Siwa and homestays

So as usual there is much to say. This last Wednesday night we left for Siwa on a 10 hour bus ride northwest toward the Libyan border. We traveled at the night and got to our hotel on the edge of the dessert in the middle of the night. This hotel has no electricity so we used kerosene lamps and candles and a fire pit at night sleeping in stucco bungalows with mosquito nets over the beds. After a few hours of sleep we got up and went into Siwa. All 36 rented bikes from a local shop (I had to have my seat lowered) and headed through the street traffic and donkey carts to a local Siwan’s home whom our program was friends with. We parked our many bikes outside of his home and discussed Siwan culture and current tourism and outside influences to this very traditional and conservative culture which has its own language. The Siwans are people who came from Morocco and Algeria during one of the Haji’s to Mecca hundreds of years ago whom found the oasis of Siwa in Egypt and decided to stay and live there instead of returning to their original home. We were offered siwan tea which is strongly brewed with mint and dates which are from their own garden. Dates and olives are their main source of income and has been for centuries. The women then were able to meet with the female family and discuss the differences in their very traditional culture in which women are fully covered in public if married and who are engaged and at a very young age and do not leave the house without permission of the husband, brother, or father. They made henna for us out of natural tea and henna plant and we put on different flower designs on our hands or feet. After this we explored down town Siwa on our bikes myself and several other girls went to get lunch at an outdoor restaurant under palm trees where I had a local Siwan dish of cousous and chicken. We traveled up into the old city Shali from which we could see the tombs in the mountain where the Siwans used to bury the dead and the area near Cleopatra’s bath and the mountain with the Oracle that Alexander the Great went to. We then all met up and headed on bikes to the nearby salt lake. The route was pretty rough in places and were not riding the newest and nicest bikes-all this to say I was impressed with myself and how I did (if any of you know my luck with bikes). We swam out in the salt lake (more like floated) then headed to a fresh water spring to rinse off. By the time we got to the fresh water spring the sun had gone down and many of us were being attacked by mosquitoes. We did the rest of the trip in the dark-with a few flash lights to guide the way walking the bikes when it was too bumpy to ride in the dark (again impressed with myself). We went back to the hotel and changed while dinner was being cooked over the fire pit. We had dinner late and had a siwan bad come and play for us. We stayed up late listening and dancing to the native music around the fire (very tribal).





The next day needless to say I was sore from the bike ride and dancing. We drove out to Siwa in the morning and walked around and relaxed. We meet up in the afternoon in the main square to head to the Sahara in Safari Jeeps. We drove out to the sand where the drivers took out the air in their tires and then onto the sand we went. It was so amazing riding out and over the dunes of sand with only the blue sky, sun, and wind. We stopped at one dune so we could sandboard (which is much like snowboarding but slower and in the desert) many of us just jumped down the dune or sledded on the sandboarding board. We then headed to a freshwater lake which was very cold then to sulfur based hot spring. Both places were very busy with both Egyptian and foreign tourist more than other years according to our leaders. We then stopped on a hill to watch the sunset over the sand dunes and had siwan tea and snacks around a fire while the sun went down. Then in the dusk we drove to the dessert camp where we to stay for the night. We got out of the jeeps and headed to our dessert tent where we changed and headed to the hot spring out past the camp. We came back and were served dinner on a low table in the tent and tea and talked until we all went to sleep. Some people slept out in the desert I chose to sleep in the tent with a few other people to keep warm. Other groups staying there for the night stayed up late and played local music and danced around the fire.








We took jeeps back to our hotel early in the morning and then go on the bus for Cairo after a brief breakfast. We got home late and got things unpacked and ready for class the next day.


That next night after classes we were introduced to our host families for the next week’s homestays. One other student and myself took a few clothes with us and traveled for an hour out to where our host families lived by taxi, metro, then micro bus. We were offered a full meal when we got there and were asked to eat more and more. This last week has been a lesson in Arabic and how to be a good guest. Often when I was with the family we would just sit and watch TV or I would be listening or struggling in my limited Arabic with the family members who spoke a little English. They helped me a lot with my Arabic homework and were great hosts always asking if I was tired or had homework or was hungry. They would never let us help them with meals or run errands with them and we always had a bed to sleep in even when some of the family members slept on the floor. The week was exhausting because even after going to bed the family would be up and talking with TV on until 3 or 4 in the morning-most do not go to work or get up until may hours after I had to be back downtown for classes. Today all of us are coming back from our experiences and weeks ready to communicate in English and sharing our stories and encounters. I hope to have more to say about this past week’s experience when I have more time to reflect on it.
I will post pictures for this blog soon also. Later tonight-Sufi dancing at the Kahna Khalili then a new week of classes and next weekend Mt. Siani and Dahab! (the adventure never slows down)

So I do not have time to write a full blog right now just a note: Siwa was amazing- Sahara desert is awe inspiring- and sleeping in the dessert and adventure. I am staying with a local family for the week and will probably not have time or access to the internet and will write all about this weekend and this next week sometime this next weekend. :)

Luxor and other Adventures

So I have decided that I cannot necessarily talk about each day’s activities in this blog or each entry would become overwhelmingly long. Instead I will strive to mention the main highlights.

So I have much to catch up on

My service project on Tuesdays as gone very well, we have class three week’s now and have covered cultural/conversational topics such as storytelling, sports, and current events, this next week is music which I am very excited to discuss as they have explained their desire to understand American popular music better.

Classes are going well also we can now read and write Arabic-although very slowly and now are beginning to create basic sentences and attempting to gain more vocabulary to match our reading ability. I feel like I am back in first grade attempting to read and sounding out words slowly and asking what words mean. Our Islamic thought and practice class is going well also our teacher is so well informed and patient with our many questions. We also have had two amazing guest speakers so far that have given us good background that will help us to evaluate the many experiences and the information we are being introduced to.

Ok onto the fun stuff: Luxor

We left in the evening on Thursday the 28^th for an overnight train-it was a 10 hour ride. I was grateful that I was so tired because I was able to sleep most of the way in spite of the train being cold and being in upright chairs. We got to Luxor in the morning on Friday and were taken to our hotel which was right by Luxor temple. Most of us took the morning either to sleep or read out on the roof of the hotel which had a swimming pool! Luxor is further south from Cairo so the weather was much warmer- in the 80’s so it was perfect weather to sit out in the sun in January!

Then in the afternoon we had a tour of Karnack temple and Luxor temple. Karnack temple was incredible and difficult to explain with words it sheer size was enough to create awe let alone the descriptions of what the temple would have been like in the time of the Pharonic Kingdoms. The temple surfaces were plated with gold and silver as well as the Hieroglyphics on the many pillars were fully colored by pigments found in many of the rocks in the area. The color is still seen in the places which receive the least amount of sun. It is difficult to image that this place was created using ancient technology of rolling logs, ramps, sand, chisels, and mud and clay. The hot summer sun helped as well with mixing the many metals to plate the structures. The temple was built on the East bank of the Nile where the sun rises because this is the land of the living. This temple would shine with the sun as the metal reflected it and would stand as a shining example to the common people of where the gods dwelled. The average commoner never set foot in this temple during the time of the pharaoh’s and even the priests were only allowed in according to their levels of religious piety or ranking. The Pharaoh had the role of high priest and in so was allowed into the center to the massive temple. This temple is one of the most well known because it is the oldest/largest temple or sight of worship that is still in existence. I wish I could go into more detail about what I saw but I did not take notes and there was so much information to take in along with what I was seeing. The three top pictures are from Karnak temple.

We then that night went to Luxor temple and had a chance to see it lit up which was great. This temple was much smaller but was just as amazing. This temple played apart in an annual ritual of carrying the gods in boats down the Nile-it was a house for them on their journey with large rooms set aside for boats. Overtime the Christians of Egypt used a portion of this temple as a church and they have found drawings and paintings of the last supper done over the ancient Hieroglyphics. Also Alexander the Great set up a room in the temple and over which was a carving of him helping take part in the rituals to the gods. There is much restoration being done to this temple as a result of water damage over the years because it is very close to the Nile.The picture to the left bottom is from this temple

The next day we got up early and drove out to the Valley of the Kings on the West bank of the Nile where the sun sets and where they set aside space for the dead .There are 9 tombs built underneath pyramid shaped mountains we were only allowed to choose 3 to see. The murals and carvings are much better preserved because they are underground and in so much of the color and details are still visible. We were not allowed to take any pictures inside of these tombs but I saw the tomb of the one female Queen there, of Tutmoses, and Ramses the III who build the burial temple we visited later in the day. Ramses’ tomb was the most colorful with many paintings and depictions of the crossing of the river in the afterlife into the land of the pharaoh’s where you live for eternity based on your judgment. To get to Tutmoses’ tomb we had to climb stairs, the tomb itself has many levels each with different drawings.

We then headed in the afternoon to the funeral temple Hube where the pharaoh’s were mummified. The entrance was a part of the Assyrian style architecture. This place was much less crowded with well preserved designs in the walls. With all of these temples I felt like I should know so much more about the mythology and culture of the ancient Egyptians. That afternoon and evening we explored the more touristy areas and I bartered for two scarves with several other girls which is challenging but also fun. The picture to the left bottom and right is of Hube.

Cat herding in Luxor 101: Ok so we had a stray cat (which is common ) stuck on our balcony on the 5^th floor which at night would scrape the window of the balcony door and cry and yell. We debated what to do and finally devised a plan. I turned off the lights in my room-opened the balcony door and stood on a chair in the corner next to the window. When the cat came into the room I slammed the balcony door closed and the cat ran out the front door of our hotel room and into the hall way. I am sure that the staff of the hotel are used to these sorts of things happening.

The next day we spent the whole day on the 10 hour train back from Luxor and got a large amount of homework done. That night was a huge night for Egypt- the playoffs for the African cup for soccer between Egypt and Gana. About 2 hours from our destination in Cairo we found out that Egypt won 1 to 0. There was much celebration on the train and as we stopped along the train route we could see celebrations in the streets. Even two hours later when we reached our destination Cairo was busy celebrating with flags, car horns, people in the streets playing music, setting off fireworks and dancing. This went on late into the night as almost everyone in Egypt enjoys watching soccer/football.

The next day –February 1rst-after going to classes we went to see a movie called Hassan w Morqos at a local church. It was a apart of an East meets West festival in which we met up with some of our Egyptian friends –it is well known film that came out in 2008 in Egypt with the world famous actor Omar Sharif in it (Lawrence of Arabia and Funny women?? ). Omar was there and shared a little about the film and its purpose in relations between the Christian and Muslims population in Egypt. After the movie we went into the church and got to look at artists who had depicted what they saw of Harmony between East and West culture and beliefs.

Thursday I made the best spontaneous decision of my life. One of the people in my flat was invited to go with her Egyptian friend and any of us who wanted to to get Henna done at her apartment. We went expecting to spend a few hours at her place and found ourselves at a pre-wedding party for one of her neighbors in which her whole female family members were getting Henna done and preparing the bride for the party that night. We attempted to use the little Arabic we knew and after a few hours with these women in the bride’s bedroom we were given food by the mother of the bride as the guests (although we were strangers) it was full meal with rice and lamb and vegetables and many other dishes I do not know the name of in English. We ate so well and then had to leave to go to our Director’s flat for a short while. They asked us to come back afterward to participate as their guests in the party. We shared with everyone our experiences and had more people join us as we headed back. When we got there they set up the speakers chairs got soda for everyone and we celebrated with them for several hours watching them dance traditional dances as well as participating in them when we got a chance. It was loud and amazing being a part of such an amazing community of people .

Friday we left early in the morning for Anafora a retreat center an hour outside of Cairo that is self sustaining with farms set up by the Orthodox Coptic church. We spent the day with a local Coptic Church community of our age discussing the similarities and differences in our beliefs, culture, and traditions as Christians. It created mutual respect and understanding. The location itself was wonderful the food was all vegetarian and made right there the place we lit by candles in sand filled pots and we sat on rugs and pillows around floor level tables. It was so quiet and simplistic. We met with the local Bishop Thomas who is well known within the Coptic Church for an hour in the afternoon and he gave such wonderful advice and insight. We ended the day with a worship service in their chapel lit by candles as we sang songs in English, they prayer apart of their liturgy in Arabic as well as sung Arabic songs, there was also a Swedish group meeting there for a separate conference and they sang songs in Swedish as well. It was such a peaceful time to join together for one purpose.

So I know that was an extremely long blog and even at that I did not discuss everyday or detail.

A glimpse of what is ahead:

Bowling Egypt style-tonight

Another week of classes

This next weekend Wednesday through Saturday: the desert community of Siwa where we will get a chance to do a desert safari and sleep in the dessert for a night, sand board, and meet with the local traditional Berber people.

So I got my Blog fixed finally so this is last week's the 17th- 22nd update:

Tuesday- I taught TESL conversation class with another student for our service project

Wednesday- we started our first Arabic class which went well although I do feel impatient to learn because the language can be immediately used-but I am grateful for the grammar and depth of the learning I am receiving and I am glad I have so much motivation.

Thursday we had Arabic again and had a overview history/political current events of most of the countries of the Middle East.

Friday is the first day of the weekend here in Egypt and it makes it easy to get around with little traffic especially before most people go to services at the mosques at 12. We went in groups to visit the Pyramids. It was so amazing to see this place that has been talked us so much. I have to say I definitely felt like I was a in a dream as I explored the outskirts where the camels and drivers take caravans of people in the desert. We had a chance to go inside the 2^nd pyramid and see the tomb there. We wandered around pretty far ending up at the Sphinx. WIt is hard to know what to say when you see a marvel such as the pyramids I guess there is a sense of awe and you do not know how to describe it. Pictures help though:

The far right is of the 2nd pyramid the middle is of me and several other MESP students inside the 2nd pyramid and the last is of the sphinx with a view of the 2nd pyramid. Yes there are 3 pyramids and I do have pictures of them all I promise!

That night we hosted a women’s discussion night at our flat where we had questions and answering session with local Egyptian Muslim women who come from a variety of backgrounds.

Saturday I enjoyed having no alarm got up early still and stayed at the flat and did homework –in the afternoon I went shopping on the streets from veggie vendors for dinner which we made with veggies and tomato paste and pita for very cheap.

We then went to the villa for our friend exchange night where we meet local Egyptians our age we are partnered with to spend time with them while we are here. I am excited to spend more time with my new Egyptian friend as the semester goes on. We played games and had cookies and talked late into the night.

Sunday we started our new week of classes with Arabic and a current Egyptian history lesson from a documentary called a Nation in Waiting. We went back to the villa that night for a movie where we watched a 70’s production called The Message about Muhammad’s life and his message that has spread through the Middle East. It was a helpful overview of the basic beliefs, history, and origins of the Islamic faith.

Monday we had Arabic class again and got a chance to begin the Arabic script instead of transliteration! We also met our Islamic thought and practice teacher at one of the three famous mosques we toured. She showed us many of the features of Islamic and Arabic architecture and the way in which the styles changed with major historical shifts in dynasties and power. All three mosques were beautiful in different ways and very quiet out of respect which was a nice change from the constant noise of the busy city. We had a chance to climb up to the top minaret of the first mosque we stopped at-it gave a great aerial view of old Cairo. We were at this mosque at the noon call of prayer as well so from the minaret we could hear the calls spreading throughout the city. The other two mosques were built very close to one another-one being from a much earlier time period than the other but both inside being distinct from the first earliest mosque we visited. The last mosque we visited houses part of the old royal family including King Forouk and his mother and father

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The first mosque is the first one we went to called Mosque of Ibn Tulun with a ziggurat style minaret. The second is of the second mosque called Sultan Hasan mosque and the third is from the last mosque and is the grave site of the last king of Egypt king Forouk.

Next Blog:

- Luxor this last weekend

- last week's classes/activites

-About being in Cairo the capital of Egypt when Misr (Egypt in Arabic) won the football (soccer) African cup for the 3rd year in a row!