Hummus - Rita vs. Lina

While I'm not sure I'll ever find hummus good enough to rival my grandmother Rita's simple but perfect recipe, I did find a place that comes very close. Hummus Lina is supposedly some of the best hummus in the world, a local favorite. I experienced it today and it was splendid.

The white stuff in the picture is called Labaneh. You know food is good when you are still imagining the taste in your mouth an hour later. It is a type of really thick yogurt made from goat cheese, tasting a lot like cream cheese but fluffier and healthier.

The following is a description of my friend, Scott Nibley's first experience with Hummus Lina a couple weeks ago:

"It was the greatest delicacy, perhaps, of my life. The hummus was so subtly flavored, so delicate--a most simple decadence, whose combination of texture and taste make resplendence personified." (full disclosure)

After a morning spent touring the City of David and walking through Hezekiah's tunnel (more to come later), this was a great topper. Good food in my stomach=happiness.

Sing, sing, sing. I like to sing.

I've had the blessed opportunity since I've been here to attempt to emulate my mother's awesome musical talent. Robert Galbraith, an amazing musician and composer has been directing a choir here. Every week we get to learn a new piece, usually an original arrangement of his or something really amazing like Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart. Last week we gave a concert here at the Jerusalem Center. This was the opening piece, a lullaby from Hansel and Gretel. We performed the first song behind the audience, then moved down to the stage for the rest of the concert.

In April we will be giving a concert at the St. Georges Cathedral here in Jerusalem. This video also shows off the Jerusalem Center Auditorium. Sunday Night Concerts are given here every week and are attended by both locals and tourists.

Snow Day!

This morning I woke up to this.

Apparently the city shuts down when it snows in Jerusalem. Two of our classes were canceled because no one wants to drive on the slick roads. If the snow here were as pretty as Utah snow, maybe we could build a snowman, but it's pretty much slush. Looks like recess will be inside today!

Giraffes, Storks and Hope

When I was about sixteen years old arriving at the San Diego Zoo with my parents, we realized that until that moment, I had never been to the zoo! (Tragic, I know.) This lack of zoo experiences as a kid perhaps explains my eager childlike impulses when I go to the zoo today. I get really excited. As you can see, I made a couple friends at the Israel Zoo. I thoroughly enjoyed the giraffes and storks and the fish without eyes and squirrel monkeys were especially fascinating and entertaining. But the best part of the day was meeting a fellow homosapien on the playground.

While I was taking a picture of a friend, this kid came up to me and motioned me to come over and play with him. We proceeded to take pictures together on every different mosaic animal. It was awesome.

Walking around Jerusalem everyday, it's easy to get annoyed with the security issues. 99% of the time, I feel safe, but there are definitely streets where I've trained my eyes not to make eye contact with anyone (especially men) for fear of sending a misunderstood message. Especially while traveling, this apprehensive behavior is out of character. Nature's instinct is to observe absolutely everything and take it all in.

Thankfully though, the saving aspect of this unfortunate situation has been the kids. Kids are always safe to look at. There is no threat involved and mostly kids are just as curious in looking at me as I am at them. Kids have no preconceived judgements about Americans. No locked up role for women. No longterm grudges. I'm so grateful for the kids here. In a big way, they are the small light of hope to a difficult situation--hope which is very much needed. Here's to my playground playmate, unafraid and eager to simply spend a couple minutes enjoying the company of a fellow human being.

Capturing Egypt

Thanks to the wonders of facebook and digital cameras I have pictures from Egypt!

Also, my roommate miraculously fixed my camera last night. It works now!

Today I saw a t-shirt with this on it

Tuesday night, I listened to a forum here at the Jerusalem Center given by Stewart Tuttle, the spokesman for the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. In a more casual and less informed group than he normally speaks to (that being the hounding media), he was able to speak quite candidly and openly about US involvements here in the Middle East, including Bush's latest visit. Quite enlightening.

His optimism towards Bush's latest visit reminded me of the high morale felt by many towards a peace solution right at the end of Bill Clinton's tenure, 8 years ago. Seems a bit like deja vu. Which made me wonder if it is even possible for a US President to give as much focus in their earlier years toward a solution as Clinton and Bush have/are giving in their last years. Would the American people allow this?

DISCLAIMER: The following paragraph is Catherine's opinion...

I do believe that George Bush, indeed the most powerful man in the world, is personally and spiritually committed to helping this problem. While the US cannot be the main player in the peace process, I do think they have extreme clout and respect in "advising" a solution. And I think that both Abbas and Olmert agree. Despite doubt from the Palestinian I spoke with today in a camera shop outside the Old City who deemed Bush's visit a "failure," I truly hope his efforts succeed.

Once in a Lifetime

I know, I know. Typical cheesy tourist shot. But what else are you supposed to do WHEN YOU'RE AT THE PYRAMIDS???

More than an educational or eye-opening experience, visiting the great pyramids of Giza seems to be more the culmination or completion of a goal than anything else. Despite the very atypical below-60 degree weather all week and my broken camera (this was one of the last pictures I took before it fell in the sand), Egypt was an exhilarating 'pinch yourself-these places really do exist' experience.

The pyramids up close are cool but my greatest realization came seeing them as part of the Cairo skyline. They are the major identifying landmark of Egypt today in the same way they were over 4,000 years ago. I wonder if Moses or even the later pharaohs like Ramses II were as excited or intrigued by the pyramids as I was when they first laid eyes on them.

Amazing is the hard work of the common people of ancient Egypt in building these structures. They put a lot into honoring and respecting their leaders after they died. Either they were somehow brainwashed to construct massive temples for no functional purpose of their own or they actually cared about their leaders and wanted to show gratitude by heaving insane amounts of 1.5-ton stones across the desert. Either way it is a wonder to think about.


(Hopefully modern day file sharing will aid me in obtaining more pictures that I was not able to take myself. Also, those are my roommates in the picture.)