Israel/Palestine: September 2-9

Photo of Jerusalem from Mount of Olives. Photo taken by Lor.

Hello friends, family, and people from home! This is the first post in a number that will be posted throughout our journey. We hope that this will give you a window to have a glimpse of our lives. We are ecstatic for the opportunity to share our experience with you!

Our first week started out with a long 10-hour flight from Newark, New Jersey (for most of us), to Tel-Aviv, Israel. We landed in Israel at around 10 am and pushed ourselves to stay awake the whole day in order to reduce jet lag. Once we settled into our rooms at the Lutheran Guesthouse in the Old City, we toured Jerusalem. This marked the beginning of our global education. During our one-week stay in Israel, we visited countless Holy Sites (refer to the list below for some of the sites) and learned about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Lastly, although we cannot acknowledge our tour guide by name, we unanimously agree that our tour guide is probably The Best, not even second best, in Jerusalem (for reasons seriously including the consideration of lunch time and water supply, as well genuinely caring for us as scholars and global citizens, and giving us unique insight into his homeland.) Overall, we greatly enjoyed the sites (including biblical sites), the market place in the Old City, and the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the culture of Old City. We will never forget Israel/Palestine -- it will forever have a spot in our heart and in our thoughts.

Photo of Mediterranean Sea. We enjoyed a swim before
boarding their flight to Athens, Greece. Photo taken by Lor.

The sites and lectures included:

• Sept 3: The Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Wailing Wall, and Mount Zion (Tomb of David and Room of Last Supper)
• Lecturer: Dr. Mustafa Abu Sway
• Sept 4: Yad Vashem and Holocaust Museum
• Sept 5: Masada, Qumran, the Dead Sea, and Jericho
• Sept 6: The Sea of Galilee
• Sept 7: Christmas Lutheran Church and Tent of Nations
• Lecturer: Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb
• Sept 8: Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Augusta Victoria Hospital
• Lecturers: Dr. Mark Brown and Daniel Seideman
• Sept 9: The Mediterranean Sea

For more photos, click here.

Photo of a Holy Site by the Sea of Galilee. Photo taken by Lor.

Testimonies of the Week:

I have to keep pinching myself to believe it's really happening! -Christy Hall-Holt

Once you've had the top sandwich...[no other falafel compares to the first falafel we had at Damascus Gate in the Old City!] -Alexandra Madsen

[My high is having] the chance to throw a net into the Galilee Sea. -Kevin Cheng

Until next time, and on behalf of Global Semester,

Zoua Lor & Viveka Hall-Holt