New Blog!

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 As some of you may know already, I am currently in Jerusalem for a one year study abroad program!

I will be posting on another blog, which you can visit here: https://myisraeljourney.home.blog/

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Grace



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Ha Kotel - The Western Wall

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Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (7/18)

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     On the eighteenth of July, we went to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.  It erupted in 1980. The lava column shot up 15 miles into the air and rushed down the sides of the mountain. All the plants and animals around the volcano were wiped out.  After the eruption, life returned quickly.  Now, the area is filled with even more animals and plants than before the eruption. However, we didn't get to hike on the mountain itself, because it was closed for research. Mount St. Helens      Since we weren't able to go to Mount St. Helens, we went to Johnston Ridge Observatory.  There, we could see the mountain and also learn about it from movies, exhibits, or rangers. Johnston Ridge Observatory      At the visitor center, we watched two movies about the mountain.  They were each about 15-20 minutes long. After the movie, the curtain lifted up and through the window we saw the mountain: Mount ...
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Animals in Israel

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We got to see lots of Animals in Israel! We especially got to see lots of adorable cats. There was a time when there were too many mice in Israel. So, they imported lots of cats. The mice population died down. The cats stayed. We visited a family in Migdal. They showed us their pet turtle and let us ride on their horse Dusty. We also got to see many birds in Israel. There were many birds in the Old City of Jerusalem and at the Western Wall. They liked to sit in the cracks of the Old walls. In Tel Aviv, we got to see lots of crabs at the beach. There were gray-speckled crabs and even white crabs! Watch this video to see the crabs walking! We also saw lions in the Old City! It's great that the lions weren't alive... or else we wouldn't be alive. We got to see a bear, too! And Llamas and Camels! I hope you had a great time reading! Read more about our trip to Israel here: A Special Birthday Looking Back -...
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A tour of the Botanical Garden of the Hebrew University

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Today, we went on a tour with Dr. Pfann, the President of the University of the Holy Land. We toured the Botanical Garden of the Hebrew University, and we learned a lot about the plants of the Bible. Israel is in the center of 3 continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. There are many different climates in Israel, too. This is why there are so many different kinds of plants and flowers that grow in Israel. We first stopped by a lavender plant.  Lavender in Israel looks a bit different from ones in the US, but it smells just as nice! This tree below is the Ceratonia Siliqua , also known as the Carob Tree. The Carob Tree can be used for food and medicine. There are male and female Carob Trees. This tree is a male tree because of the stamens on the branches. We will talk more about carob beans at the end of the post. Below is the  Majorana Syriaca , the hyssop of the Bible. It was used for cleansing. When you dip it in the water, it can really soak up all t...
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Our trip to Sacramento

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At around 5:30 in the morning on Monday, my Dad came into our room and woke us up.  We had everything for the trip prepared the night before, but we hadn't loaded everything into the car. There were also some food in the refrigerator that we needed to bring and many last-minute things we needed to do (like waking up my brother so he could prepare his things).  Around 6:00, we left the house.  In almost no time, the sun was up. Outside the window, the land was parched and dry, but the view was nice. The six of us were not the only ones traveling.  My younger siblings' stuffed animals were also riding on the car. About half-way through the trip, we stopped at a rest station.  We had stopped at this rest station before last year when we went on our road trip. There was plenty of space to run around before we went back into the car.  Many birds were there, too.  My brother had fund taking pictures of the birds and th...
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Israel

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On our trip to Israel, we flew on an Israeli airline called EL AL. Our first meal had pasta, chicken, pita bread (delicious!), grapes, potato chips, a slice of chocolate cake, and a drink.  After fifteen hours on the airplane, we landed in Israel.  As soon as the airplane touched the ground, almost everyone in the plane shouted and clapped.  Was it because our airplane stayed safe (and in the air) throughout the whole flight? We went through the customs, got our three tiny luggage (each less than 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide) from the baggage claim, and exited the airport.  The ride to the apartment where we would be staying was quite long.  However, I happened to be sitting next to my brother, who is both a very good comedian and a very good storyteller.  For the whole ride I sat listening to his entertaining story of animals (deer, cows, horses, skunks, and rabbits). At last, we arrived at our apartment building.  We...
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Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum

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Playgrounds in Israel

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We got to visit lots of playgrounds in Israel! They are different from the ones in the U.S. and they are really fun! This playground was in the Old City, Jerusalem.  The swing was really fun! The park was really fun! You could slide down and also climb up! Sliding down! There were also two long blue slides! We also got to visit two parks in Tel Aviv. The first park was like an amusement park. It had like 20+ swings! This park also had two of the swings that we saw in Jerusalem! This park also had a giant playground with at least 12 slides! There was something that you could go on and it would take you down to the ground! Near this park in Tel Aviv was another park. It was really fun, too. On our last night in Tel Aviv, we also visited a park next to the beach! I hope you had a great time reading this post! Read more about our trip to Israel here: A Special Birthday Looking Back - the 8 days of S...
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On the Road to Seattle

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