The Center

I have received requests to describe life at the Jerusalem Center so here we go.

Center Layout:
We have everything we need here in the Jerusalem Center. The living apartments are the bottom 5 floors. Right now the center is running at half capacity, so the 1st and 2nd floor are empty. I live on the third floor. On the 6th floor we have "The Oasis" which is the cafeteria and serves some excellent meals, though I am pretty meat-ed out, and have become a "vegetarian" this last week (except on Mexican night). On the same floor we have our classrooms and the forum, so when you're running late at breakfast, don't worry, class is 30 seconds away. Also on the 6th floor is the computer lab and study rooms and the social hang out/ lounge/ shekel shaq/ party room. This last room is where all the large social gatherings happen, are where people can get local candy and confections for a few shekles. And last on this floor, but not least, is the gym complete with basketball hoops, optional volleyball net and workout room. I like to go in there after lunch to shoot some hoops, and later in the evening they often have a volleyball game going. The 6th floor is where the majority of the comings and goings happen. The 7th floor is the administrative offices. The 8th floor, which is the top, is where I spend the majority of my study time because this is where the library is located. It's a great place to study, since there's rarely anyone there. I suppose that most prefer to study on a more conveniently located floor. There's a small library next to the main library which I like to call "the think tank" and is my favorite place to study when it is available. Also on this floor is the Auditorium which is also our chapel. The walls facing the west are all glass, so it has the most amazing view of the city. I love how accessible everything is, and yet how much room there is. It's close together but not crowded.

Classes:
Contrary to popular belief, we do have to study while we're here. We have five classes right now: Old Testament, Modern Near Eastern Studies from the Palestinian perspective, Modern Near Eastern Studies from the Jewish Perspective, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, and either Hebrew or Arabic language. I'm taking Hebrew, and Eliza's taking Arabic. Classes are normally in the morning and/or right before dinner, so our afternoons are often free time. I am amazed that there is never a shortage of placed to see around here, and I plan on using my free time to it's fullest extent.

Proximity:
We're on Mt. Scopus which is right next door to the Mt. of Olives. We live in East Jerusalem, which is mainly Palestinian. It's about a 20 minute walk into the old city from here. We can walk to most of the places we want to visit around here, but we will also often get a group together to take a taxi to the west side of town. Since it's about the middle of the semester, the merchants have gotten more used to seeing us and they aren't as pushy. I spent the day yesterday walking around the walls of the city, getting more accustomed to my surroundings. We went to every single gate, including Golden Gate which had been sealed off by the Romans to prevent the return of the Messiah (pretty cool story). We also explored the Christian, Armenian and Jewish quarters within the wall. The city is not nearly as big as I had imagined. If we walked at a good pace it would probably take us 1-2 hours to walk around the whole city, but there is so much still to see! It's amazing how they can put so much into such a small area.

What else do you want to know? Leave a comment and answer you!

-Jecia-