Day 6: Benjamin Field Study

Another great day in the Holy Land! Great people, great food, great weather, great place!!!! It couldn't get much better than this.

We began early again at 6:45 today. Our first stop was an incredible view of the Wilderness! It was a lot different that I had expected...and it was probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! It pretty much looked like rolling sand mountains from distances on end. We were also able to see Jericho in the distance. Along the mountains were horizontal ridges which showed how the sheep grazed with the shepherd. I have no idea how they didn't fall down the slopes. It wasso incredible to be sitting among the land while Aubrey taught us. It was also crazy to think that this was the wilderness where Jesus was tempted - I could have been looking at the exact land he walked through! Now probably the most exciting thing about this stop was...I rode a camel! It cost me 10 shekels (about 3 dollars) and was worth every penny! The ride was very short. The camel sat down and I got on like I would on a horse, and then I was up in the air, looking out into the Wilderness. It was pretty amazing to say the least.

Our next stop was JERICHO! We first visited New Testament Jericho, where we saw the remnants of one of King Herod's palaces. It was interesting to envision what his palace may have looked like by looking at all the features of the rocks and walls. One thing that always surprises me is our freedom to walk almost anywhere without having to worry about not touching anything or messing anything up. All these archaeological digs are free for us to"play on!"

We then made our way over to the Old Testament Jericho site. Before I continue, it is also important to note that Jericho is not only the lowest, but also the oldest land on earth! We basically stood amongst a giant tel (look it up in the dictionary). It was definitely quite the historic site. In this tel, archaeologists also discovered a tower/fortress type structure which is the oldest building to date found in the entire world! I couldn't believe that I was standing amongst the oldest building on earth. One guy on our trip actually found a jaw bone in the rock...that was interesting. There was also an area where archaeologists found a wall of what is most likely Rahab's house! Incredible. I cannot believe all the things these archaeologists find. It makes me curious as to what else may be under the ground. I think I might start digging :).

The city of Jericho looked more resort like than the other areas of Israel that I have seen so far. It was more green and not so squished together. We were also able to catch a small glimpse of the Dead Sea! It was amazing to being at such an "ancient" site.

Our next stop was about an hour away, so we had some nice time to relax and enjoy the land on the bus. We drove through the hills and valleys of the wilderness, and passed so many shepherds and their flocks! I got lots of pictures :). I still can't believe I am seeing shepherds. Along our drive, we did make one stop. Here, we were able to see a cistern that was built before Jesus' time and is currently in use! The water was actually quite clean. The shepherds use this cistern for their sheep.

Next, we made it to Nebi Samuel, a site that remembers the burial of Samuel (there is no real evidence of where Samuel was buried). This view was nice because we were able to distinguish a lot of different landmarks and cities. What was most important about this site was the view of the Central Benjamin Plateau. From this site, we learned about Joshua and the battles he faced and the different routes he took. I am eager to read the Old Testament again because I think I will have a much greater understanding of the story as I am able to visualize all the different cities instead of them being foreign names to me.

Our last and final stop of the day was Tel Gezer. This was very beautiful in its own and unique way! Gezer is close to the coastal Plain and is near the Mediterranean. The air smelled so refreshing when I got off the bus. Tel Gezer was one giant hilly tel that had lots of remains from around 950 BC. This pieace of land was very important due to its location (if you want more information...I can tell you at a later date). The overall view from Tel Gezer was so much different from the wilderness we had experienced before. It was more flat and definitely very green. The Tel in itself was a giant playground with hills to climb and rocks to jump on. What was exciting about this site is that we stayed to watch the sunset! It was beautiful.

So that was our day in the field! In the evening, a group of us went into the Old City and visited our favorite guy in the market, Shaban, who has all those college banners. We were planning on visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but it was closed. Instead, we got some gelato (I don't think it was real gelato), but it was delicious anyway! And that about sums up my day :).

Tomorrow, we have a free day! The Taylor team is going to leave around 8:45 and go to some more sites in the Old City that we won't have the opportunity to go to as a whole group. This includes going to the Dome of the Rock, and also a City of David Museum...among other things. We will also be going to church tomorrow at 5:00 PM. It is a Christian church in Hebrew, but they will have English subtitles. On Monday, we also have our first exam, so I will have to start studying for that...

Hope all is well! Talk to you soon :)