Bet Sahour and Bethlehem
Delayed post from 23 February 2016 As we walk through silent, little Bethlehem, I can still hear the three wise men roaming through these narrow streets with their donkeys’ rhythmical clack of hooves fading into the flagrant symphony of commerce and daily affairs that takes place in Palestinian suqs (markets). If anything elevates Bet Sahour....
JUC and Biblical Geography
7 March 2016 Last week, we arrived at Jerusalem University College (JUC) after spending a few days at the Jewish Efrat settlement in the West Bank, marking the transition from contemporary politics to ancient biblical geography. For me, this change has been a welcome one, especially after the intensity of Efrat. For once, it鈥檚 nice....
Wadi Rum and family stays in Palestine
Wadi Rum, Jordan On Thursday, January 24 we arrived at Wadi Rum, Jordan after staying in Aqaba, Jordan for one night. What we had planned in Wadi Rum was a two night Jordanian Bedouin camp stay which included a three hour camel ride into the Wadi Rum desert. Once we arrived at the Bedouin camp....
A scarf, a border crossing, and learning empathy first-hand
5 February 2016 I bought a purple and gold scarf in a market in Luxor on the banks of the Nile. He started at 220 Egyptian Pounds, but by lying about how much money I had and threatening to leave, I got him down to 70 pounds, which is ten dollars. The scarf is royal....
Sinai
31 January 2016 My curiosity about the Sinai began when Linford announced we would be hiking and camping with a tribal group of people called the Bedouins. My interest, in the Sinai, turned to excitement when David Landis, a guest speaker during orientation, described the Sinai in two powerful words: rugged beauty. The Sinai is....
Reflections on the Empire
It has been two full days of Egyptology! Pyramids, the Sphinx, Tahrir Square, street markets, Museum of Cairo, a carpet factory, and a scenic drive out of the city to the Coptic Christian retreat of Anaphora. We’ve seen artifacts from before 4500 BC, trekked inside (and then sang in!) one of the pyramids of Giza,....
Coptic traditions at Anafora
We had the opportunity to spend a few days at a Coptic Orthodox retreat center an hour out of Cairo called Anafora. The Coptic church聽traces their roots back to the apostle Mark and a visit he made聽to聽Egypt. So this experience was a chance to worship with one of the聽earliest church traditions. The leadership at Anafora....
Egypt
18聽January 2016 So, we are finally in Cairo and I am jet lagged, but am so excited to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Cairo has a distinct smell to it, a mixture of smoke and incense. The streets are chaotic and bustling with life and everyone is trying to get you to buy something.....