By Romi

When we visited the Old City in Jerusalem one of the religious sites we visited was the Western Wall. Right before we walked into this section of the Jewish Quarter, we went through security because they want to keep the place safe for everyone.

Entrance to security

Once we were through security, you see three areas. The right side of the wall is just for women and the left side is just men. Behind this is a larger area where people can stand and watch if they don’t go up to the wall.

Men’s section

Women’s section

What I saw at the wall was people praying and chanting, putting their heads on the wall, and sitting reading the Torah. Many people have a small slip of paper with a prayer or hope written on it. They put the paper into a crack in the wall as they are praying. Some have fallen out onto the ground.

Noah and Caleb putting a note in the wall

Before I went to the Western Wall, I had some questions like: 1) who built it? 2) why did they build it? 3) why is it so important? Here are some answers. King Herod built the wall to surround the Second Temple and it is all that is left. The Jews believe it is the holiest place and the closest place to God.

By Romi

Last week our family went to the Dead Sea. First when we got there we went right into the water carefully because you don’t want to splash water into your mouth, nose or eyes. The water in the Dead Sea is so salty that it could hurt you and make you sick if it gets in your eyes or you swallow it.

A view of the Dead Sea from above

At the beach!

Once the water gets up to your knees you squat down and lay back carefully. Now you are floating on top of the water! I never thought I could float on water so easily. If you want to float on water without any problem, this is the place to go.

Floating in the Dead Sea

Noah and Caleb enjoying the water

After we were done floating, we went to take a shower on the beach. At a nearby store we had bought a big bucket of Dead Sea mud. We put the mud on once we were dry and after 20 minutes went back in the water to scrub it off. Once you are done taking off the mud and floating in the water some more, your skin is so soft and smooth.

Mudded up and ready to rinse!

Now it’s Daddy’s turn

My favorite part was just floating in the water, putting on mud and helping put mud on each other. If you don’t like putting your head under water when you swim or you are not a good swimmer yet, the Dead Sea is the place for you because you don’t want to put your head under water and all you have to do is float!

After our swim we also visited the En Gedi Nature Reserve. This is a beautiful park where you hike up to a waterfall. Here are some picture from our hike.

En Gedi trail

Lower David waterfall

By Noah

Out of all the things we have done and seen on this trip, spending the day at Petra, the over 2,000 year old Nabatean city in the southern region of Jordan, has been one of my highlights. From the moment you start the two kilometer hike through the Siq, a canyon surrounded by soaring red sandstone walls, your breath is taken away not only by the architectural wonders of the city, but the natural setting.

The Siq

Another view of the Siq

The first major site we saw once we reached the end of the Siq is the Treasury of Petra or Al-Khazneh as it was called. It is immense – towering over you at an astonishing 43 meters high and 30 meters wide. It was originally built as a tomb for an important Nabatean king who wanted to be buried around all the treasures of his empire.

View of the Treasury as we get near

The Treasury

After the Treasury we proceeded through another canyon to the base of a very long set of stairs. Thinking it was just a place to goof around and get a better view, we started climbing up not realizing the trail consisted of 800 steps leading up to the High Place of Sacrifice. By the time we realized it we were already halfway up so we decided to continue our journey to the top. When we got to the top we had an incredible view of the desert, Petra, and the surrounding mountains. The High Place of Sacrifice was very important in Nabatean times as it was used to sacrifice animals to the gods and it was here important people had their funerals.

First of the 800 steps

Almost to the top

View from the top

Once we got back down from the mountain we walked along the main road, which still contains bricks from Roman times and headed down the promenade marveling at the incredible architecture of the Nabateans. We got to see the ancient Nymphaeum and another tomb of a famous Nabatean king which is the only free standing structure in Petra.

View of the promenade

Freestanding tomb

The coolest thing about Petra was how the Nabateans incorporated aspects of the different civilizations around them into how they built their city. Aspects of Roman, Greek, Egyptian and other ancient peoples are clearly visible as you stroll through the city. If I ever go back to Jordan I am definitely adding Petra to my itinerary.

A Day and Night in the Desert

From the day we started planning this trip, Noah was adamant that we go to Jordan and in particular visit the ancient site of Petra and sleep in the desert outside of Wadi Rum. Thanks to his hard work planning with a gentlemen named Mehedi from Bedouin Directions (http://wadirumjeeptours.com/) we had an incredible desert adventure. Little did Mehedi know that the whole time he was negotiating and planning with a 14 year old.

Since Noah handled the planning, Caleb volunteered to capture his thoughts for the blog!

By Caleb

When we were in Wadi Rum, Jordan our family went on a full day jeep tour across the desert. We saw springs, canyons, sand dunes, arches, rocks, and lots of stuff to climb on.

My favorite part was the sand dunes. When you are on top of a giant pile of sand you can fall, dive, or roll without feeling any pain. The sand is so soft and it is just so fun. The hardest part is walking up. You know how when you run on the beach, how you feel like you are getting no grip? Well multiply that by 10 and you know how hard it is to run up a sand dune. We also went sand boarding down the dune. Sand boarding is pretty easy except that once you make it to the bottom, you have to climb back up! Here’s a video of my brother on his first run down the sand dune.

Another one of my favorite parts was how I was allowed to climb and play on everything. In many of the places we have gone before I have not been allowed to touch things, let alone climb on anything, but on this jeep tour we climbed and jumped on everything.

Later once all the playing was done, we went to a camp where we drank tea, ate, sang songs, and told jokes until late at night. Once that was all over the entire desert became quiet and the stars came out – it was beautiful! In conclusion it was the best day and night of the trip.

Group photo with Mehedi before we head out on our adventure

First stop – up the side of a mountain to see the source of the Lawrence Spring

Max on his way up the mountain

On to the sand dune

Everywhere the scenery is amazing!

This bordered on insane (60 feet high)!

Campsite in the desert

Saying farewell to our fabulous tour guide, Saleh

By Max

It is with both a sense of sadness and excitement we are leaving Ethiopia for adventures ahead in Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Spain, and countries yet to be determined. For the past five weeks we have had the pleasure of living, working, and learning with the staff and students of the International Leadership Academy of Ethiopia (ILAE). It is hard for us to imagine a better place and group of people with whom to spend our time.

ILAE is in its second year of operation and currently serves 50 students in 9^th and 10^th grade. ILAE’s mission is ambitious; to offer an education that inspires, nurtures, and develops young women and men to be leaders in their communities, Ethiopia, and beyond. After our time here we are convinced that if anybody can pull this off, it is this dedicated group of staff and students.

From the day we stepped on campus, we felt not only welcome, but immediately part of the ILAE community. Noah and Caleb took classes including Civics, PE, Information Technology, and Physics. Our family joined staff and students in their daily communal lunch and I had the pleasure of working side by side with the ILAE teachers everyday.

From this experience I have learned much about what it takes to create and run a school that is truly mission-driven. What is incredible here is that even though the school operates without sufficient materials and extremely limited access to technology, learning at a very high level occurs each and everyday. As I think about returning to the US and my work at the Center for Educational Leadership, I am truly inspired by what I have learned at ILAE. My time here has taught me that:

1. Teachers who are focused on the school’s mission and who know their content and students well can greatly influence student learning without much more than a white board and a basic textbook.
2. Allowing your students to own the mission as much, if not more than the adults, creates a school culture that is positive and infectious.
3. Adults and students can work hard together and have lots of fun together as well.
4. Accepting, respecting, and leveraging the culture and assets of the students creates a positive foundation from which all can achieve.
5. When students support rather than compete with each other leadership grows exponentially, rather than individually.

It is with great gratitude that we all thank the ILAE community for all you have done for us. We will miss you all!

Our send off with the whole ILAE crew!

The incredible ILAE staff