This is the view from our balcony. Within the wall is the Old City, which is about a ten minute walk from here. The neighborhood near us is mostly Palestinian.

The Jerusalem Center is in the eastern-most part of the city, backing the West Bank. (In fact, I think we are technically in the West Bank, but on the Jerusalem side of the wall.) The surrounding neighborhood is mostly Palestinian.

We were woken at 5:00 AM by the call to prayer. Today is the Islamic New Year, so the call to prayer went on longer than on a typical day (so I’m told–I haven’t had any typical days here yet).

The food they serve us is delicious. Israel doesn’t import any produce; it actually exports a lot of it, so all the food we eat has fresh Mediterranean produce in it.

Today we spent most of the day walking around the city. The Jerusalem Center is on Mt Scopus, right next to the Mount of Olives, so we walked down to the rest of the city. Everything is mountainous and hilly, but buildings have been built over every inch of ground, so by looking at the skyline you can get somewhat of an idea of the shape of the land beneath.

I was going to take photos from our balcony this morning to show you, but it was cold, rainy, and so foggy that we couldn’t see anything from our balcony, not even the neighboring Mount of Olives. So more photos to come soon!

We arrived at the JC about two hours ago. After about thirty hours of sitting on planes and in airports, I couldn’t be happier!

Our last flight was nonstop from Newark to Tel Aviv. The only other people on the flight besides us Jerusalem Center students were all very Jewish-looking (I guess regular American tourists don’t frequent the Holy Land as much these days!). Many of the men wore black coats and top hats and heavy beards and traditional side-curls. They looked exactly like the rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof (okay, I promise that will be the last comparison that I make between the Jewish people I meet and the junior high school musical I was in). Mazel tov.

We flew over the Mediterranean and it was spectacular. I had my nose to the window the whole time. There was nothing but blue, blue water as far as the eye could see–and islands. Big islands, small islands, hundreds of islands. They were all rocky and mountainous, like Odysseus’s Ithaca. (I won’t make any more ignorant-sounding Fiddler on the Roof comparisons–but I can compare things to books, right?)

President Bush is also in Jerusalem right now. He is staying in the Hotel David, just a block or two from here. We can see it from our window. I can also see–I kid you not–the Dome of the Rock! From my bedroom window. No lie. Can you believe?! This all doesn’t even seem real. It seems like a very, very good dream.

The Jerusalem Center is amazing. The building is so beautiful. I wish Grandpa were here, because he would be able to appreciate the quality of the building and the time and effort expended to make the beautiful stone arches and the woodwork and everything else. (Did he and Grandma visit the Jerusalem Center while they were here? I don’t know.)

I love you all so much. : )