It’s so hard to describe a place! I figured I’d wander around the convent today and take some pictures just to huck them in there and see if they convey a little of what the building is like. For a frame of reference, the building is about 5 stories tall, but there are actually 22 levels because so many buildings have been melded into one via bridges over roads and a large rooftop terrace. So many areas are four steps up from other areas. There is also a large “basement” which is the original Roman pavement built in 135AD. Below that pavement is the Struthion pool, a water cistern Herod the Great built in 40 BC to store water for the Antonia Fortress and Temple. The pool held water until the early 2000s(I think) when the Western Wall Tunnel excavations did something on their side of the pool. Since then, the water has never stayed in the pool. Below is a view of the Roman pavement as seen from the second floor of the guest house.
Here are a bunch of photos of the gardens at Ecce Homo:
The Basilica and the little bedroom tucked behind the organ:
I arrived in Israel a full week ago now! Everything went smoothly with arrival. Things were much more streamlined at the airport compared to when I came for my study abroad. I didn’t even have to go through questioning for customs. Woohoo!
I arrived no problem at Ecce Homo (although I did have a hard time figuring out the doorbell lol). The sisters were generous with my schedule the first week. I had a lot of down time to sleep and very light shifts at the beginning of the week.
Now, a week in, I’m in charge of meals, trusted to work Reception alone, etc. Reception at Ecce Homo is fun because I’m not supposed to know anything really! There isn’t even a computer there. I unlock the door for people, take payments from groups who want to see the Roman pavement in the basement, and keep the keys for guests who are heading out to explore. Anything more complicated than that, I say, “Please email our reservations department.” Piece of cake!
I’ve been dabbling in French. About half of the people who live in our house speak French, although English is the primary language at the house. I figure, when else will I have such a good opportunity to practice French? Plus, I realized it’s a more useful language than I thought…a lot of African countries speak French. So far, I’ve only managed to get confused by ooh la la and viola. So not much progress yet.
I’ve had a lot of time to tour around, so I’ve been able to see a lot of the things I didn’t have time for a few years ago such as the Mount of Olives and the Holy Esplanade (aka al-Aqsa mosque platform thing/Temple Mount). I have a brand new notebook where I’m taking notes of everything I’m learning from dear Google so I remember better. There is so much to learn around here, and I love learning! For example, the minaret visible in the clothesline picture and the picture from the Temple Mount next to it was built in 1297 AD by a Mamluk sultan who assassinated so many people that the old Sultan stepped down and let him have the place so he didn’t get assassinated! I’m still confused by the Mamluks…they were warrior slaves in Egypt who also somehow had an empire? I need to do more reading, clearly!
Anyway, everything is going very well here. I really enjoy the sisters and the community members of Chemin Neuf. I’m learning a lot. I know the names of the juice guy and the coffee guy across the street. Life is good!
En route to Israel I had a long run of layovers. First, I stopped for the day in New York and saw George. We went to a bougie Thai restaurant with a great lunch special! Then, I flew overnight to London. I took the train to Oxford to visit Paola and then took the train to Luton for my flight to Romania (a red eye again). In Romania, I stayed at a Hampton Inn (the lap of luxury, not even being sarcastic!) and took a relaxing few days before finally flying to Tel Aviv on July 1.
This was my first time in Oxford, and boy was it incredible!! Paola worked in the morning, so I went to a little cafe in a church and walked around. When she got off, we went into a bunch of colleges because it was Open Day for prospective students, so we were able to go where things were normally closed. Oxford was dreamy. I left feeling academically motivated and missing college.
Cluj, Romania was beautiful as well. I’ve really enjoyed Romania both times I’ve gone. It’s not a wealthy country by any stretch, but it’s a country which loves flowers! I respect that. And the food is wonderful! Lot of meat and potatoes. So good.
Cecilia Joy 