The Trials, Tribulations, and Odyssey of Leif Mogren, Wandering Jew - part II
I am writing this from inside a tent. A giant, honest-to-goodness tent. That's right dear readers, I can now add "intrepid" to my many positive traits. But in all seriousness, this is pretty cool. I've been feeling pretty crappy most of today, battling those two implacable and bonded foes, exhaustion and sickness. Nothing serious, dear readers, thank goodness.
Now onto the important bits. A few days ago I was in Jerusalem. And while I was there, something struck me. I saw this.
[Kotel Photo]
That's the Western Wall, the Kotel. It is one of the holiest places, if not the holiest for the Jewish people. I saw the Dome of the Rock from afar. It is chock full of the most holy places for several of the world's largest religions. And it is moving, walking streets filled with so much emotion and history. Every corner in the old city probably holds a hundred fantastic stories of this great and ancient city. To be there was more powerful than I can say.
However, Jerusalem is also this city.
[Modern Jerusalem Photo]
It is a living city. It isn't just filled with history, it's filled with life. Jerusalem is a city that sees such use today! It is fantastic to know that a corridor that once held stalls and merchants now holds modern stores and conveniences. Jerusalem is a city of contrasts, in a thousand different ways.
I was also in Tel Aviv. I could discuss what a neat modern city it is, or the history it has in the Israeli independence movement, but I'm actually going to talk about tour guides. We had a fantastic one at the Hall of Indepedence. A tour guide, in my opinion, needs to be three things. He needs to be funny. This is the tricky one, since some material is not fit for jokes. In this case they at least need to be lively. Being somber has its place, but spirit is key. Second is passion. Important and distinct from the first thing, a tour guide needs to care about what they are doing. No one wants to listen to someone drone on about something they don't care about. If they don't care, why should you? Third is knowledge. Be it a little mansion in northern Illinois or the entire country of Israel, a tour guide needs to know almost everything. It is their duty to disseminate their knowledge. Their whole role is that of a teacher.
I've been thinking about this, spending so much with our guides. Not only the different helpful people who have helped us, but Yossi, our own personal guide to the state of Israel. If any man epitomizes the aspects I've talked about, it is him. Thanks for taking through this place.
