The End

Mt. Nebo...Not much of a view really.

We're back from a four day field study in Jordan.  It was such a good trip! Its hard to say that it was the best because they have all been amazing and unique in their own ways.  This trip was different because in Jordan it is illegal to travel around to the different big tourists sites and even to the sites that most tourists aren't interested in, without a Jordanian Tour Guide.  Also, because we were on an extended trip far into another country trying to cover lots of land, each night we stayed in a different hotel and for every meal we ate at a restaurant.  The hotels started out nice and got worse and worse each night.  Our tour guide was nice, he let Dr. Wright speak at the sites and worked with us and helped us out.  It was interesting being in a different country and i added more stamps to my passport. we had a good time.
We started just south of the Sea of Galilee on the Transjordan side of the Rift Valley.  We moved south from there and went as far south as Petra.  Petra was a lot of fun.  It was basically a fun trip with free time, but we didn't really have a lot of time, so my friends and i literally ran all over Petra visiting the sites we thought were most interesting.  But of course afterward we were tired.  The Bible isn't directly linked to Petra so Dr. Wright had nothing to say there, but he did lecture for a bit on the bus and i learned some really cool stuff.  Actually, i think we spent as much in the bus as we did at sites.  We had a lot of land to cover so the bus rides were quite long.
We ended the Jordan trip standing on the mountain where tradition puts Moses and Mt. Nebo.  It may not be the exact mountain that Moses stood on looking into all of the promised land, but it is a good view from there and very well could be where Moses was.  So, that is where we ended the last day, of the last field study of this semester.  (I do have week long field study in Egypt, but thats for a different class).  So we talked about the end of Moses' life there and the nearing end of our time in Israel.  I am down to three weeks now, and i'm sure they'll go by faster than the 2 months ive been here!
Its been an awesome class and I am anxious but now also sad that the end is so close.  Between this class (Physical Settings), Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Israel, I've learned so much about Ancient Israel and the beginnings of them as a people and as a nation.  I'm even in a class called "History of the Jews from Medieval to Modern Times" AND "Palestinian Society and Politics" which deals a lot with Israel.  So this semester has been an intense, in depth, but short, look at the creation of Israel as a people and as a land; From Abraham to Benjamin Netenyahu.
We ended the Physical Settings class by standing on Mt. Nebo looking over the Rift Valley into the promised land and read the last part of the story of Moses' life.  In December, as we leave Egypt we'll climb onto the top of Mt. Sinai and shout the ten commandments.  It is quite a blessing to have this opportunity and to follow Moses around the desert.  The timeline didn't work perfectly out, it may have been cool to start at Mt. Sinai and end at Mt. Nebo, but i'll take this and enjoy it just as much.
So as Mt. Nebo marked the soon coming end of Moses' life, it also marks the end of my semester, which means I have papers to write. lol.  So i'll keep this short.
Sorry for not blogging more. I hope you have enjoyed it though.  I plan on updating a few more times but as the end of the semester gets closer and closer i'll have less and less time.  In 3 weeks i'm going to Egypt, afterward my friend Josh Houston and I are going to be traveling through Greece, Turkey and Cyprus for three weeks and then back to the US!  I'm looking forward to coming back and I have changed my mind about transferring.  (i know no one is surprised, lol).  But i will be coming back to IWU.  I'm already registered and everything.  My plane is scheduled to land in Chicago Jan. 10th, around 9:30 am.  My first class at IWU starts at 7:50am, Jan. 11th.  Hopefully I make it!  We will see.
Goodbye for now. Here are some pictures

Ammon Jordan

A Museum in Ammon..."hmm, we should go to Petra."

A Roman Decapolis

My Professor and I illustrating the story of Jacbo wrestling with a man while trying to cross the Jabbok River

Morning, Chilling at the Hotel

My Best Friends, Arnon Canyon below

Dr. Wright, Josh H. and myself at Mt. Nebo

Petra

Petra!

A Camel

More of Petra! Actually this is the coolest thing there.

Ah, Here I am, down below is the Jabbok.