Holiday time!!

With Rebecca on my last day of work

After a crazily busy and intense month since the last blog post, I arrived at my final day of work here yesterday. The arrival of this milestone brings a myriad of thoughts and feelings with it. There were times where I wondered if I would make it to that point in time; there is a measure of relief in arriving and finishing. Contrarily to that, there's also a sense that the day ended up coming too quickly. It's the end of a chapter, and I'm sorry to see it close. My time of serving here has been quite stretching, but it's also chock full of so many special moments. I may come back someday, but this special journey is now coming to a close and I guess it's time to look ahead to the next part of the journey . . .

There was a point in time where I daydreamed about a downhill coast to the finish--should have known better! The last month has seen quite an increase in pressure, responsibilities, and requests. The last week was quite busy and saw me do a cleaning shift as well as a breakfast shift. I haven't done those in awhile, and while it was a bit frustrating as I got none of my work done because we were short handed, it was kind of fun to come full circle and end with doing some of the things I did at the beginning 16 months ago. Yesterday evening was a Seder meal and I worked a 10-hour day--both to help with preparations and because I was dragging my feet to see the last day end.

One of my last big projects was organizing a Pesach meal in the desert for Monday evening. We had done this last year (you can probably find pictures in one of my old blog posts) and it was such a memorable experience; I wanted to give this year's volunteer team the same opportunity. In the end, we had 33 people sit down for our Pesach meal, and I think it all turned out okay. It was (obviously) not the same as last year--I did not expect it to be, but kept being surprised when things would take a different turn. But, it was all good and I think everybody enjoyed the evening!

Nathan, Nick, and Joe apparently enjoyed the Dead Sea mud quite thoroughly in the afternoon!
Our Pesach table at dusk (If you think I'm naming everybody in these pictures, you are wrong!)
Our fantastic rector, David, led the evening's remembrance and celebration

With the turning of the calendar three weeks ago, I realized just how short my time left really is and how long my list of things to see remains. I don't have so many days to get places, so I have been cramming quite a bit of sight seeing into my days off, while still trying to make some days off true off days!

On April 6th, I visited the Chamber of the Holocaust on Mount Zion (immediately south of Zion Gate in the southern Old City wall) and then walked back via the Jewish Quarter.

From the Chamber of the Holocaust
The Tomb of Our Brothers--remembering the largest concentration camps and mass murder sites in Europe
The Children's MemorialThe Sephardic synagogue complex--four synagogues are built here; this is the spiritual center for the Sephardim community (the Sephardim are descendants of the Jewish people expelled from Spain and Portugal in the late 15th century).
A beckoning courtyard . . .The Hurva synagogue
Five days later, I planned myself a very full day. First, I walked approximately three miles from the Old City to Mount Scopus (northeast of the Old City) to visit the military cemetery and Ammunition Hill.

Cemetery entrance
Just inside the gate
This is only about 1/4 of the cemetery
Looking down at Jerusalem from the top of the cemetery on Mount Scopus
Ammunition Hill is a strategic location north of Jerusalem's Old City and the site of an important battle/victory during the Six-Day War in 1967 (you can read about it on Wikipedia :-)). It is now both a museum and memorial to the soldiers who fell in the battle for Jerusalem. The main ceremony on Jerusalem Day is held here.

Bunker on Ammunition Hill
"Triangle of Death"
Trenches
From Ammunition Hill, I walked to Jerusalem's Central Bus Station (another c. 3 miles) and caught a bus to Mount Herzl. My plans to visit the Herzl Museum didn't quite work out, but the walk was quite enjoyable and I paid a final visit to Yad Vashem instead.

Northern neighborhoods of Jerusalem
Yad Vashem complexJerusalem neighborhoods, hills, and forest near Yad Vashem
It was quite a full day--I certainly got my exercise (along with a sunburn . . . forgot sunscreen)! But, it was such an enjoyable day. The weather was great and I loved walking the streets of this city . . .

Now you're partially caught up on what I've been doing. There are still the stories of an emergency room visit, a Kever Rachel visit, a walk along the Talpiyot Promenade, and spring in Jerusalem to tell, but those will have to wait until another time. Since my work is finished, these stories may get told quite soon!

It is a beautiful time here in Jerusalem. Spring has arrived and many of the days have been absolutely perfect--sunny, a cool breeze, and crystal-clear blue skies. The birds sing almost every morning in the quiet before the day picks up. I am so grateful to be here and able to live each day to the fullest . . .

Keep a watch out for more posts in the upcoming days!