All my bags are packed ...

It's been almost three years since the last time I left North America, and I am very excited about my journey to the Holy Land -- sometimes I can't breath when I think about it.

My last adventure was as a volunteer English teacher in Voronezh, Russia where I lived for just under five months. It was wonderful to get away from everything familiar and completely immerse myself in another culture. Needless to say, the experience changed my life and I left a part of my heart in the Motherland.

This time I'm off to the Brigham Young University-Jerusalem Center for one semester as a student of Near Eastern Studies. I look forward to once again getting to see another part of the world and get to know the people there. And of course, I can't wait to study the scriptures right there where the Saviour and the ancient prophets walked.

I just recently went through the motions of graduation at BYU-Idaho, although because I am participating in this program I won't receive my degree until May. Perhaps it was the fear of having to grow up and find a real job that convinced me to apply, that and I thrive on this sort of adventure. But honestly, I have known for a while that I had to see Jerusalem before I died, and what better way to do it!

And so, now that my packing troubles are over, (I've decided to live with the fact that my bag is overweight and pay the consequences) I'm off to Utah tomorrow for my Monday orientation meeting. In Israel I will try to update this blog as often as possible for anyone who is interested in reading about my adventures.

Next week in Jerusalem!