i feeeeeeel good

In Middle Eastern countries they always use this phrase when talking about the future. "inshahallah." It means "God willing" and can even be translated as hopefully. Professors might say, "I'll see you in class on Monday, insha allah." Anything could happen to interfere, but God wills it. I use the phrase occasionally, people around me use it a lot. I also say other arabic phrases and when I come home it will be hard for me to let go of these very few words I know. In time, you will know them too ;)

Later tonight, perhaps midnight, I'll be boarding a train with 3 other friends in Cairo heading to Luxor, insha allah. The train will take at least 9 hours so we'll arrive by morning, insha allah. We'll spend tomorrow sight-seeing, visitings tombs, and extremely ancient monuments, insha allah. This is a place I've always wanted to go. Always always always. Tomorrow night we will crash in a hostel, insha allah. If we missed something tomorrow, we'll wake up early Saturday morning (to avoid the heat) and take some photos before boarding the train back to Cairo and arrive before bedtime, insha allah. I realize I've overused the phrase, but I'm trying to emphasize how much this weekend is a "fingers-crossed" type excursion. I really hope everything works out according to plan, but overusing this phrase will help me to avoid disappointment if/when my dream Egypt trip doesn't play out quite right. [If I don't make it to Hatshepsut's tomb this weekend, then I promise you, I will be coming back to Egypt someday in the future. No 'insha allah' necessary, it will happen.] This is my first "on my own" trip, though I'll agree with you, there should have been more. This is also the last weekend that I don't have anything major going on with classes the following week. I'm not stressed about school... yet. So this weekend is perfect.

I'm so so so so happy right now!! I have been waiting for the package from California (Grandma and Grandpa + Samantha and Katie) since spring break! I've gone to the mail center practically everyday, pestered the mail guy about this package, I've even gone to him twice in one day!! I was getting to a point where I checked less often (it's psychology; if you don't get the reward you're looking for, the behavior to get the reward decreases until it becomes extinct. this is also the best way to deal with a child having a tantrum. you ignore them until their tantrum decreases and will eventually become extinct but if you crack before it becomes extinct and give the child the attention/candy/ice cream they are screaming for, then they will increase that behavior and extinction will become more difficult for the next time they want the attention/candy/ice cream). Well, today I went to the mail center, but not to check for the package (that behavior was becoming extinct) but to mail a postcard! And there it was! Sitting on the counter waiting for me!! Even though I wasn't going back to my room I took it with me and opened it in the cafeteria. I tried not to cry reading the birthday cards (yes, birthday) and looking at all the sweet things. I FEEL GOOD!! Aww, my friends and family are fantastic! I love you all!! I'm so so so thankful. I now have exactly one month left here. I'd love to say the time is flying by, but it really isn't. This is the longest semester of my life. This package has made me temporarily homesick (how can I be totally homesick if I'm going to Luxor this weekend?!!!) and longing for home or grandma's kitchen. I miss a lot of things about California and Colorado. In fact, earlier today I was missing Trader Joes! But the goodies in the package have relieved that feeling. Thanks TJ!! Heehee. I'm excited to go home but I'm going to make this last month worth it. Tuesdays wont be for laundry, they'll be for museuming and living in Cairo. Saturday's wont be for homework, they'll be for museuming and living in Cairo too!! I'm excited! I might even ride a camel...

I miss you like a fat kid on a diet misses chocolate cake!! Love!

trip to Abu Simbel and Aswan

Whew! What a trip! I registered for fall semester Friday morning at 2:30am and then went to the gate with my friend to wait for the bus to take us to the airport at 2:45am. From there we took a short plane ride to Aswan. From there we took a 4 hour bus ride to Abu Simbel. These towns are in southern Egypt (also called Upper Egypt) and Abu Simbel is extremely close to the Sudan border. Here we boarded our cruise ship and settled into our cabins before touring the temples of Abu Simbel in the afternoon. The next morning the ship sailed north toward Aswan.

All the temples we saw (there were a lot) had been 'moved' from somewhere else along the Nile because a dam was built and so the temples would have been flooded. All were pharaonic and outstanding. The detail in the carvings, the hieroglyphs, and the art was awesome. After some time my photos all started to look alike. I'm having a hard time differentiating the insides of all the temples. Different pharaohs were portrayed and I saw a lot of images of gods and goddesses. Beautiful.

The cruise part was nice. We sailed through Lake Nasser, this huge lake between Abu Simbel and Aswan and flows into the Nile. Our bathrooms were larger than I anticipated. There was a pool on the roof of the ship. The food was almost always buffet style and they were very accommodating to the vegetarians (there were three of us). The sunsets were amazing every single time. We even had an hour in the day devoted to "tea time" with cake and crepes. It was hot out but the sunshine and breeze was pleasant. The last day in Aswan at the temple of Kalabsha was the worst as far as heat. My camera was dead by that point but that helped me to experience it without it being through the screen of my digital camera. It's really something how they can move entire temples like they did. And most were done 40 years ago! It's also amazing how the art is so well preserved and ancient. I took one day off of classes for this trip and now it's back to reality! It was so relaxing and luxurious, but now I have homework. I love you!

what a day for a day DREAM!

Biggest theme park in the Middle East (?)

middle of nowhere (the desert)

I went to DREAMPARK here in Egypt on Saturday. It was hilarious. I had so much fun and laughed so hard. We took this small bus to Sixth of October City, about an hour drive from New Campus. There weren't many cars in the parking lot when we got there. And a lot more international students had 'said' they would come too but flaked. They were probably 'tired' from a night of partying. I on the other hand, was pumped for this!!

At first there was just a row of empty restaurants. I think this was Egypt's attempt at Universal City Walk, just much much smaller. We paid $10 to get into the park. We were all under the impression that $10 was all we would need to pay, but we were wrong about that. All the cool rides were $2. Still cheap and worth it. The rides that were free were fun but do one thing- spin. Luckily, no one got sick.

The first thing I noticed when we walked in was this sign for Little Caesar's Pizza. I laughed a bit at that. Then there were some spinning rides, a water ride that was shut down, some shops, more food, arcade room, and go cart racing. Then we saw two awesome rides right next to each other. Each for $2. I paid for 3 rides. This park only really had 3 rides. One coaster, one tower that shoots you up and back down, and one CRAZY OUTTA CONTROL ride that spins and swings. If I had wanted to, I could have paid to ride a horse for 5 minutes, or an ATV for one minute, or race in the go carts. Rides that are free have longer and slower lines. The last ride we went on was called the Discovery. Not a very good name for how CRAZY OUTTA CONTROL it was. I screamed the entire time. It was more fun that way. But definitely scary and make-you-want-to-throw-up kind of ride. By the time that was over the water ride had been open for about half an hour and we were all set to leave soon. Some kids wanted to wait in that crazy long line for the lame boat/water ride and be wet for our bus ride home. NOT me! No one rode it anyway.

This park also had a miniature zoo. Ostrich, llamas, parrots, monkeys, and peacocks. In this area was the ATV and horse riding. The other students I went with did the ATV riding, I could tell it wasn't worth it. They had to wear helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads. They also had to follow this other guy. No racing or fun!! Just one giant loop for such a short time. My favorite ride in the whole park was probably "Dark Ride." That's really what it was called. It was this indoor roller coaster. The kids in front of us didn't even have their lap bar locked into place until we were already climbing up for our first drop. All the rides were small and over quickly (except Discovery, sheesh!) but still exhilarating and worth it!!

Citadel of Salah Al-Din and Al-Azhar Park

Due to the unfortunate air conditions, virtually all flights to and from Europe have been cancelled. My friend had some norwegian friends visiting who study in the UK. They are still trapped here in Cairo. Last weekend (before they knew their flight was cancelled indefinitely) they decided to do some last minute sight-seeing and I chose to tag along. My friend has had plenty of visitors and she seems to insist they go to the Citadel and Al-Azhar Park, two places I hadn't been before. I made her take me with her.

The Citadel of Salah Al-Din is this super old fortress on top of a hill that overlooks most of Cairo. It was $5 for students to get in and we went on a friday (very busy day). Within its walls are various museums and the Mohammed Ali Mosque (also called the Alabaster Mosque). There were kids everywhere and it was pretty hot outside. The Mosque was beautiful and intricate. We had to wait around for about an hour before we could go in because we got there right when the prayers were starting. And once we did go in, after taking our shoes off, the undeniable smell of feet stung our noses! Honestly, I think it was my first time visiting a Mosque!! Beautiful.

After that we went to Al-Azhar Park in Cairo. It also costs money to go there even though there's not much to look at. It reminded me a bit of campus, fountains all over the place and plants perpetually watered to look like they're supposed to be growing there. We went to the top of this hill with a fantastic view of the whole city, countless mosques and we could even see the Mohammed Ali Mosque. It was really nice. There were a bunch of families having picnics on the grass and kids playing all over. From one side of the park you could even see this ancient(ish) wall that they discovered somewhere in the 1990s that they assume was to protect people from the crusaders!

Later we went on a short felucca ride around the Nile. This was my second time on a felucca, the last time was Easter Sunday. It was peaceful and really made me feel like I was in Cairo. I'm sure there are other cities in the US where you can do this sort of thing but it's probably cheapest in Cairo. Haha.

We ended the day with shopping again at the Bazaar and Sahlab (most likely my favorite hot drink here!) at a cafe. Delicious day!!

sahlab: hot and thick milky drink topped with raisins, peanuts, and coconut

road trip to Jordan

I still have a few days before classes start up again. I actually have an exam on thursday. But before I get started on some serious studying and reading, I figured I'd get this blog posted for everyone.

We did cram a lot of tours and funness in a small amount of time. I don't have the energy to count the number of hours the group of us sat around and waited. My guess is it neared 24 hours. I wanted to see Petra, because Grandpa said it was amazing when he saw it. I wanted to go to the sea and the beach. And I wanted to make some new friends. I got to do all of that! So it was an overall successful trip. I got to relax and sit on my butt and completely forget about classes. I would recommend a two week spring break to anyone! It's lovely.

The first night was in Dahab, Egypt. Truly beautiful and great food, but we didn't stay there long enough to enjoy the beach and the beauty. We needed to catch a ferry (6 hour late ferry) to Aqaba, Jordan. We got to Jordan pretty late but our campsite in Wadi Rum still had food for us! I woke up and watched the sunrise that morning. It was marvelous.

That day was simply epic. Sunrise, Safari Tour, and then Petra!! The Safari Tour was my favorite part. I felt adventurous and wild. Our driver was crazy!! It was basically four-wheeling in the desert of Jordan in Jeeps where we could easily fall out. I even got to climb some rocks and enjoy more geology. I was loving the geology, everywhere we went. Geology rocks! It seemed like a super long walk getting to Petra, but the walk back was fast. Our guide for that was a bit of a nut-case. Oh well, entertaining at least.

That night we slept in Amman, Jordan. Amman is a great city, a little expensive, but gorgeous and clean with some very nice people. I was impressed. We found some nice cafes and uber cheap DVDs that ended up being a little different than we had expected. For instance, the cover says Aladdin but the DVD that plays is actually Return of Jafar. Haha, oops! We spent three nights at the Orchid Hotel in Amman. First day we took a day trip to the Dead Sea and saw some tourist spots along the way. Second day was the trip to Jerash. I thought it was amazing! And that afternoon I found a bakery where I bought myself (and anyone who was willing to share) three pastries in celebration of my birthday. It wasn't my birthday yet but I felt like celebrating!! Sadly, no one wanted to share that evening. They were pooped I guess! We left the next morning at 5am. Way too early. I offered the cakes again, hardly any takers. Maybe it was too early for them.

We had to drive to Aqaba and wait for the ferry to take us to Nuweiba, Egypt. Remember all the waiting for the ferry last time? Well that was partly Egypt being slow and difficult. Everything was smooth on the Jordan side. In fact, we didn't encounter any difficulties until we got to Egypt. A few of us, myself included, needed to get visas in order to come back into Egypt. They took our passports and made us wait. The banks at the port that sell visas were closed. Thankfully, they were closed only temporarily. But it's not pleasant when the Egyptians are holding your passport hostage!! It made us wish we were all studying in Jordan instead of Egypt. We drove t our hotel in Nuweiba in the nicest bus of the entire trip! Working everything, huge seats, fewest people = most space, etc. But this bus ride was probably 5 minutes. I noticed the pattern of the longer the bus ride, the smaller the bus.

The day in Nuweiba was our last. Relaxing. I would have liked to hang around on the beach for longer but it was completely taken over by Russians. No benches or anything. I suppose I could have stayed alone. When my friends wanted to leave, I did too. I went in the water up to my hips (this is the place I got hives last time) for about twenty minutes. I came back to shore without hives! That was a relief. Our final meeting time was 1045. We were all packed and set to go. Unfortunately, no bus or bus driver. We waited until about 215 to finally leave. Precious beach time wasted :(

Nuweiba to New Cairo is about 6 hours. We rolled in at 930pm. Not too bad. We got held up a few hours from 'home' because of a huge petroleum spill. I was nervous for that. Egyptians smoke so much, if someone lit a match or lighter we'd all have been toast! I'm glad to be back.

My birthday was alright. I would have liked it better if I was home and celebrating it and Easter with my family and everyone else. I had ice cream yesterday and it was fantastic! I'm so much happier when I have ice cream in my system. Heehee!! Well I hope everyone had a happy Easter too!! Enjoy the rest of your weeks. I love you bunches! Muah!