12 December, 2013

Engagement :)!

So it was our two year anniversary, and we got all dressed up for dinner to celebrate. I wanted to take some photos beforehand, since the last time we got all fancy we ran out of time and couldn't get any pictures. And I wanted to do it in a nicer location than in the street of my sorta ghetto neighborhood, so I came up with the brilliant idea to go to a specific lookout to take the photos. I asked my roommate Stephanie if she could come with us to take them, and she was so nice to say yes! 
Little did I know is that Ryan had planned to propose there that very day at that very time, and Stephanie was planning on coming anyways to take photos of the whole ordeal. Now they didn't need to come up with some hilarious reason to get me on the edge of a mountain while I'm in high heels before dinner. Hahaha soo I don't know how that inception worked out, but yepppp it was pretty hilarious that it became my own idea. And several smaller issues came up and I almost called off the whole photoshoot off so we could just get to dinner, and I was pretty confused when Ryan and Stephanie were so insistent that we take some pictures :) haaa. So needless to say, when we walked to the end of the point and I saw the set up, I was completelyyy shocked. And it was then that I finally knew what was about to happen!!!!

20 August, 2013

Galilee, Part 2

Day 3 of our Galilee trip was a game changer for me. By God's grace, I had felt great all of IBEX (well, except for the flu in the middle there haha)! When I woke up that morning, I felt sick (those close to me will know what I mean when I say that), and this sickness continued through the rest of the semester. As a result, my photo taking really diminished, so I can't really say that the rest of Galilee was fully documented and that makes me so sad!!!.. but for what I did get, enjoy!

12 August, 2013

Galilee, Part 1

Galilee is easily the most anticipated trip of the entire IBEX semester. It is 8 glorious days in northern Israel, and much of it really feels more like a vacation than a field study. Early Saturday morning arrived, and we all scrambled on the bus with our bags and books and eager souls!!! 

16 July, 2013

Adventures in Greece, Part 3

We woke up to heavy rain on the 7th day of our Greek adventure. Wanting to make the most of our time in Greece, we put on our rain jackets and battled the weather. Thankfully the rain continued to lessen and within a few hours, the sky was clear!

05 June, 2013

Adventures in Greece, Part 2

Day 4 of our adventure was wonderfully slow-paced which was much needed. Our weeks in Israel before Greece were fully packed and we jumped right into full, long days in Greece. Though my spirit was willing and excited to explore, my flesh was weak, bruised, and tired.. hahaha. So I thought it was really kind of God to send a rainstorm over Santorini :)

29 April, 2013

Adventures in Greece, Part 1

IBEX has its own version of spring break where the students are allowed to leave the country and explore the world (but mostly just Europe heh). Me, Sarah G, Lexi, Sarah S, Elizabeth, Bryant, Taylor, and Jaden decided to go to Greece for our travel break... aaaand it was the best decision ever :) We spent 9 days traveling around the country and fell in love.

17 April, 2013

My Dad Visited Israel :)

Let me start off by saying I would not be in Israel right now if it wasn't for my dad. There was absolutely no way I could have afforded a semester abroad on my own, but with his generous help, I was able to come. I can't thank him enough for his support and his sacrifice. I love you dad!!

13 April, 2013

Negev Days 3 & 4

At 8:14am (Bill loves his precise times haha), we loaded back onto the bus for day 3 of our desert adventure. Continuing in the Negev Highlands from the day before, we made our way to the Timnah Valley and spent a good part of our day there. Our first stop was at what's known as Solomon's Pillars.. which is an impressive rock formation named after Solomon himself.

03 April, 2013

Negev Day 2

We stayed the night at Mitzpeh Ramon in a youth hostel. It was my first experience in a hostel! I stayed with five other girls and we had a great time :) The hostel was right next to Machtesh Ramon. Machtesh means "crater". It was quite a sight to behold.. I've never seen anything like it. Many times photos don't do something justice, and this is the epitome of that. This giant 3000 ft high crater was formed by a large body of water literally scooping out its insides (come on world, that's evidence of the flood). Close to the edge, you can see it's a looooonngg way down.

31 March, 2013

Negev Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of our four day trip to the Negev region of Israel! Negev means south and dry.. keyword: dry. It is a huge barren desert with very little rain and fresh water resources. In order to live in this part of the country, you have to totally and completely depend on God due to this climatic instability (if there's no rain.. yooouu'rree toast!) Oddly enough, this lil section of land was highly coveted by surrounding peoples because it connects the coast to Transjordan (other side of the Jordan River) with its routes.. so it's not just a good for nothin chunk of dirt and sand :) 

27 March, 2013

Shephelah: Round Two

We got to go back to the Shephelah region!! To see our first adventure to this part of the country, visit Shephelah: Round One

20 March, 2013

Tel Aviv

Aside from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv is the biggest city in Israel. It's lines the coast of the Mediterranean sea, making it a prime beach location, and its city-ness reminded me so much of Los Angeles. I almost didn't feel like I was in Israel at some parts throughout the day.

16 March, 2013

Shephelah: Round One

This was the best trip to date, no doubt. The Shephelah region in Israel is one of my favorite parts of the country. It's green, lush, and beautiful. I loved every moment of it. Known as the lowlands, you descend into the Shephelah from the Hill Country of Judah (where I live). It's awesome to see with your eyes the places that the Old Testament describes so intricately. 

09 March, 2013

Purim Celebration

Purim falls in the end of the month of February. It's a Jewish Holiday where the account of Esther is read, and they celebrate the deliverance of the Jewish people out of Haman's (a real bad Persian man who wanted to kill them) hands. Think of it as a kind of halloween. We dressed up in costumes and got to perform a short skit. It was a great night!! :) 

05 March, 2013

Jerusalem Approaches

This field study focused on the different ways to get into the city of Jerusalem. It is most easily accessed from the north, but there are also eastern and southern approaches as well. We had a great time exploring the land!!

25 February, 2013

Non-Field Study Updates

I live in such a beautiful area of Israel, the Hill Country region. My quiet times with Jesus find new locations frequently, because there is so much to explore even just in the area around the moshav. One of my fav things to do is to read Scripture with the mountainous terrain surrounding me accompanied by the cold Israeli breeze and the warm sun. It gives a different meaning to the text. The weather that I feel on my skin here is the same that Jesus felt on His.. He felt the same wind, the same sun warmth, the same rain droplets, the same cool nights. I love living here.  

20 February, 2013

Benjamin

Finally our first field study outside of Jerusalem! We explored the allotment of land that was given to the tribe of Benjamin.

17 February, 2013

Jerusalem: New Testament

Everytime I visit Jerusalem, I'm amazed at how big the city is and how much diversity exists inside those city walls. On this field study, I went to parts I've never seen before even though I've spent several full days in Jerusalem. There is always more to see here. I know I say this on every post but... I love this place.

15 February, 2013

Jerusalem: Old Testament

This field study in Jerusalem was based on locations that encapsulate the incredible history of the Old Testament. 

08 February, 2013

New City Jerusalem

Jerusalem field studies are my favorite days here. I say this too often, I know, but I love this city. Our first stop this day was at the Museum of Israel. Here there was a huge model of Jerusalem in 70 AD, forty years after Christ's death, and right before it was destroyed. The city's history amazes me.

01 February, 2013

Neve Ilan, Nahal Yitlah, and Shabbat Night

Natalie and Wendy led us on a walk to Neve Ilan.. our next-door neighbor town :) on the way there, we walked up to a beautiful viewpoint, and of course all of this took place during the magic hour… aka sunset :)

27 January, 2013

Old City Jerusalem

I have heard so many stories and seen countless photos of Jerusalem, so I was able to construct some sort of an idea in my mind of what the city is like. And after spending my first day there, Jerusalem far exceeded my expectations; truly it blew my mind. I fell in love with everything about the city, and I am convinced that every person needs to visit at some point in their life. It's a must.

25 January, 2013

Welcome to IBEX

My first morning in Israel was slightly rough, because I woke up at 2am and for the life of me could not go back to sleep. Death by jet lag. So needless to say it was a very long day :) We had orientation, and the IBEX staff showed us around the moshav (think dorms… where we are living for the next 3.5 months). Btw, the moshav is beautiful. Israel is glorious in the spring.

23 January, 2013

Traveling abroad for the first time :)

On January 19th, I started my journey to the Holy Land. With barely any sleep, I made my way to school (not without the aid of my bestest friends) at 4:30am to take the shuttle to LAX. It was cold and our bodies ached from the lack of rest. I said goodbye to some of the most important people in my life and then loaded myself onto the bus..then my friends proceeded to come around to my window and give me these pathetic faces...

12 January, 2013

Celebrating Sunday

After-church festivities. No work and all play... how a Sunday should be (with a famous Sunday nap of course.. which I did during our movie.. oops). Me, Ryan, Steph, Nickie, Tim, and Lindsey went to church at Reality LA, ate lunch at Umami burger (always a spectacular treat), bought fresh fruit at the farmers market, then drove to Tim's apartment to hang out and watch a movie. It's not that this is a super unusual Sunday for us...but this time my camera decided to tag along :)

07 January, 2013

Happy 2013!

It's pretty awesome having loved ones who live in a small town at an elevation of 5,000 feet... snowy holidays!!! Me and some friends spent a few days up there in celebration of the new year. What a treat :)