Jerusalem through cats

So there are tons of stray cats in Jerusalem, and we see them a lot in the mornings and evenings, so I thought I would document my way to the dig site via cat pictures...

But these are a couple of scenery pictures in the morning before we get to the cats. It's actually not this bright cause we leave the hotel at 5:00 AM, but the camera makes everything look more bright.

And here is the entrance to Damascus gate, where we enter the old city.

And now, the cats!
 The first ones were right inside the front gate.

1.

2.

3.

And here are some more outside of Mt. Zion Gate...

4.

5, 6, & 7.

8 & 9 (there's one on the left and one on the right in front of the red bar)

10.

And I caught the tail end of one running away this afternoon while we toured some of the tunnels.

11.

Another piece of wildlife in Jerusalem is the pigeons that live right outside my window and coo at 3:00 am.

We came, we shopped, we got ripped off.

Well, not exactly. I've been working on my bartering skills quite a bit, but I was like not so good at first. It's so weird, I really hate bartering. But I did take some cool pictures while we were walking around the old city and shopping.

This is part of our walk on the way to the dig, but it's in the afternoon. Usually, it's pretty dark at 4:00 am.

Straight through here is the mall where we buy ice chocolate, which is the best drink you'll ever have. Rachel described it as "iced hot chocolate."

And this is coming out of the mall entrance...

We go up and to the right around this building in the picture below to get to the dig.

And this is a view from in the shops...

And here are some views from around where we are staying...

More adventures...

On Tuesday, after we dug, we went to the church of St. Peter of Galicantu. It was so beautiful, and it was all excavated underneath so you can see the archaeological site under the church. It also has this really cool outlook where you can see beautiful scenery.

It's right around the corner from the excavation, so we went right after digging. We were so dirty, but there weren't that many people there to judge us.

Here's me:

And another picture:

Then, we came back and I fell asleep at 5:00 and woke up at 4:00 am the next day to dig, with a short interlude at 7:00 to apologize for oversleeping through our meeting to go shopping. Instead, we are going shopping today! 

Speaking of shopping, here is a picture of a pair of pants that I got a couple of days ago; Caroline bought a pair with elephants too!

I found a coin!

             Today was a good day so far. We woke up early, met at 4:45 in the lobby for pastries and coffee, and set out shortly afterward. Today, we actually got to do a little “digging.” We basically got into all of the sites and brushed out all of the loose dirt that was present, collecting all of the “finds” (pottery, animal bones, etc.) and putting them all in one locus. This is because it is kind of impossible to tell after a year of weather, wind, and whatnot what layer the pieces of pottery came from. But we document them all this way.

            Then, I worked on Rafi’s site for a little bit, doing basically the same thing, and I found a coin! It was the second one found this dig season, but apparently I was lucky to find one so I felt like I was doing something right! And there were all these kids walking by the fence on the side of the wall of Mt. Zion gate. They were stopping and watching us while talking, and it was cool to know that a lot of people are interested in what we are doing here. I mean I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but you don’t stop for several minutes just to look at nothing!

            We came back, had a delicious lunch – their hummus is amazing! And then I showered. It seems that this will be the order that I do things, as I am always starving when I get back and I eat like I haven’t seen food in years.

            Now I’m sitting up on the terrace and writing this. It’s so beautiful up here. The sun is up and reflecting off all the buildings, and the city is busy and alive. It’s also pretty hot.

            I have a few hours until Dr. Gibson’s lecture at 4:00, so I’m just going to try and sit and relax, and I may go and get some ice cream beforehand. Until tomorrow!

First Day!

I wish I could explain everything about the dig, what it looks like, who passes by, but in reality, I can’t. Everyone who went on the dig last year tried to describe to me, and pretty much failed. Jerusalem and the Old City are pretty indescribable.

We left mid-morning (which for us is like 7:15-ish) and we walked through Damascus Gate to get into the Old City. On the way to the dig, you are going through these tunnels and every one of them is filled to brim with shops and people selling trinkets. But at 7ish, everything was still fairly quiet. We passed the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and King David’s Tower. And then, you go through Mt. Zion gate, and the dig is literally to the left of where you exit.

Walking there is a surreal experience. You can see the huge old stones from the Herodian era, and all of these holy monuments and historic locations, but people are just going about their normal days. It’s this strange juxtaposition of divine and ancient verus modern and mundane.

Today on the dig, we were preparing the site for excavation. So we weeded all of the areas. We pulled out all of what Dr. Gibson described as, “vegetal elements.” And then, since we didn’t have enough brushes to begin preparing the site for excavation, we came home early.

We walked back to our hotel, and then we ate a delicious lunch of upside-down chicken, which is delicious! They like put all of this chicken and rice and vegetables into a pot and then they cook it and they come out and turn the pot upside down to get it out. It was so good! Then I took a shower, which felt amazing after being so dirty.

Later, Caroline and I went out shopping in the old city. It’s so weird. They are just like, “You are so beautiful; come into my shop!” It’s so busy. There are so many people. And the strange thing is, a lot of them have the same stuff. Like I was offered a price of 10 shekels or 30 shekels for the same item at two different places. And I’m kind of terrible at bartering, but I did get a pair of pants! They have elephants on them, and they’re high waisted and flowy.

Then we came back, got some dinner, and I was able to spend time with people on our rooftop terrace/balcony/thing. All in all, it was a beautiful day. I’ve never been so fascinated with a city dynamic such as Jerusalem’s. My mind is still trying to wrap my head around what I think about it. 

We have arrived!

So today was a travel day, plain and simple. Caroline picked me up at my apartment and we drove to the Charlotte airport and after a few weather delays, we departed for Philadelphia. Then, once we got to the airport, we had food (I had pizza) and found our gate for the long flight.

It's really interesting, Israel has a gate for itself and you have to go through security again to enter their gate. It wasn't too bad though, and we didn't have any hiccups along the way. Then, we boarded our 11 hour flight to Tel Aviv which was the longest flight I've ever been on in my entire life. I almost thought that it would never end.

They had free movies on the plane so I watched Frozen (absolutely amazing), and then it was about midnight on regular time and I went to sleep for about 5 hours (which is actually pretty good). Then I woke up at 5:00 am and watched Ender's Game, which is also pretty good. We got in at about 3:00 pm Israel time.

It was so strange to ride the bus into Jerusalem, and look at the scenery outside. I'll post a few pictures tomorrow. It's just so surreal that I am so far away from home, and that I'm in Jerusalem to boot. It doesn't seem like I'm living reality.

Tomorrow we are starting at 8:00, but we'll be walking to the dig through the Old City at 7:15. And this is a late day! We will regularly be starting to dig at 5:45 in the morning, so I'll relish the opportunity to sleep in and eat a real breakfast! I can't wait to begin!

Today I go to Jerusalem!

I guess that I never thought that this day would ever get here, and now it is. I'm sitting in my room, packed and ready to go to Jerusalem. I'm participating in an archaeological dig sponsored by UNC Charlotte. I'll get on a plane and fly across the Atlantic tomorrow, and I'm not really sure what I'll discover.

This is my first time abroad, my first experience with archaeology, and my first experience with religion. I've been reading textbooks about the history of Jerusalem, and its relation to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I've read more about Jesus in these past few weeks more than I ever have in my entire life. I've been Agnostic my entire life, and I've never read the Bible. So, I know I'll be learning a lot, and it will probably be pretty overwhelming, but I can't be more excited!

And yet, when I'm thinking about the Holy Land, I pause. I'm not sure what it will hold for me. It's one of those unique places that is shared in a way where everyone still feels a personal connection and significance. But most people go there because they already have had that connection. I'm wondering what significance Jerusalem will hold for me.

Wish me luck with my travels (I'm going away on Friday the 13th, and incidentally there will also be a full moon) - I might just need some luck!