So Many Pretty Things!

I watched a photoshoot in Chinatown. It was pretty fabulous! This man dressed in a classic 1940s suit with slicked back hair walked down the street, a cell phone on his ear, as the photographer crouched down to get a great angle. This actually wasn't the first photoshoot I stumbled upon the past two weeks!
...I need some insight on the above two photos. I went into a Buddhist Temple, and to my surprise I found dozens of Chinese people wearing masks and packing what appeared to be paper money in bags. Hmmm... any ideas?

So, I've been exploring this HUGE city the past two weeks! I have to say that every time I venture out, I come across something unexpected! And, most of these surprising finds leave me with a smile. I really enjoy stumbling upon a unique street, an interesting person, or a beautiful dress! Maybe I should search out a career as a Professional Explorer. Does that exist? If anyone has any contacts, drop them my name please!

Outside the NY Stock Exchange building on Wall Street.

I've also become bosom buddies with the A, C, and 1 subway train. I've finished two books, and I am starting a third!

I've made some friends along the way...tried on lots of fun clothes (no purchases though)...and found many free museums and spots of interest! One of the best tours of the city is simply hoping on a public bus and riding the entire route. Now, this requires quite a bit of time; however, it is worth it!

I went to a book reading and discussion with Toni Morrison!

I'm anxious to start classes!!! Orientation starts Monday

.An INCREDIBLY expensive pair of earrings that Valerie and I saw in the Hamptons! I got to visit her family there for a few days!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

"Boom" by Anjulie

Nesting in New York!

So, my dad and I drove up from Miami to New York City! We loaded my car up with stuff that the movers didn't take and began the three day drive! We took our time and got to visit my friend Courtney in DC on the way.

Here are some pictures of my apartment in the moving process and finalized! I'm glad to be here in New York, but I miss my friends in Miami a lot.

I have just been transitioning and wandering around. This morning I biked to Columbia's campus and visited Grant's Tomb.

I'm just anxious for classes to start! Orientation starts August 31. :)

My mom and dad helped SO much. There is no way I could have gotten everything together and organized without them. I am so lucky that I have parents who can come to New York for a week to move their daughter in!

I've met some of the people in my building, and they are very nice. Hopefully I can make some friends here.

Lyrics I'm Humming:

"City" by Sara Bareilles

Day Five: Jerusalem, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Tiberius, and Amman (Jordan)

Tuesday, June 30

Left Jerusalem

We left early in the morning to drive up to the Sea of Galilee bridge and border crossing. Dan and RayRay drove us. They are such kind men. We drove through the Israeli desert, mountains, and acres of cropland. I was shocked to see the amount of farming going on in Israel. We also passed a mountain which some say is the Mt of Beattitudes. (Picture below)

Sea of Galilee: Capernaum

Capernaum is the city where Jesus started his ministry. He moved from Nazareth to Capernaum to find his "fishers of men." It is incredible to think of all of the life that Jesus and his disciples lived in Capernaum and around the Sea of Galilee.
We went to the location of Peter's home. On top of the ruins of his home a church has been built. The church is beautiful. It is full of windows and natural elements. (Picture below) I loved looking around the ruins of Capernaum. The city's synagogue has ruins, which is probably the synagogue that Jesus went to while living and working in Capernaum.

It seems that every place in Israel is a Holy Place. There is hardly a location where Jesus or his disciples did not grace. Every city and building has a story.

Sea of Galilee: Tiberius

We then went to Tiberius to have lunch before crossing the border. Ally, Dan, RayRay, and I all ordered the St Peter fish! The fish was fabulous, as has been all Israeli/Palestinian food! I am sad to be leaving this fabulous part of the world.
Before leaving the Sea of Galilee, we saw some Jewish men camping and fishing on the sea. How wonderful...Jews fishing on the Sea of Galilee. :)

Lyrics I'm Hummin:

"Wade in the Water" by the Blind Boys of Alabama

Day Four: Jerusalem and Bethany (West Bank)

Monday, June 29th

Wandering around Jerusalem

This morning, Ally and I decided that we would just hang around in Jerusalem. We shopped and wandered the streets looking for interesting people and places. It is so easy to get lost in this fascinating city. I bought a fabulous Palestian tiled tea tray!

Bethany (West Bank)

Nile and Dan took Ally and I to Nile's favorite chicken place in Israel!!! It was in Bethany, which is in the West Bank. So, we drove into Palestine again. The chicken was fabulous!!!

Western Wall

Ally and I have come to love the Western/Wailing Wall. We spent the evening around the wall, putting a prayer into the wall and enjoying the incredible array of people watching!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble"

Day Three: Jerusalem and Bethlehem

Sunday, June 28th

Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock

Ally and I ventured to the Western Wall again this morning; however, this time we took the ramp up to the Temple Mount to see the beautiful Dome of the Rock mosque. The rock inside the Dome of the Rock is where Muslims believe Abraham sacrified his son and where Muhamed ascended to heaven. The grounds around the mosque were open and a nice peaceful place to wander.

Ramparts Walk

So, Ally and I decided to take a shortcut to get from the Dome of the Rock to the beginning of the Via Dolorosa (the Street of Suffering where Jesus walked). Well, our shortcut was to walk on top of the rampart walls of Jerusalem to the Zion Gate. Oh my!!!!!!



It was about noon and it was so hot. The ramparts walk was long and hot and full of steps! Each time we went up steps, we had to go right back down another set of steps. Our "shortcut" turned into an hour of walking...almost as hard as climbing Mt Sinai! We finally got to the end of the walk...and needed a break! We were going to start another long walk and needed some R and R!

Via Doloroso

The Via Doloroso is one of the routes that Jesus may have taken on his walk to the cross. The route is set up with 14 stations, all depicting different important spots on Jesus' walk of suffering. There is one spot that marks where Jesus was given the cross, one where him mother saw him for the first time, and one where Simon carried Jesus' cross. The entire route was full with markets, people, and pilgrims on the trek to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is incredible to imagine that Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem that I was walking.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Wow. What a magnificiant church. This is where the possible site of Jesus' crucifiction, burial, and resurrection may have happened. The church was packed with people eager to touch the rocks where Christ lay and where Christ rose.

Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity

After our long morning of walking and exploring, Ally and I met up with Dan and Nile to head over to the West Bank. We went to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity and another part of Israel.

It was striking to see the contrast between Jerusalem and Palestine. On the Palestinian side of the wall separating the two places there was a lot of graffiti with thought provoking words and images.

It was also interesting to talk with a shopkeeper of an olive tree word carving store. He is an Arab Christian and took us to the roof of his shop to show us a bird's eye view of Palestine. I asked

Brazilian/USA Soccer Game in the New City

Ally and I wanted to explore some of the nightlife in Jerusalem, so we headed out to the New City! We saw quite an array of people there!!!!!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Colorblind by Counting Crows

Day Two: Jerusalem

Saturday, June 27th

7:00am: Western Wall

Ally and I woke up early in the morning to spend time at the Western Wall. I have really come to appreciate the peace and the power at this wall. The Western/Wailing Wall is the western wall of the Temple Mount. The first and second Jewish temples were located on the Temple Mount. Now, the land belongs to the Muslims in Jerusalem. The Jewish Temple is where the Holy of Holies and the Inner Court were. There are hundreds of Jews at any given moment on any given day praying at the Western Wall. I loved being there.

8:30am: Nile's Shop

We went to our new friend Dan's friend Nile's shop to meet up with Dan. Nile is a Palestinian Muslim man with an Israeli certificate. This means that he can easily travel across the Palestinian/Israeli border. He also has Bedouin ancestors, and he showed us how to play the Bedouin guitar! Nile is hilarious and he often entertains tourists and natives with his relaxing humor!

I tried to play the Bedouin guitar while wearing a 14 pound traditional Bedouin hat. Oh my! It was definitely challenging!!

9:30am: St Peter of Gallicantu Church

We then went to a French church called St Peter of Gallicantu. The church is located on the land where Jesus walked before he was crucified as well as where Peter denied Christ.




It never ceased to blow me away that I was at the location of Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection. This church was especially beautiful because it was just outside of the chaos of Jerusalem and provided a peaceful view of the Mt of Olives, the Valley of Gehena, and the Old City.


While wandering around the church, we came across a group of Arab Christian children reinacting the walk of suffering and the death of Jesus. It was amazing seeing a different people group portray Jesus. The picture below is of the girls pretending to be the disciples before Christ's arrest.

10:30pm: City of David

After St Peter of Gallicantu Church we headed to the ancient ruins of the City of David. The City of David is located just outside of the Old City and shows the ancient ruins of what would have been the central location of David's Kingdom when he was the ruler.

11:00pm: Mt of Olives

We took a taxi to the top of the Mt of Olives, which would have been quite the steep hike! The Mt of Olives is covered with tombs of Jewish people. Jews believe that the Day of Judgement will be located on the Mt of Olives, so that if they are buried on the mountain, they will be first in line for judgement. I loved wandering around the mountain and seeing all of the pilgrims, Bedouins, and Israeli soldiers enjoying the area.

1:00pm: Crazy car ride back to the Zion Gate

Oh my! We met one of Dan's friend's cousins up on top of the mountain. He gave us a ride back to the Zion Gate, which was hilarious! He was a crazy driver and clearly not paying attention to where he was going. He kept pointing out the window to show us something...not watching the road in front of him! And, each time we went over a bump, the back of his car would bottom out. Oh my!

1:30pm: David's Tomb

We made a quick stop to see King David's tomb. It was closed though...sad.

2:00pm: Back to Nile's shop for chicken and hummus

Yes! The best part of the day!!! (...well...one of the best parts...) Nile had this fabulous chicken and hummus with falafel meal made for us. Wow! Quite the hospitality we've been shown here in Jerusalem. The people here have been taking such incredible care of us. Ally and I just could not stop thanking God for providing us with kind people.

3:00pm: Damascus Street Market

The road to the Damascus Gate was an amazing Arab market. The streets were loud and crowed and full of clothes, scarves, rugs, spices, and even candy!! Dan led Al and I through the market with speed and vigour. Ally and I had quite the difficult time keeping up with the high-energy 75 year old man! He was quite the tour guide.

3:30pm: Garden Tomb: Golgotha

The mountain here could be the location of Jesus' crucifiction, death, and resurrection. It seems that the actual location is by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; however, the Garden Tomb site was incredibly peaceful and beautiful. In the garden, there were all types of people pilgriming to the tomb to worship the life of Jesus. We saw an African-American group having a worship service, a South Korean church singing praises, a Sweedish group of Christians taking pictures inside the tomb, and even some locals were there enjoying the garden.

5:00pm: Jerusalem House: Prayer Room

Dan took Ally and I to a place called the Jerusalem House where Christians come to gather, connect, and pray. Admist all of the noise and vibrancy of the city, it was nice to find a quite house to meet God in. Ally and I spent about an hour in the prayer room in the upstairs part of the house. I felt so connected to God in a new way. It has been so nice seeing Jerusalem and thinking about Jesus' life in a new light.

7:00pm: New City for ice cream

Nile and Dan took me and Ally out to the New City for ice cream! It was such a fun part of town, and the nightlife was a blast! We are definitely excited for a new day in Jerusalem tomorrow!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Amos Lee's "Street Corner Preacher"

Day One: Amman and Jerusalem

Friday, June 26th

Ally and I left Friday morning, June 26th for Amman, Jordan. While in the airport in Cairo we saw about 30 Arab men wearing bathtowel ensembles. Here is a picture of one of the men's backs. Ally and I are trying to figure out who these bathtowel wearing men are...so, if you know...let me know!


Our travels started well...flight to Amman was fine and the taxi ride to the Jordanian/Israeli border was lovely. BUT...when we got to the Israeli border, we came across our first speed bump... The last bus across the border left at 11:30, and we arrived at 12:00. So, we were forced to take a $92 per person VIP shuttle across. OH NO! This was Ally and my complete food budget for the trip in Jerusalem.


The good news though was this $92 VIP access got Ally and I through the 4-5 hour border crossing in less than 2 hours!

When we got to the other side, a connection Ally had from a friend in Cairo was there to pick us up. His name is Dan, and he is a high energy, spunky 75 year old man. We had a blast with him!

We got to Jerusalem around 3:00pm, and the adventures quickly began.

Jerusalem is an incredible city. We ushered in Shabbat at the Western Wall with all of the Jews. It was such a powerful experience. I love the liveliness of the city. The city is just brimming with life. Every corner...every street...evey nook in the city just breathes life. The history is amazing to see here.

While wandering around Jerusalem, I ran into a friend from Valley High School! Crazy! He is in Jerusalem working on his masters thesis about Jewish culture. What a small world! I feel that the more I travel, the smaller the world seems to be. And, the more types of people I meet, the more I see how connected and similar we all are.

One really interesting thing about Israel is that if you are an Israeli soldier, whether in or out of uniform, you must carry your gun. So, wandering the city are men and women carry huge army guns. It was crazy seeing a guy in street clothes with an AK 47 strapped to his side. Oh my!

Dan took us all around the Old City in Jerusalem. We walked on the rooftops as Dan explained the many wonderful sights around the city. I am so excited for Day Two of our Israeli adventure!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

"Picture of Jesus" by Ben Harper

Deeper Than My View of Grace

(A golden lamp inside the Greek Orthodox Church in Coptic Cairo)

Your love is deep.

Your love is high.
Your love is long.

Your love is wide.

Your love is deeper than my view of grace...

Higher than this worldly place...

Longer than the road I've traveled...

Wider than the gap You fill...

(The view from inside a church in Coptic Cairo of the neighborhood)

I am so grateful that God has allowed me to live this life. The song by Jami Smith "Your Love is Deep" has been in my head the past few weeks as I've been basking in God's overwhelming love and grace.

Matt Chandler of The Village Church has some great sermons on the church's website. I just listened to "Ask How." It was wonderful.

(This is a statue of St. George stabbing the devil disguised as a snake on the exterior of the Greek Orthodox Church)

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Your Love is Deep