Galilee

I'm in Galilee for the next 10 days and thrilled to be here!  I will try and write a little bit about what I'm doing while we are here.  

Today, we went to nazareth and it was so beautiful!  St. Mary's and St. Joseph's was incredible!  It almost made me want to be catholic. ;)

We also went up to the cliffs by Galilee and it was beautiful.  Lizzy and I commented that it looked just like Pride and Prejudice.

Everything is very peaceful and totally beautiful.  I'm so grateful to learn here.  And by learn, I mean study the Bible like crazy!  I have a paper to write for tomorrow and a midterm tomorrow that I need to go and cram study for. :)

p.s. in case you were wondering, Jesse and I are getting married in exactly 46 days!  woot!

Olive trees and Eilot

The center is home to 60 olive trees!  These trees produce the olives, that make the oil, that feeds about 100 people 3 times a day, for an entire year!  That’s a lot of oil!  The trees are extremely beautiful and unique.  They are gnarled and dusty.  The leaves are a sage color on the side that faces the sun and more silvery on the underside.  Some people describe the leaves as sparkling when they move in the wind.  Harvesting them was extremely fun, but difficult too.  The tree that cute Lindsay and I were picking from is 1200 years old!  The olives on that tree were pretty small because they had just grafted “good fruit” branches and were trying to tap into it’s roots.

The group picked what felt like millions of olives, but I have no idea how many were actually harvested.  We placed them in a huge vat of water and let them soak for a couple of days.  Then we placed them in a stone container with a huge grindstone and started the crushing process.  After you mash them up they are a pretty sickly green-brown color, that is not appetizing at all.  Then you put the mush into baskets that have the shape of a chinese lantern.  Then, we moved the baskets and stacked about 5 of them on a pressing machine.  A substance then pours from the baskets and it looks really gross.  The substance then separates into oil and some mystery substances.  

I loved this experience!  It was one of the neatest things that I have participated in while being here.  Oil was the substance of life to the ancient world and it was a really romantic experience to take part in.

Just like everything else, there are some misconceptions about olives.  One thing that I had heard in like a million sunday school lessons is how olives turn a bright red right before they are crushed.  I watched thousands of olives be crushed and I didn’t see them turn red.  They turned a smooshed color, but I couldn’t say red.  (Don’t worry, the church is still true!)  Another thing about olives, olives are only edible if they have been pickled or pressed and refined into oil.  There is literally nothing more vile than a fresh, right off the branch olive.  I can’t even describe the bitterness of an unprocessed olive.  Also, there is no such thing as a black olive tree or a green olive tree.  A green olive is picked before the olive is ripe and then processed into a delectable food.  A black olive is picked after the olive turns ripe and then becomes a delicious food that you can stick on your fingertips.

One of my favorite places that I’ve been to while her is Eliot (E-lot).  It is a town located on the red sea and is where Israel, Egypt, Jordan meet.  You can also see Saudi Arabia in the distance.  Ya, really cool.  We went snorkeling there and it was so beautiful.  I had never experienced how peaceful snorkeling is.  It was amazing to see all of the fish and coral existing so peacefully in an area that is anything but that.  We then went to the boardwalk area and it was just charming.  I think I’m a sucker for charm.  I ate the best thing while there.  A crepe that has nutella smeared on it before it is done, and the heat caramelizes the chocolate.  Amazing. 

Something that I wasn’t expecting is how great middle eastern fashion is!  The women over hear always look incredible!  Most women wear a long trench coat for modesty, but they go to town with their scarves, shoes and bags.  I love how creative they are.  Every piece of their outfit is carefully selected and just looks so great!  Right next to the money changer, Aladdin’s, there is the best shop ever!  They always have 10 nis (new israeli shekel) tops that are adorable!  This is about $2.50.  Great thing to have found?  Yes.

Jordan!

I just got back from Jordan and had the time of my life!  Jordan is probably my favorite country that I have been to while studying in the Middle East for a couple of different reasons. (Some,  more biased than others)  Jordanians are so happy!  The first day we were there it was like we walked into a cheesy movie because all of the people litterally ran out of their homes to wave at us as we drove by.  People are so much happier there than they are in Jerusalem.
Petra?  Amazing. Literally, incredible.  The park looked just like southern Utah, minus the incredible treasury and monestary.  I'm thinking of writing a letter to Govenor Herbert and suggesting to commision an artist to do carve a treasury in the Narrows. 

I thought I'd save the best for last....Jesse was there.  And he was there with me.  It may or may not have been a highly emotional experience for the entire group.  He was at our hotel in Ammon waiting for me and I was on the second bus to get there.  All of my friends were just lined up waiting to see our reunion and brother huntsman was playing a lot of sappy love songs on the bus.  When I saw Jesse standing there, I started to cry and ran off the bus and we had the sweetest kiss I think we've ever had.  We were together walking, talking, and laughing all that evening in Ammon and the only way to describe the date was beautiful.  I haven't felt that happy and elated since the day we got engaged.  The evening was wonderful as well and I loved every moment being with him.  Everyone has asked if it was hard to say goodbye.  Ya, it was.  It was hard to walk away from the love of my life, knowing that it was just as hard for him to be separated.  But today I have felt peaceful, knowing that we love each other and are trying our hardest to be there for each other and become better people as we are away.  I love him so much and can hardly wait to be married to him for eternity!

I have 2 weeks in Jerusalem, and then 2 weeks in Galilee, and then 2 weeks back in Jerusalem, and then we are getting married in the next 2 weeks.  I couldn't be more blessed. :)

bada bing bada bedouin

Apparently, I’m a strugglin tuna with this blog.  I’ll try and do better. 

Have you ever thought about bedouins before?  They are the people portrayed in What a Girl Wants for like 2 minutes and also in the scriptures.  The bedouins live a nomadic lifestyle and it is the lifestyle that Abraham lived thousands of years ago.  Because the middle east has developed into defined countries, this has forced them to become less nomadic.  This week we had the honor of visiting both a recognized (Lakiya) and non-recognized village.  At the first village, we talked with the women at Lakiya Weaving, an organization focused on empowering women.  I loved this!  The little seamstress in me was stoked when they demonstrated their spinning and weaving techniques.  

The fireball of Lakiya and me

yarn yarn yarn

We visited the Israelite Temple!

On top of Erod

At the non-recognized bedouin village...good old huntsman told us that if a war were to break out in Jerusalem, we would have been right in the middle of it.

Turkeyopolis

Last week we travelled all over Turkey and it was an amazing week! Turkey is sooooo different than anywhere I have ever been and I loved many things about it but was also very excited to come back to Jerusalem.

-Squatting Toilets: these were the biggest disappointment about Turkey. After we would be traveling on the bus for what would seem like forever, we would find a wc, pay our 1 TL and open the stall to find just a hole in the ground with no toilet paper. Seriously? I want to know the cost difference between that and an actual toilet. Also, does anyone know how you get into this business? It seems like a great idea. You buy a nasty building, most likely for pretty cheep, and then put some holes in the ground and charge people to use it.

-Olives for breakfast:  breakfast here was bread, hotdogs, cucumbers, and olives.  Needless to say, we ate a TON of bread.  I don't think I will have another piece for the rest my life.
-Grand Bazaar:  The largest Bazaar in the World!  Unfortunately, I unintentionally offended every shopkeeper I came into contact with there.  They apparently didn't like my bartering style. 

-Cartoon Hotel in Istanbul the first night and it was quite the hotel. (Yes, there were loony tunes and disney characters everywhere in the hotel) That night, we took a trip into the city and found the worlds best baklava according to our tour guide Fahti. 

-Topkapi Museum and it was so incredible! There is this really funny mix of Islamic and Rococo architecture and I really enjoyed seeing my favorite styles mixed. I don't know if they really go together, but that's ok.  The infamous Blue Mosque was also part of that day and it was breath taking.
-  I am aware that there was a bombing in Turkey while we were there, and we were completely safe. The Turkish people were very happy and much less conservative than they are here in Jerusalem.  It was very common to see non-tourist couples on dates and there was even a little PDA going around.  Somehow that made me feel like I was home in Provo.

-Assos: one of the most beautiul places I have ever been.

-Kusadasi:  we had a huge mormon dance party/bonfire on the beach.  There were a couple of local guys in their early 20's that joined the group and I'm pretty sure it was a strange experience for them.

-Perganon/seat of satan:  Our tour guides said that they had never seen it rain before in September there, but as we were exploring the Alter of Zeus it started pouring, and not for like a minute, but for a really really long time.  It was so cool and it made all the ruins of the temples like 10 times cooler because of all the thunder and lightning going on. 

Picture being on top of a huge mountain surounded by alters with the storm raging.  Way cool.

Apple Tea: Soooo good!  Everyone drinks tea like crazy around Turkey.  That and smoke their hasheesh.  But they served us the herbal Apple Tea and it reminded me of home.  Definitely packed some for the States. 

Cotton Castle:  Incredible hotsprings!  Our hotel had a huge spring right in the middle and we had a great mudbath! 

Ephesis: What the place!  It was really cool to see where Paul taught for 3 years.

Bursa:  so beautiful! 

CATS!!!!!!!!!!!:  There are thousands of cats here!  It became a game of who could find the most cats and get there picture.

 Overall, it was wonderful!  I hope to travel back there with Jess and take the time to thoroughly enjoy the beautiful cities. :)

Are you Miss Leslie or Miss Universe?

Greetings!  Things have been super busy here in Jerusalem.  Sorry to not have kept any of you updated, but I am great and very safe.  Honestly, the city is beautiful.  Don't get me wrong, it is so dirty (aparently there are NO garbage cans in the city, and you just make trash piles along the sides of the roads and then once the pile is the size of the house, men come take it away...very strange to me) and covered in grafitti and there are a lot of overwhelming human smells mingled with that of dead animals.  But it also has the most beautiful buildings, religions, shops, food, and especially people.  Everyone is LOVING us mormons!  We can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone that will call out to us "Mormons!  Come into my shop!  We love Mormons!"  But at the same time, Whitney and I had our first run in with pick-pockets, but we outsmarted them and we were totally fine.  I love it here. :)

Things that happened today:

-Accidentatly wondered into a jewish elementary school durring recess and got hit by a soccor ball.
-Read 40 pages of articles...have about another 80 to go.
-Ate falafel at a stand that advertised "very good falafel."
-May or may not have been ripped off in the purchase of a really cool Jerusalem tile.  10 shekles?
-Accidentaly mistook a Jew for a Muslim...whoops
-Went to dome of the rock...so beautiful!
-Sported a very adorable fanny pack.
-Went to the church of the Holy Seplechure.
-Went to the wailing wall, late walked on the wailing wall.
-Was asked "Are you Miss Leslie or Miss Universe?"
-Visited Mary's tomb.
-Passed by the Garden of Gethsemene.
-Biked 8 miles.
-Figured out how to make a phone call with a phone card. 
-Took 2 showers...I seem to sweat a lot more here. It seems that my shoulders even sweat here.
-Had a marvelous time!

Peace and blessings

10 Tantalizing Truths about my Travels Today

10 facts about Jerusalem thus far:

1. The plane ride over was like watching a huge family reunion.  At least half of the jews headed to Tel Aviv were just up wondering the isles, chilling listening to their music, or praying.  Very unique 11 hour flight.
2. The group is fantastic!  There are 30 of us that have reached the center thus far and everyone is sooo nice.  Granted, I think everyone is a little shell-shocked, jet-lagged, and wanting to have an amazing experience, but if they can still be super fun and nice with only 3 hours of sleep, I’m in for a treat.
3. The flight attendant from JFK to Tel Aviv sounded EXACTLY like Michelle from Gilmore Girls.
4. Unfortunately, 51 of the groups flights were cancelled in Pheonix so some will probably get here tomorrow, sunday, and then next week.  Catie LeGrow was serious when she said I would be lucky I wasn’t on her flight... :(  Please say a prayer so they can get here soon!
5. The call to prayer was going on as we got to the center.  A very touching experience.
6. I am still in complete shock as to the beauty of the center.  Get this, the dome of the rock is framed by a pomegranate tree and roses on my patio.  As I am typing away, there is a waterfall behind me that just echos across the limestone interiors. 
7. Food at the center is soooo good!  When we arrived they had a beautiful array of snacks awaiting us.  (And for those curious, I did only eat one)  Dinner was also absolutely incredible!  Everything is very aromatic and tastes as good as it looks.  Tonight was a sweet chicken with green olives with rice, vegetables, salad, pita, and chocolate mousse. 
8. Airplane food is in fact ridiculously bad.  I don’t know why they don’t just give you a carton of milk and a mini box of cereal but the pitta bread in a breadstick this morning is just not cutting it.
9. I read the Genesis 1-20 yesterday and remembered that there are some crazy/semi disturbing bible stories.
10. Tonight was the last night of Ramadan and our neighborhood sounded like they were having a wonderful time celebrating it.  
11. I know I said 10, but my computer changes all the little ads and buttons into hebrew now, which is kind of impossible for me to figure out....

P.S.  I love you all and am having a marvelous time!  If you want/need to get a hold of me, it’s easiest of you email me @ lesliegerber0@gmail.com :)  Thanks!

Time Line

 A lot of people are asking the same questions, so I figured I could just let you all know now what the deal with my life is.

Last day of work: August 9th
Last day in Provo : August 11th
Drive to Chicago: August 12th
Fly back to Utah: August 22nd
Fly to Jerusalem Center: August 30th
Field Trip to Turkey: Sept 17th-25th
Field Trip to Jordan: Oct 24th -27th (yes, I will be able to be with Jesse while in Amman!  yay!)
Field Trip to Galilee: Nov 14th -24th
Turn 20:  End of Nov
Fly home to Utah:  Dec 16th
Jesse home to Chicago: Dec 23rd
Jesse and I reunited: Dec 26th
Go through the Temple: Dec 28th
Get Married in the Salt Lake Temple: December 30th!!!!!!!
Utah wedding reception: December 30th
Chicago Wedding reception/open house: sometime next spring :)

A pretty exciting next 4 months, wouldn't ya say? :)