This is the Moment

"This is the moment,
When all I've done -

All the dreaming,

Scheming and screaming,

Become one!

This is the day -

See it sparkle and shine,

When all I've lived for

Becomes mine!"

A view of dawn from my balcony 

The above image is what I get to look at every morning around 6 o'clock. Beautiful, isn't it? What you're looking at is the Eastern side of Jerusalem. Our entire group went on a walking tour of it this morning. We also toured parts of the Old City and one sliver of the West side. Overall, the city seems relatively clean compared to other places I've visited (NY, Rome, Venice, St. Petersburg). The people dress pretty nicely, and all the buildings are made of white stone.

There's a lot of the city to still behold, so many pictures will come in the near future. For memory's sake I wanted to jot down some of my first impressions:

1. lots of white/cream colored buildings
2. Western Jerusalem has a lot of European influence
3. Lots of long coats and scarfs (I definitely want to buy some :-) )
4. black hats
5. A lot of mothers with young children
6. The streets in the Old City are small and completely lined with shops. The merchants were all friendly, and I'm excited to go back and check out more of the merchandise.
7. Spices smell good
8. Pastries look tasty
9. Little kids helping shop owners
10. Yummy bread sold all over the streets

We have a few more activities/orientations planned for the day, so I better get back to my post. More updates coming soon!

peace&blessings.

Good news: the blow dryer and straightener work (for any who were wondering. I mean, that's clearly the most important part of this whole things, right? Ok, vanity check=done).