 waiting time:) So that's a relief and I was notified early that it was cxled and I wasn't faced with a cancellation at the airport (which I have experienced! lol) so all in all, though it was crazy and stressful I am happy to have a flight..
ok.. so 23 hours and counting.. and still got laundry to do!!!
ready, set, go!
As I was walking away from an interview (which I made time for with my crazy schedule and was truly blessed by b/c i got the chance to meet Jason Upton's producer.. He was the one who interviewed me!! how fun!).. ok.. back to the main point: so yes, as I was walking away my cell phone starts vibrating and I see that I have 2 voicemails and I listen and lo and behold my flight tomorrow to Israel got cxled.. yup that's right! flat out cxled! All that snow hitting the northeast is making airlines cxl their flights! I was like "What in the world.. now what?!.. what if I can only get a flight today? I haven't even packed or washed clothes yet!!!" the stress kicked in! lol.. so after an hour or so going back and forth with the airlines they managed to find me a flight and reroute me through philly. .. the only catch is that no one really know what philly's weather condition will be like tomorrow.. sooooo I might just get rerouted again! BUUUUT, i'm so happy I did get at least a flight and didn't not have to wait for an hour over the phone with their central reservations dept.. i got connected locally to the norfolk desk and had 0 waiting time:) So that's a relief and I was notified early that it was cxled and I wasn't faced with a cancellation at the airport (which I have experienced! lol) so all in all, though it was crazy and stressful I am happy to have a flight..
ok.. so 23 hours and counting.. and still got laundry to do!!!
ready, set, go!
Monday, February 22, 2010
The countdown has begun!
I just got an email today to tell me that this site is up and running, so I thought I would write something really quick.
It is crazy to think that three months ago I was not signed up for this trip, and then on a whim I decided "That would be really cool, I should probably sign up for that!"
Now, it is not a matter of "do I go or don't I go?" It is a matter of "do I do homework, or do I pack?" I am not even sure what to pack! As Cindy mentioned, there is a fifty degree range between the warm and cool weather. I thought Hampton Roads was a bit crazy weather wise... I take that back!
I did not even have luggage until two days ago. Usually I just use my seabag, but having that unmistakeable olive green military bag with "US Navy" stenciled on the side would probably be a bad idea!
Anyway, I should probably go back to my homework now, I have quite a bit to do before I go. You should probably know that my one natural talent is finding myself in random situations... so this could work to our benefit! Stay Tuned!
JC
It is crazy to think that three months ago I was not signed up for this trip, and then on a whim I decided "That would be really cool, I should probably sign up for that!"
Now, it is not a matter of "do I go or don't I go?" It is a matter of "do I do homework, or do I pack?" I am not even sure what to pack! As Cindy mentioned, there is a fifty degree range between the warm and cool weather. I thought Hampton Roads was a bit crazy weather wise... I take that back!
I did not even have luggage until two days ago. Usually I just use my seabag, but having that unmistakeable olive green military bag with "US Navy" stenciled on the side would probably be a bad idea!
Anyway, I should probably go back to my homework now, I have quite a bit to do before I go. You should probably know that my one natural talent is finding myself in random situations... so this could work to our benefit! Stay Tuned!
JC
4 days and counting!!
wow! where has the time gone!!! I leave in 4 days!! I can't believe it! there is still so much to do. I just cranked out a "To Do" list and had 18 "tasks" to do before takeoff on Friday!! the amazing news is that I don't have a camera.. well that's not the amazing part.. the "amazing" part is that my mom offered to put some money towards a camera for me! yaaaay! so i'll be able to document every nook and cranny including my pretty lil' face in a foreign country! so fun! so the adrenaline is definitely pumping.... let's hope it'll help with completing all the tasks I need to do.. including trying to figure out how to pack for weather that changes from 82 degrees F to below 32 degrees F at night! I'll keep ya'll posted on the progress!:)
~Cindy
~Cindy
This is a test post
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