Turkey Day 5

I didn't actually go to Turkey this semester, but I have previous semester pics to share. On Day 5 we go to Ephesus:

 So here is the main road - you can see the famous library at the end 

 

 All along both sides of the road are shops, government buildings,
shrines to various Gods, etc. etc.

 

This is a fountain

 

This is where the Nike symbol comes from. :)  

 

Now we're getting closer to the library

 

 At the library:

 

As you leave the library, you come into the agora - the market area. You know me and my flowers! Aren't they amazing???

 

This used to be the road from the harbor into the agora. The harbor is WAY far away now.

 

 These are what the water pipes looked like:

 

 Here is a grand view of the main attraction - the theater:  

 

In the theater they were preparing for a performance of some sort:

 

As you leave or enter the theater you turn and see this road. It originally connected to the harbor.

 

They have uncovered one area that is full of upscale houses. Entrance requires a separate ticket, so during our free time, Kent and I went and explored.

 

 I took this picture because of the painting on the inside.

 

 These are not "humble" homes.

 

 Private bath

 

 This looks like a wall, but it is actually a floor.

 

 

This is the walkway that exits Ephesus. It was from along here that I took the view of the theater.

 

 

After we leave Ephesus, we have lunch at one of my favorite places of the whole trip. It is a little restaurant run by a woman and her parents. They serve authentic Turkish food and are so gracious to us. They love the students!

 

 

Our last stop of the day is a place called Prienne. It is really beautiful. The reason we bring our students here is because 1) it is a really cool ancient site and 2) you can look across the valley [which used to be a sea port] and see Miletus. Miletus is where Paul went at least twice during his missionary journeys. Miletus is not as awesome as Prienne and is very swampy most of the year.

 

 

Part of what I love about this place is the setting:

 

 This is the temple

 

I was trying to get the sound of their bells in. Oh, well. :)

 

Here is the theater

 

 Here is another broader view of the theater - it would be hard to concentrate on your performance when you had this to look at behind the audience. Actually, this might be a good cure for nerves. Look at the scenery, not the audience. :)

 

In the theater are some VIP seats. In about 1984 Kent and I had our picture taken sitting in one of them. This is really bad, because it is a picture of the picture. This semester, 2 of our students "reinacted" the picture. Scroll down.

 

 



 

Valentine's Day and Purim

 

 

Valentine's Day in the Center:

 

This red chain ran from the 2nd floor up to the 6th.

Then it went over the top of the Oasis door and ended in a big heart on the wall. Very fun!

The students sent Valentines to each other and had a dance in the evening. Kent and I had to postpone our dinner date because he had work responsibilities out of Jerusalem. Only postponed though, not forgotten. The following evening, we had a branch Valentine's party. The adults in one room, the children in another. We played games [think of "The Newlywed Game" and games at the Card's tea].  We had a "break" and had some refreshments.

This is Jill Judd. She is one of our faculty wives and is also the Activities Committee Chair. Actually, I think she is the entire committee.

After our fill of cookies, we returned to our separate rooms and watched movies. The adult movie was "An Affair to Remember". The good one with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.

See the cute little girl on the floor. She is so adorable and her mother dresses her to the nines!! Her name is Victoria.

Here is a close up of her Valentine outfit:

Purim came after Valentine's Day and we celebrated that and included our Valentine's dinner out.
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people as told in the Book of Esther. Remember that Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus, planned to kill all the Jews in the empire, but his plans were foiled by Mordechai and Queen Esther. The day of deliverance became a day of feasting and rejoicing.
Now it is celebrated by giving gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, a celebratory meal, and public recitation of the Scroll of Esther. Other customs include drinking wine [apparently a lot of it!], wearing costumes, and public celebration.
Kent and I went into the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim and just wandered around. It looked like Halloween night on 100 West in Orem [minus the drunkenly weaving, loud men] :).

There was actually a third little clown that I didn't get in this picture. I'm assuming the 3 clowns are sisters. :)

 

 As you can see not everyone dresses up. There were a few people who turned away when they saw we were taking pictures. Most didn't care.

 

The one below is more just to give you a sense of the setting. All of the apartments on top of each other. The streets were wall-to-wall cars and people.

 

Here are some girls enjoying the view from their balcony

 

 These children turned and ran inside the gate when they saw us. That is why you can only see the face of one of them.

 

 

The tall fez hats were popular. We saw many drunken men like the 2 in the second picture -- linked arm-in-arm, singing loudly and trying to walk straight. I find it interesting.  And that is all I'm saying. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The area we wandered through is called Mea Shearim, but there is an enclosed neighborhood that is the actual Mea Shearim. It looks like a fortress and is only accessed on foot.

 

The sign below is over the entrance. I was wearing pants, so we didn't venture in.  

Of course, Kent new of a church in the neighborhood, so we took a detour there for a minute. It was an Ethiopian Coptic church.

Since most stores and restaurants in West Jerusalem were closed for Purim, we went back to a neighborhood close to the Center for dinner. It was called Azkadinya and it was delish!

This is the entrance

 

Inside:

 

 Here is my handsome date! Happy Valentine's to me. :)

 

 Kent ordered Chicken Azkadinya

 

 I ordered Chicken Curry. Both were served with a wonderful warm, crusty bread!

It was dark when we came out and I loved the sign. To the right of the star is Santa and his sleigh. ????

We have had a really fun couple of weeks. Plus, the weather has been amazing. All in all, we are a happy family! :)

Friends

 

These are the wonderful sisters that Kent and I take to and from church each Saturday. From left to right: Svetlana Birliba [Moldova, Romania]; Arceli Espiritu [Philippines]; Kessy Caralipio [Philippines]; Miriam Griell [Austria]

 

 

Let me tell something about these amazing women. Svetlana is a single mom who has raised a son. She moved to Jerusalem so that she could earn money to send him on a mission and now to pay for his college education in the states. She cleans houses for 2 different families in order to make what little money she can.

Arceli is a mother of 3 and a new grandmother. She has lived here for 6 or 7 years as a caretaker. She is helping her husband put their children through college. They all live in the Philippines. If she is lucky enough to be able to save up money, she gets to go home and visit for a month, once a year. She currently lives with the man she takes care of but also takes care of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren as needed.

Kessy is a single sister who is working here to help put her cousin through school. Her family also lives in the Philippines. She lived here in Jerusalem for 2 years before we found her. Now she can come to church on Saturdays.

Miriam is here working with handicapped children at a school run by nuns. She lives and eats with the children and will be here until about June.

All of these sisters have no transportation but taxi or public. There is no public transportation on Saturdays.

What a sacrifice these sisters make for their families and for the church. Their only contact with members is on Saturday when they come to church. Some Saturdays they can't get here because of their work requirements. Gives new meaning to attending church doesn't it??


This cute man is a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor. His name is Elias Feinzelberg. His caregiver is our friend, Arceli. That is how we "discovered" him. He came and gave our Forum address a few weeks ago. His story is amazing. His entire family was killed in the Ghettos or concentration camps. He survived NINE concentration camps and other unimaginable circumstances. He loves the students and he loves to chat.  What a great addition he has been to our program. :) The people standing in the background are some of his family members. You can see part of Arceli behind Kent's head/

Remodeled Biblical Garden

 

 

Beginning last fall, the gardeners here have been in charge of remodeling the Center's Biblical Garden. They have made part of it handicap accessible. They've removed and replanted many of the shrubs, flowers & trees and they have repaved it - it is really looking beautiful!

 

For those of you who have been there - this is standing on a new pathway looking back at the olive crusher. Off to the left are the stairs that go down to one of the olive presses:

This is walking on down that new path - they've installed a lovely water canal that runs along the path. Off to the left is a nice bench.

The arch ahead looks into one of the side lawns that run next to the auditorium.

Following the same path takes you down some stairs that cross over the canal. The area in the top left of the picture is on the seventh level of the Center.

We got heart attacked. :)

The past 2 events

Our most recent field trip was to the Shephelah. One of the places we visit is the valley where David fought Goliath. The students get a chance to use a sling shot. Wisely, the bus drivers park waaay up the road from here! :) I didn't actually go this past week, this is from a past semester. Is that cheating??

 

 

A couple of nights ago we had our Arab Culture Night. It began with the opportunity to have your picture taken in "authentic" Arab dress.

After pictures we all assemble in the forum. Our Arabic teacher introduces and interprets for the 2 Sheiks at the Al-Aksa mosque. The job of reciting from the Koran and doing the call-to-prayer is a family thing. For us, they recite a section of the Koran about Mary. Then they do the call to prayer and then they show us how they pray. It is very interesting and educational.

This is a father/son team

Following the Forum meeting we have an authentic Ramadan feast. Delish!!!!

 

 There are breads, humus, tahina, multiple kinds of stuffed vegetables, salads, chicken, lamb, schwarma, desserts. The food just goes on and on. I always want to try a little of everything - not possible!

More Jordan pictures

We took the students to Jordan last week. I'm happy to say that although the forecast was for rain everyday, it only rained when we were inside! ;)
I've already shared lots of pics from previous trips, but here are a few more that I took at the Royal Automobile Museum. :)

This looks fun to ride in, don't you think?

This would be a great space-saver!

Homemade bike: