I have officially completed my first full week of classes and I am excited to learn a bit of Greek and more about the culture. Our entire study abroad group has Greek Language and Greek Culture on Thursdays, where we go on trips to the city and do some traditional Greek activities. This week we are going to a cooking class!!
In my other classes, I am already learning a lot. I have an exam in my Food Safety class next week and I learned my taste threshold for sweet and salty in my Sensory Analysis class. In Food Taste and Society, I will have the opportunity to speak with the CEO of Alpha Wine, a huge company in Greece and worldwide - I am hoping for some samples ;)
A few things that I am struggling with recently is what to do with myself during the week. We load our weekends full of activities, but come back to classes Monday. Unlike Iowa State, I don't have very many days with more than one class and I am not working or have much homework. A lot of the things I would like to do costs money, so I try to keep myself occupied on campus by going for runs and reading. I have also noticed myself zoning out when people around me start speaking Greek to each other. It has made it really hard to socialize in class with the other students because I can't keep up and they prefer to speak Greek to each other. My brain is usually exhausted anyway because I am focusing so hard on what my professor is saying - usually a thick accent and words are pronounced a bit differently. I am still adjusting, but I do love it here. The weather is great and everyone is so nice!
Tel Aviv-Yafo
We started our Friday bright and early with a flight to Tel Aviv at 6am. Just a short 2 hours and we landed in rainy Israel. As most of you should know, Israel is technically in the desert...so we were expecting warm temperatures and sunny skies when we booked. Unfortunately, the country was under a Winter Weather Advisory. This included strong winds and lots and lots of rain. With the lovely weather, the city was still beautiful and we made the best of it. Tel Aviv is on the coast, making it a great resort city. The waves were huge thanks to the wind, and the beaches were pretty empty to start the day, but still we saw people surfing! We had breakfast at a little restaurant in old Jaffa. I had a cherry and ricotta stuffed pastry and coffee. We warmed up a bit and then ventured outside where we discovered a free walking tour of Jaffa!
Old Jaffa is the home of Christianity. This is where the very first Christian was baptized by Saint Peter. This is where Peter is also known to have brought Tabitha back from the dead - we saw the "home" where this may have happened. There is a lot of history in this little town that involves people from all over. We learned a story from Greek Mythology that explained the strange rock formation in the water. We also learned about Napoleon Bonaparte (who was actually a very tall man!). One of the most famous areas in Jaffa is St. Peter's Church. This is one of the few catholic churches in Tel Aviv (mainly a Jewish city), and the center of Christianity. The church was absolutely stunning on the inside and out. Surrounding it was the Bridge of Wishes and a beautiful fountain depicting the Zodiac signs. By the time we arrived here, the sun had come out!
After our tour, we made our way to the Airbnb in Tel Aviv. This airbnb was interesting to say the least. I was glad we were only sleeping there. It was near the beaches and different markets. One problem we found, through, was the Jewish day of rest - Shabbat. Tel Aviv basically shuts down during this day, starting Friday evening through Saturday. Finding a restaurant with traditional Israeli food was difficult, and the weather had turned again. Eventually, we found a place and had some delicious food. I had a pita stuffed with beef and veggies. I had also found some bread when we walked through the market that was almost too beautiful to eat! After dinner, we returned to our Airbnb to wait for our friend who was arriving around 1am.
Bethlehem
On Saturday we did a day tour and had the opportunity to visit Bethlehem and Jerusalem. First, to get to Bethlehem you must enter Palestine. This is outlines on maps, kind of like a state. Palestine claims the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which is where we were visiting. Palestine is separated from Jerusalem by a large wall that surrounds Bethlehem. If Israelis want to enter, they must have a reason with proof from a Palestinian, and vise versa. Because of this rule, we had separate tour guides throughout the day. In Bethlehem, the tour guide had to be a local Palestinian.
Once we arrived in Bethlehem, we went to the Church of the Nativity. This is the church that rests on the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The church was actually one of the few to remain after a Persian Invasion in 614. They left it alone due to the depictions of the Three Wise Men. They did, however, take the mosaic of the men and the original manger (both are now located in Rome). When you enter, you will actually be in a Greek Orthodox church. The Church of the Nativity is home to 3 different churches - Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Catholic. When you enter, you (technically) must go through the Greek Orthodox church first, then through the Armenian to exit. While we were there, the Armenian Mass was taking place, so we couldn't go down into the church. However, we could hear some of the prayers and songs while it was going on and could get a peak at it.
The Roman Catholic church is stunning, and actually leads to the Grotto (the whole reason everyone come here). In the Grotto is the original cave that Mary and Joseph lived and where Jesus was born. Yes, I know you all have a picture in your head of the stable in the dessert out in the open, but in reality the birth (likely) took place in a cave. This is actually how must people lived in Bethlehem and is more realistic than the "traditional" stable story. The cave actually gave me chills, knowing that I was walking in the same place that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph had walked. There is a section in the Grotto that actually had the original entrance and steps that were used when they had lived there.
As I said before, the Catholic Church was beautiful. Outside there was a small courtyard with grass and a fountain. Inside is a very traditional Catholic Church. There were incredible murals and art throughout, including a mural of the 13 generations (the reason why Christianity is sometimes represented with a 13-point star).
Jerusalem
Soon we made our way to old Jerusalem. We entered through the Jaffa gate (named that because it faces Jaffa, helping travelers find their way). Inside, Jerusalem is home to 4 quarters - Jewish Quarter, Muslim Quarter, Christian Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. The Jewish Quarter was pretty quiet, as it was Shabbat. There, we saw a Synagogue and a giant menorah. Also located in the Jewish Quarter is the Western Wall. This famous wall, also known as the "Wailing Wall" is the last standing wall of the original Temple Mount. Jews believe that because this wall wasn't destroyed, it is holy and protected - which is why the pray and cry (mourning the loss of their temple). Because of Shabbat, we were unable to take pictures of the wall or even around it. I did get a picture of it from the steps (outside of the holy area).
In the Muslim Quarter, I was reminded of Dubai and the Gold Suk. There were a lot of shops and restaurants in this area, and everyone was out and about. I will note that there is a Mosque located inside of the city, but we are unable to visit it. You could hear the call to prayer as I did in Dubai five times a day. We passed through here quickly and made our way to the Christian Quarter to eat lunch. I had chicken shawarma and Arabic coffee. Sometimes food is just not meant to be photographed...but you can see it in all its beauty!
Finally, we made our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was an incredible experience. This Church is in the location that Jesus was crucified, buried, and where he rose again. Inside was honestly breathtaking. The significance and meaning brought a different tone to the tour. Walking through, you saw the Stone of Anointing (where Jesus was cleaned before being buried in the tomb), and the Prison of Christ. Throughout the Church people stopped to pray and would light candles. It was absolutely incredible, so much so that I really didn't take very many pictures.
Dead Sea
Leaving Jerusalem and Bethlehem behind, we made our way to the lowest point in the world - The Dead Sea. On our way we FINALLY saw desert! Yes, folks! Jerusalem and Bethlehem were not sandy and in the middle of a desert (at least not anymore!). There was grass and plants! Near the desert, we saw some camels (my favs) on the side of the road and by gas stations. We stopped at "the lowest point on earth" to take pictures.
We had made it to the Dead Sea! Luckily, the sun came out and it was actually warm enough for us to swim! The Dead Sea is just as beautiful in person as it is in pictures, and just as salty as they say. I grabbed a beer and made my way to the beach. The waves were pretty strong, so floating was nearly impossible - but mud facials were a go. The mud was insane, I sunk in and had trouble getting out of the water. After drinking some salt water (actually burning my lips) I made sure to cover my whole body with mud. After I washed it off, my skin was so soft and smooth!
I took a huge nap on the way back to Tel Aviv (thanks to an early morning a Bicardi Smoothies). When we got back, we found a pizza place and got a few drinks at a bar. Totally exhausted, we called it a night. We got breakfast in the morning and left Tel Aviv in the afternoon (after a 2 hour flight delay!).
If you EVER get the chance to visit the Holy Land, make sure you have time to see it all. The tour we went on was great - allowing us to see so much in one day. I would have loved to go to Jericho and Nazareth, but we just didn't have the time. I absolutely recommend making a trip here - the sites are amazing and actually give you chills.
This week, I have classes - including a cooking class on Thursday. I will also be spending my weekend in Thessaloniki! PS: Kyle wanted me to let everyone know he is a Malaka ;)