I am in JERUSALEM!

This is one view of the Old city from the Jerusalem Center

Today at about 3 p.m. (6 a.m. Utah time) we drove up Mt. Scopus and arrived at the Jerusalem Center. Ever since I walked into the center I have felt like I am in a dream. Even now it is strange to think that I am actually in the Holy Land. The Jerusalem Center is an amazing place with a spectacular view of the Old City pretty much anywhere in the building. That is probably because it contains 30,000 panes of glass! It is extremely well kept and is basically like a "5 star hotel" as one of our leaders said. I can't believe I get to live here for the next three and a half months!

Right after we arrived, we heard an extremely loud sound coming from the mountainside. It was a man's voice singing in a language we did not understand but it didn't take long for us to figure out that it was one of their 5 daily calls to prayer. It was incredible how the sound echoed throughout the entire old city. There are speakers positioned on many rooftops that carried the sound throughout the entire city. At that point it really hit me that I am in a completely different culture here. It is also interesting to see Orthodox Jews wearing their prayer shawls, skull caps and ringlets. I feel like I am in a movie.

The rest of the day consisted of getting organized, moved in and getting to know the center a little bit better. I feel so privileged to have this opportunity to study in a city and land where so many things of historical and spiritual significance happened!