Off to Jerusalem

In the morning we packed our bags because we were leaving Nazareth. I ate the nasty breakfast for the last time (I Love Nutella!) only to learn that St. Georges has the exact same breakfast. They have cereal too though! We met Sari, another Palestinian male, who is going to the youth coarse with the group.

Before we left Galilee, we stopped at Zippori National Park. They were ancient roman ruins with amazing mosaics. The streets were made of large stone boulders. Add shops and vendors and it would be a Roman marketplace. Many of the ruins were former homes. The floors told stories with their art. These were very wealthy people. In addition to the tiles, there were different era's of housing which also tells a story about the people who lived there. I have more information and the history in a book that's not with me right now. There was a fortress made of many stones including a corner that was built with a sarcophagus. Many places within the ruins were still under excavation so soon enough, there will be new sites.

Being part of the Desert, not many plants or fruits grow wild. A local handed some people in our group the fruit off a cactus plant, brushed off all of the prickles and handed it to eat. Nate, also wanting to try cactus grabbed one of the fruits for himself. Not understanding how to properly eat cactus, he pricked himself with about 25 needles and then handed it to other people in the group. In all about 5 people were stuck by cactus before they opened the unripe fruit and spat it out. All of the people who had cactus in their hand found it is not easy to remove the thorns. They walked for about a half an hour before returning to the bus to remove the spikes. We found some refreshing ice cream along the way. Eating ice cream with no hands is a challenging task. They had lots of help!

The long three hour drive to Jerusalem lead us to St. Georges College in the heart of Jerusalem. The few hours we had to spend in the city were very interesting and HOT! I don't think I have sweat so much in my life. The weather is unusually humid (78% humidity) and the sun in nonstop. Many people around the city show their religion in a different way. Some wear yamicas, others have unique hair styles, some appear Amish and have thick black cloaks. We entered through the walls of the old city through the Damascus Gate. It's like a large street sale with hundreds of shops and vendors. We will go back sometime to shop and bargain for goods in the city.

I withdrew more money today although I am getting irritated with the ATM machines. They only give large bills. I don't want to carry around a 200 shekel bill (about $50 us dollars) I get scared at home with more than a $20. I feel like a tourist because no one likes our large bills.

We learned more about what we will do at the coarse for the next 10 days. Tomorrow we leave Bethlehem and will spend the night away from the college. I may not be able to blog tomorrow but there will be an extended update when I get computer access.

Oh, now that we are at the college I do not have as much access to an upload for pictures. Please be patient as they will come when I can get them up.