Wow, a whoaman

So things are going well here in the Holy Land. Today we had our Old Testament and Near Eastern Studies class. I think there might have been a prereq for OT that everyone took except for me because that's how I felt our first class. I know NOTHING about the OT and so I think this could be one of my hardest classes. It's also really hard because we don't get a whole lot of free time and when we do who wants to study when you can go explore the city. So we couldn't leave the center until 3 today because its the Muslim Sabbath and so exactly at 3 we left to go explore. And the coolest thing happened! We were walking back to the center and we passed by this sand/dirt field where kids were riding horses and playing soccer and we asked if we could play with them so it was team USA vs team Israel. It was soooo much fun and we got to take pictures with them and everything afer. I wish I could post pictures but they say the internet can't handle it. Anyways, that pretty much made my life and when I scored a goal the little boys just said "wow, a whoaman". I think it was a lot weirder for them to play with girls than we realized but it's cool to actually live here and be a part of their culture. welp, big gulps huh. see ya later.

Shalom in the Home

Well, good news. I'm still alive. But after 17 hours of flying and about 4 hours of sleep in the past 2 days I have to say jet lag has gotten the best of me. I had to be at the Salt Lake airport at 4am on Tuesday (I think it was Tuesday, the days are all a blur for me now) and I realized I had forgotten my name tag, my luggage bag didn't have a handle. Then, after that the check-in took so long that me and 3 other students almost missed our flight and they actually called the plane to ask them to wait for us. So, as you can probably imagine it was about that time that I started asking myself what the heck was I doing. But, by the time I had made it to the airport in D.C. I had already become fast friends with my group. The people here are ridiculously nice so that helps. So from D.C. we made it to Vienna, and from there to Tel Aviv and finally....Jerusalem. We were all so tired when we got to the Center but they wouldn't let us go to sleep until late that night because they wanted us to get adjusted to the time change here. So..I'm still adjusting and my sleeping and eating habits area completely out of whack. Hopefully that adjusts itself soon.

Anyways, the Center is AMAZING. I seriously did not expect it to be that nice. I can't believe I get to call this place home for the next 3 and half months. I wish I could upload pictures but they said we can't on the server here...hmmm...I might try to see if that rule really applies the whole time. But just outside my room there is a patio with the most incredible view of the city. Which brings me to the city...I LOVE IT. We got to take a tour of the Old City today and I have already fallen in love with this place. There is just a different feel, something I can't really explain. It's different getting used to how you act in this culture, for example it's not a good idea to smile at older men and people here just usually avoid eye contact. So...basically I have to keep reminding myself not to smile to everyone which is SO hard because how can you not smile when you get to live here?? Oh and everyone here wears chacos and doesn't think its weird so I really know I'm at home. We also started our classes which seem like a lot of work but really really cool at the same time. Sooo...all in all yes, I am alive and very very happy. I'm just soaking in every second of this experience and LOVING IT. boo ya.

St. George was a good man

This past weekend me and my roomates decided to stick it to finals and run away to a weekend of glorious sunshine in St. George. Bahhh. It was amazing. Three words. Beach cruisers. Babes. BuhBAM. Ok Four words.

Go Ladies Weekend 2010.

Swindled. Again.

Sometimes I think my middle name should be Amanda Sucker Fairbanks. The other night I was at the mall with my dear friend Mr. Mathay and I was just telling him how my mom always gets pressured into buying things from those kiosks in the middle of the mall with the Israeli people. I should have knocked on wood or something because literally 2 minutes later I find myself paying fifty dollars for face wash supposedly from the dead sea. Did I need it? No. Did the lady give me a hug probably because she felt so bad for the American girl she just swindled? Yes. Bahhh. Yet, after realizing the receipt said 'no returns' I decided to use it and actually found it quite nice. So there. Now when the same lady comes up and asks "How much you spend on face" I can now answer with confidence. Too much.

Hello World

Hokay, so. I have waited for this day to create a blog for quite some time now. My roomate told me only old and/or married people are allowed to have blogs sooo now that I am heading off to Jerusalem and the Holy Land for the summer I have found my excuse to create a blog. Hopefully it will help people be able to share in some of the amazing experiences I'm sure are to come this summer. Also, it will be a way for me to share the unusually large number of awkward and hilarious experiences that I encounter every day since I am still waiting for my t.v. show to pull through. Be excited.