Random Thoughts

• Starry Night Vincent Van Gogh
• Cloths Pad and menstrual health
• 10-15 page paper
• My mom and family
• Israel and Cuba
• Laundry Time
• Church in the A.M.
• Mi esposo futuro
• Hurricane Katrina Devastation
• The Museum of Modern Art and weird contemporary art work
• Upcoming flight
• Friendships
• tomorrow's dinner
• school and classes
• Remembering the things not to be forgotten

Lisa Curtis cloth pads

The Starry Night, Van Gogh

A cat that I sure wish I could adopt

He Calls Me Beautiful One

Hi all,

So one of my favorite books in the Bible is The Song of Solomon or The Song of Songs ( depending on the translation). I found a picture online and it really inspired me to try a little "collage" to help me visualize the meaning of the book. If you have not read this book yet, then you can read the passages for yourself here!

Thanks for reading! All pictures were taken in Israel :)

Historical Sites

Dead Sea

Thank you to all who supported me on this trip to Israel. I enjoyed my stay in Israel and the many historical sites. Israel has such a rich history and it was great experiencing these things first hand. The historical sites included The Masada Fortress, The Old City of David, and Jacob's Well. 

Herod originally built the Masada Fortress. It still stands tall in the Judean desert. I think the fortress was a great example of preserved architecture in Israel. The structures were apart of the original design, so I was able to imagine the great fortress that once housed Herod the Great. My favorite part about the experience was looking down into the valleys with awe! The echo within the valley was incredible, the whole team yelled down into the valley to hear our echoes reply back. I just loved the beautiful landscape. The desert can be a beautiful place besides the heat and extreme lack of shade.

Wailing Wall and Dome of the Rock

The Old City of David essentially became Jerusalem. David ruled as King over the city. My favorite part about walking throughout the city walls was the architectures that lay beneath the present structures. Jerusalem is a historical city that is constantly filled with excavations of historical sites. For instance, I walked beneath the streets in an old passageway that helped refugees escape the ancient city. The journey led us to the Pool of Siloam, which was something that I was looking forward to seeing upon my visit to Israel. This pool reminded me of the blind man that was healed in that exact place because of his faith. Jesus instructed him to walk to the pool of Siloam to receive his healing and he did just that! I would love to have an experience that opens my eyes to see the light. After that, our journey ended up at the Temple Mount. The gigantic stones that were torn down from the temple walls definitely characterized the enemies that the Israelites had to deal with in the land. I did not imagine the Temple ruins to be lying right outside The Temple Mount just as it was a thousand years ago. They used no effort in removing these huge rocks because it symbolized the destruction of their beloved temple. 

 

Jacob's Well was located in Shechem or modern day Nablus in the West Bank. This was a surprise experience for me because I did not expect to see the actual well belonging to Jacob. Jacob’s well, similar to many other historical sites, was located within an orthodox church. Since Israel is the holy land many people travel to these churches for the exact same reason that I did. The experience was incredible because it really hit me that I was in Israel, a place where so many historical figures lived their lives.   

 Check out Flickr pictures here!

Masada

Flickr

Hi all,

My time in Israel has come to an end and to commemorate the memories, I have created a Flickr account. If you click here on my account you will see pictures from my trip.


One of my favorite leisure activities from the trip was floating on the Dead Sea. The experience was such breath of fresh air. I was at the lowest point on earth and covered with mud :p. Of course, I was little skeptical about the mud but it works wonders on the skin! This is something that every person who visits Israel should experience.

I plan to continue the Israel experience through pictures by continuing to write these short blog posts.

So far..yet so close

Hi all,


I have had a great time here in Israel! My team and I are embracing our inner tourist so naturally we are enjoying the sights and sounds made specifically for visitors. Just to keep you updated, we are staying in a Jerusalem  hostel. The place is very nice plus they serve breakfast every morning. I am enjoying the friendly hospitality.

On day one, after a brief forty minute rest stop following the  12 hour flight time, we went to the Israel Museum. The entire team was feeling the full effect of jet lag, Every single one of us just wanted to sleep at that point. My favorite part would have to be the museum artifacts. I never realized that living in New York city and visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art would prepare me for every other museum visit around the world. I found myself wondering why I had seen the artwork and then it hit me BAM it is the same art from The Met. That was kind of cool to experience. Afterwards, the team headed back to the hostel in taxis, of course. I ended up showering and going straight to bed.

On day two, we enjoyed an extremely hot day facing the Judean Desert terrain. We visited the Masada Fortress built by Herod the Great, the oasis of En Gedi, and the Dead sea. To begin, we trekked across the Judean desert through parts of the West Bank. The weather was nice and hot. The Masada Fortress was built by Herod and eventually used by the Israelites fleeing from the approaching Romans. My favorite part was the cisterns that were built to house fresh water from the four to five days of rain fall. These were fancy little caves for water. We also saw some impressive bath houses that were preserved with its original colors. Next, was the En Gedi oasis. This was an amazing oasis that was believed to be the spot where Solomon wrote Songs of Solomon! It is also where David sought refuge as he fled from Saul. My favorite part would have to be the view of the dead sea from the oasis and the big waterfall. Lastly, we went to the Dead Sea. As the lowest part of the earth, the dead sea was truly magnificent. My favorite part was definitely the floating. I literally walked a couple feet picked up my feet and began to float. Floating on the water was so much fun! I want to do it again. Also, the mudding was pretty cool. Now, I have baby soft skin to go along with my newly formed leg muscles.

On day three, we visited the Old city of Jerusalem. It was nice to understand the layout of the old city in the time of David. The architecture of the present day was built on top of the ruins of the old city. My favorite part was seeing an actual pomegranate tree. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to walk the underground tunnel up to the Pool of Siloam which I must accomplish at some point. The Temple Mount was quite spectacular. It was the remnants of the Second Temple rebuilt by Herod the Great! We walked under the streets in an underground sewage system to come up and discover the ruins of the once grand Temple built by Herod the Great. The city was burned out of Roman rage, which is why there is no temple today.

One of the things I have noticed in Jerusalem are the variety of plants, the amount of cats, and the recycling bins. For such a small area, I have see a ton of recycling bins and nearly spotless streets. So far, this is only Jerusalem so we will have to see what the next part of the country is like. Each time we venture into Palestinian controlled areas, I have noticed a lot more trash in the streets. It is interesting to see the sharp contrast.

That's all folks. Thanks for reading! I will upload photos pronto.

Ready, Set, Go

Hi all,

I woke up early this morning with growing anticipation as I embark on my journey to Israel. With a set schedule and official airline tickets, my team and I are ready to leave. Just to give a little update, my team and I have been preparing for this trip since January. It has been filled with letter writing, stamp buying, and post office searching, which has led us to where we are today, two days prior to takeoff.

The arduous packing process was, of course, a bit stressful. But my roomie (now formal roomie) and her family are aiding me in the storage process today. But first we must get Chinese food! LOL
I literally cannot count the number of Chinatown visits that I have endured this semester with her. She has been a great roommate and I cannot wait
to hear all of her stories from her summer adventures
abroad.



Now back to the land of milk and honey...
I don't know if I have quite prepared myself for this adventure. Nonetheless, I will have a great time and I will come back with CRAZY stories, just you wait and see :)

That's all folk! Happy Mother's Day and God Bless
~PSALM 37:4 ~ PSALM 118:24~  

Mis cosas favoritas sobre Breukelen

·      -Dance

·      -Spanish

·      -Traveling- ethnic foods

·      -Exploring new places

·      -Working

·      -Frugal shopping

·      -Small neighborhood shops

·      -Quaint bakerys

·      -$1.00 pizza

·      -The Promenade

·      -The brisk morning air brushing past my warm skin

·      -Walking on the street and feeling my internal organs instantly come alive

·      -The sun sets reflection on the water

·      -That feeling when my heart races for no apparent reason

·      -When I feel loved, appreciated and wanted.

·      -Listening to every conversation on the subway whether the person is speaking English, Spanish or Swahili just because I can and by the time I leave the subway car I feel as if I know them.

·      -Kids. Walking with parents to school. Their various observations on the subway. Smiling as the train leaves and takes them to a new place in this big ‘ol city.

·      -Smiling randomly to those on the sidewalk just to make their day better ( or because I just had a great day)

·      -Sitting. On the subway next to a stranger and reading the newspaper over their shoulder. On a park bench on the Promenade as folks walk their teacup poodles and Great Danes, alike.

·      -Dogs. Simply because they don’t recognize their differences since a dog is dog whether young or old, grande o pequeno... it’s all the same.

Listening to this Hurricane song:

 These are a few of mis cosas favoritas sobre Brooklyn and my college experience thus far.