Eilat, and Ancient Israel Field Study

Last Monday seems forever ago.  This past week, we had spirit week for out college here.  It is like high school where there is clash day, PJ day, crazy hair day, pirate day, and inside-out day.  I just found out last night that I had the most “spirit” for the week, and got a gift certificate to the campus store.  It was a lot of fun. 

I have been slaving over homework these past two weeks.  Because I was gone for the weekend, I had to pull almost 8 hour days in the library Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday, and Monday.  I am starting to get to the part of the semester when all my paper due dates are coming up.  It’s all good though, I have plenty of time.  I’ll just have to get back in Taylor mode for a couple of week. 

Over the weekend, I went down to Eilat, Israel.  Eilat is the tourist/ beach town of Israel.  It is located at the very southern tip of Israel on the Red Sea.  From the city, you can see Jordan and Egypt.  Since it was a holiday weekend for the Jews, there were tons of people there.  A group of over 20 from JUC took the 5 hour bus ride down to Eilat.  The group I was with was about 9 people.  We arrived in Eilat at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, and got back at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. 

Eilat was incredible.  While we were there, we slept on the beach each night, and awoke with the sun-rise.  Friday was one of the best days of my life.  I was awake for the sunrise over the Jordanian mountains just across the sea; it was incredible.  After we got around, we walked about 2 hours to the Southern beach, where the supposedly good snorkeling is (We walked so much on the trip, I felt like I was a bum because we were just walking along the road, and we were carrying all of our bags).  We ended up stopping at this little oasis spot on the shore that was like a little pub.   We stayed there all day and just soaked up the sun.  Snorkeling was one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life.  They say that Eilat has the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world!  It was definitely work it; underwater looked like a Finding Nemo land.  Haha.  There were so many fish and coarl, and in so many colors.  I didn’t even know that some of those colors ever existed.  The water was really warm, and really salty.  After I had gotten out of the water, no more than 10 minutes later, there would be this white film on my skin from the salt. 

On Saturday morning, I woke up and went hiking/climbing on the mountains right off of were we camped on the beach.  The view was great.  I could see all the way up the Jordan Vally, the Northern beach of Eilat, and across into Egypt and Jordan.  From the top of the mountain, I could see all the coral in the water.  The water was such a bright blue color, and then faded to a deep blue.  Later when we watched the sunset, the Jordanian mountains behind up lit up with a deep red-orange color.  Eilat is absolutely beautiful.  I couldn’t help being under water, on the beach, or driving along the Dead Sea on the bus-ride there, and not think of the Bible and all the events that took place there.  The Eilat trip was definitely a needed break from my school work. 

Although the trip was great, it also was exhausting.  We only slept like 4 hours a night, sat in the sun all day, walked many miles, and hiked in the mornings.  Also, the school sent food with us, but it was just panute butter, jelly, and some vegetables.  I bet I had over 20 PB&J sandwiches over the weekend.  I was so excited for the school’s food when we returned.  Many of the guys were complaining because of the rocks on the beach as they slept, and the heat during the day.  It was soo hot.  The two days we were there, it was 95 and 105 degrees.  Doing something like this makes me want to backpack across Europe or something.  It’s be awesome.

We arrived back from Eialt, like I said, at 2:30 in the morning.  I had, then, to go on a field-study trip at 8:00 a.m.  that day.  Out field study was for my History of Ancient Israel class.  I really like this class.  It is so hard to sit through though.  Out class in 2 ½ hours long, on Monday nights, and our teacher just pours on the information.  He goes so fast, and talks the entire period without any notes.  He just says ok, then goes.  I can never get everything he is saying, and normally my head hurts at the end of the class.  It sound funny, then. that I say that I like the class.  I like the class because our teacher is so smart.  He knows so much and I am learning so much from him.  If I can only gather 10% of what he says in a class period, I’d be ok because I’d be learning so much. 

His field–study that we went on was no different.  We visited a lot of Philistine sites, as well as some of the more important Israelite sites.  We visited a museum in Tel-Aviv, the supposed site of Ebenezer, Mizpah, Gibeah, Shiloh, and a few others.  I really enjoyed this trip.  Not only did he teach the stuff our class was on, he told us many random facts as we were driving.  Between each of his lectures on the bus, I also managed to get a few naps in.  There were much needed. 

It is starting to get cooler here.  Later this week, the highs should fall with the 70’s for the first time.  We just had our clocks change over a couple of days ago also.  We fell and hour back.  It is so weird.  I find myself want to go to bed after dinner because it is so dark, and waking up super early.  I think I am now 6 hours different from the U.S.A.  Anyways. . . .all is good, and I’m hanging in there. I have a three day field trip this weekend down to the Dead Sea, the Negev, and the Shepehlah.  I was just talking to a one of the guys here and we were talking about how much we miss watching football and the changing of the trees.  We don’t get much of that here.