here

Finally.

It is different than I imagined in so many ways, but the same in so many others. It feels foreign, but not completely, there is a familiarity that seems to fill the air here too. I have yet to figure out why. I have to remind myself that I'm in Jerusalem, it still hasn't quite sunk in yet despite the view that greets me every time I glance through a window.

The city is full of life, life that is very different from my own. There are chaotic drivers, crazy confusing streets, vendors out greeting us, trying to entrap us with their products: "Hello, Utah!" they yell to us, "BYU how are YOU?", pungent smells of incense and spice, music seeping out into our ears from little shops, and the call to prayer radiating out from the green-lit towers. There is a rhythm of life here, one that I am anxious to learn.

Everything here strikes me as beautiful, but what amazes me the most is that amongst all this chaos and craziness, modernity and technology, there is a quiet, ancient, sacredness that resides with these people. Their devotion to their land, people, and religion is astounding. They wear it openly, for everyone to see whether it be by beards and prayer shawls, or long dresses and a head scarf.

There is so much to see and do here, my brain can hardly comprehend that I will get to experience most of it, but not just once, I will get to know the city, love it, and learn from it. I. cannot. wait.

m