emily vs. bugs

JUC is a cozy campus. In less than a month, I’ve gotten to know everyone, with the exception of a couple off-campus grad students. We all spend time together at meals, exploring the city, playing games, studying. We have shared a lot of laughs, stories, jokes, books... water bottles, candy, coffee, fruit. It follows that the most recent bout of generosity came in the form of bugs. Stomach bugs.

In my life, I only remember being visited by these critters twice. Both times I knew I was going to die. Sunday night/ Monday morning falls in the same category, but with the distinction that I have never, ever puked so much in my life. Might I add: there is very little that’s worse than heaving yourself inside out and being thousands of miles away from your mom.

I slept all day and woke up at 6PM feeling so sorry for myself. I shambled into my cafeteria for toast and was welcomed with “Oh, you look like crap, sit here!” and took my place at the Quarantined Sick Kids’ Table. Aesop told it straight, Misery (Hi, that was me) really does love company. Swapping puking stories with the other afflicted fellows, I have never laughed so much with such a sad stomach. The poor boys stuck up on the roof, two flights of stairs away from the bathroom, gave me a great sense of perspective. And the places they puked... flower beds, gutters, trash cans... I understand why our cleaning lady has been grumpy.

Meanwhile, a sweet woman here on campus braved the plague and made the Quarantine Table lots of tea and tried to nudge some marmite stuff in our direction. Just the sort of thing my mom does; tea and then some interesting concoction that I politely (well, alright, adamantly) turn down. One movie later, I was able to go to sleep a happier, less-sick, sick kid than when I’d woken.

Looking back in the aftermath, I’m really thankful. Usually my emotional fortitude dissolves when I see dinner again. I weep, I gnash my teeth, I pray for swift death... I really lose it. But I was able to sleep it off (I hit a record 24 hours of sleep, with puking, then toast-movie intermissions). I’ve been able to bounce back pretty well!

So, here are some of the details of life, pre-bug visitation. Last week-end, on Saturday, we had a field study around outskirts of Jerusalem, in Judah.

Eastern Judah

Russian Orthodox Church near Mt. of Olives

Eating Lunch at the Herodian, this was my view.

My new favorite stop in Bethlehem? I think, yes.

Then Sunday we went to the coast! Here are some photos from Akko:

The Port City of Akko

I'm not sure what's going on in this photo... Best explanation: Jory is chilling in the belly of the whale and I am in Free Willy mode

The storms sweep in fast from the sea. We watched this one roll in, then nearly drowned standing. My friends and I were hustling back to the bus in the downpour and I tried to leap out of the street, over a small torrent and onto the safety of the sidewalk. Suddenly, my feet were gone and in the presence of many witnesses, I hit the ground. Oh well, never hurts to put the ego on a diet.

This week-end I spent a lot of time in Jericho. On Saturday I went monastery hopping, getting a taste for the different styles of the churches in the East.

Climbing up the Mount of Temptation

Ceiling of a church in a Russian Monastery. Hands down, the most beautiful church I have ever seen. The paintings, the woodwork, the mosaics... very beautiful building.

On Sunday I explored the territory of Benjamin with my Physical Settings class. The boundaries of Benjamin are approximately 27 miles East-West and 10 miles North-South. In this cramped space, I saw the most diverse landscapes. Think, from the heaps of sand and dust in the New Mexico desert to the summer-green farm land in Wilton, New York.

Wilderness

High Hills of Benjamin

Plains of Gezer

More Rain.

Alright, I know... my pictures are not so good. I have such a hard time with photos! They never look right for me. I get so frustrated, I end up just trying to internalize as much as I can rather than exercising my point-click eyes. But, I promise, I will step up my game.

Last photo I'll share: the Bedouin kids that showed up during our lecture on the Herodian Architecture on the site of one of Herod's pleasure palaces. There are quite a few of these hooligans running around, but these kids stood out because they had a baby, bleating goat that is probably going to be dinner in the future, but it was an excellent ploy for attention now. I fell for it.

Poor goat.

Thanks for reading!

Em