Updates from the Holy Land

I left off with this on January 1, one day short of both my 21st birthday and my final departure from Israel. I figured it was time to maybe...

Aw, Beth just moved out. Only my second real roommate ever. I've gotten so lucky with both. :) Mostly I wrote about the big things; ...

And only a few after at most. I'll be on a plane home early January 3. Happy New Year!

Clockwise from the top, Madi, me, and Ana at Jack's house. 

Still in Jerusalem, during our walk. 

Pretty-looking storm clouds that are about to dump their rain on us. 

Street in Bethlehem on the way to the Church. 

Church of the Nativity. 

Blurry photo of Nativity Square, all lit up and with people milling around. 

Pretty much the only picture I got of the Church of the Nativity, not being sure if we were allowed to take some. Unfortunately, it turned o...

St. Catherine's Church. 

Inside of St. Catherine's. 

In the caves below St. Catherine's there are a lot of Latin inscriptions carved on the walls and columns. 

n/t 

n/t 

One of the random cave/grottoes that lead off from St. Catherine's Church. 

The mosque across from the Nativity Church, where Mahmoud Abbas drove up to. 

And the death toll keeps rising every day. 50,000 and counting. Unbelievable. I have friends who were in Sri Lanka a few months ago, and one...

So I saw Phantom of the Opera (the movie) last night at what Leora and I thought had to be the most upscale movie theater in Israel. Until w...

Turned in my paper and did my final early, battling other classes that wanted to take over my testing room and automatic lights that kept tu...

I read some news pieces that reported a feeling of greater calm and joy in Bethlehem this Christmas, and more optimism for the future. I gue...