Running through Israel

Our trip to Israel was amazing.  We had a guide that is well known to past HUG'ers and many others who have visited the Holy Land area. Yossi Paz is an enthusiastic, energetic Israeli that holds a Phd. in Archaeology-Anthropology.  He speaks 4 languages and plays the flute and a small version of the bouzouki.  He teaches university classes, is a sought after worldwide speaker, and guides when time allows.  Our purpose on this trip was to seek out areas other than the "must sees" or tourist places that Yossi felt might be beneficial and interesting for the students that we bring to Israel three times a year.

His philosophy is "if the door is open, go in and see what awaits you" many times on our trip some doors were closed only to be opened by Yossi, taking us into an entirely new cultural experience. As he guides he makes connections to scriptures that help in the understanding of the place, time period, or experience.

We started our day in Jerusalem by walking through the Jaffa Gate stopping to see various points along the Via Dolorosa, and also enjoying the views of the market area itself. Our first real stop was to visit with a young Messianic Jew in the Anglican Church, English Garden.  It was cool, peaceful and interesting to hear Hadel tell of the struggles the Messianic Jews face in their homeland.  Attached to that property is an old underground aqueduct and diagrams showing how water was brought into the city in ancient times. We also met a local archaeologist who has written books, worked with well-known diplomats and written articles for National Geographic. We saw some of his pottery, lamps etc., from biblical excavations.

Next we visited a Lebanese monastery where from the roof we had a panoramic view of the old city.

We then traveled through the crowds viewing the now 'worship areas' thought to be where Jesus was placed in the tomb. There are about 30+ different groups each with a different viewpoint. We moved around the corner to see an area thought to be the Tomb of Joseph of Arimethea.  True or not, it is a very characteristic  tomb of bible times and gives a vivid picture of what the tomb would have been like. We wandered in and out of little alleys climbing up and down rooftops to churches, study groups and housing areas of many other religious groups.

We then climbed to the roof-top of the Muslim quarters and opened the door of a very private Jewish Yeshiva.  This is where the ultra orthodox spend time in studying the Torah and believe they have a direct connection to God with a little band they wear around their heads. This group was younger than some and didn't seem to mind we were viewing their inner sanctum.

From there we went down to the cotton sellers market and had the closest view possible to the Golden Dome.  This area is off limits to all that are not muslim, because it is the month of Ramadan. Some men were praying in the courtyard.  There were guards and we were not permitted any closer and even had to have permission to take a picture! 

We then stopped for a cool drink at garden in the Austrian Hospice area.  A welcome stop from the intense heat that we were victims of this week. This summer Jerusalem was experiencing the hottest temps they have had.  42C (108)  and up depending on the area. One area recorded a record 62C.  We were sweating for sure with the reflections off the light rocks and closed in walled areas.

For the evening part of the tour Yossi heard there was to be a special ceremony in the ultra orthodox ghetto area where they were bringing in a new Torah for that community.  He got a yamaka for Mike and told me to wear a long skirt and closed shoes so we could go and watch the ceremony.  Unfortunately, he forgot that I would need long sleeves (naked elbows are not allowed) so we could only watch from a distance. It was interesting as they carried the new Torah through the streets with lanterns lighting the way as the men sang and chanted.

We then went to view what some people feel is David's Tomb.  Most of the experts disagree, but it was an interesting site with small "chapels" on each side for the men and women to go separately to read and pray. On our way out we heard music so we followed the sounds and found a small family group of french speaking Arab jews that were celebrating the first cutting of their 3 year old son's hair.  Yossi told them he played the flute and they invited him to play a song of David and then cut a lock of the child's hair.  They spoke some English and we had a nice visit and ate refreshments with them.

Our next stop was the Wailing Wall from a top balcony.  From this position we had a wonderful view of the old wall all lit up at night and filled with men and women on their respective sides chanting, leaving notes in the wall, reading and praying.  You could also see an area of excavation  of a Bysentine temple.  After going through security we entered at floor level and each visited our respective areas to view the wall up closer. Out in the courtyard we saw a group of young girls at a communion ceremony, and a group of ultra orthodox transporting a Rabbi and his son for his Bar Mitzvah. From there we climbed the old city wall and took a walk around to the next gate.  These areas are secured by Israeli soldiers. 

That concluded day one!

Is it Christmas?

We cleared customs yesterday with no problems, not even an opened box... just a few hours of time. We packed our little white van and brought the boxes home to open.  There is an excitement that comes with unpacking boxes, even though they haven't been packed very long, it's fun to take each item out and find a special place for it. IWe are making progress! Right now we wonder why we have a pile of "winter" clothes to find a place for, because that element hasn't been a part of Greece that we have experienced yet.  But I guess on those nippy mornings that we hear will come, those warm sweaters will feel good...and I'm pretty excited to open the Miracle Whip for the next sandwich I make!

Last night we walked to the water and sat in the Lobby Cafe's outdoor section right by the sea.  It was calm and serene.  Mike had an iced coffee and I had iced chocolate...sooo yummy!  Later we had a salad supper at the taverna.  The tomatoes right now are simply wonderful and the greek salads are full of them. The salads are big and meant to be shared, but we each order one and that is our whole meal.


Did I mention earlier that I love the crunchy toasted bread sprinkled with olive oil and lightly with salt!!!
Mike is in love with feta cheese, he's really happy when they put an extra thick slab on his salad.

An ongoing challenge is outlets. The plugs here are round and take up a lot of space.  There are always unsightly cords and plugs everywhere, especially since some things also need adapters and/or transformers which are larger boxes that take up more space!  It seems there is no easy, neat way to utilize the electronics we are so accustomed to using. Fortunately there were some things left here that had been purchased locally, like a hair dryer and small appliances that don't need adapters, just plugs in the right place!

Residency Completed!!

Tuesday, with the help of our HUG lawyer we completed our official resident papers!! This is a huge undertaking and never would have been accomplished without his help, especially in this short amount of time.  We did begin some of the paperwork before we left the states but he managed to set up all the meetings at city hall, the clinic, and help us get all the correct signatures.  We are so grateful for Vassilios's help and friendship.

Sunday, Mike preached in the absence of Dino Roussos at the English worship service in Glyfada.  Right now they are meeting in a room at the Congo Palace, which was the first campus of HUG.  He did a great job with his lesson and Matt Gulley, Dino's son in law led most of the rest of the service. Very small crowd, but much warmth and we enjoyed having Vassilios visit with us.

Monday, we met with Christian and Fotini about the upcoming trip plans they have made for us as our very  efficient travel agents.  They went step by step through the plans and gave many helpful suggestions, and then treated us to a great lunch at a nearby restaurant.  We had a wonderful "peasant salad" and then grilled beef steak with fries.  It's like hamburger balls, grilled and served with fries.  Very tasty!

Monday evening we had dinner with Vasilios and his lovely wife Natasha and their three teenage kids.  It was a great evening of visiting and getting to know them better.  Natasha had fixed way too much food, so we dined like royalty on the several courses.  The first course was sesame bread sticks, very thinly cut zucchini fried in olive oil (like potato chips) and cheese pies and fresh sardines pickled and in oil and garlic.  All of it was delightful with the exception of the sardines.  Didn't go to much for the texture, but I ate everything!! Next, we had Jasmine rice and breaded pork cutlets served with lemon, and finally chocolate souffle.  Delicious!!! For those that know me well, food is definitely and area of a challenge.  Let's just say I'm a plain food eater, so mixing foods and sauces is a new adventure for my palate!!

Today we met with the security man again.  He brought the bill for some work he did and then gave a bid for some things he would like for us to consider.  He is really fun to be with, but it was like playing charades since he speaks only a few words of English and our Greek...well...he had a Russian friend here to help translate but the whole conversation was pretty funny!!

Tonight we walked down the street to our favorite Taverna and had salads for dinner.  They serve them with toasted bread drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with salt.  Good dinner!! I have to remember to ask for no onions next time...

Tomorrow we finally pick up our boxes which were shipped.  The air freight company called and they have cleared customs so we will pick them up I guess in our small white van.  We may have to make more than one trip to get them all here.  Thankfully we can send them up to our floor in the elevator, the stairs are enough without carrying 50 lb. boxes!!

I promised pictures and they will come...We just got my computer set up yesterday so tomorrow I'll get the card downloaded.

Things are going well, it is very quiet, but I know it won't be for long so we are "storing" up a little of the quiet to use after the students have arrived.  We have skype on often so give us a jingle anytime.  We've talked with Winfred Wright, some of our kids, my brother in Singapore and a friend in Iraq!!  The world gets smaller all the time!!!  Shouldn't have taken that little nap after a dip in the pool...it's 2:30 a.m.

Kali Mera to you all!

The First Week...

Well, I have decided to create a blog. I'm not a gifted writer, this will just be my thoughts and feelings.  Kind of my own little diary to help me remember these days in Greece and everywhere else this new job will take us.  By us, I mean my husband Mike and me, the new directors of HUG.

I have learned already that life seems rather surreal here.   I'm sure that is because we don't have any type of regular schedule yet. We go where we want, eat when we want and try to remember the way home to the Artemis.

For those who don't know about the Artemis, it was once a hotel in the seacoast town of Porto Rafti. I think there are about 22 guest rooms, our apartment, a classroom, library, dinning room, and many other common areas all hidden behind a large wall on a busy street. It has marble floors and in some areas marble walls. The doors are big and solid and don't close without a slam. It now houses us and between 30-40 Harding University students, as of Sept. 10!

We have been in Greece one week. This week we have learned most of the letters of the alphabet (very helpful in reading signs, even if you don't know what they mean), a few necessary words, the route to many grocery stores, the airport, the train station, the Athen's Mall, a huge grocery/Wal Mart type store, 2 IKEA's, a home improvement store, a Factory Outlet, several local bakeries (yummmm), a clinic, the bank, Aristotle Travel, church, and Starbucks.  During this time we have managed to lose our car at IKEA (biggest parking garage ever), almost get squished by a city bus, had our wind shield washed at many intersections (guys trying to get money), eaten many unfamiliar foods, had chest ex-rays (no paper or cloth gowns here, ladies), TB tests, and have learned to dispose of toilet paper in trash cans (yes, we flush, but only natural waste products!!!) We've also explored the hotel and grounds, tried to figure out the phone system, breaker boxes (first morning...brrrr, didn't know the hot water heater was off!), and plug adapters. As you can tell it has been a busy week.  We also had dinner with the Roussos', have met a few times with Vassilios,(a local lawyer) been to city hall, and have managed to "jailbreak" both iPhone's and get local phone service!

Today, when we went to a huge Carrefour store to buy groceries we set everything on the checkout counter only to find out I had to get out of line and take all the produce we were buying back to be weighed and priced.  Mike checked us out, while I trotted off to find out where and how to do that.  We just learn something new every hour or two!!!

All the staff is off this whole month. August is the month people take vacations.  It is hot here and people flock to the coastal areas.  On our drive to Sounio Wednesday, we took the route by the sea and it was packed with cars and buses as people escape from Athen's and spend their days off at the sea.  It is beautiful and the young and old seem to be enjoying the beach.

Mike is preaching in Glyfada (suburb of Athens) on Sunday. Because it is summer the crowd is extra small. Last week we had 15 and the service was translated into Spanish and Ukrainian. It is an English service. This week atleast 4 of the regulars will be out of town, but perhaps others will be back.
Well, it is late and tomorrow we will have more adventures.  The security man is coming and he speaks no English, that should be an adventure all by itself! We miss you all, it's very quiet here.

 Kali nihta...