JC-ness

So, we were supposed to go to the Wailing Wall yesterday evening, but due to a variety of things our security personnel did not think it was safe and canceled our trip. It made for a really long afternoon. I had planned to discuss this experience with you today, however, since we aren't actually going until we return from Egypt I thought I'd show you where I live instead.


Here are pictures of our room. I live with three other girls; as long as we keep it clean we have enough space. (Mary, you might have a hard time with this life style.) The door opens up to a little patio and there is a tree in the middle (the hallways are open, so you can see the sky) and then on the other side is the door for our neighbor's apartment. I love having the tree there, and being able to smell the outdoors and hear the birds as I walk to my room at all hours of the day. We live on the third of eight floors, and the main entrance is on level eight: the eighth floor has an auditorium, the library, the LRC (Learning Resource Center?), some administration offices, and the security room; the seventh level has more offices and the entrance to the forum (another auditorium-like room, where we have class); the sixth floor has the computer lab, the lower entrance to the forum, the snack bar (woohoo!), classrooms, and the Oasis (where we eat); level five is the faculty housing and offices; floors four and three are all student housing; and one and two are also student housing, but are currently unoccupied. Since I live on the third floor but pretty much everything happens on floors six through eight, I go up and down the stairs a lot every day. I apologize for the awkward pictures, but the room is at a difficult angle for my photography skills.

Here is the view from our balcony. I must say, it's the best view I've ever had.

The BYU Jerusalem Center itself is quite beautiful as well; it is arguably the best (modern) architecture in the city, and people come from all over to tour the Center. I've seen at least three tour groups in my 10 days of being here so far. It looks amazing set up on the hill with Hebrew University on one side. I don't have any excellent pictures of it yet, but I do like this one. This is how the Center looks while walking home from the Old City.
The Center is the building up on the hill with the arches. And here's one more that's (somewhat) closer...
This was taken from the Rockefeller Museum. The Center is the building with the arches, like before, and to the right is the Augusta Victoria tower, which I discussed in a previous post. Isn't it a beautiful building?

Tomorrow we get to go see the Dead Sea Scrolls (SO COOL) and then I will spend the afternoon shopping in West Jerusalem with my roommates.

Shabbat Shalom.