Midterms in Jerusalem, What?

The doomed morning of midterms has finally come to an end, and since the only thing I have been able to think about for the past few days are things like who's married to who, who's children are who's, who fought which battle, who said what to whom in the Old Testament and why this all matters AND what time period Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai is from, what the mishna, talmud and gemara are, what the Bar Khokba revolt was and why it is an important part to Judaism, I thought I would take this lovely opportunity to share a little about the academics that I am involved in here at the BYU Jerusalem Center.

The classes that I am taking right now are Old Testament, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Arab and Islamic Civilization, Jewish Civilization, Arabic, and of course the Field Trips class.

Old Testament: By far my favorite class! It is taught by one of the greatest teachers I have ever had and one of the greatest people I have ever known, Brother Muhlestein! Brother Muhlestein is here with his wife (equally as great) and their six awesome children! I look up to this family so much! Brother and Sister Muhlestein are so kind and I have loved hearing stories about them and all of their faith-building experiences. So anyway, back to the class. This is the only class that I have everyday, and it's such a great way to start off each day! In the six weeks that I have been here, I have learned more about the Old Testament and how it applies to me than I have in my entire life! Sure it's filled with strange, twisted stories, but it's also filled with incredible messages that have changed the way I live. I've come to understand the Abrahamic Covenant better, and the aspects of a true Abrahamic sacrifice, I've learned more about the blessings of the temple, I've learned specific traits of Abraham, Moses, Jacob, David, Ruth, and Samuel that I hope to develop in myself, I have learned about how Isaac and Joseph are types of Christ (there is SO much symbolism!) and how Christ is our source of deliverance if we allow him to be. All in all- great class!

Brother and Sister Muhlestein, their oldest son BJ, and me in Hierapolis, Turkey

Ancient Near Eastern Studies: In this class, we talk about everything from the geography to the archeology of the Holy Land. Brother Chadwick is our professor, and dang- he's just awesome! I usually struggle through two hour classes, but he makes it easy to stay awake and engaged in lectures. He's a brilliant man and knows more about this land than most historians/archeologists/geographers. I would definitely say that history's not really my thing, but here I've grown to like it a little bit. :-) One thing I love about his class, is that it's very integrated with my other classes. Not very often in a history class do you associate the Middle Bronze Age with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, or the Iron Age as the time of the Judges. It's pretty neat.

Brother Chadwick and I at the Israeli Independence Day Party on Ben Yehuda Street

Arab and Islamic Civilization: This class is interesting. It's taught by Bashir Bashir (yes, his first name is the same as his last name). He is a Palestinian from around here and speaks English with a very strong accent! Sometimes I have a hard time understanding what he is saying let alone comprehend the meaning of his words. However, it has been getting better, and I can definitely say I'm getting well-educated in his class. We have been learning about the history of Palestine and it's nationalism throughout history. I am learning that the conflict between Palestine and Israel (from both sides) is much much more complicated than most people understand. The problems go way way back in history, and I'm not sure there really is one side that's right or wrong! Anyway, Bashir tells us where all the good desserts can be found in the Old city, so I'll probably keep on attending his class. :-)

Jewish Civilization: This class is kind of the counterpart to the previous one. We learn all about Jewish history and civilization. We have just recently begun to talk about modern Judaism and I had the opportunity to go to a synagogue to welcome in the sabbath last Friday evening. It was a really cool experience! Ophir Yarden is the teacher for this course, and he is a Jew from around here. I like learning about the history of the Jews and the practices that are a part of their way of life.

Arabic: My Arabic class is really fun! It's a pretty laid back pass/fail class taught by Ayman. He is a hoot! I don't really know how to describe him- kind of like a Palestinian Brother Patterson (for those who know Pres. Patterson). I'm learning some fun things in this class. I can carry out a simple conversation in Arabic (Hi, How are you, What's your name, Where are you from type of thing) and I am learning a lot of other vocabulary and cultural things.

Field Trips: Every Sunday or Monday we take a field trip to somewhere in Israel. My favorite so far has been Jericho, but others include going to a Bedouin community, and going to Be'er Sheva (Beersheba).

After this term is up (4 weeks from now) My Old Testament class will be replaced with New Testament with Brother Judd (I'm excited to get to know him better- all of his students like him a lot!). We will still have Ancient Near East, but all of the other classes will be over! It will be nice to have a little more free time to spend out in the city! Now that I have raved about how great these classes are, I feel a little bit less spite over how my midterms went. I don't think I will be getting straight A's this summer, but I will be gaining the experience of a lifetime!

This summer really is really flying by. Though I am counting the days until I can see Sam again and sometimes I feel like August couldn't come any slower, I am really loving every minute of my time here! I already have made friendships that I know will last forever and have learned things that have changed me for the better! It's a wonderful blessing to be here in the Holy Land, but I'm learning that it's not necessarily being here where the Savior once was that is making it a great experience. It's the chance for learning and growth and being with people who want to learn and grow with me that is changing me. Still though, it is amazing to be where the Savior was and to see all this history up close and personal! Thanks for reading my blog- you guys are great!