BYU NewsNet - Greetings: From the Holy Land

Editor's Note: For the first time in about six years, the BYU Jerusalem Center has opened its doors to 44 BYU students, one of who is a former Daily Universe editor. Stephanie Schaerr will be sending regular columns and photos, which we will publish and post on the newsnet Web site.

By: Stephanie Schaerr

"Just don't get blown up." It seemed like that was the only sentence I heard in the few weeks before my departure for a semester in Jerusalem. Friends, family members and even the girl at 7-Eleven all gave me the same advice, each one convinced that I would be dodging bullets and roadside bombs at every turn.

They can all sleep easy now. I am alive. I arrived Wednesday, (Jan. 10, 2007) along with 43 other BYU students (also living), and judging from the security measures in place at the Jerusalem Center, we will return to Provo in April just as alive as we were when we took off from the Salt Lake airport.

Leaving this place in almost three months won't be easy, however. From within our limestone building on Mount Scopus, we can see all of Jerusalem around us. The magnificent golden dome of the Dome of the Rock mosque gleams over the alabaster city beyond the thin pine trees and rough rocks of the Kibron valley to the west of us. Bell towers of countless Christian churches peek out over the skyline, and five times a day, the Muslim call to prayer echoes out over the entire area like a melancholy dove song. While we walk through crowded markets, the sweet, rich scent of cumin calls us toward bread sellers and shawarma stands.

But perhaps the real jewel of the city is its people. Children wave and call "hello" to us as we pass by. The center's security guards and workers, who are all locals, couldn't be more friendly or helpful, and the merchants and grocers we've met during our trips to the city have offered discounted prices and even transportation to and from their stores.

To our surprise, we're local celebrities here. On Thursday, we made our first excursion into the city on foot. After about five minutes, as our group made our way down the side of the street, a man sped by in a beat-up white car and yelled from his window, "Mormons!"

As it turns out, the longer we walked throughout the city, the more people approached us, delighted that the "Mormon university students" were back. Shopkeepers gave us gifts and business cards. One, whose front sign advertised "BYU Store" and proudly displayed several BYU flags, gave my entire nine-person group of students cups of an orange-colored drink while instructing us on the ways to guarantee a fair price on souvenirs. On Thursday night, while we attended a concert at the center, the audience applauded us simply for being here.

As a testament to BYU students' reputation for honesty, moneychangers will cash our personal checks as long as we tell them we are from the Mormon university. I can't even cash checks in Utah using my Washington, D.C. account! According to one moneychanger, however, there is one condition for the service. "Don't be Jack Mormons," he told us.

It seems that even after six years of absence, BYU students have left their mark on Jerusalem. With any luck, many more will have the opportunity to do so. That is, of course, if they can convince their own mothers that they will survive the experience.

Stephanie Schaerr is a former metro editor for The Daily Universe. Watch for more stories about her experiences in the Jerusalem as the semester progresses.