Sometimes it takes a torched turkey to remind us what Thanksgiving is really all about. As a sophomore in college, I decided to pack up my apartment, say farewell to America, and try my hand overseas in a study abroad program. I joined 172 all-American, green-as-grass students dropped in Israel for a semester. Talk about...
Living Between Two Worlds: Experiencing the Diverse Cultures of the Middle East Part of the magic of living in Jerusalem is living among many people from diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds. For me, this actually started a bit before BYU Jerusalem when I lived in the BYU Foreign Language housing. I was in the French...
While I was a student at the BYU Jerusalem Center in the Fall Semester of 2000, I was having a hard time early on, being distracted by a problem at home. My focus was on trying to keep a long-distance relationship working with a girlfriend. As a result, I wasn’t paying attention enough to the extraordinary learning environment. ...
One memory that stood out in my mind from my time in Jerusalem was the Last Week of Christ’s Life Field Trips. One of the stops was the Dominus Flevit Church: this church is a Franciscan church commemorating where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Our group always sang a hymn at every site we went to. ...
Today was a field trip day—except that it only included me, Marilyn, Cindy, and Jane. We left early for the Central Bus Station—humored on the way by a young gal sliding around the bus on account of its abrupt stops, and her large “tik” (backpack).We then boarded a bus, after shoving and pushing, which took...
It is very apparent, as soon as you step off the plane. There is a heightened sense of tensions and awareness. Two different nations that do not get along. The conflict is real and is tangible. From the dominance of Israel’s soldiers protecting its citizens at every location to young Arab children lining the streets...
I am often asked about my experience as a student at BYU’s Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. One of my favorite ways to describe my experience is through the scriptures. It is as if the scriptures came alive and opened up a whole new level of understanding, connection, and reality. They are literally no...
“Don’t ever forget—be sure this place penetrates your soul. You’ve failed if you don’t come home changed for good.” These were just a few of the golden nuggets I furiously tried to capture from Elder Holland’s address to our Winter 2011 group during his brief visit to the Jerusalem Center. Luckily, I am the Hermione...
When I was 21, I attended the Fall 2000 semester at Brigham Young University’s Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. I was a history major and loved exploring a land that held so many stories. We traveled and learned Hebrew and Arabic and studied the New and Old Testaments with wise professors and ate so...
