Jerusalem! ~Philip Crouse

When I got to Israel, I was first struck by the dustiness. Everything had a bit of a yellowish hue. We arrived at 6PM in Tel Aviv and convened at the airport. There was a lot of excitement in the group and everyone was ready to get started. We boarded our bus and got to St. George's as night enveloped Jerusalem. Other than a quick walk in the old city and a beer at the American Colony, we kept it pretty low key on the first night.

Our first full day in Jerusalem was jammed pack with action. We started the day with a great morning prayer led by Father Fred. We grabbed some breakfast at the college and then I went for a short walk around the college to check out the area surrounding the college with a few folks. I found a couple of interesting items on the streets. Firstly, there were multiple carts that were selling what seemed to be oversized bagels. I didn't grab one, but will certainly get one before heading out. I also found a spice shop, which sold dried fruits and all kinds of spices - pretty cool. We headed back to the college for a short Jerusalem 101 talk with Father Kamal our course director. He sped through 4000 years of history masterfully over the course of 60 minutes and we were off to lunch and an afternoon adventure in the old city.

We grabbed lunch at an interesting French convent. The food was delicious and views of the city were spectacular. Then Father Kamal led us to the walls of the old city to provide us a little more context. He left us at the waling wall where we were instructed by our course organizer and all-around good sir, Jay Crouse to break into teams to go and explore the four different quarters (Christian, Jewish, Armenian and Muslim) of the old city. My group got the Christian section. Naturally, we headed straight for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. On our way, we grabbed some snacks and took in some of the charm of the city. I was really amazed at the juxtaposition of the reverence and emotion of the holy sites and the commercialism of an active city. It was very unique. These feelings were further stirred when we went into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Frankly, my experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was overwhelming. The incense billowed out of the doors. When I walked inside, I was surprised at the vast amount of decorations adorning the different structures. It seemed a little less thoughtful than other cathedrals or religious spaces that I had been to. In addition to the loudness of the decoration, there were many people who were hysterically praying. I found myself taken aback at first. We would discuss later on how this was a very natural western reaction to eastern religious culture. We only had enough time to look around briefly and we were quickly back on the busy streets of Jerusalem. We walked through the markets and out of the city back to St. George's. The day wrapped up with a great Eucharist led by Father Fred, a tasty dinner and some cards. We all hit the sack to rest up for the days to come.