i think i'm gonna like it here

well I've been here a full 3 days and I absolutely LOVE it! From the minute I got off the plane,

I was just in awe. There really is such an incredible spirit here.

This is the view I woke up to from my room the first morning.

I just almost couldn't believe it.

This city is incredible.

Our first day we took an orientation tour of the city. I absolutely loved it! Sadly, we couldn't take pictures this first day because we had to get through a lot but I'll write a little bit about it.

We had Dr. Chadwick as our tour guide. He is the man. He literally knows everything. He’s been here so many times and is an archaeologist. He teaches our ancient near eastern studies class. He was telling us so much information the whole time I just couldn’t keep it all straight.

He was even quizzing us!

I think I’m going to get completely lost though. Usually I’m pretty good with directions but these roads make no sense and they go all different directions and are so narrow.

We got some bread on the way and dipped it into seasonings called zahtar. It is SO good. I also loved seeing all the little kids. They are adorable! The way he prefaced going in Damascus gate made it seem so magical! He mentioned how it feels like you’re going into a different world. And he was right! You walk through and immediately you’re thrown back to a different time. There are merchants on both sides of the streets trying to sell just about anything you can imagine. There’s also soldiers walking around with big machine guns so that’s fun! We walked through it pretty quickly but we met a few of the favorite merchants. We stopped at the Austrian hospice and as soon as you enter the gates it’s completely silent and peaceful. There’s a garden and benches to sit on. Once we got in the building, we walked up to the very top and could see over the whole city. It was amazing. It’s crazy how much of a difference there is in the noise level and it was so nice to take a step back.

Dr. Chadwick sat us down here and talked to us about the people. He seriously loves them. He says more of his best friends live here than in the U.S. He also said that all you hear about on the news is all of the bad things but for the most part, these people come together and live together without any problems. It’s just so unfortunate that there are so many differences between them including race, religion, and politics.

I'm excited to learn more about the people, the culture,

the city, and everything the Holy Land has to offer!

Oh, and don't let me forget to talk about the center. It is absolutely GORGEOUS. I was in love with it the minute I got off the bus and walked up to the front door. It's even better than all the pictures I've seen. I'm so glad I get to call it home for the next 3 1/2 months.