Land Alive

It’s hard to come on a trip like this and not hear the echoes of the past reaching out to you from every part of the landscape. When you walk through a city that is thousands of years old like Jerusalem or you peer out over the Sea of Galilee from atop a 1^st century Crusader fortress wall; you can still feel the vibrant life that at one time was part of these places.

While swimming in the Sea of Galilee one night, I floated on my back and looked at the stars. From my peripherals, I could vaguely see the silhouettes of the mountains of Jordan, to the North faint lines stretched up and across the landscape signifying the rise of the Golan Heights, and to the West the soft lights of Tiberias dotted the shore… Even with all of this going on around me, the sky held all of my attention with its splendor. As I floated there, I imagined how many others had taken a night swim just like this over the past few thousand years. What did they think when they looked up at the stars? Where they cooling down after a long day fishing?  I thought about others and stories I had heard about this place. There once was a man who lived on these shores- a carpenter, and a teacher that I had grown to love. He lived here, he worked here. I wonder how many times he floated out and looked at the same stars? If water could talk, the Sea of Galilee could hold my attention for a lifetime...

Sunrise at the Sea of Galilee

Again at Masada, we walked up the Roman siege ramp to King Herod’s fortress. The siege ramp stands as a testament of dauntless labor and Roman determination. At the top it’s easy to get lost in the beauty and insanity that is Masada. The location is perilous but the beauty is staggering, and it isn’t hard to see why Herod chose this location for his fortress. I walked into his throne room and perched on one of his columns. Laughing to myself, I thought about the absurdity of it all. Over 2000 years ago, this room would have been teeming with servants, soldiers, consultants, and all other manners of people. A girl like me would never have been allowed to enter here, much less hop up on a pillar to take in the views. I can picture King Herod sitting behind me on a throne with a look of sheer satisfaction and an air of invincibility as he looked out over the land and considered his great accomplishments. I can’t help but wonder if somewhere in the back of his mind, he had a twinge of worry beginning to bud from whispered rumors and prophecies…

Sitting on top of a pillar in King Herod's throne room at Masada

Even now as I ride in a bus across the desert on my way to Jordan, I think about those that made this trek before me-the idols of my childhood like T.E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell… I may not be part of a camel caravan, but in my own way I am following in their footsteps just like I always believed I would. I look out the window and see Ms Bell in all of her certainty and determination as she treks further East driven by her curiosity and desire for knowledge. I would have liked to be her friend.

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom in the Wadi Rum as described by T E Lawrence

This land is still alive and has been for thousands of years… It’s a three dimensional canvas for those who have inhabited it throughout time. If we listen well and take time to truly understand it, just maybe it will show us its stories. 

Fulbright Family and MSU students at Jericho