Study Abroad at BYU-Jerusalem: Galilee

I spent 10 days in Galilee and it was amazing! We stayed in little apartments on the beach of the Sea of Galilee and had class every other day and the days I didn’t have class I spent on field trips. The apartments were in a kibbutz so we got fresh bananas from the banana fields in the evenings and it was where I tasted cow tongue for the first time. One night, we all went to a restaurant in the by the kibbutz right along the coast of the Sea of Galilee where we had Tilapia (fresh fish from the Sea). We then went to Tiberias (where we had sacrament meeting on Sabbath twice) and explored and got ice cream at night.

Anyways, it was the coolest thing learning about Christ and the Sea of Galilee and all the miracles he produced when he was there. I’ve had so many experiences that I don’t have time to write them all, so I’ll give you the highlights.

The first day we got there, we went to Mt. Arbel, which overlooked all of Galilee. I find, the places that we have time to ponder the scriptures and the events that happened are the places that I will remember most and that have the most meaning. Another favorite place was Bethsaida (the house of fish). There were hills of flowers and places that looked like forests. We took a nature walk after learning about the miracles that happened at Bethsaida in the scriptures. We talked about fish and seeing what other people can’t see when fishing. Gamla was fun to hike. It is famous for it’s camel hump. We hiked it and learned that the Romans broke the city walls, chased the Jews (trying to conquer the city), and the Jews jumped to their deaths on top of the mountain. It was gorgeous though. When we went to Akkos, it was a fun city to explore. We got gelato and explored the coast. We got to see Chorazin and tour the cursed cities’ ruins.

One Sunday, we went canoeing down the Jordan River. It was one of the funnest afternoons – swinging from ropes into the river and battling other canoes, flipping them over. Capernaum was one of my favorites because we got to see the ruins of Peter’s home, see the synagogue of Capernaum, and look over the Sea of Galilee. There was a group of us that sung hymns in our free time there, and we attracted many people that loved listening to us. Singing in churches and on holy sites is the best experience.

Another of the experience I’ll remember the most is going to see the remains of a 2,000 years old fishing boat from the Sea of Galilee. Then we rode a fishing boat across the Sea of Galilee and in the middle, we cut the engine, talked about fishing and sang “Master, The Tempest is Raging.” I had such a spiritual experience going across the water where Christ walked. My love for the Savior grew so much while I was in Galilee.

There are so many other things I can include, but most of you won’t read this far, so I’ll include pictures.