Intro to the Nomad's Journeys: Where I've Been and Where I'm Going

First off, let me give you a brief history of my life and I promise to not bore you with the details. I was born and raised in Sammamish, Washington (suburb of Seattle), recently named by Forbes the #1 friendliest city in America. When I was two weeks shy of turning 18, I was uprooted and moved to Draper, Utah with my family where I did my senior year of high school. Immediately following graduation (ready to get out of Draper), I moved to Provo, Utah where I lived in the BYU dorms for Summer term, Fall semester, and Winter semester and experienced freshman life to it's fullest. Then, looking for a new setting and a break from Utah, I moved in with my oldest sister Danni in Dallas, Texas for almost four months. I never thought I would love Texas, let alone survive a hot Texas summer, but I did! I worked as a nanny and came back to Provo to start my sophomore year. I lived in Provo again for about 4 months, came back to my parents' house in Draper for a few weeks for Christmas break, and am now preparing to head off to BYU's Jerusalem campus to study in the Holy Land for winter semester. See why I call myself a nomad?!

I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to bring my studies to Israel for a semester. I realize that I am one of few who have the chance to not only follow in the Savior's footsteps figuratively, but literally as well. I look forward to gaining a much greater understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the rich cultural history of a land deemed holy by the world's three largest religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity), and even learning some Hebrew too! I'm excited to see all the sights in Israel and will even get to travel to Jordan and Turkey as part of the program. Things I'm most excited about: celebrating the Passover with a traditional Jewish feast, living at the awesome Jerusalem center which is BEAUTIFUL, swimming in the Dead Sea, celebrating Easter at Christ's tomb, exploring Istanbul Turkey, and meeting lots of awesome people who are also on the study abroad. As I've been watching the news over the last few months, I realize that some people think I'm crazy for going into a country that often has missiles fired at it but I have no doubt that every measure will be taken to assure I'm safe. So PLEASE don't worry about me (Mom that means you!)

The BYU Jerusalem Center

As I try to stuff all my things into a single (huge) suitcase weighing less than 50 lbs, I am filled with anticipation, excitement, and even a little nervousness as I embark on a new and foreign adventure. I created this blog so my friends, family, and whoever else wants to can follow my journey. Because of a 9 hour time difference, not having a cell phone, and no access to facebook, stalking me in any other way will be hard so bookmark this blog! Also, feel free to contact me at my email sarahmwright1@gmail.com if you want to talk to me directly. Here's hoping that I'll actually find some time to post pictures, updates, stories, etc. on this blog over the next four months!