I Feel Frumpy

Because I wear baggy clothes, I don't blow dry my hair (well, I didn't do that before...but still) my makeup melts off and I am SO tired. I feel like all I do is sleep! At night in my bed, during the day in my bed, on the bus and in class. They say jet lag will wear off after a week....but I only have one more day before it is a week and I'm afraid I'll still be tired!  Okay, pictures. Here they are.

Can I just tell you that getting to this point, (flying out of the states on the rad German airline Lufthansa,) was one of the harder things I've done in my life. Not only did we experience the whole Phoenix fiasco but something went wrong almost every step of the way.
1. Boarding passes wouldn't print at the Phoenix airport
2. They wouldn't let me on our flight from Charlotte to DC because they had overbooked and I didn't have a spot. Luckily right before the plane took off they let a tear streaked, hopping mad me on the plane to find a seat next to what might be called a little more than pleasantly plump man who I was squished next to the entire flight. But I was just glad to be there.
3. In DC four out of our group, according to the airlines, didn't have any sort of booking or reservation or any other signification that they wanted to fly from DC to Frankfurt. Again, they were all able to board last filling the empty seats.
4. He** at Immigration
5. Lost baggage.

This is our huge plane parked in the overcast, muggyness of Frankfurt. (The only time I've ever set foot in Europe.)

Immigration was ridiculous. BYU told us not to tell them we're students because we need visas to be students in Israel and technically we're not.  So when I handed the lady my passport and said, "I'm part of a church sponsored program to see the sights of Israel, learning about the life of Christ" and the lady said "for how long?" and I said, "for three and a half months," I knew from the expression on her face I wasn't getting off that easy. "I don't believe you. What are you going to see for three months? How can there be that many things? It sounds like you are a student. I don't buy it."  It was terrible. The icing on the cake of the worst traveling experience I have ever had.  But eventually she let me through telling me, "you better be out in 3 months." 

This picture was in the baggage claim area.  Obviously I'm in a place that doesn't look too kindly on Americans.

Because 4 people's luggage had been lost we had to wait for an hour before we could leave the airport.

 After a 45 minute bus ride we finally arrived to the Jerusalem Center and I cried. (For the third time in three days.) I went to my room and fell on my bed and cried. I was so happy to finally be there. And even though I had seen pictures of the center and I knew it was beautiful, I was completely unprepared for how gorgeous it is. It is full of creamy golden light, smooth stone floors and huge round windows. The air outside is warm and just the right kind of windy.

Dome of the Rock

There are so many gummies in the old city!

Funny boys in the street.

The tomb of Mary. People lighting candles.

Most hilarious girl I've met here, Catie Legro.

Ha!

The French Canadian priest, Michelle LeFeaux, at the Church of Saint Anne.  He asked us to sing hymns in the church because he said it gave him chills. We did and the acoustics were incredible.

Today at the church of the Holy Seplechure, a possible site of Christ's crucifixion.

 This sign is outside of Hebrew University, where I am now writing this blog. It is a 10 minute walk from the center and the internet is way faster!