Reactions to Readings: 6

As many have said in class, I can't imagine having such a strong connection to something as the three religions do with Jerusalem. I mean, maybe my parents? But still, they are my blood. There is no place, object, etc that I can think of that means THAT much to me. So for the Muslims to lose Jerusalem and then gain it back...wow. What a feeling that must have been. I guess I could say that for the Jews and Christians, though, too. Jerusalem gets tossed around like a baseball. Or a hot potato...who will catch it next?

Over the course of reading this book, through the long history of Jerusalem, it seems God was showing himself everywhere. It makes me wonder, how come stories like that haven't surfaced in recent years? Besides Jesus' face on a grilled cheese, a cheet-o, or in a field, I wonder why these intense religious sightings don't happen anymore? Or do they, and I just don't pay enough attention?

I also think aliyah, the ascent of Jews to Israel, is such a cool thing! What an experience that must be. It kind of relates to the Somalian speaker, (her name escapes me at the moment) and her epic journey to Jerusalem. How incredible!

I hope we get to visit the Western Wall when we visit Jerusalem. I was doing some outside research about it, and found a really cool picture of prayers that people put in the cracks of the wall. I think this is a really neat concept, like the religious version of a wishing well.




















Oh yeah, and I also hope we can go here on the trip! :)

Reactions to Readings: 3

Today I finally received the audio version of the History of Jerusalem. It has helped me tremendously with comprehending Karen Armstrong's book. Personally, it is much easier for me to listen and imagine rather than read and imagine. I highly recommend it!

So far, I have noticed a recurring theme of the history of Jerusalem: exclusion. I'm glad to see the strides that are being made today to change that theme. I like how Karen Armstrong is incorporating LOTS of information into this book. The more I read, the more I realize how crucial it is to have some sort of understanding of Jerusalem before we go visit. I am enjoying learning more about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. i am particularly enjoying the history of Jerusalem and Judaism. It was interesting to learn about how Hanukkah came about!

Karen Armstrong reading 1

I'm starting to absorb the history of Jerusalem now. I am especially excited to read Karen Armstrong's book because she is an ex-nun. Again, it is neat how many different perspectives exist! In the beginning, when she is talking about how each side, the Israeli and the Palestinian, showed her "their" city, it was like two different Jerusalem's. This makes me even more excited to go over there! I am starting to understand how the Israeli's and Palestinian's see Jerusalem holy to their people. If I truly, deeply, believed a city to be holy, I would also want to stake claim! So it makes sense why one would call Jerusalem a mythical city, its roots are so unknown. So unknown, it just sort of disappeared for a century or two. So far, I've noticed that Karen Armstrong goes into much more detail than previous articles we have read. Though it is a difficult read, I am enjoying it. Jerusalem has such immense history, it's really quite amazing. I will admit, I would prefer to learn more about the recent history of Jerusalem (say, the last 1,000 years), but I can see why we are starting at the "base" so to speak.

Reactions to first readings

"'When God created the world, he created ten portions of beauty. He gave nine to Jerusalem and one to the rest

of the world.' As we were working on the Jerusalem project I often thought that the quote should have added: 'When God created the world, he created ten problems. He gave nine to Jerusalem and one to the rest of the world.'"

I really enjoyed this quote from the first reading. I think its a good contrast of what Jerusalem should be and what Jerusalem actually is. It was valuable to learn about Jerusalem from a Palestinian perspective.

I am really curious about what would have been the reaction to those unfamiliar with Jerusalem about their presence at the folklore festival. It would have been amazing to experience, for everyone. It is a shame that it did not go through, however, I still believe that it had many positive effects.

Reactions to second readings and class video

I found the first article, Jerusalem Then and Now, a really interesting look into Jerusalem. I do not know much about the history of the Middle East, particularily Jerusalem, and this was a good start. I liked how the author pointed out the two main aspects of Jerusalem that make it unique: politics and religion. These two concepts truly are the internal struggles of the city. I also enjoyed how he explained how the three religions, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, made their ways into the city. It's true that it does not really make sense why Jerusalem was populated because of the terrain, so the author explained one of my many questions! The reading about the history of Jerusalem from an Arab perspective was also interesting. It's peculiar that one city can hold such sacred meaning to three different religions. I realize that they share similar roots, however, it is still a surprise. I am enjoying being able to get a sense of the history of Jerusalem from different angles.

I also liked the video we watched in class. It was interesting to see a little bit of the city rather than reading about it. I can now see why this project is so important to so many people!

Who I Am

A little about me:

In General: I am a well known helper. So much so my dear friends nicknamed me "Grandma". I love to take care of people. This lead me to my major of Family Studies. One of the reasons I chose to take this class and go to Jerusalem was to experience the culture of Israel and gain a different perspective of family in a global sense.

I go to school full time and work two jobs so I am also very busy! I work at the Marketplace on Neil, a campus dining establishment, and OSU Tutoring and Clinical Program, a tutoring center for children. I love my parents very much and we are very close. I am typically shy at first but over time I am able to open up.

Music: One of the most important things in my life is music. Most of my music tastes revolve around Indie and Classic Rock genres, but Experimental and Ambient are also some of my favorites. I have been to well over 500 concerts so far, including a few large music festivals. A large portion of my paycheck goes to music related endeavors! I would definitely consider myself to be a music junkie. My favorites include:
Radiohead, The Black Keys, The Flaming Lips, BoomBox, Animal Collective, Led Zeppelin, Lotus, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The photograph to the left is Radiohead at Lollapalooza in 2008. I will never forget that concert!




Art: I am an amateur photographer. I love to go on photography adventures! I have hundreds of pictures of flowers posted all over my room. I consider them to be my own mini "botanical garden". I love photographing everything about nature. It is so complex and with a camera you can look at it from so many different angles. I mostly use a Nikon N75 35mm camera for floral photography, but I also use a digital camera. A few of my favorite photographs are posted below. My bedroom is absolutely filled with art: tapestries, posters of art and my favorite bands, news articles I enjoy, paintings that have been made by my friends, and photographs of my friends. I hardly have any white on my walls!














Food: I love to bake and enjoy cooking. So do not be surprised if I bring in cupcakes for everyone! I love Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. I am not a vegetarian, however, I prefer to eat vegetarian substitutes for meat. My perfect meal would be a veggie burger with spicy hummus. Yum!

Feel free to post any questions in the comments section :)