What do festivals, annunications, and ugly sweaters all have in common? Nazareth.

For the final class trip in my program our colloquial Arabic teacher took us to her hometown of Nazareth to experience the Christmas Market there. Essentially, she released nearly a dozen students on the town of Nazareth to explore and immerse themselves for two days. 

The first stop was an old ceramics factory in the city. It was a third generation business and the owners gave us a cool cultural lesson on life in Nazareth years ago. They also provided us with a delicious local lunch and had a bunch of fun Arab-related clothing to relate to the little history lesson.

The guys messing around in traditional headdress (worn not so traditionally in this photograph).

Lisa and I trying out different Arab headdresses. I'm gender-bending a bit culturally and wearing the traditional male head piece.

After lunch we checked into our hotel which was originally an Arab mansion but has now been renovated into a guesthouse. We settled in and prepared for the main event of the trip: the Christmas Market. Hundreds and hundreds of people showed up for what was the opening night of the five day market.

The girls on the balcony outside the apartment at the guest house.

(From left to right: myself, Ilona [our TA], Kati [my roommate], Melanie, and Lucia)

My classmates and I ran into some festive friends in town.

As the evening went on more and more people filtered into Nazareth. It was the first night of the market and at 8:00pm the official opening event was going to start. Hundreds of people packed into the center of town to see the lighting of the Christmas tree and lights.

The crowd in front of me at the main square.

What came next was easily a highlight of my trip. I stood pressed against friends in the crowd grinning as we shouted the countdown along with the crowd in Arabic. All at once the town light up: all of the Christmas lights illuminating simultaneously with the giant Christmas tree. At the same time the Church of the Annunciation's bells began ringing. Amongst all the spirited cheers, lights, and bells, the town of Nazareth set off one of the best firework shows I've seen. Standing only feet from where Mary was informed she was going to have a son I stood next to people from all over the world as the sky filled with festive light and music.

 Fireworks being set off from the Church of the Annunciation.

After the celebration, being the rambunctious students we are, we headed back to our housing for the night to continue with heated games of backgammon and some casual conversation before an early bedtime. After all, we had another whole day to explore in Nazareth. On Thursday we woke up and our teacher took us through the Old City and to the Basilica of the Annunciation.

Shops all decked out for Christmas in the market.

A side view of the Basilica. The main entrance is on the left. 

Just a tiny part of one floor of the inside of the Basilica.

One of my favorite parts of the Basilica was actually the structure around it. There's a sort of walled alcove surrounding the Basilica that has unusual pieces of art all throughout. The church asked people from all over the world to create mosaics to hang at the Basilica of the Annunciation. The only rule was they had to depict Mary and something regarding the Annunciation. It was fascinating to see global perspectives and art pieces and was such an interesting and beautiful place to walk.

 The mosaics from Indonesia and Thailand at the Basilica.

Lisa and I walking around the area with the mosaics.

A funny note about the sweater in the above picture: I obtained this sweater on our class trip to Jaffa. When we were walking around my roommate Kati and I discovered the sweater in a little boutique shop while we had some free time. We later showed our new purchases to our teacher from Nazareth who was absolutely speechless. After explaining to her the American concept of 'ugly Christmas sweaters' she seemed incredibly relieved because of how hideous she felt it was.

Anyways, it being a holiday sweater I stashed it in my wardrobe waiting to pull it out for the Christmas market in Nazareth. I packed it in my bag and was so excited to pull off my new tacky sweater for the day. In case the photos don't do it justice, it is a heck of a sweater: there's wool, black mesh, sequins, and bedazzling all on top of one another.

The second morning my teacher came knocking on our door to see if me and my roommates were up and ready. Since my roommates were occupied getting ready I answered the door to be greeted by my Arabic teacher. The exact words out of her mouth were: "Sabah al-khair-OH-GOD! You're wearing that thing?!" when she saw me standing in the doorway in my beautiful sweater. Over breakfast anytime someone would take a picture she'd rush over to me saying, "I'll stand next to the one with the ugliest sweater!".

All I can say is, I don't think ugly Christmas sweaters will be catching on in Israel anytime soon. Still, I had a blast wearing it and the stories were well worth it. Plus despite being incredibly absurd and over the top, the sweater itself is starting to grow on me aesthetically... although my mother insists the only appropriate place to wear the sweater is by myself on a train downtown in the dead of night so that hopefully something will happen to me so no one with ever have to see the sweater again.

Me standing at a beautiful vantage point nearby the Basilica. Also a closer up look at my crazy sweater.

Rooftop view of Nazareth.

A panoramic from the roof with the Basilica on the left.

Nazareth was an absolutely awesome trip. I'm so glad that our teachers decided to treat us to a little holiday spirit and take us up north for a few days. It was an incredibly beautiful area and another amazing place I'm glad I got to explore in Israel. 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Considering I came to Jerusalem to study Arabic, I'd been looking forward to officially crossing the wall and checking out life in the Occupied Territories. However, due to safety concerns it really hadn't happened yet. With Christmas approaching though there was one place I really wanted to get a chance to visit: Bethlehem.

So this past Saturday Noah and I walked down to the Arab bus station in Jerusalem and I dragged him onto the bus headed to Bethlehem. Despite being only a few miles away it's actually difficult to get to considering the whole border and checkpoint phenomenon. Still, before long we were getting off the bus in Palestine. Only a short taxi ride stood between us and the epicenter of Bethlehem.

And what a taxi ride that was. Within a minute of climbing in the cab Noah leaned forward and sternly told the cab driver, "you're not allowed to speak in English; she needs to practice her Arabic", which launched into one of the most fun and stressful conversations I've had in colloquial Arabic yet.

There's not a whole lot in Bethlehem, but it was a fun place to experience. Obviously the big tourist attraction is the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was supposedly born. I'm really a terrible religious tourist when it comes to places like these. Thousands of pilgrims show up to squeeze in these places and become overwhelmed with emotion and have these spiritual moments of meaning. When I enter these locations I feel overcrowded and annoyed. Furthermore with most of the important Christian locations in Israel/Palestine being owned by different Catholic denominations, I really can't explain a lot of what's going on any better than my favorite Jewish travel buddy can.

Still, making an unusual team to take on the Arab city, we spent our day checking out the sights in Bethlehem.

Outside the Church of the Nativity.

Standing inside the church.

Noah inside the church questioning what he's doing there.

Noah and I outside the church.

At one point we ducked into a little falafel place for a bite to eat and accidentally ran into a bunch of Noah's friends from his university. It's crazy how small this place can be sometimes; we spent our afternoon enjoying good food and chatting in a mix of English, German, and Arabic. I was in my element.

Lunch candid.

My favorite part of Bethlehem was how it finally felt like Christmas season. Walking around Jerusalem there's absolutely nothing that points to it being the holidays. I miss the Christmas music, lights, and festivities. Bethlehem had it all and then some. Granted, you would expect the birthplace of Jesus to have a decent amount of Christmas spirit.

Finally a Christmas tree!

Overall, it was a really fun day trip and a nice break from the usual culture of Israel. Plus when we left it was dark enough I got to enjoy Christmas lights on our drive back. A little Christmas wonderland in the middle of a country that's perceived to be anything but.

Sitting on a ledge overlooking Bethlehem.

Ramadan Mubarak!

It's my last weekend in Yogyakarta! Ramadan started last night (technically the start date is disputed, but that's not the important part here). So life's definitely interesting for myself. This is my first Ramadan in a Muslim country. Near sundown the streets fill up with different food carts. Everything you could think of lines the roads, particularly near mosques. The weather was beautiful last night so I walked a few kilometers looking at all the delicious food and chatting briefly with the occasional curious local.

Eventually I got the courage to actually walk into the mosque near my house. It was absolutely packed with people. There were vendors selling Qur'ans and prayer beads and other miscellaneous religious items. A booth in the middle of the courtyard had young university students handing out drinks and food for those who started Ramadan the day prior to break fast with. 

This is a picture I found online of the UGM mosque. The food booth was just to the top right of the little pond.

Per usual I drew some interest from those around me, and I was strongly encouraged by some people at the mosque to help myself to the previously mentioned food and beverages. After finally accepting a water I sat down on the edge of the courtyard and just took in the whole scene. This was it, the beginning of Ramadan. I've heard people talking about the holiday for months now. Learning about the holiday in my Intro to Islam class seems like eons ago from sitting here in the mosque surrounded by it. 

I'm still not comfortable going into the mosque during the prayers. I clearly have no idea what to do and I feel like watching from the back is sort of weird. As two older men got up to go line up for prayer they offered me their mat in the courtyard and I sat there and watched as the courtyard suddenly emptied and the mosque filled with lines of people on both stories. 

So that's how my Ramadan started. Sitting in the beautiful mosque courtyard in the evening with Arabic filling the air around me like a now familiar hymn. It's interesting how in six weeks I feel so comfortable with the Islamic culture, and yet still like such an outsider. 

My view from where I was sitting in the courtyard.

And of course, being my typical self in this inter-faith experience I'm living in Yogya, it couldn't end there. I was up bright and early at 6:00AM on the first morning of Ramadan, but this time it was so I could meet my friend Leo for church. Earlier in the week I had expressed my regret at how despite being here for six weeks and working in an internship that's all about the religious culture in Indonesia, I had yet to actually attend a worship service for my own faith in the area. So Leo sacrificed his Sunday morning and escorted me to a service in Javanese. 

We went to Gereja Hati Kudus Tuhan Yesus (Sacred Heart Church of God is my rough best-guess at a translation). The service was in very formal Javanese and was unique in the fact that you'll really only find such a service in Java. They used traditional Javanese music to accompany the choir. It was a beautiful chaotic mix of percussion and vocals that was every bit as moving as any hymn I've heard at home. 

Leo decided a picture with the church's statue of Jesus was necessary. And of course, he's hiding behind the camera.

So, whether you're in America, Indonesia, a mosque, a church, or anywhere in between: Ramadan Mabaruk! Do with this month whatever you see fit, and may it bring you whatever you seek from it.

Happy Holidays!

This week, as you might've gathered from my first day of work post, is full of holidays. Tuesday was the Muslim holiday Isra and Mi'raj and Thursday was Ascension Day in Catholicism. Indonesia makes all religious holidays national holidays. So everyone in Java has been out of work for a good portion of the week. This of course makes life (and traffic) a little more hectic, but we've been adventuring around nonetheless.

Our free days mix a combination of religious and cultural exploration, lots of eating, and some free time as well. For Ascension Day we traveled to Gereja Ganjuran, or The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was established in 1924 by a Dutch family who owned a sugar factory in the area. It is particularly interesting because the church blends Roman Catholic tradition with the already existing Javanese culture of the area, which makes for some pretty interesting architecture and motifs.

This is a statue of Mary and Jesus depicted in Javanese style.

A Catholic temple outside of the church.

The inside of the church.

And clearly, the only way to follow up any outing in Indonesia, is by getting food. In the case of the Gereja Ganjuran trip, it was Pecel Lele. We went to this very pretty Javanese cultural center and hotel where I decided on the fried catfish with chili sauce. Ayu said it was "very student of me" to order. Plus, it's fun to order (it's pronounced peh-chel lay-lay).

Lunch.

Somehow, despite our excusions and copious meals, we still manage to find some extra free time during our days. On Tuesday night we decided to head to Yogyakarta's Southern Square after dinner. A park by day, at night it lights up with illuminated pedel-cart rides, different venders, and street musicians. 

Sarah, Tanto, Fye, Suraiya, and I in our elephant pedal-cart.

Sarah rode on top (behind the "Jogja" in the previous picture) and took this picture of some of the other illuminated "cars".

Also, a trip to the Southern Square wouldn't be complete without trying our hand at a little local myth. In the middle of the square there are two large banyan trees.

We visited at night, but here's a photo from Google of the trees during the day.

According to the myth, if you can walk from the north side of the trees through the path between them while blindfolded then you will get a wish granted. You start from pretty far away from the trees, and (particularly on holiday) have to wade through the crowd of other hopeful wishers trying to walk straight while blindfolded. 

This is a photo Sarah took of me as I walked blindfolded toward the trees.

Although it sounds relatively easy, people are limited to three attempts per night. Apparently it is really common for people to start walking straight toward the trees only to suddenly start walking to their right or left without any recollection of having turned. Out of Sarah, Suraiya, and myself I'm the only one who managed to make it through the trees while blindfolded. 

So despite not necessarily getting all of our wishes granted, we did manage to make the most of our holiday(s) and got the chance to get a little more acquainted with Yogya.

My First Day in Thailand

Nothing like starting your morning by having Japan Airlines wake you up at 4:00AM to serve you seaweed for breakfast. Yummy. Before I knew it I was struggling through the Bangkok airport, through customs, and off to meet Carol and the rest of the Santisuk Center crew. Except… Carol forgot when my flight got in. So here’s me: brain dead after 30 hours of travel, looking for a person who’s not there. Thankfully some Thai woman let me borrow her cellphone. God bless her.

Well, an exciting start to my day doesn’t even compare to how much I’ve experienced just on my first day here in Thailand. I made it in time to shower and head to church. The service was incredible. It was a modest group of young adults in the front room of the Santisuk center, but watching youth and adults from all over the country (and world) being able to worship together was an incredibly moving experience. Also, through that service I gained a piece of mind that comforted me about the rest of my stay. (Up until that point I had been in a bit of shock over the culture difference.)

And let me just say, I embraced the culture wholeheartedly from that point. All the church members went to lunch together for fellowship and I got to speak to some locals of all ages. They helped me perfect my few phrases of Thai and more importantly, ordered for me since I had no clue how to approach and ask for food. I ordered a cantaloupe smoothie and some chicken and rice. I had no clue what else was on my plate until Carol sat down next to me with a grin.

“You know that’s blood right?” she gestured to what had looked like a crossover between Jell-O and mousse but more porous-y. “Nope!” I responded before digging right in. And yes, it had that iron-metallic flavor. No, I didn’t finish it. I do plan on getting it again though so I can send you a picture. But, what I do have, is a picture of myself with some of the other missionaries – and we all accidently color coordinated for the service!

Us missionaries from all over the country working for Santisuk. :)

Oh, and here are some more photos of where I’m staying/working:

                

 The front door to the Santisuk English Center (and where I'm living three floors above).

A view of the street standing just a few feet from the door in the previous photo.

                But my day didn’t end there. Carol took Kate (She’s the one on the farthest left. She’s staying at the Lat Krabang branch with me.) and I to a huge market. Cue photo of Kate and I drinking out of a coconut there:

                And if that wasn’t enough we got to traverse more throughout downtown Bangkok to see the main school and eventually to eat dinner. Less exciting this time. McDonalds (picked by Kate and Carol, at this point I was almost mentally comatose from the lack of rest). But that’s okay. Because I got a chance to get refreshed. Afterword (as if we hadn’t already done more than is usually fit into a week!) we went to a spa and got Thai massages. Trust me, you’ve never had a real massage until you’ve had one in Thailand. It’s not the same. My body is in a state of nirvana. But before capitalizing on such a state and going to bed, I decided to update my Blog for you all. You’re welcome.

                

We were getting our feet washed before we were allowed to partake in the spa.

(Thai's consider feet to be a "dirty" part of the body. It's super cultural.)

                     Oh, and a shout-out to Emily who found a Wikipedia article about the struggle I went through in my previous photo. You can click here to view it. But that's it everyone, and it's quite enough for one day! I'm finally off to bed. It's been three calander days since I've had a real night's sleep. I can't wait!