The End, The Beginning

Well, I'm home now...at least if I still consider Montana to be "home."  I think in some ways it will always be home - I've spent by far the majority of my life here, and I still have quite a bit of family here.  My roots here run deep.  On the other hand, I think that, given a week or two to adjust, anywhere can be my temporary earthly "home," so I'll try to be content wherever God places me.  

After we got back from Jordan I spent a day in Jerusalem, packing, wrapping up loose ends, doing a little shopping, and hanging out with friends one last time.  It was probably the best send-off I've had when the sherut arrived to whisk me off to the airport.  As I stated in a previous post, passing through security was less than enthralling, but I did make it through, and all my flights went as smoothly as could be expected.

I had a wonderful few days in Kentucky with my brother and sister-in-law.  It was nice just to have time to sit and talk about things: theology, teaching, kids, Israel, books, food...  (If you guys read this, thanks again for letting me come see you!)

Then back to Montana.  And my brain is still spinning.  There are a thousand things that strike me here at "home." A thousand points of comparison and contrast. A thousand things here that remind me of there…just as when I was there I was constantly reminded of here. 

So many little things. For example:

~ One day I thought I heard bells ringing. In Jerusalem the bells are so constant. You almost forget to notice them, you grow so accustomed to hearing them. Here at home there are a few bells that ring in town, one or two churches, a clock. Nothing that could be heard from where I live, though. I can’t say that I love the bells in Jerusalem. They can be rather obnoxious at times, but in their absence, I find myself missing them.

~ The other day I was driving and happened to be behind someone who was going a little slower than I would have liked. In Israel in such a situation, horns would be blaring immediately, and I admit I was tempted. I don't remember even having the thought of using a horn cross my brain, except possibly when a wreck was imminent, before going to Israel. Perhaps I've changed more than I realize.
~ The menu at a resturant one day reminded me of Dahab - the order things were listed in, and some of the entrees were very similar. Kinda strange.
~ I've been to two graduation parties since being home...and both had hummus. It pretty much made my day, because I miss hummus, and it's not that common here.


There are some wonderful things about being home:
~ I love seeing friends and family. I’ve gotten to see most of my former students in the past couple days and catch up a little. Not enough, but it’s a start. They’re probably what I missed the most while I was away. Still, it’s a little bittersweet seeing them again, knowing that I’m no longer part of their daily life and there’s so much that has happened to them over the past year that I’ve not been able to share in.
~ I love seeing the mountains, and the grass, and the flowers in bloom. I watched people play ultimate Frisbee the other day – on a flat, level, grassy surface. No gaping holes, no poles, no rocks to trip over, no pieces of scrap metal embedded in the ground. It was quite impressive. The mountains, the sunsets…it’s such a beautiful area. I’ve missed that.
~ I love the familiar smells. Especially the smell of sap moving in the cottonwood trees. That smell is an integral part of spring for me. The smells here are perhaps what I missed second most, after the people.
~ I like being able to eat familiar foods – real pepperoni, yogurt that’s not strawberry, peach, pineapple, or plain, cookies, homemade bread, Mexican food, etc.   I even had BACON the other day.  Yeah.  Bacon.  So un-kosher!

On the other hand, there are a lot of things I miss.
~ I miss all the friends that I left behind in Jerusalem or that live far away from me here in the states. This is compounded by the fact that together we had seen and learned things and changed in ways that no one here at home will fully understand. I’m slightly afraid that someday I’m going to say something utterly shocking to the people here.  My theology and my way of looking at life has changed over the year. Nothing dramatic. Just a bit here and there. It all adds up, though. So I miss having people around who understand that change. I suppose most people who come back from their first year of college feel the same way.
~ As much as I enjoy the sights and smells of Montana, I miss the sights and smells of Israel. Those yellow flowers that were blooming along the road to the school. The towers. The roses. The limestone walls. Even the stairs.

~ I miss playing Ultimate Frisbee and celebrating Shabbat together.  

In the end, it's good to be back.  Even though my head is still spinning and I'm reminded of Israel every time I turn around.  So give me a little grace if I seem a little crazy...and hopefully I'll soon settle into a new "normal." :)

Chapter 4: Wherein the author rides a camel into the desert

May 13, 2009

Can I just start out by saying that I have felt epic this entire trip?  If "epic" is a feeling you can have.  There's just something about living in tents and storming castles and eating with your hands and going without running water and feeling the desert wind blow through your hair as you watch the sun sink behind the sandstone hills...  Epic is the best word I can find.  

This morning we woke up with the sun after sleeping out under the stars on a sand dune.  With nothing scheduled until much later in the morning, we took our time getting up, examining the small bug tracks made in the night (beetles, not scorpions) and skating down the sand dune to a breakfast of the ever present flat bread, goat's cheese, yogurt, jam, dates, eggs, olives, and tea.  After breakfast I climbed up on the right-side sandstone bluff for a little devotional time, reading my Bible and singing while enjoying the view.  

Around 11 the camels came for us.  We mounted up and rode off into the desert.  Yeah, actually it wasn't as exciting as it sounds.  It could have been...if we had been able to steer our own camels and could have gone a little faster...but considering the value of camels and the relative insanity of people in our group, I suppose it was understandable for their Bedouin owners to want to be in control every step of the way.  So we went pretty slowly, in a large group, most camels tied together in sets of two or more, led by different men.  Rachel and I were tied together and led by a young, barefoot, Bedouin boy.  Bare feet on the hot sand...ouch!  I think he said he was 16 or 17, though he didn't look like he could be nearly that old.  He let me have the reins for a little while, which was pretty fun.  I do have to say, though, that I felt more comfortable this time around.  I'm learning better how to sit and how to move with camel rhythm.  Really, I'm practically an expert.  Except not.  

Anyway, we rode probably a mile or two into the desert, ending up somewhere roughly south of our camp.  We got off the camels and waited.  James, our guide, said that he would bring us lunch, but he didn't really specify when...so we waited.  Some people went exploring.  I guess I was momentarily "explored-out" so I sat around with some other people and we played games as we waited: Mafia, the Thumb Game, and eventually, Signs.  We were just getting into signs when the truck with our food came driving up.  Lamb, chicken, flatbread, and yogurt.  

After lunch we got back on the camels and headed back to camp another way, making a loop.  The desert here is beautiful, with so many different rock formations.  I suppose one would come to recognize them after a while, but for me, well, I could maybe get lost if I wandered among them enough.  They all look surprisingly similar. :)

Fortunately, we made it back to camp without losing our way even once, surprising, I know.  Once back at camp we had a little time before our last planned session with Dr. Wright.  We watched another sheep slaughter, but I think most of us were less interested this time.  Instead of watching them complete the process, Jon, Josh, Ian, Cam, and I played 5 handed Rook.  Pretty much made my day.  We hadn't played long, though, when it was time for our session.

Job 6:15-17

"My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a wadi,

Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,

Which are dark because of ice,

And into which the snow vanishes.

When it is warm, they cease to flow;

When it is hot, they vanish from their place."

If you've ever met a Levantine Wadi, you know what Job meant.  There are valleys all over - clear evidence of rushing water.  Often the bottoms of these valleys are green and full of life.  So you go and expect to find water.  All to often, the water is only a memory.  Sometimes, though, you might go expecting little to no water, and instead are washed away by a sudden flash flood.  Wadis are unpredictable and deceitful.  

Job 14:18-19

"But as a mountain falls and crumbles away,

And as a rock is moved from its place;

As water wears away stones,

And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth;

So You destroy the hope of man."

The rock formations are indeed fragile.  One can see where water has washed over them and worn away parts.  When we would go climbing, sometimes parts of the mountain would crumble in our hands.  Sometimes we would tap on a surface that looked solid, only to hear a hollow ringing from where it had been undercut by water.  The effects of the erosion are seen in the sand that stretches as far as the eye can see.  

Imagery from this whole area of the Middle East is found throughout the Bible.  Job and Wadi Rum is only one example.

After our session, I tagged along with Cameron and Jon for one last bout of exploration.  We went up behind the camp this time, up a larger sand dune and a larger sandstone formation.  We didn't go to the highest point, but it was still a good spot to view the desert and reflect.  Jon left after a while but Matt and Elise joined us and we all watched the sunset together.  I'm going to miss those desert sunsets...and the people who experienced them with me.  

We hiked back to camp, enjoying our run back down the large sand dune.  Once back at the tent I ended up playing hearts, a game at which I am not terribly proficient.  To make it even better, though, a couple Bedouin children sat by me and practiced their English by reading off all the numbers on my cards.  :)  It was really fun, actually.  I hadn't had much contact with any of our host family, so I enjoyed it.  

We had a fairly late dinner of mansaf, this time managing to eat with our hands a little better.  Still not good, but we tried.  Then we hiked back up the dune for another slumber party under the stars.  This time we knew to dig holes in the sand to better fit the contours sof our bodies, and I think most of us slept much better...except possibly the people who had seen the camel spider earlier that day.  *sigh*  I miss out on all the cool bugs.  

May 14, 2009

We woke again at sunrise...and then maybe fell asleep for just a little longer.  This time, however, we had to leave fairly quickly, so we dragged our selves out of bed, brushed off the sand, and tumbled down to breakfast.  

After breakfast we packed everything up and piled back into the jeeps (or similar ones) that had brought us there.  Once back on the bus we headed for Aquaba.  We ate and early lunch there.  It was kind of weird, going into a nice resturant with cloth napkins and amazing bathrooms, all of us smelling like smokey goat.  They probably had to disinfect the place when we left.  Still, we enjoyed our meal, including the cold soda.  Cold drinks...what a luxury!  Then back on the bus to the border crossing.  It was a fairly simple crossing, and I finally got a Jordanian stamp in my passport!  Then back on a NET bus and north to Jerusalem!

Good bye, Jordan, red sands, and goats.  It was epic.  

Chapter 3: Wherein the author and her friends make their assault upon the castle

May 12, 2009

It was a fairly chilly night, and I had only one blanket, so I was glad enough to see the sun when it rose.  It warmed us up quite quickly.  With a good breakfast in us (including goat's butter and some amazing hummus) we were ready to storm the castle.  

I was among the first wave of attackers, and we fully expected to face grave danger, possibly ending with us looking either like a pin cushion or a pancake.  However, it appears that the men who guarded the castle deserted it long ago and the ghosts were off duty that day, so we arrived at the top, slightly winded, but otherwise none the worse for wear.  

The view from the top was quite lovely, in it own way.  We could see the bend of the rock in the hills.  We could see numerous caves where people had formerly lived.  Perhaps some are still inhabited.  We could see other forms of habitation and terracing.  The area may be fairly sparsely populated today, but at one time it was a happening place.  Which may perhaps be related to the prescence of a castle there.  Hmm...

The castle itself was quite impressive.  My Crusader/Mamluk archaeology is sadly lacking, so I can't tell you exactly what parts of the castle dated to what times, though there was clearly evidence of different occupations and constructions phases.  There were all sorts of rooms and passages, nooks and cranies to be explored.    We had heard that there was a "secret" passageway underground leading to the bottom of the hill, and in searching for it we found a couple interesting tunnels.  One of them was, in fact, the secret passage.  It was a long flight of what probably used to be stairs, but was now mostly just a slippery slope down into darkness.  We had 2 flashlights between 5 of us, which was probably a relatively good proportion.  The accustics were fun, and we could clearly hear others in our group decending behind us.  Really, how many people can say they've taken a secret passageway from inside a castle to the outside valley below?  That's the sort of thing you read about in books.  It was pretty sweet.

Once we re-emerged into daylight we headed back to camp for an 11am departure.  

We drove south.  South to the land of Job.  The land of Lawrence of Arabia and the Seven Pillars of Wisdom.  The desert land of Wadi Rum.

We at lunch at a tourist stop and enjoyed our last bathrooms and running water for the next couple days.  We drove a ways on the bus until we met the "jeeps" that were to take us the rest of the way.  My first observation upon piling into my jeep was the the Bedouin driver had a can of some sort of liquid refreshment in his hand.  Alcoholic liquid refreshment, to be more precise.  Now, beer may have its place in the world, but I'm not sure its place is in the hand of a Muslim man, who isn't supposed to drink beer, and who is about to drive me across the desert.  Oh well.  We did have a crazy, though rather short ride.  At least we didn't get stuck, like some of the other jeeps.  In a short order we arrived at the Bedouin tent that was to be our home for the next two days.

On of the first sites that met us as we unloaded the jeeps and looked around was a goat and two sheep.  Our guide kindly informed us that they were to be our dinners for the next two days.  One of my friends promptly named the goat Bambi.  Pretty much made my day.  Our guide informed us that the goat would be slaughtered around 4...which gave us about an hour.  Not wanting to sit in the tent and sweat, a few of us went exploring a little ways.  We climbed up the little wadi to the right of the tent and then continued up to the sandstone formation closest to camp on the right.  The view of the desert from up there was amazing, and it wasn't even that high, compared to the formations around it.  We didn't stay up there long as we wanted to be sure to not miss the slaughter.  

Shortly after we got back to camp, the Bedouin, along with our guide and tourist police who both have some Bedouin background, grabed one of the sheep and took it to a sandstone ledge where they quickly cut its throat and then proceded to skin and gut it and cut it into pieces.  They then repeated the process with Bambi.  

(Pause for a comment from the author regarding some related thoughts)

I think, perhaps, that often times the thought of something is worse than the reality.  I don't particularly enjoy the idea of blood.  But the reality is bearable.  Butcher would probably not be my trade of choice, but if I had to kill and butcher an animal, I could deal with it.  It makes me wonder about the sacrificial system of the Old Testament.  Perhaps it wasn't as bad as it sounds.  It would still be horrendous, the amount of animals that died in a day, the amount of blood shed...But perhaps the thought of it is worse than the reality.

I rather think that way about spiders and scorpions and snakes too.  They're not exactly my favorite things, though I choose to try to enjoy them.  I remember, when I would visit Wibaux as a child, always being a bit nervous walking through tall grass, for fear that I would meet with a rattle snake.  Really, though, the incidence of human-snake contact is probably fairly low.  And even in a worse case scenero where the person is bit, death is by no means certain.   In other words, our thoughts about these critters and our fear of them is rather disproportionate.  Not that we shouldn't be cautious.  But even at their worst, all they can do is end our life, which should not terrify us as believers in Christ.  We have hope even in death.  

I think that maybe movies and TV shows play off this idea of disproportionate fear.  They try to intensify our fear by the images shown and the music played.  We think (or at least I do), "I could never survive in that situation!  I would be terrified, sick to my stomach, utterly miserable, etc."   And in reality, I'm not sure that's true.  I'm sure the situations they portray wouldn't be just a walk in the part, but they might not be as terrifying as they portend either.  

I could give other thoughts on this topic, but I'll stop here and return you to the regularly scheduled program. :)

Ok, where was I?  Oh yes, after the slaughter some of us headed out and tried to climb up in another area.  This one was a little more trick.  I admit, I was a bit nervous at times.  I'm not the best rock climber to begin with, and then I was probably also shorter and less athletic than the other people climbing with me...so I was nervous.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, we were seen by the camp and yelled at to get down - too dangerous.  *sigh*  

So instead we climbed the sand dune.  Let me tell you, climbing a sand dune isn't as easy as it looks.  For every 2 steps forward you slide back 1.5.  So its discouraging and exhausting work.  Fun to run down, though.  From the top of the dune we climbed another little sandstone bluff and looked out over the desert again.  

We climbed up there again a little later to watch the sunset and to see the stars come out.  

That night dinner wasn't actually until about 10...so we lay on the sand dune for a long time and looked at the stars and talked.  It was lovely.  Eventually, though, they called us for dinner and we ran down the side of the dune.  Flat bread, rice, and lamb and goat.  It was tasty.  I'm not sure that I'm a huge fan of lamb and goat...probably because they're largely fat, not meat.  Nonetheless, it was good.  Favorite quote of the night:

Student: "Hey guys, my meat just literally fell off the bone.  I picked up and plop, it literally fell off the bone."

Dr. Wright: "Hey guys, my meat just symbolically fell of the bone!"

Oh, and the second best quote:

Dr. Wright: "Hey guys, it doesn't get Bedouin this!"

Students: *groan*

That night most of us grabbed blankets and mattress pads from the tent and climbed up on the sand dune to sleep.  One big sleep-over under the stars. :)  

Chapter 2: Wherein the author travels back up to the plateau and experiences some aspects of Bedouin life

Let's see, where was I...

May 11, 2009

We woke up well rested after a night in the Eco-Lodge, a virutal resort, especially when compared with our lodging for the rest of the trip.  To the typical fare we'd had the day before they added halva which made my day that much better.  If you've never had halva, well, you're missing out.  Someday I will figure out how to make it and post a recipe.  Hopefully.  

Anyway, after a good breakfast we again hopped into our "jeeps" and drove off across the desert to where our driver had left the bus the previous day.  On the bus we drove up the Arabah to the southern tip of the Dead Sea with Israel just across the way.  It was pretty barren (for the most part): dry, flat, sandy.  I rather think that life can often look like that to various people at various times...but the Bible constantly reminds us that God is with us, especially in the desert.

"Ah, the Saved...what happens to them is best described as the opposite of a mirage.  What seemed, when they entered it, to be the vale of misery turns out, when they look back, to have been a well; and where present experience saw only salt deserts memory truthfully records that the pools were full of water."  (C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce)

From there we cut back up a wadi to the top of the plateau and then drove back south, past Bozrah, the capital of Edom, to Shawback (spellings may vary but it's pronounced more like Show-beck).  It's a bit off the tourist route, but it does have a pretty good crusader castle ruin, in addition to the "fake" bedouin camp we stayed at: Jaya Camp with our host, Saleh Rawashdeh.  

We arrived just in time for lunch...well, right after tea that is...we had mansaf!  Of course, you all know exactly what that is, but just in case... :)  Mansaf, as I understand, is a fairly typical Bedouin dish.  They probably don't eat it daily - it's more of a special occasion meal: the arrival of guests, a wedding, a funeral, etc.  Anyway, it consists of flat bread (tortilla-like), rice, some sort of meat (in this case, chicken), some cilantro, some nuts (peanuts), and a sort of white sauce spooned all over it.  Oh, and have I mentioned that it's all on one big platter?  And you eat with your hands?  We had several platters and crowded and average of around 6 people around each to eat.  It was a messy business.  Stupid Americans, don't know how to use their hands properly.  Nevertheless, it was a fun and tasty meal.  

After lunch we spent some time (with several breaks for tea) learning about a few aspects of Bedouin life.  They first showed us how to grind and mash grain.  Then we spent a while trying to figure out how to plow a field with a donkey and then sow it.  Fortunately the real plowing and planting time is long over, so our efforts are not responsible to feed the family in the future.  After a tea break we went out and herded goats in a circle for a while.  There were more people than goats so it really wasn't all that exciting, but perhaps we got just a little taste of it.  We then continued walking over to a nearby hill top.  There we had more tea and spent time throwing rocks at other rocks.  We're an easily amused bunch, what can I say?

A few people headed back to the camp at that point, but the brave and intrepid explores among us headed down the hill to the wadi bottom.  (Which, by the way, is a really fun combination of words.)  On our way down we stopped at a mosque/sheik's tomb.  I don't remember the name of the sheik, but he was supposedly a friend of Saladin.  As we walked up the wadi towards camp we paused to explore some caves that had obviously been lived in at some point and admired the terracing in the region.  We considered making an assault on the castle that night, but decided we should wait until morning when we were more rested and had more light. :)

Instead, we made our way back to camp where we shortly had dinner.  After dinner we sat in the bedouin tent, drinking more tea and listening to a man sing and play a one-string violin-type instrament made from a petrolium can.  It was impressive.  When he finished we hung out in the tent for a while, talking and playing games, before making our way to the tents for the night.  

Chapter 1: Wherein the author details the start of her adventure in Jordan

Saturday, May 9, 2009

We were on the bus by 7am and made our way to the Allenby crossing. We made it out of Israel and into Jordan with minimal trouble, met our guide and Jordanian tourist policeman and made our way east and south to the top of Wadi Dana (pronounced like Donna). They have the second largest nature preserve in Jordan and are working hard to be eco-friendly. They have a collection of all the plants and animals that live on the reserve (like bug collections and a herbarium and all). That was really cool. I wish I could have seen everything, but there were too many people and we didn't spend much time there. It was a very exciting day for me, though. It's pretty much the only field study I've been on where any attention was paid to science of any sort (except some geology), so the biological factor of this day was especially fun. After that we drove to the camp, moved into our tents, and ate a rather odd lunch. It contained more "typical" food like flat bread with spices, goat's cheese, cucumbers, and a tomato, but it also had a juice box and a snack cake. Oh, Jordan. I think, though, that it was the first time I've ever eaten a whole tomato. I still wouldn't say they're my favorite food, but I've grown accustomed to them over the last year.

After lunch we took a nature walk - more science, yay! Our guide had grown up hunting in this area, but is now determined to protect the animals. He told us about the medicinal uses of various plants and found a couple scorpions for us to see. Very exciting. It kind of reminded me of the nature walks I used to do with campers, except the most exciting thing I showed them was how to eat ants. No scorpions at camp.

We threw my frisbee around for a while before dinner. It will be a widely travelled frisbee. Dinner was outside after dark. They had a bit of a shelter and a few lamps, but it was nearly impossible to see what we were eating. Oh well, it was pretty tasty and I suffered no ill effects. After dinner we hung out in the bedouin tent, drinking gallons of bedouin tea, talking, and playing games.

It was a fairly chilly night, but our tents were well provisioned with blankets, so I slept quite well.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

The next morning we breakfasted and rode back to the bus and then back to Dana village to begin our decent down Wadi Dana. I would estimate it was probably 6-8 miles. A nice walk, but not too strenuous, especially because it was downhill. However, if it were in the heat of summer, uphill, in full battle regalia (like Judah and Israel in 2 Kings 3), well, it would be a bit exhausting, and frightening.

It was, however, a beautiful walk. The sandstone/granite formations were beautiful and the oleander were blooming, what more could you want? I spent much of the walk listening to people more knowledgeable than I converse about various issues involving Israel, Palestine, the eastern church, and various related theological questions. It was quite enjoyable.

We arrived at the Feynan Eco-Lodge around 3, got our rooms, and were amazed by their luxury. However, we didn't take the time to relax just then. Instead we hoped on some "jeeps" and drove to the copper mines of Tom Levy's excavation. (Note: they seem to call every small 4-wheel-drive type vehicle a jeep. These were actually Toyata trucks, and we got to ride in back. Best day ever.) Many of these mines date back to around the 10th century BC. Copper mines. Perhaps they are the famed copper mines of King Solomon? They were fun to visit anyway. We also paused at the site of Feynan castle. Fun story about that place...ask me sometime. :)

The rest of the day was spent at the lodge, enjoying hot showers, playing mafia, eating amazing food by candle-light, and watching the stars. So far, so good.

Well, I have made it back to the states. Passing security on the way here was a bit of a fiasco. They, of course, had to search all my bags. Numerous times. They also had to scan/examine/take apart all my electronic equipment. Several times. In the end they did give everything back. Except the power cable for my laptop. Apparently, it wasn't safe enough to have it travel with me...but its safe enough for them to send on the next plane. Supposedly it's to follow me home. I won't be surprised if it doesn't make it, but one can hope. (So at the moment I'm borrowing my brother's computer.) On the plus side, as I was waiting for them to examine my belongings for the upteenth time, one of the gals had me go through a metal detector. So when they finally finished and I got checked in and everything, she walked me to security and I got to by-pass that whole procedure.

Anyway, it's interesting being back in the states. I'm not really "home" yet... But then again, I'm not really quite sure where home is any more. I guess it's a good reminder that my permanent home is not anywhere on earth. :) However, I think I've decided that I could consider about any place a temporary home so long as I had a week or so to settle in.

But back to the US of A... Let's see....
~It's kind of nice to be able to understand all the conversations around me.
~Visited my first Walmart in months yesterday. Just a small one, and just for a moment...but so different from every store I've been to in Israel.
~I could have had hamburgers for two meals yesterday (but I had a hot dog for the second instead.) And I had mexican for both meals today. Nothing related to goat. So weird. :)
~For all that I'm a rather fair-skinned red-head...I'm darker that a lot of people here.
~I think I've turned into a wimp, and I'll freeze back in MT.
~I miss a lot of people from JUC, many of whom are still back in Israel. :(

I went to my brother's church today, which was enjoyable and interesting. It's so very different from the church(es) I normally attend in Jerusalem. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. The sermon was on Revelation 18, and it really made me think...though probably not entirely for the reasons the pastor was aiming at. No, it made me think because his approach to the Bible was so different from everything I've experienced this last year at school. The emphasis at school is to understand the Bible in its historical context, which includes history, geography, archaeology, and culture. The pastor's emphasis was definitely on application - how it applies today. It was an interesting contrast. When the verse said, "the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore," I thought, "Millstone. Making flour. Necessary for daily life. In ancient Israel you know when someone is home by the constant sound of the millstone. It only ceases when a place is deserted." And the pastor said, "No more factories, no manufacturing, no electricity." Yeah, a bit of a different perspective. Which can be good. It made me think about preaching and teaching and how much should be and explanation of the text and how much should be an application.

Well, enough of my facinating thoughts and impressions of life back in the states. It's bedtime for this jetlagged girl. I'll leave you with yet another promise of a blog posting or two on Jordan...eventually...

Out of the wilderness

Just a quick update to all my faithful readers...actually...does anyone read this?  If you're out there, you're sure a silent bunch.  It's no fair that you get to read all about me and I never hear from you.  Drop a comment and say hi or something, ok?  :)

So anyway, assuming anyone reads this, here's my quick update.

I'm back in Jerusalem after 6 amazing, spectacular, beautiful, wonderous, and epic days in Jordan.  Here's some highlights:

~ Every night but one was spent in a tent or out under the stars.  

~ One shower the entire time...which was quite a luxury, really.

~ Lots of bugs - scorpions, spiders, ants, butterflies, and beetles.  I love bugs.  

~ Lots of rocks.  Mostly sandstone, but also some limestone and granite, and a few other odds and ends.  I love rocks.

~ Lots of plants, everything from one that cures diarhea to one that causes diarhea.  I love plants.

~ Lots of hiking: down Wadi Dana, up random rock formations in Wadi Rum.  Up sand dunes.  

     *Note 1: Hiking up sand dunes is not as easy as it looks.  Pretty sure that sand dune was the most exhausting part of the trip.

     *Note 2: I hear that part of the new Transformers movie was filmed at Wadi Rum.  I may have to see it just for that reason.

~ Lots of bedouin tea.  Hot and sweet.  Yum!

~ Lots of flat bread, lots of practice eating with our hands.

~ Very little electricity or running water.  Especially the last two days.

~ Lots of bus time, 4 times riding in the backs of trucks.  One trip by camel back. 

~ Lots of time to get to know everyone just a little better...before saying good-bye today and tomorrow.  

~ Lots of adventures, both big and small.  

~ Lots of sunrises, sunsets, wind, and sun.

~ Thousands of pictures.  Quite literally.  I will try to post some later.

Okay, I think that's enough highlights for now.  There's more, but I'll have to save some for future posts.  I'll be travelling on and off for the next few days, so it might take me a while, but I will try to post some stories and thoughts from this latest adventure.  Meanwhile, though, I should pack, hang out with people for the last time (*sniff*) and get some sleep. :)

Recent Events

Just a quick update on my life for the past week...and the future week...

This last week was finals week.  I guess that compared to some peoples' it really wasn't bad.  I had 2 take home finals, 1 paper, and 2 regular finals...so it kept me busy.  Let's see...  I probably wrote around 35 or 40 pages, double spaced, for all of those.  Not bad, I guess.   Today was my Archaeology exam - another 2 hours to answer (in detail) 7 questions on the Archaeology of the Holy Land from the Persian to Byzantine period.  Entire grade for the semester.  Just a little stressful.  Went as well as could be expected, I guess.  

Tomorrow....well, actually, today, in about 5.5 more hourse, I'm leaving for 6 day adventure in Jordan.  We get to sleep in tents and live with Bedouin.  It should be fun.  I'm sure I'll have a lot to report when I get back.  Until then... :)

Second Temple Shephelah

Just a quick post to recount the last field study of the year (excepting Jordan).  

This last Thursday (the30th)  the Second Temple Class, accompanied by our professor, Dr. Yigal Levin, went into the Shephelah for a day trip.  Though I've spent nearly two semesters here now, and though the shephelah is vitally important for Judah, I've only spent part of a day there  in all of our field studies (not counting the day at Lachish), so it was nice to go and catch a few places that we've missed along the way.

Our day started at Maresha/Marissa/Beit Guvrin.  Technically, Maresha and Beit Guvrin are different sites.  Maresha is the tell that was occupied until Hellenistic times, and then the city moved down the hill and became Beit Guvrin during the Roman era.  It's an important site, for many reasons which I don't feel up to ennumerating at the time, nor would you probably enjoy it if I did.  At any rate, much of the remains in the area are underground - man made, often bell shaped caves.  Some were carved and used as columbariums, some as olive presses, others as cisterns or storage area.  They probably also played a strategic role in the Bar Kokhbah rebellion.  There are also some tombs with beautiful paintings of animals, both mythical and real, dating to the Hellenistic period.  The original paintings are mostly destroyed, but thanks to some photographs and paintings of the paintings, they have sort of been "restored" and are visible today.  We also visited an amphitheater at Beit Guvrin.

The next stop of the day was Mizpeh Mishoah (I think), a sort of look-out/fire-watch-tower area.  Good view, good lunch.

After lunch we stopped at nearby Khirbet Etri, a Jewish village of the Hellenistic and Roman periods, a bit off the beaten track.  There was probably a synagogue there.  We crawled through another fun little tunnel.  

We paused along the road and walked along a Roman road for a short time.  

Our last stop was, well, I'm not quite sure of the name, at least in historical terms.  The sign said Mata Forest.  I think it's mostly a picnic site.  There is the remains of a one building visible, dating probably to the Islamic Era or later.  An any rate, the building just happens to be on a beautiful mosaic floor, from a Byzantine "wayside chapel." The mosaic had been defaced during the time of Islaam, and then rebuilt in a haphazard manner.    This is also the traditional site of Goliath's tombs.  So we all threw three stones at the tomb.  

I really haven't done that great of a job recounting the day, but it was really enjoyable.  Beautiful day, vineyards, fields, and flowers.  Rocks, caves, and sunlight.  Interesting history lessons, coming at the end of a class on Second Temple history.  Who knew that history could be so enjoyable?  :)  It was good.