My Mother's Day.....Egyptian Style!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Yesterday was Mother's Day here in Egypt and since I can't really send you anything, I'll put up a picture of a gift for you. Happy Mother's Day (Egyptian style). Love you Mom!

My trip to Giza.....

Okay, so I know that you are awaiting the decision on where I will be heading for the break. Unfortunately, I haven't decided yet! Jordan sounds okay (and it's cheap). Cyprus sounds alright as well (however, not so cheap). To be honest, I haven't decided yet. Sorry!

In the meantime, I finally made it too the Pyramids of Giza. The last surviving of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pyramids were pretty cool to see in person. Looking back on it, it's almost unreal that I have actually been there and actually touched the Pyramids. Awesome.

The whole experience in its self was interesting. The fact that there are a ton of souvenir salesmen wandering around really takes away and cheapens the experience. Also there are a bunch of guys that want to take you on a camel or horse ride.....which was fun, don't get me wrong, but after an hour on a camel, my butt hurt.....badly.

Overall though it is an amazing site to see. The Sphinx was smaller than I thought, but it was still pretty cool. I went with a friend from school and her daughters, so I teased her about the size of the Sphinx. I believe I said it was as big as two school buses, from front to back. Obviously it was a little bigger, but not much.

AND sadly, as predicted when I was able to upload the one picture from the Pyramids, now I can't upload anymore. I'm doing this at home, so I guess I should have expected it.

My Poll......

Having returned from a fantastic trip to Jerusalem and now feeling as though there isn't anything else that I truly need to see in the area, I thought I would put out a poll for my next vacation. That's right ladies and gents, I want YOU to help me decide where to go on the next vacation.
Now, I'm not going to completely rely on this vote, so if some of you band together and manage to push something like Iraq or Iran into the victory circle, I may have to over-ride the decision. However, here are the current options:

Jordan--a lovely little country to the east of Israel. If I venture here, it would be a short trip over to Petra and back. Petra is an ancient city that was actually built into the rocks and the countryside. It is rumored to be an incredible site. The plus on this trip is that it shouldn't cost too much and it's the site that Indiana Jones visits in the Last Crusade.....awesome.

Back to Israel--there are some things that I would like to see in Israel that I missed last time. For instance, Masada, the Dead Sea, Jericho and Northern Israel, where Jesus spent a lot of time. It would be fun to go up there and walk in His footsteps a little more. The plus here is that it's not too expensive and I already know some of the route. The drawback is that I've been to Israel and it might be cool to get another stamp in the passport.

Cyprus--okay, I know what some of you are thinking....."Why Cyprus?" My response is, Why Not??? It's a little island in the Mediterranean Sea. The weather is pretty nice and it has some cool archaeological sites. The flight is pretty cheap out of Cairo ($250+) and the accommodations shouldn't be too bad. The drawback of course is that.....well, it's Cyprus.
(*editor's note: This possibly could be combined with the trip to Jordan...just a thought)

Europe--Some where in Europe, possibly Germany and Central Europe. The positive here is that I would get to explore a little more of Europe. The drawback is that this is the expensive option out of the group.

That's it, that's all I've got. Of course if you have an idea, feel free to submit that as well and see if you get the votes!! However, keep in mind that I will not be allowed into some Arab countries due to the Israel stamp in the passport (sorry Libya, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon).

My Pilgrimage.....

Okay, first off, I know, pictures....I'll try to post some soon, but I have to find a coffee shop or something with a faster connection, because mine is too slow, anyways, back to business......

Now that I have returned to Cairo, I can finally sit and truly think about the experience of the Old City. To be honest, this was half the reason I came to Cairo. To be able to travel to Jerusalem, to see where Christ was Crucified and where He Resurrected was a trip that I will always remember. I was able to walk where He once walked and that is one of the biggest thrills of my short life. This is something and a place that I have always wanted to visit and I can't wait to go back again in the future.

Besides seeing Golgotha, I also enjoyed Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. This is one of the oldest churches still in use today (the tour guide said the oldest, but he also took us to his "family's" souvenir shop which was conveniently close by) with parts dating back to the late 6th Century. Seeing the old mosaics on the walls and floor were amazing and the painted pillars that are credited to the Crusaders was also a thrill.

At the same time, the trip saddened me a bit as well. I don't like the souvenir shops, stalls and the pushy sales people that line the cramped streets of the Old City. I understand that there were stalls, shops and everything else back in the time of Christ, but I felt as though it cheapened the experience. To be walking down the Via Dolorosa, deep in thought and then to be asked, "Hallo, Where ar you from?" was very distracting and ultimately disappointing. Not just on that path, but all over the city. I realize that people live there and that they too need shops for food and other necessities, but I wish the city was more like the Jewish Quarter, a quiet and comfortable little place.
It was also disappointing to walk along the wall and through the historic sites and see how people have treated it. Walking through the Archaeological Park, filled with remains from over 1500 years ago and to see the part near the street looking like a garbage dump is upsetting. When will we learn to treat not only these places, but our own cities, towns and environment with a little respect? Are you telling me that these locals and tourists couldn't hold their trash for another 10 minutes tell they came across a garbage can?

Enough rambling, overall and incredible trip and one I will remember for the rest of my life. To see, read and pray where Jesus lived is truly amazing and nearly brought me to tears on a few occasions. I will return.......one day.

My Last Day.....

Okay, I know I'm cheating, two posts in one day, but I head home in the morning and I want to get it out of the way.

The morning started with a walk through the Jewish Quarter, probably the only part of town that truly seems like a normal city. It's so laid back and it has a fantastic atmosphere that it's just fun to walk in.

I then went to check out the Dome of the Rock and hopefully the Temple Mount, the place it is believed that Abraham nearly sacrificed his son because God told him to. The Dome of the Rock (the big golden dome associated with Jerusalem--not the one in South Bend, IN) is a sacred Muslim site and can not be entered by any Jewish person. It is a huge complex that consists of another mosque where worship takes place, a lot of trees and open space, the Dome of the Rock (which covers the Temple Mount come to find) and the Golden Gate, where the Messiah is supposed to enter the city when he returns. Unfortunately the security folks foiled me again by stopping me from entering the Dome of the Rock, so I was unable to see the rock that Abraham nearly sacrificed his son upon.....so that was a bummer. The bonus was that I made a friend, Natasha, from Utah and we spent the day checking out sites together.

We then headed to meet with David, a student at Hebrew University (in town) and someone she met the day before. The three of us went to the Israel Museum, which would have been incredible, but the archaeological wing was closed....so we had to settle for just seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls. That was pretty sweet and totally worth the hour long walk.

After that came the highlight of the day. We took a bus to Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus. We crossed over into the West Bank (Palestine) without any problems and took a taxi from the border to the Church of the Nativity. It was truly an awesome site to behold. There are three churches in one on the site, the oldest dating back to the 500s (at least that is what the tour guide said, I haven't checked his facts yet). There were some beautiful mosaics in the church and some pillars that had been painted during the Crusades. It was amazing to still see some of the paint on the pillars and to actually be able to see what they looked like.
We then visited the other churches, which was neat and then we were lead to a souvenir shop nearby. Then as we were leaving, the guide invited us to his family's shop (there's always one of these) and we were told to look around. Today only, the entire store was.....you won't believe it.....50% off!! Just for us! (uh-huh).
After this we took a taxi to what was supposed to be Rachel's Tomb, but we could find it, plus we wouldn't be able to get in since we weren't Jewish. So we walked up to the border crossing to head into Jerusalem. The crossing was insane. You would have thought we were leaving a detention center or just getting released from prison. If you aren't familiar with what has happened.....
........Israel has created a giant wall all around the West Bank and Gaza, to keep the Palestinians in and out of Israel. The problem is that this wall is huge....at least 20 feet of cement in some places (I had thoughts of the Berlin wall dancing in my head). On the Palestinian side, you see all sorts of Anti-American and Anti-Israel graffiti and you honestly feel bad for these people. Walking from on side of the fence to the other is literally a night and day type of experience, they are that different. Once we crossed back into Jerusalem, it was as if we were back in the West. However on the Palestinian side, it was almost as if I was back in Egypt.
Palestine says that the Israelis have taken some of their land in the building of the fence. The Israelis say that they are keeping terrorists out of Israel. Ultimately, the people losing out are the citizens, the everyday folks like you and I that just want to work, earn money and help their families. Hamas (the Palestinian Gov) hasn't paid their Gov. workers for the past year, so the Postal workers in Palestine are on strike. It's truly a sad situation.

After returning from Bethlehem, we took a walk downtown to eat at Burger King again, I know two days in a row but we don't have it in Egypt and I won't see it again till July!!!!
Then we walked around downtown before Natasha and I headed to the Central Bus Station to check the schedules for tomorrow. I'll be headed to Eilat tomorrow, probably around 10 am. Then I'll try and catch the 4:30 pm bus to Cairo from Taba in Egypt. Hopefully I'll get home around 11 pm Tuesday night......but as I've learned on this trip, some things don't go as planned.

My Second Day.....

Day two in the Old City (okay, technically this was Sunday, but I was a tad busy) was pretty sweet as well. I started off the day by trying to head to the Western Wall, aka the Wailing Wall, which is the last remaining wall from the Second Great Temple of Jerusalem and is the most sacred site for the Jewish people.
As I walked in that general directions, I took the long way around the wall and around the Armenian Quarter, which is pretty empty. I then stumbled upon a sweet archaeological park in the corner of the city, next to the wall. It was fantastic and I'm surprised that it wasn't that busy. It has remains from Palaces built in the 7th and 8th Centuries, as well as some remains from basic houses at the time. The park gives you a basic history of the city and area through the years, so if you're over here, it's worth the stop.
And then decided that I was going to try and get into the wall, since it was nearby. I had been thwarted on two early attempts by the local police and the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) agents that patrol the city and the site. (Brief side note--Many IDF folks are just teenagers serving their time in the military, so imagine if you will 17 yr old high school students, guys and gals, with automatic weapons and really big guns--good call).
This time, Success!!

I managed to get through security and I was able to say a brief prayer at the wall. Next I wandered into a little room to the left of it where many people were praying, because I thought this was the Wall Tunnels.....but no, it was a bunch of men praying. I was stopped at the entrance and asked if I was Jewish....upon replying no and asking if that was a problem, the man said, "No, no problem at all, you just need to smile as you walk through."

So I walked around as these men prayed and then I left that area and found the tunnels. The tunnels were pretty interesting. I bought my ticket at 1:30, but was told that I should have been on the 1:20 group, so I hurried through and looked for the English speaking group around the corner....or at least these were my directions.
Upon not finding the group, I decided that I could wander around the tunnels solo, which looked a bit shady no doubt, but it was still fun. You got to see a lot of the wall, so arches and some pretty cool cisterns. Good times.

After this I made my way back to the hostel for a brief rest and falafel (awesome) and then I took a taxi to check out Jerusalem's best shopping area....the Jerusalem mall.

It sucked. Totally not worth the money....but they had a Burger King and you bet I ate there, since we don't have it in Egypt.

Then I came back to the hostel, walked to the bus station to check out bus rides to Eilat for Tuesday and returned to the hostel where we dissected US Marshals, a fabulous movie, for the remainder of the evening.

My First Day....

My first day here was amazing. It was so busy that I actually got a blister from my shoes on the back of my heel!

I started off by taking in half of the Rampart Walk, where you get to walk on the Old Walls that surround the Old City. The walls were last reinforced in the 1500s, so it is a pretty cool experience. You get to see almost the entire city and it makes you actually realize that people do live here! I saw a couple of schools, a daycare center and even a high school, not to mention the various churches and mosques.

After that I took a stroll down the Via Dolorosa, or the "Sorrowful Way" (I think). They believe that this was the path that Jesus walked with the cross through the city. It's poorly marked, so I managed to get lost and I appeared near my hostel again, which was a plus because my camera batteries died.

In the afternoon, I took in the Garden Tomb and Golgotha, or Skull Hill, where according to the Book of John, Jesus was crucified. The Tomb was nearby and it was truly an incredible experience. I had my Bible with me and read the two chapters in John about The Crucifixion and Resurrection. I was a little upset because so many people just clicked a picture and walked away, possibly just thinking this was another "Tourist" site. I thanked God for allowing me to be here for this truly is a blessing and an amazing experience.

After that I began to wander up the Mount of Olives, stopping at the Grotto (where Jesus often went to pray), the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, and the Garden of Gethsemane. The top of the Mount provides an amazing view of the Old City and the Golden Gate. On the Mount, I read from Matthew 24 before I began to walk back down to the city.

Then it started to rain and I didn't have my jacket, so my sweater is still wet today (Day 2). It is actually still raining outside, which is funny because I haven't seen this much rain since the summer.

Funny side note, the Hostel I'm in doesn't have hot water right now, so I barely got wet before deciding I could wait to shower. Awesome.

My adventure to the Old City......

As I was walking to the bus station in Cairo this morning, I was thinking about how smoothly this trip was going to work out. Bus to Taba, walk across the border. Bus to Eilat and then bus to Jerusalem. Pretty easy right?

Little did I recall that today is Friday and that everything in Israel shuts down at 4:30 for Shabbat. Uh-oh.

I didn't make it to Taba until around 12:15 pm (after leaving Cairo at 7 am. It was supposed to be 6:30, but Egyptians are always late). Standing around at a tiny bus stop, I was unsure where to go. So I started walking toward what I assumed was the border and I got lucky.
After a few minutes with the border patrol, I was able to actually leave Egypt. Then I had to get into Israel. I had to convince them that I was coming for tourism. They asked where I was going and I replied Jerusalem, the Old City.
She then asked, "What are you going to see?"
"Um.........everything?"

And with that she let me through. The drawback was that I discovered on my way to Taba that the last bus to Jerusalem from Eilat was at 1 pm on Fridays. I arrived at 1:28 pm (after paying 40 NIS for a 10 minute taxi ride). So now what???
I got lucky. There was a bus to Tel Aviv leaving at 2 and I started thinking about it. If I waited for the next bus, I would be in Eilat till 4:30 pm Sat and I'd basically miss out on a day. I decided to head to Tel Aviv and try to either stay there or get a cab/mini-bus to Jerusalem. So off I went with no where to stay and knowing full well that almost everything would be closed.

After many, many stops (Be'er Sheva and numerous bus stops ON the highway) we finally arrived in Tel Aviv. Now I was confused, do I wait till tomorrow or push my luck? Well, I pushed it. I spoke with the first guy knowing full well that it was going to cost a ton, but I just wanted to be in Jerusalem tonight. Period. Luckily (again....divine intervention?) he agreed, although it cost a ton, more than the two bus trips and previous taxi ride combined. Heck, more than my hostel for the four days.

It was worth it though. I spoke with an Israeli man that was very interesting. There was a little talk of politics and he basically has a one track mind--women. He asked many times if I was looking for women (pimp?). I said no, to which he replied, "Why not?"

An hour later, we arrived in Jerusalem. We had to ask for directions, but we finally made it. The streets are cramped, but I'm finally here........

My Conference Day...Part 2.......

My second official conference day has come and gone....fortunately without any incidents!

This time it was a lot easier than the previous. I didn't have as many parents show up, although there were still a lot. It was nice to be able to spend more than 5 minutes with a parent. Usually by the time you sit down and start talking, it's time for them to leave, but that wasn't the case this time.

Luckily all the interactions were positive. No one told me that their child was scared and actually many said that their child liked my class (which was the opposite the first time because I was still being the mean teacher, establishing my routine and expectations).

Sadly though, I began to wonder if this is to be expected, at least while I am here. The kids that are truly struggling and the parents that I've tried and tried to contact, weren't there. These are the ones that I need to talk to the most, but no luck. I wonder (and slightly assume) that this will be the case in the future as well, which makes it even tougher to try and reach some of my students (and future students).

My February break.....

I've been attempting to plan this February break ever since I got back to Cairo. It's the thing that I am currently looking forward to and excited about. I'm planning on heading to Jerusalem, Israel next Friday. I have a hostel booked for a few nights and then I'll work on making my way back to Egypt.

It's funny, because I don't even have my bus ticket yet. I went to try and purchase it today and as I looked through the window at the man sitting at a computer and an old-school printer, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy conversation. Luckily there was an older gentleman there that spoke a little English and he translated for me.
Turns out I can't even buy a ticket yet. They told me that I have to come back on Tuesday, to buy a ticket that will allow me to leave on Friday morning, around 6:30 am.

This made me think, can you imagine how air travel would be if this was how you had to do it? Imagine not being able to buy your ticket until 3 or 4 days ahead of time? How insane would that be? What if there wasn't a ticket for you? You had the hotel booked, the plans made, you had already taken time off from work and then......no room for you on the flight. It's amazing.

The funny thing is that the instant I cross the border into Israel, everything becomes modern again. The tickets are done on a computer, no problem how long I want to book in advance. After I walk across the border, I'll take a bus to Eliat, a resort city and then from there I'll board a bus to Jerusalem. In all, the bus rides should take around 10 hours, from what I'm told. I hate long bus rides, so it should be interesting!

My Anniversary.....

Well my friends and family and random readers....I thought that I'd let you know that we have officially reached the one year anniversary of the wonderful little blog known as Where am I?

It all began over a year ago (1 year and 4 days roughly) with a little hope and a dream.....and it's kind of still there, but now I have an idea of what I'm doing!

I just wanted to thank everyone that has read, responded and shared this blog with me over the past year. Please keep the comments and requests coming!

My First Game....

I was able to attend my first football match in Egypt a little over a week ago. It was on a Thursday night and I went with a friend to meet up with another teacher whose husband plays for the Arab Contractors, one of the local teams. They were playing against the African Champions, Al Ahly, another local club. Unfortunately, Al Ahly is the biggest club in Cairo and probably Africa, with a huge following. So what was supposed to be a home game for Arab Contractors, turned out to be a road game in their own stadium.

The Ahly fans packed what little areas of the stadium we could sit in. The military was all over the stadium, fully equipped with their riot gear, just in case things got out of hand, which was truly an interesting sight.
We were able to sit in the section reserved for family members of the home team and the seats were great. We had an amazing view of the pitch. The only drawback was that the four of us were probably the only people in our section cheering for the home team.
Sadly Ahly won the game 5-1. While that seems like a beating, they didn't earn most of their goals. There was a poor PK call, a handball before a goal and a bit of luck all in Al Ahly's favor (and when you're the champs, you get those types of calls).
We had to sprint out of the stadium before the game was over so that we could avoid any potential problems with Ahly fans or the military, who aren't the best folks to run into late at night.

My Request....

Okay...so I've shared with you how cold our apartment is. It's currently 56 degrees in here and we have no way to heat this place. Does anyone have any ideas for us to keep this place warm? Or maybe to just get it warm?

We've thought about buying some space heaters and Alex has one in his room....but it only heats the area 4 inches away from the heater, so it does no good. Does anyone have any ideas at all???

A fun picture from my time back in Iowa. 

My Freezing Ostrich....

Okay, so I put up one serious post and now it's time to put up a fun one to go with it.

Tonight I cooked ostrich. It was actually pretty good. We had two ostrich steaks and I made some mashed potatoes and gravy to go with it. Ultimately, it was pretty good and something that I will totally make again. I wonder if I can get ostrich in Iowa? Is this possible? Can anyone look into it for me?

On a side note, our apartment is freezing. The last time we checked, it's only 58 degrees in here....ALL THE TIME.

This (again) is due to the lack of insulation and the use of only cement blocks when creating this apartment. Oh, and the lack of any heating system other than the sun and the indirect sunlight that we get (the surrounding buildings block it all...it's nice).

My Intervention....

...okay, so before anyone gets worried, no, I'm not addicted to anything. I don't drink, smoke or do any of the other wonderful things that could possibly require some folks to intervene.

My intervention was entirely different. See, ever since a couple of years ago, I've struggled to get into any sort of relationship with someone. All thanks to that last relationship. It took away any sort of confidence I had. Since then, I haven't really been in a relationship (except for maybe one), due to a lack of confidence and a fear of rejection that have stood in the way....

Enter Dustin and Brad, two of my buddies that sat down with me and had a chat the night before I left (I think Sara would have chipped in, but she was pretending to sleep in the room). Leave it to two of your best friends to be bold and honest with you. They showed how much they cared and we chatted about a lot of things. Ultimately they gave me some courage and the confidence to move on get over the past. Now I feel like I'm ready to try again, with all I have.....

My Safe Return....

No need to worry, I've arrived in Egypt. The current time here is 3:25 am, so I'm going to go and try to get some sleep.

Thanks to everyone that made time to see me over the break. It meant a lot!

My Schiphol.....

Well, I have officially arrived in Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport to be exact. I was going to take a train into the city, but it's pretty cloudy and wet outside, so it looks as though I'll be hanging around here for the next 7 hours. Sweet!

To be honest, I was a little disappointed to be heading back to Egypt. Don't get me wrong, I want to get back, see my students and finish the year on a high note. Not to mention that I have a little traveling that I would like to do.
It's just that for the first time in a long time, I actually had fun in Des Moines. Previously, I wasn't a big fan of the city. For some reason I just never fully enjoyed myself. But this time it was different. It could have been the wedding (congrats again to Dustin & Sara Miller), hanging out with friends and even making some new ones. I really didn't want to leave because I made some new friends that I would really like to get to know. But I suppose that will have to happen over email.

Well, I don't have much time on this cheap computer. I'll try to post again when I arrive in Cairo. The only thing is that I get in at 2 am, Cairo time and it's going to take me a while to get home. Until next time...

My first days back....

Well, I've been back in Iowa for roughly two days now. I went to Iowa City for Saturday and part of today before returning to DM to hang out with my Mom and Dad for a little Christmas Eve dinner.

To be honest, I had high hopes of returning to Iowa City. I was really excited and I think I built it up so high in my mind that it was truly a little disappointing. I don't want to offend anyone that I visited, because I did have a great time talking with my friends, it's just that I've been thinking about how fantastic Iowa City is for a few months now and then....well....it didn't live up to the hype.
It's kind of like when people keep telling you how great a movie is...and they keep hyping it and hyping it and hyping it. Finally you decide to see it and then, while you think it's good, you didn't think it was awesome. Does this make sense?

To be honest, this has put a question mark in my future plans. Again, I don't want to offend anyone, but now I question whether or not I should return. I mean, I do know people there and it is fun, but it would also seem to be a step back in time and not a step forward toward moving on with my life. While it is a comfortable place for me, I remember often being bored and looking for something to do....and my friends were usually busy and then I would rent movies and watch them by myself. Stimulating.

So now I look toward the rest of my break. I have a wedding coming up on Saturday and I'm meeting up with friends throughout the week, while spending time with my buddies. Good times are in store!

The front of the Egyptian Museum.