My Desert Experience II

The Spider

When we woke up at the desert rose hotel, everything seemed fine. I slept really well and I was looking forward to an amazing day sleeping under the stars in the White Desert. I took a quick shower which I was sure to cherish because I knew it would be my last one for awhile. When I got out of the shower, I was greeted by forceful warnings of my roommates to move away from the wall with the bathroom door as quickly as I could. I immediately did as I was told, fearful of what I would see when I turned around. When I looked at the wall, I saw the largest spider I've ever seen in my life. Absolutely terrifying. I got ready as quickly as I could. It did not move until I was finished packing up my   bag for the desert. At least it was a considerate spider! As soon as it started moving, I bolted out the door as fast as I possibly could. 

The White Desert

The Journey to the Campsite

After a small breakfast of crepes, we loaded up the jeeps, started chugging water to stay hydrated, and began on our journey. The drive to our campsite was only two hours but it took a lot longer than that because we stopped at numerous locations. We saw a lot of the Black Desert which was very cool.  It really is black! At one point, we learned, the entire desert was under water. If you look closely, you can find seashells and fish fossils. The desert is black because it is covered with black volcanic rock. If you look around, you can see old volcanos! I think they were the first volcanoes I've ever seen- I could be wrong though. In the black desert, we climbed a desert mound! At the top we could see almost all of the Black Desert. It was an incredible sight! 

That reminds me, I am considering publishing a book about a new workout program- the Egyptian workout! It involves walking around the country in the sand and the heat. That is followed by climbing the sides of pyramids and doing squats to enter them. You must squat down and climb a long ladder in a passage way to enter the heart of the pyramid. When you arrive, you get a quick break in a hot crowded room to look at the walls and learn a little bout history. Just as you're about to catch your breath again, you repeat the entire process by exiting! The next day, you travel to the desert and climb a bunch of desert mounds in the Black Desert and the White Desert! The view is gorgeous, which is exactly what your body will look like after doing these routines for awhile. It is great for your butt and your legs! My body is starting to get so tired! 

Feeling so accomplished!

After climbing the mound, we went to a spring to cool off and have lunch. Some people got in the spring and played with a volleyball. I just sat on the ledge and put my legs in the water. It was at this time that I noticed my camera wasn't working. I guess it got sand in the lens because it would not open and it is definitely broken. Luckily, I just brought my point and shoot to the desert. So I still have my nice camera but I didn't have one in the desert. Oh well, that's what Facebook is for. After lunch, we went to Crystal Mountain, a desert mound made of cool looking clear rocks.

The Campsite

When we arrived at the campsite, a number of tents were already set up (we used these only for changing clothes really, most of us slept out under the stars). This left us free to do whatever we wanted. I spent the evening exploring the area, smoking shisha, talking with students about what we've learned, and eating. The food was delicious!! We had a mix of a bunch of different things. The best part of the meal, however, was a goat that was cooked in the sand- AMAZING! 

The desert at night  was absolutely beautiful. I have never seen a sky look so beautiful. Even when I've gone camping in the states, I've never before seen a night sky with so many stars. It was incredible being able to wake up, look at the stars, and fall back asleep looking at the night sky. We were so lucky that we went towards the beginning of the new month so there was barely any view of the moon, making it even darker so that we were able to see as many stars as we possibly could.

My Desert Experience I

Today was a long day. I am exhausted and not feeling the greatest. The new types of food are making my stomach upset and the sun is making me worn down. Why the sudden change? Because today we traveled to the desert. It is time for our camping extravaganza.

We left Cairo at about 8am. The majority of us slept for the 5 hour drive to Bahariya oasis. Unfortunately, that probably wasn’t the greatest idea. Many of us were dehydrated when we arrived at the hotel- this led to some interesting experiences for the rest of the evening.

The Sand Rose Hotel

After checking into our awesome hotel, we headed to lunch. Once again, we had chicken, pita, and rice. This time, however, there were a few other options. We had potatoes which were very good. I ate a lot of those, leaving the rest of the meal relatively untouched. Still, I felt full and I was thankful for the change. One thing of note, there are a lot of flies in Egypt. Seriously, there are A LOT! Another thing of note, I really don’t like flies. There are more flies here than on the farms of my relatives- that is saying a lot. For the majority of my lunch, I was in a constant state of swatting away flies. I am positive I looked like a mad woman but everyone else did, too.

More Mummies!

After dinner, we went on a tour of the area. First, we went to the Museum of Golden Mummies. These mummies were different than the mummies we saw in Cairo on Friday because they are from a different time period. The golden mummies are more recent than the others. These mummies were created during the Greek and Roman era of Egypt. During this time, mummies began being wrapped in more linen and began being covered masks made entirely out of gold (at least for the royal family). Most importantly, these mummies had their hearts removed whereas Egyptian mummies did not. Seeing the bodies was eerie- especially because there was a six month old and a six year old mummified in the museum. Once again, pictures were not allowed- sorry!

After this, we went to two tombs which really stand out in my mind due to their sheer beauty. We were able to enter the Tomb of Bannantiu and the Tomb of Zed Amun Iuf Ankh of the 26^th dynasty. You wouldn’t believe how bright and vibrant the colors on the walls of these underground burial chambers are. Thousands of years later, I still am impressed by the artwork and the paint. I can only imagine what it looked like when it was first.

The Desert

After visiting the tombs, we got our first look at the desert! We traveled around in our amazingly fun jeeps, stopping at various points to take pictures and enjoy the sand. First, let me talk about these jeeps- they are so much fun! It is like riding a roller coaster. They are bumpy, fast, and exciting. Our drivers are incredibly fun. They joke around while they drive, making the experience even better. One thing I have learned is that in Egypt, certain honk rhythms mean different things. It is like Morse Code. I’m definitely considering bringing this back to the States! While driving around, we listened to a unique mix of music that included tradition Egyptian music, The Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, Celine Dion, Egyptian dubstep and more. It was great.

After visiting a few places, we stopped at a large desert mound to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous. I love it here. The desert is hot and tiring but totally worth it.

The Great Pyramids!

It’s starting to feel real. While driving, the constant chorus of car horns is beginning to fade into the background. The sight of trash covered roads and sand, a telling sign about the financial situation of many Egyptians, is becoming less of a surprise. The Arabic campaign posters for the thirteen presidential candidates are no longer a constant reminder of how far away from home I am. It is simply a sign of my current reality. As I look out the window of my hotel and the bus, the magnificent sight of Egypt’s numerous pyramids no longer arise feelings of shock and awe, rather feelings of appreciation and wonder. It is sinking in. I really am in the location I learned so much about throughout middle school and have heard so much about recently in the news. I really am living out of one of my lifelong dreams.
I really am in Egypt.

The Great Pyramid

 Today we saw The Great Pyramids! Yay! I have looking forward to this day for so long and it definitely did not disappoint. They are incredible. I can’t imagine how humans were able to make them without the use of machinery. The blocks are all huge- weighing in the tons. We were able to enter the largest pyramid and it was amazing. I really wish we could take pictures of the inside but we can’t. Just take my word for it- it was really cool. We also saw the Sphinx! I tried to take a picture kissing it but it didn’t really work out. Shucks. I guess I will just have to go again! Of course, I rode another camel. J

Walk like an Egyptian!!

Kite the pyramid!

Lunch

For lunch, we had Chicken Tikka. Honestly, that is just a fancy name for chicken. As usual, we had chicken, rice, pita, and fries. It seems as if these are the staple foods here in Egypt. Don’t get me wrong, I love these foods and everything is cooked to perfection but I am starting to get tired of eating close to the same thing every day. Carbs upon carbs upon carbs. When I get home, I’m not eating pita for at least two months. I’ve had enough pita to last that long and more.

After our lunch, we had the day to ourselves. Although I should have spent the afternoon blogging and catching up on some much needed sleep, I decided I had more important things to do. Namely, I needed to tan, play water polo, and go to the sauna. Although I still stand by that decision, I’m not sure if everyone reading this blog (which is extremely behind) are. Oops- sorry! #egyptproblems?

The Mall

At about 8pm we met in the lobby of the hotel to travel to the MALL! We went to the Mall of Arabia (A Mall of America impersonator- I think so!). The mall was very… interesting. It was a lot nicer than I was expecting. It was very large and had some very nice stores. These stores were not as cheap as most places we have been on the trip. They still are fairly cheap- don’t get me wrong. I got a nice Ralph Lauren-esque polo except it has a camel as the logo for only $20. Not bad, but more than other places we have been. The mall was beautiful. I was lucky enough to be able to see more of it than most other students because I desperately had to go to the bathroom while we were waiting for our food. Oddly, that meant a slight bit of a hike. We had to go outside and into another section of the mall. Outside was gorgeous! They have a large dancing fountain in the middle of the circle, it was dancing while we went through. It was very cool. Another thing I found intriguing was how late the mall stays open. Cairo truly is the city that never sleeps, the mall stays open until midnight- much later than it does in the states.

When we first arrived at the mall, we had to go through metal detectors. Not surprisingly, the security seemed very disinterested in what we actually had in our bags, instead focusing on deciding which security guards would follow us around for the entirety of our time in the mall. At first I did not notice this, I only heard a bunch of loud Arabic being spoken. It was not until we were sitting in the food court, eating Egyptian fast food that I noticed all of the security surrounding us. In fact, Judge Samir pointed it out to me. We had three security guards to our left, two behind us, and three on the right. Everywhere we go in Egypt, it seems as if security is overcompensating for our safety. Due to the decrease in tourism, they see tourists as signs of hope needing protection in order for more tourists to come.

A few general comments….

Food

I have to say that I am sure my friends are getting tired of sitting around me when I eat. I am usually in a constant repetition of yum, delicious, what is this, and I don’t know what this is but it is really good. Interestingly, the food here is not as different from American food as I thought it would be. I don’t know what I was expecting, it all seems very silly now, but I have been shocked to discover that we eat the same basic things (for the most part) just cooked in a different way. We have been eating a lot of beef and chicken.

Water Polo

So far, we have played water polo twice: the day we arrived and yesterday. Let me tell you, water polo is not for the faint of heart. It is a tough game with brutal violence and intense wrestling. It is my goal to beat Professor Hamad in the game at least once while here. He is extremely competitive and a definite trash talker. In other words, he is exactly like me and I will get him one of these days. The level of competitiveness reached in this game is beyond extraordinary. At several times, I feared for my life and the lives of those around me. Many students and I have received numerous injuries from the game. Just yesterday I got an elbow to the face last night and it does not feel the greatest. In fact, I still have a red mark on my face from it and it still hurts like crazy. Oh well, I will not let that keep me from my ambitious goal!

The Heat

I’ve had a few people message me on Facebook and ask me about the weather in Egypt. I am happy to say that it feels fantastic here. There is no denying that it is very hot in Egypt. Shocking, I know. Although it is hot, however, it is not very humid. I find myself able to easily stand the 90 degree weather simply because this. I have not once been miserably hot or extremely dehydrated. 

Traffic

Let’s talk a little bit about the traffic here. If you think traffic is bad in the big cities in the United States, you have no idea what you should be thankful for. Traffic here is absolutely insane. It is as if traffic laws do not exist. There is no such thing as lanes. You just drive down the street until someone is in your way, then you honk your horn and the car moves… maybe. I was talking to a native here that said accidents happen all the time but it doesn’t really matter because nobody has insurance. People rarely even stop. They just keep on going and get their car fixed only if they can afford it. One time while driving we saw an ambulance driving down the road with its sirens on but no car was moving for it! Another Egyptian told me that it use to be a little bit better when there was a stable police force but now it’s just a free for all. I would not want to drive here. As we drive through town, people make their own rules. Oftentimes, we see entirely too many people crammed into tiny cars. Sometimes we even see people sleeping on mattresses either inside the car or tied to the roof of their car.

Pyramids!

We left the hotel bright and early on Saturday to see the first pyramids built in Egypt. I bet many people reading this will be surprised to learn that there are more pyramids than just the three pyramids in Giza. Egypt has 138 pyramids! Of course, not all of them are in the best of shape but they are definitely pyramids. The first pyramid ever built was for King Djosner and it was known as a step pyramid due to the 6 steps that comprise its structure. This was where I rode my first camel with my friend Hannah!!! It was so exciting!!

Riding a camel!!!

One of the pyramids we saw was a mistake. After it was finished, the king noticed that it was not in the correct shape. As Ian so promptly informed me, “This is why math is important.” Honestly, if math is only important for building pyramids to bury dead pharaohs and their treasure then I think I chose the right career path. Not so sure what the demand is like for something like that. Long story short, I hate math and I think I would thoroughly happy with a “bent” pyramid if it meant avoiding math. Just saying, I think the pyramid looked beautiful! The king, however, did not. He was unhappy and demanded another pyramid to be built.   

Our opinions of the pyramid!

We even got to enter two of the pyramids! They were awesome to see but definitely hard work to get in. To enter, you have to climb through a seemingly endless passageway that is only three feet high to a sauna like small room filled with people. The ancient Egyptians built the entrances to the pyramids 1 meter high so that all people entering the tomb had to kneel to show respect to the deceased king. Once inside the pyramids, the view is incredible. The first one we entered had walls that were covered in hieroglyphics!

As soon as we were done with the pyramids, we rushed to get lunch and then back to the hotel. We had traditional Egyptian sandwiches. They were quite interesting. We received three pitas. The first one was filled with refried beans. The second one was filled with the falafel thingy. The third one, however, was filled with FRIES! So odd. I decided to eat the fries by hand rather than in the pita. I drew the line there.

Pita sandwiches

The President of the Nour Party

That evening we had two speakers but I will focus on the one that was by far the most interesting. Let me preface this by saying that my professor has connections. Somehow he got the president of the Nour Party, a new political party in Egypt, to come speak with us. The Nour party is the second largest political party in Egypt behind the Muslim Brotherhood. It is an Islamic party that formed quickly after Mubarak’s fall. He discussed the revolution, the upcoming election, and the creation of the party.

With Emad Adbel Ghafour- president of El Nour party

I just have to say, I was not fooled by this man. He is such a politician! He told us all exactly what we wanted to hear. It was like hearing “blah, blah, blah, we love America, blah, blah, poverty is bad, blah, blah, young people are great.” It was an incredible and fascinating experience but mostly a critical lesson in the essence of being able to dissect political rhetoric. It demonstrated the inherent flaw in all political parties (yes, even the democrats). Ultimately, political parties work to gain power and maintain power in order to implement their ideas. This means they do anything to do so. The Nour party, despite being the second largest in the country, decided not to run a candidate this election term. When asked why, the president said a lot of empty words and somehow transitioned the answer into the tagline phrase “poverty is bad.” In reality, they aren’t running a candidate because they are aware that the first presidency is likely to be a failure so they have decided to wait four years and then sweep in to save the country.

Another thing, the party is greatly for the implementation of Sharia Law. However, one would not be aware of this based on the talk he gave. He greatly avoided the topic until it was brought up in a question. At that time, he went on a long rant about Islam being nothing like the stereotypes many Americans think of. He never once discussed what Sharia Law would mean for the country. Even more outrageous, he did not ONCE discuss the party’s political platform. Instead, he stuck to those key phrases, “America is good”, “poverty is bad”, and of course “students like you give me hope.” Blah, blah, blah…

Interestingly, we got one straight answer!!! YAY! When asked about the problem regarding the decrease in tourism and whether an economy can truly rely on a tourism industry for income he answered no. He believes Egypt needs to find another industry to base it’s economy on. What that is, however, he did not really say. He said “natural resources” which is kind of a no brainer. What those resources are was never mentioned. After these short sentences, he catered the answer to us. Talking about how it is a travesty that the pyramids are only visited by roughly 3 million people every year when the Eifel Tower is visited by about 12 million. Of course, he had to make us happy by explaining that these artifacts do not belong to Egypt. Instead, they belong to all the people of the world. Blah, blah, blah….

It was a great opportunity and I am glad we were able to meet such an influential figure in Egyptian politics but I was definitely not impressed by what he said…

Dinner

That night we had my favorite dish of the trip so far, Egyptian barbeque which means kebabs. The dish was served on what looked like a large box. The box had hot coals on the bottom then a metal lid with delicious goodness on top of it. We had lamb, chicken, and beef, Yummy. I really enjoyed what happened when we were done eating, however. A group of 5 of us went outside, separated from the rest of the group, and smoked hookah and watched the soccer game. It was so incredible to truly be involved in a part of Egyptian culture: hookah and soccer. We were with Judge Samir who is always so much fun. We sat together and discussed the numerous speakers we had heard that evening, critiquing some parts and praising others. Hearing Judge Samir’s thoughts on the new party was very interesting. He is extremely liberal and therefore very upset with some parts of the party’s platform. He was particularly upset regarding this party’s treatment of the popular issue of women’s rights. As he put it, “I would not want to be a woman if this party gained power.” I find this to be quite terrifying. I was planning on asking a question regarding the topic but did not because I was worried of offending the speakers. I regret that choice.

Let's talk about the revolution...

“The Role of the Ordinary Egyptian in the Revolution”

Friday I blogged about how the class discussed the revolution and the role of the ordinary Egyptian in it. Now I will talk about it with a little more detail. Our speaker, Maged, was selected because of his involvement with the revolution. Like many other Egyptians, prior to the revolution he was not political at all. Now, however, he is highly involved in politics. He was an incredible speaker, discussing his involvement with the revolution, how Facebook and the internet affected the revolution, and what he thinks we can expect in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

He explained how on January 25, 2010 they were chanting for “bread, freedom, and rights.” Prior to the revolution, as Maged explained, “suspicion was governing Egypt.” Mubarak’s presidency was full of corruption and injustice. There were lies upon lies upon lies. Sadat, towards the end of his presidency, began using emergency law, a type of law that is similar to Marshall Law in the sense that the rights of the people are suspending for “the greater good”. In the most basic sense, traditional forms of ruling and law are tossed aside as the government goes around regular courts. After Sadat’s assassination, Mubarak continued the use of emergency law for the 30 years of his presidency.

We have a district judge travelling with us, Judge Samir, and it is incredible to hear him now able to joke around with Professor Hamad about this occurring. At one point during the trip, Hamad jokingly told me I was on the “black list”, so I instinctively demanded to hear the reasons why. They both agreed, however, that this is Egypt and things aren’t that way. They joked that I will serve about 20 years without truly knowing why, then the government will make up some charges for why I was held and maybe make me serve a few more years. It was eerie to hear two men I respect very much joke about such a recent problem that affected Egypt. Perhaps they are joking because this is how they have learned to deal with the situation or if things are truly getting better that quickly. I am inclined to think it is more of the former.

Another thing that set off the revolution was the murder of Khaled Said, a young 28 year old man who was killed by two policemen. They attempted to arrest him but Said ran away. When the officers captured him, they beat him in a dark alley. He was dead within 30 minutes. This event was witnessed by many people, sparking anger among citizens. People got even more upset when it was discovered that this man was killed because he was a human rights activist. After this, the Facebook revolution took shape. A Facebook page was made by two young people that were upset by this event. The name? “We Are All Khaled Said”. As soon as I heard about this page, I went on Facebook myself and liked it. I encourage anyone who reads this to go on Facebook, like the page, and support the revolution.

Of course, there were many more reasons for the revolution, these just were the ones that stood out in my mind. I knew the majority of the basics before coming to Egypt but hearing about it from a person that actually experienced it made it seem real rather than just something in the news. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in Tahrir Square during that time. The best part of this trip, in my opinion, has been the discussions regarding the revolution. They are incredible. Everyone has so many stories to tell and so many opinions regarding the upcoming elections. Many people want stability, many people want change, and many people want Islamists in politics. It is a great mix.

The Burned Building

In my last post, I discussed our visit to the impressive Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. It is important to note that this museum is massive, containing thousands of artifacts. From the outside, the museum is breathtaking. This was especially true for our visit because it was our first real look at the ancient Egyptian culture. With that being said, it wasn’t the museum that stole our immediate attention. Instead, it was the large building right beside it. Showing the unmistakable signs of going through a fire, this building was the sight of many of our gazes. This building was highly important during Mubarak’s time in power. It was the headquarters of the former “National Democratic Party”, Mubarak’s political party. It is now completely destroyed, burnt during the revolution on January 25^th, 2011. Inside the museum, just above the statues of departed pharaohs and queens, multiple open windows give sight to this building. Nothing can compare to the feeling of viewing ancient history and history in the making at the same time. It was truly incredible. 

Presidential Elections

The presidential elections are quickly approaching. As I am writing this, I am currently on the bus with the group toward the desert for an incredible experience sleeping under the stars in the desert. Unfortunately, our group is one member short. Judge Samir, one of our supervisors, is unable to attend this year because as a judge, it is his job to oversee and count the votes at one of the polling station. As he explained, it must be done this way because there is a lack of established trust between people politically. So during the election he must sit in a room without food for 12 hours, singlehandedly overseeing and counting the voting of 5,000 voters.

I want to first give a quick overview of how the presidential election will occur here. There are two scenarios for the outcome of this week’s elections. To win the presidency, the candidate must receive a majority vote, meaning 50% plus one vote. It is unlikely that any of the thirteen candidates will receive that many votes. In that case, there will be a run off election in two weeks between the two candidates receiving the most votes.

There are two candidates running that were very much involved in the old regime. Most importantly, Mubarak’s former prime minister is in the running. Many, including my professor, are worried about the support this individual currently has. Hamad believes that government TV has brainwashed people into believing that this former high ranking Mubark official will bring stability to a country that is in great need of it. Hamad believes that these individuals, usually involved in the tourism industry, are simply selfish and not thinking about the “greater good”. (At this point, I want to note that whenever these words are mentioned, I get shivers down my spine. How can one individual or even a group of individuals truly decide what is for the “greater good”? It can’t be done. This argument terrifies me because of its use in numerous political campaigns throughout history that have led to nothing by pain and suffering).

Tourism

That evening we also went to a sweets shop after dinner. When our large group of 40 slowly invaded a building with seating for about 50, we noticed a man sitting toward the back of the shop. He was drinking a bottle of water, fiddling with a very nice looking camera, and looking up at his laptop screen periodically. Unfortunately, due to the layout of the building, our group sort of surrounded him, effectively blocking him from leaving. He looked up, puzzled, and made eye contact with me. My table happened to be the closest to his and I just happened to be looking in that way. He started to speak (in English!) to me. He asked why we were there and where we were from. I answered and he seemed intrigued. He asked many questions and then it was our turn to ask questions. It turns out he is a photojournalist from Alaska. He has been in Egypt for a few years now and is just a few days from receiving his residency in Egypt. He told us about his experience. He told us how he has been shot by rubber bullets and tear gas many times by the military since arriving. About the army he had two words, “Those fuckers.” He then discussed tourism and the changes he has seen in Egypt in the past few years. He explained that tourism has greatly decreased. It is now a rarity to see so many tourists at one time. He said it is even noticeable just by walking the streets of Cairo and visiting tourist sites. How so? The number of street vendors has decreased substantially. (It is hard to imagine there use to be even more and it use to be even worse!!!)

The decrease in tourism since the revolution is a great concern in Egypt. I have heard it from numerous Egyptians since our arrival. Our tour guide, for example, is greatly troubled by it. Granted, he relies on tourism for his income. However, he has made many good points about why this is such a concern. Egypt holds 2/3 of the world’s artifacts from the ancient world. Unsurprisingly, this means that tourism generates a large amount of money. In fact, it is one of the highest sources of income in the country. Since the revolution, however, this industry has greatly suffered. Our tour guide explained that after January 25^th, he sat on his couch for months with nothing to do. This is creating a trend of questioning the revolution. People are becoming even more poor now despite one of their concerns at the protest was “bread”. Perhaps this is why Shafiq, a presidential candidate who was Prime Minister under Mubarak and during the Battle of the Camel, is gaining such popularity.

The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities

I still find it hard to believe that I am actually in Egypt. I vividly remember learning about the Egyptian dynasties during grade school and dreaming about how amazing it would be to one day see the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Now that dream is a reality but it still doesn't seem real! Today was a very interesting day. I saw so much and learned even more. 

First, we went to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. The museum was my first real look at the ancient Egyptian culture. It holds artifacts from the 30 dynasties of Egypt. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum but it was one of the coolest places I have ever seen.

Perhaps most famously, the museum is home to King Tutankhamon’s treasure. It was unbelievable to see the treasure this young king had. The golden mask was just as cool as I thought it would be. The coffin was equally as impressive. There was so much gold! It is hard to believe that these artifacts were truly thousands of years old. Many of them still bear astonishingly bright paints. I was shocked to learn that King Tut's tomb is relatively small compared to those of other rulers. His life was cut short when he died at the age of 20 from malaria. The cause of his death was just discovered in 2010. Previously, it was believed that he died from falling off of his chariot and hitting his head (not sure how that "rumor" got started). If this treasure and tomb are considered “small”, I am extremely excited to see what the large tombs are like.

In the museum, there is an exhibit containing many mummies. Queen Hatshpust’s mummy was there, a queen that was originally mistaken by Egyptologists as a nurse due to her bad dental work and obesity. Another notable king in the exhibit is King Ramses II. He is well known because he ruled for the longest period of time out of all the kings. He ruled for 67 years. There were many more mummies but I do not remember all of their names. My brain is on information overload right now.

These two exhibits are simply the two that I found to be most intriguing. However, the museum was absolutely huge and contained more artifacts that I ever thought one building could hold. Currently, there are plans in the works to create an even larger museum to hold these incredible pieces of Egyptian history. 

Lunch today was delicious. We had a traditional Egyptian meal called Koshary. It is made of rice, macaroni, tomato sauce, lentils, and many other things. I was slightly nervous about trying it but it was delicious As Hannah and Jen put it, it tastes like “Chipotle on crack”.  I actually ate almost the entire thing. My first big meal of the trip, to be honest.

After lunch, we went to a sweet shop and had traditional Egyptian deserts. Oddly, they were not as sweet as I expected them to be. I was surprised because I would describe a lot of the basic lunch and dinner as having a fairly sweet taste. They were still good, but not my favorite. At this time, we also sent groups into a tiny shop to look for souvenirs. The shop is one of our professors favorites. I purchased a jewelry box (at least it is a box that I plan on using for my jewelry). I also got a gift for my brother (but I can’t put what that is on here because he reads my blog!).

This is only the first half of the day when we focused on Egyptian history, the rest of the day centered on the revolution (the topic that I am honestly the most intrigued by). We came back to the hotel and had a discussion, “The Role of the Ordinary Egyptian in the Revolution”. Unfortunately, I am getting very tired (it is past midnight here!) and I have to wake up very early tomorrow to see the step pyramids. Therefore, I will save my comments regarding this discussion for tomorrow because believe me, I have a lot to say. It was a great discussion and really illustrated the power of the revolution and the involvement of “ordinary” people in its organization and success. Very powerful stuff. Tomorrow I will discuss some of what I have learned regarding why the revolution occurred, how it did, what is going on politically now with the upcoming elections, and what we can truly expect from the elections that occur next week.

I have arrived...

I have officially arrived in Egypt. We flew into Cairo at about 2:00am last night! I am so happy to be here! I am having fun and learning new things already!

The trip here was actually pretty easy. The flight to Istanbul was about 11 hours long but it wasn't bad at all. Turkish Airlines is fantastic. I never want to fly American again! The food was great. We were fed dinner and breakfast because we flew overnight. It was absolutely awesome. Besides dinner and a quick movie (V for Vendetta- my favorite), I slept though most of the flight. 

Istanbul airport was a very interesting experience. We had a 7-hour layover so a few of us decided to go to one of the nice lounges that had food, clean restrooms, showers, and comfortable chairs. I didn't actually shower but the rest of it was nice. We also wandered around the airport for a little bit. It was an odd experience. I went to Starbucks with a friend (Karly) and the cashier told Karly that he loved her. Then, Karly and I went to Sbarro. The man working there told us that he loved us and proceeded to give us free teas. It was pretty fun. Our flight for Cairo left at 12:30am. Thankfully, that one was only 2 hours.

When we arrived at Egypt, everything went very smoothly. Customs took about a minute. It was great. Both of my bags arrived. A few other students weren't as lucky. Fortunately, their bags will be here tomorrow. 

Our hotel is great. We are staying at the Sheraton Dreamland in Giza. Although it is annoying to be at a Sheraton when I am suppose to be on vacation (for those of you that don't know, I work at a Sheraton in Des Moines), it is still very nice. I just try to ignore the Sheraton logos everywhere. We can see the pyramids from the window, very cool. 

Before lunch today, we were able to talk with an employee of the hotel. She was pretty young and asked us about our opinions regarding the revolution and the upcoming election. She then told us a few of her opinions. Surprisingly, she seemed very upset about the revolution. She spoke of how the tourism industry has been negatively affected. She expressed a fear that it would not get better for a very long time. At one point, she explained, that she believes Egypt use to be a great and powerful country but now it is in a state of chaos. She is very skeptical of an eventual positive outcome of the revolution.  This was quite shocking to me. Until this point, I had heard very few individuals speak negatively about the revolution. Most Egyptians I have talked to have been very excited about it and optimistic about the future. However, I realize now that these Egyptians are individuals that are slightly separated from the country in the sense that they either live or go to school in the United States. I find it interesting that one of the first locals I met while here has such strong opinions in the opposite manner than I am use to. I am curious as to what other opinions I will encounter in the weeks to come.

Today was a very relaxing today as we are all trying to adjust to the time difference. Right now it is 11:00pm here but 4:00pm in Iowa. Additionally, the flight was very draining and at odd times. I think the majority of us are a little confused about what time it is and even what day it is (at least, we definitely were this morning). We played water polo and smoked hookah. We also had a speaker who talked about micro financing. 

Just a few pictures so far:

Tired from traveling.

Hannah smoking hookah

WATER!