Oregon Lovin' Utah Livin': Finals week: jerusalem edition

Finals week is actually one of my favorite weeks of the year.

Wait what?!

Seriously though-- it's intense, it's exhausting, but I'd relate it to performance weeks for dancers or like running a marathon for those who are into that.

I am in the ZONE during finals week. I'm concentrated and I'm invested -- emotionally, physically, and spiritually in my goal (and in the jerusalem center's case, a final exam every single day). I pray more earnestly, I exercise more vigorously, I sleep more deeply (probably because it's scarce), I bond closer with the people around me, and I cherish the free moments to relax, get outside, and be with friends.

It's like all the extremities of emotion packed into one week; stress & relief, panic & confidence, pain & joy, you get the picture. Although it was technically a half-finals week (just 4 of our classes) I experienced a lot of growth and so did my brain because wow cramming is real when you have 172 field trip exam terms to memorize in less than 24 hours!

Here are some highlights, coping strategies, spiritual impressions, and evidence that I survived:

First, evidence I survived! I just love Sabbath Days in Jerusalem. It was the calm after the storm. Here's a look at a typical Sabbath Day:

We get to sleep in (breakfast is at 8am instead of 7am) so that's always a tender mercy.

Then we have choir practice in the Dome Theatre. The acoustics in there are insane and the pieces we're preparing for Easter and the prophet's visit (!!) are so beautiful. My eyes definitely welled up as we practiced one called "Behold, the Wounds in Jesus' Hands" that we'll be singing for Easter. Sacrament meeting was so peaceful as usual. We had dozens and dozens of visitors today but it's like there was no one in that room but me, the music, and the Spirit. Gazing out at the city as I listen to talks is a spiritual high I never want to forget. For Sunday school, Dr. Huff was gone and forgot to get a sub for our Marriage and Family prep class so we wrote "Single Life 101" on the board and Alyssa and Warner improv'd it, haha. Relief Society was wonderful as usual. I love those brave, strong sisters. After church we usually congregate in the hallway and decide what to do for the afternoon. The options include: go to the garden tomb, the garden of gethsemane, mount of olives, the old city, or stay at the Center and bask in the sun.

And that's exactly what I did last week -- 3 hours of 70 degrees and warm sunshine, a long conversation with friends, and personal time for me & the Book of Mormon.

I felt so refreshed and rejuvenated, it was the perfect start to finals week.

But other Sabbath afternoons we walk 6 miles and 12000 steps in the same time frame! Today's trip was to the Hinnom Valley. Honestly, we didn't even really find the sites on our list but getting lost and exploring was the best part! We hiked this lush green hill overlooking the neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and the weather was absolutely perfect! I love my Jeru crew.

Quote of the week:

Me: "Whoever wrote that I never complain on spotlight nominations clearly doesn't know me."

Sarah: "Yeah you complain all the time."

Love that girl :)

^^^ John's face POST-finals.

^^^ John's face in the thick of finals.

Haha, I think that describes how we all felt at one point or another during the week. Study groups are such a blessing though. Each day we would get together after breakfast and divide up study guides and readings to prepare to come back after dinner and teach each other the material until we were too tired to keep functioning. I am surrounded by some incredibly intelligent people.

They are the reason my GPA won't be utterly destroyed this semester.

(But finals went pretty well all things considered)

We discovered a quick, fun get-away this week -- the Mount of Olives! We didn't realize that we can get there in like 5 minutes via a shortcut and go on a walk to buy cold drinks on study breaks!

If you want to appreciate caffeinated soda more, do a study abroad where it is tragically limited.

Sarah and Jason! Two of my favorites. These guys are always up for an adventure and usually drag me along. We explored Hebrew University and the surrounding gardens for 2 and a half hours while we got through ALL our field trip exam flashcards! They are the only reason I did not fail that exam, hands down.

Spring is in full swing here in Israel.

I'm grateful for Sarah's constant positivity, kindness, and humor.

And for Jason for being our instagram husband.

Thanks for the laughs, Hebrew U!

We'll be back again. (And I'll be back for the Coke Zero)

Let me introduce you to the Ottoman Empire (get it?!) This is one of my favorite study spots. We opened the door on a particularly windy day while we studied and when a leaf rolled in I had to tell it to evacuate the premises. We take security seriously here at the Center.

Thank heavens I made this timeline -- I'm telling you, inspiration is real because half those dates were on the Old Testament exam and no one thought we'd be tested on dates.

#blessings

Very timely.

Relationship advice from Rach Parks herself: "I just let life roll, man. If it happens, it happens."

#wisdom

8th floor terrace -- a hidden gem.

Another gem. I'll be honest, my scripture study wasn't what I wanted it to be during the first month and a half-ish at the Center. I did my Old Testament readings but I rarely picked up the Book of Mormon even though I intended to (partly because of our busy schedule but mostly because I wasn't making it a priority).

I was having great experiences here and loving it but I didn't feel like I was changing. And as I thought about what it's going to take for Jerusalem to change me, the Spirit told me this:

It's going to be in the personal, mindful moments by yourself with God.

That has been a game-changer for me. Since then I've spent more time by myself studying the Book of Mormon. I've spent more time just pondering as I look out on the city. I've spent more time whispering a prayer of gratitude as I sit underneath the sun.

Those moments are the changing moments. Those are the ones where God is teaching me and helping me become better. I had been too busy doing things in the Holy Land without taking time to be holy.

"For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise" (Alma 37:45)

And it was Ricky's birthday week!

What a cutie.

Real-life. Headphones in, no makeup, 5 hours of sleep the night before, pacing the lawn reviewing my quizlet before our Islam exam.

Thanks ricardo.

I was exhausted but wow that felt amazing to be done.

I almost forgot to share about our Holocaust museum experience!

We went to Yad Vashem last week which is the most extensive Holocaust museum in the world.

The experience was more emotional than I expected -- the museum was personal and intimate in their depictions of those who lost their lives and the stories of the survivors.

There was an entire memorial dedicated to the 1.5 million children who died. It was a massive room, pitch black but filled with millions of lights reflecting off mirrors. In the background a voice read the names of the children and where they were from.

It was heart-wrenching and spiritual at the same time -- I had the overwhelming feeling that God is real and that he loves his children.

As I walked through the museum I remembered Elias (refer to my post a couple weeks ago) and the incredible testament of his love for all people -- including his enemies.

The Holocaust will never be the same to me after these experiences.

Oh hey and PURIM happened last week! It's a Jewish festival that happens at the beginning of March when Lent starts. The tradition is to dress up (most of us failed in that regard) but we went to synagogue, got falafels, watched people sing and dance, and explored Ben Yehuda street!