Egypt-day 2

Here we are, Spring break '09... It's been over three months since I returned from "dream land," and yet I still think about my semester abroad every day. My time gone truly permeated my life and changed who I am. I am ever thankful for my gift of a life time. I know very few people ever look at this blog anymore, but for my own sake (and Kelsey's!) I am determined to continue documenting my journey until the end. Can't make any promises for when this will actually be finished, but it will be done before any more cross-cultural adventures!

I was so excited to start out first full day in Egypt. Today was "pyramid day" and we would be staying around the Cairo area to see all the famous pyramids. Our view of the Giza pyramids as we bussed through the city to get to Darshur, the first pyramid compound of the day. We would be going back to visit the Giza pyramids at sunset. Isn't it crazy how they are right there at the edge of the city!? The mix of ancient and modern never ceases to amaze me.

My very first pyramid- the "Red Pyramid," named because of it's red tint when observed from a distance. See where my group is climbing up to the little hole in the side of the pyramid? That's where we entered...

Dan, John, me, Kayt, and Jesse standing on the side of the pyramid

Kayt climbing back out. The passageway was very steep and very narrow. The further we went down the worse the air got (it was so thick and stale!) that as people got to the bottom they were making mad rushes to get back to the top. John, Seth, Kayt and I sang a Christmas carol in one of the big open rooms. The acoustics were great, even though the air wasn't.

On the same complex in Doshur there is also the "Bent pyramid," named because of its sloping top. There are many different theories as to why this pyramid was "messed up." Snero built both of these pyramids and it is assumed that he is actually buried in the smaller, bent pyramid.

Next stop, Mit Rahina Museum located in the old city of Memphis:

Inside there was a giant statue of Ramses II. The statue is a perfect piece except that the legs and feet are broken off.

Look at me! I'm a scary Sphinx!

Courty and me posing by a real sphinx outside. The sphinx represented the Pharaoh as having the physical power of a lion and the mental power of, well, himself.

Kayt and I by a huge cool statue

We then went to the Imhotep Museum which was on the sight of Pharaoh Teti's pyramid.

We saw a number of interesting artifacts such as this stone that shows a number of malnourished people, assumed by scholars to be Bedouin during the fall of the Old Kingdom.

We then went into Mereruka's mestaba. Merukah was Pharaoh Teti's son-in-law and high priest and so he had a very nice mestaba (flat roofed, rectangular burial building) built for him.

The walls were covered in beautiful etchings that still had a great deal of color. (we really weren't supposed to take pictures inside...but I snuck this one :-)

This is Teti's pyramid...looks pretty lame doesn't it? It's so small and "un-pyramid-like" because it was built during that time when Pharaohs were trying to hide their burial places because the big pyramids were being/had been broken into, desecrated, and stolen from. We went inside this pyramid too, and, despite the outward appearance, it was amazing inside! The walls and ceilings had hieroglyphics covering every surface. I didn't get very good pictures because you aren't "technically" supposed to take any unless you pay/bribe the guard (it's a way they make extra money) and so we can't use flash when we do "sneak" pictures.

On the same complex is located the Dojer step pyramid. It was built by Imhotep. We didn't go inside but took a number of pics of the outside.

We continued with our day by racing to Cheops boat museum where we were let in just minutes before closing time. We then ran to our bus and zoomed over to Giza where we made it to the most important pyramids just in time for sunset.

Kayt, me, and camel man in front of Kufu's pyramid, the tallest pyramid in the world standing at 146 meters!

The three pyramids at Giza. Beside Pharaoh Kufu's pyramid there is also Khafre's pyramid (in the forefront in this pic) which is the second tallest at 143 meters and still has some of its casing at the top. I was so thrilled to be here taking pictures of a place I had only ever seen in my dreams!

In front of the biggest sphinx in Egypt!

Just when you though we couldn't fit anything more into our day...evening came...and so will another post!

Egypt-day one

The snow is falling out the window as I sit wrapped in my cozy sweater and fuzzy slippers. The noise of my reunited brothers in the next room distracts me from my thoughts, but it's a good kind of distraction. It's been just 5 days since I was in the Middle East, but what a sharp change it has been! Not only has the weather been completely different, but the culture has been quite something to get used to as well. I lost my cell phone for a few days and didn't even realize it! When I looked in my closet, I almost had a panic attack seeing how many clothes and shoes I had. After having such a small variety in clothes, food, and leisure activities for 3 1/2 months, I didn't know how to deal with all my new choices (and still find it a bit overwhelming.) But it's good to be home, different then what I have been used to, but good.

I've decided to blog my week trip in Egypt and maybe a few last Israel thoughts before I shut down this blog. I've realized that this page here is really the only steady account of my journeys, so I want to finish my journal, so to speak.

SO...EGYPT! The trip to Egypt was an extended field study that was the conclusion to my "Ancient Egypt and the Biblical World" class. Though there were only about 30 in the class, many other students were able to go on the trip as well.

It was Saturday morning, the 6th of December and I was running to the bus stop at 5:35am, hoping beyond hope that the group had not left without me. I had just finished copying pictures onto my computer and was running about 5 minutes late to the bus. Of course, with a tour group of 50 people, there was no way they were leaving on time, and so I still had a few minutes to catch my breath and say a tearful goodbye to my wonderful roommate who was not going to Egypt with the group.

The entire drive to Cairo would take us about 13 hours, and that did not include the border stop, bathroom stops, and lunch stop...we were in for an adventure for sure!

Our first stop was at the Egyptian border where we spent an hour or so getting everyone through security and loaded onto a new bus.

Egyptians know how to pack!Right before lunch we stopped at a place on the Red Sea and played in the water for a few minutes. (me and Clair)

Lunch was interesting...Brad, Dr. Wright, and Matt posing with the food.

We bussed through the beautiful Sinai Desert for hours and hours. It was breathtaking.

It was around 8pm when we finally made it through all of Cairo's traffic to our dinner destination: The Imperial boat restaurant, (it was floating on the Nile!)

Cairo and the Nile at night

Me and Kayt as we explored Cairo after dinner. Cairo has a population of over 20 million. Apparently there are more people who work just the night shift in Cairo then the entire amont of people that work in Chicago. So, imagine Chicago traffic that never ends...and you have Cairo, a city that truly never sleeps.

On our adventure, we met this guy, Muhammad, who gave us directions and wanted to show us his shops. At first we were very wary, but he turned out to be a really nice guy. He definitely tried to sell us some stuff, but he also spent a long time showing us where all the best places to go in the neighborhood around our hotel were. He also told us of a wonderful coffee shop to get "the best mango juice in the world" at, but Kayt and I were too tired that night to check it out.

Kayt and I were roommates for the trip (which we were so thankful for) and so we headed back to out room at the "Pharaoh's Hotel" and slept hard until 6 the next morning.

Egypt here I come...

I have so many new pictures to post and stories to tell...but they may have to wait until I can tell you face to face. This week has been crazy with all the papers and last minute everything going on. Tonight we had our "goodbye Christmas party." It was really nice, and our first real thoughts of Christmas were brought up as Dr. Wright read us Christmas stories.



I leave in 5 hours for Egypt...I still need to pack and sleep... (-: We leave at 5:30 am and bus for over 13 hours to Cairo, Egypt. Our journey will last for 8 days and then I come back home to Jerusalem and leave the next day for the good ol' US of A. I'll post Egypt adventures when I get home.



Thing I'm most looking forward to about Egypt: Riding a camel (#6 on my "things to do before I turn 25" list) <3-naomi

thanksgiving

I wasn't expecting much for Thanksgiving this year. I mean come on, no one here celebrates it and how good of food can you really prepare for 60+ people anyway? Well, I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised! The food was amazing! Diane (the directors wife) made us 3 different kinds of homemade rolls and oversaw the entire preparation for the dinner (this dinner only confirmed what we already knew- she is Mrs. Proverbs 31 personified!)

My table- not only was the food great but I had great company too! Trey, Josh, Brandon, Megan, Tyson, John, and Kaytlin...

This is about half the dining room

JUC's favorite baby- Denyen! (and Liz having fun with him) He just turned one and is about to take his first real steps, any day now...

mmmm, there was more dessert then we knew what to do with.

Thanksgiving, I was (am) thankful for: Being in Jerusalem and learning so much, all my friends at JUC who have gone through this wonderful experience with me, my friends back home who I can not wait to see and live life with again, and my dear family (all you Elzingas and Penners- I couldn't ask for better people to share my genes with!), and, lastly, it's a given, but the most important: God sending Jesus as Messiah so we need not wait or search anymore.

The honeymoon and an engagement!

I think I'm on my honeymoon...according to the "culture shock scale" that is. The term “culture shock” is often defined by four stages, the first of which is the Honeymoon stage. It is characterized by a fascination with the new culture and an excitement and happiness in learning all there is to learn about the new environment. Being in this stage can last anywhere from a few days to several months depending on a persons circumstances. I think it has lasted so long for me because I am not fully integrated into the culture here (I still have a large group of Americans I come home to every night.) Even though I've gotten to know people in this country and worked alongside them and have gotten to see their lives, I still have my safety net. It's been really great being here, I have literally loved every minute of it. Sure, there have been some awkward, unusual moments- but those are just things we get to laugh about later. What a blessing it has been to have such a positive experience...but I can't help but wonder what stage I would be at if I were living here completely immersed. It's a pity knowing that I am still looking at this country through rose colored glasses when I so badly am trying to figure out what I need to be prepared for if I ever live in a place like this someday or work with these people. I guess that's when I'm reminded that I am relying on the Holy Spirit's direction, and not simply my own human knowledge or desires. These thoughts are not a complaint for not having difficult times, don't get me wrong, I love having good experiences. It is simply a cultural observation. (-:

Well, speaking of honeymoons (that was how this whole post started if you remember) let me share with you about the engagement party I went to today. It is just one more of the experiences in this country that I have absolutely loved.

Some of you may recall me mentioning that I help out at a Gypsy center in East Jerusalem once a week and help kids with English and whatever else they need (ok...we play a lot too!) Well, one of the girls who comes to work on English, she's 17, just got engaged! Actually, she wasn't officially engaged until this afternoon at the party when her fiancée paid the “bride price”. Marwa is marring a man who is 27 (10 years older-not at all uncommon for them) who is a doctor and a friend of her brother. Her brother arranged the marriage for Marwa (though she did get to offer her opinion) because her father passed away. She knows very little about him, yet they will be married in April.

When Kaytlin and I first arrived, we were hustled through the living room, where all the men were gathered, and back into Marwa's bedroom where she was waiting with some relatives and close friends. She was very “decked out” in a gold trimmed black dress, gold pointy shoes, tons of gold makeup, gold glitter in her curly hair, and even gold lipstick! (What we see as gaudy is seen as the beautiful ideal in many places here). We waited in the back room with the other women, our heads poked out the door, as the men read several Suras from the Qur'an (Muslim holy book). They then went outside the apartment, in the middle of the city, and shot off a ton of guns. After that, they left, and it was the women's time! All the women (probably around 25) stuffed themselves into another small room in the back where really great Arabic music was played and first Marwa, and then a few other women, began to dance in a tiny open place in the middle of the floor while the rest of us looked on clapping and smiling. They danced for around a half hour before her fiancée, Zakie, came in. He was the only man present for the engagement ceremony. This ceremony consisted of him giving her two necklaces, two bracelets, 3 bangles, 1 pair of earrings, and three rings- all big, heavy, and gold! They were now considered engaged and they then danced together with nothing but their hands ever touching. Zackie left after a while and the women, young and old, big and little, danced for at least another hour. The women would take turns, two or three at a time, dancing (and let me tell you, those women can shake their hips! Even grandma could bust some moves!) It was amazing. We had to get up and dance a few times, and, not surprisingly, we were their free entertainment for the night. (-: I have determined that ethnic dance classes might be in order as part of my Intercultural studies degree...

Here's a picture of us girls with Marwa after the party. Can you believe she's only 17!?!

Kaytlin, Erin, Marwa, Megan, me, and Christina

(Erin, Christina, and Megan came later and made it just in time for dancing!)

Temple Mount

Despite the exorbitant amount of papers I need to be writing, I am still making time to see those last places on my "can't miss" list. We went to the Temple Mount which is where the Dome of the Rock and the Al-aqsa Mosque are located. The Temple Mount is the sight where the second Jewish temple was built and was destroyed in 70 AD. The Dome of the Rock was erected between 685-691 AD. Because of its importance to both Jews and Muslims, the temple mount is one of the most contested religious sights in the world. The Jews believe that the "Divine Presence" dwells here and they are not allowed to go onto the Temple Mount by order of the Chief Rabi for fear of stepping into the "holy of holies". They believe that someday their third temple will be built here. The Muslims believe the Dome of the Rock houses the rock that Abraham sacrificed "Ishmael" on and also believe this rock was where Mohammad stood when he descended into heaven.
Waiting in line with the Al-asqa mosque and the Mt. of Olives in the background.

Kayt

There were a lot of Muslims coming and going on the Mt. Non-Muslims are not allowed in either mosque and only allowed entrance through one of the gates.

There were a whole bunch of little school children who were on a filed trip to the mosque.

Jordan Day 4- Sunday

A bit more of a personal view to finish off my field study blogging- a copy of my final reflection paper:

It was the very end of the last day of our last field study. I stood on the mountain, my mind going numb with the thoughts of Moses and what he must have been feeling when he stood here. He had been working his way through the desert and now stood on Mt Nebo with his first view of the promise land. This is what he had been waiting for, searching for, longing for for so long. Yet, there was still a part that was being held back; he couldn’t see it all- there was still a huge chunk missing. What could it be? Only Yahweh knew, but it was the promise land and so Moses knew it would be good.

I thought about my life and compared it to Moses’. The Lord had brought me through some desserts already, and, as I looked out into the promise land of my life, I saw so many possibilities: people, loving people, people loving Jesus, travel, adventure, a chance to make a difference in others lives, a family, living in the deserts of foreign countries, living in America, photography and art, making a dent in ending human trafficking and sexual slavery, children, more school…the possibilities in the promise land seem very bountiful, but I can’t see it all and don’t have a lot of direction.

It will be back to the desert for me when I get home. Back to school which is not an easy place for me. But the desert is a place where people’s life skills are honed and people gain wisdom and understanding. A desert is a place of lessons to learn and faith to hold onto. It is a place where we must strengthen our trust, it is a place where faithfulness of heart, spirit, and mind is demanded completely.

The Lord has shown me over and over again his faithfulness. I know I can trust him and that he always only has the best for me in mind, and he loves me more then anyone ever could. My job now is to be faithful in what he has given me to do (finish school) and be faithful in the relationships he has trusted me with in Portland.

As I turned back around to walk back to the bus, I knew, after my glance at the promise land of my life, just like Moses, I was going back to my wilderness. I asked for strength, because I knew I would need it. Ultimately, here is my decision, here is my desire, here is my decree: I will be faithful, for the Lord has been faithful to me.

Ash and me in front of our hazy futures...

Jordan Day 3-Saturday

The morning sun's bright light christened the massive rock faces in beautiful shades of red and gold. We all couldn't help but stare in wide eyed wonder at the majestic sculpted rock surrounding us. We had just begun our third day in Jordan, and, from what I had seen in my first few minutes in Petra, I knew it was going to be magical.
After walking through this very narrow ridge we had this first glimpse of something amazing...

Ta-da! The treasury! I('m standing in front of it) It is carved out of a single rock face. Incredible.

The ancient city of Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans, a desert wondering people group whom Herod the Great's mother came from (see blog post Negev-Sunday to see another Nabataean structure). Petra was re-discovered in 1807 and has been estimated to have been built somewhere around 25 BC-50 AD (right around the time of Jesus!!!). This giant valley (Wadi Musa) claims around 750 different monuments, so, as you may guess, we had a lot to cover in the 5 short hours we were there.

We split up into groups quickly, and I found myself with 5 of my wonderful, but very athletic and energetic guy friends. We booked it for the first hour, running up hundreds of steps, jumping over big crevices in the rocks, and scaling steep hill sides.

Trey, me and John on the top of the high place.

It was great fun, and we saw a lot of great sights in that first hour, but the adventure really began when Trey and I got separated from the group and were sort of lost (though he would never admit to that) amongst the cliffs for a good hour. Trey made me climb down some pretty intense “short-cuts” where I knew it would take just one faulty step and.......(-: But God gave this klutzy girl sure footing for the day, so I made it through those cliffs and canyons safe and sound with a giant smile and my face!

I'm not sure how, but we climbed down that crevice in the rocks...it was almost completely vertical!

Why do jumping shots look so cool? I love the sun in the background.

All along the way there were Jordanian people selling little trinkets to the tourists.

More cool rocks.

There was one point in the day when, after we had met up with some other friends, Trey got separated from the group. I didn't want to leave him behind (just in case he fell off a cliff or something, and he had been my spotter when I climbed down those rock faces) so I went on my own to look for him. Here is where the best part of the whole trip happened: I ran into a little Bedouin girl named Anwar who was selling jewelry to any tourists that happened to go by. After I spoke to her with the tiny Arabic I knew, she began to talk to me in English while I hiked around. She told me to come sit in her little cave and have tea with her, but I insisted that I had to find my friend before he got to far away. Her response: “It's OK, you come sit with me and I be your friend!” I couldn't help but grin as I thanked her for the offer but tried to explain that it was important for me to keep going. I held out my hand and asked if she, as my new friend, would like to join me as I searched the desert and rocks. She joined me for a bit and then went back to her little table of wares. I saw her a few more times as I passed near her and after I finally found Trey, 5 of us went back to her little nook in the desert so I could buy a necklace, take a picture with her, and say goodbye.

Anwar and me. I will never forget this precious little girl.

Incredible hu?

I could have spent at least three more days here, but we needed to continue on and so we headed to a fabulous lookout over the Rift Valley.

Can you figure out which one is me? Me, Ash, Kayt, and Liz

We had a few more stops, but at our last stop at the end of the day we stopped to talk to a few women.

This lovely woman let me take a picture of her beautiful son while her friend invited us to come have dinner at their little house. We regretted that we had to turn them down as we ran to meet the bus and the rest of our group. Maybe someday we will be back...

Jordan Day 2- Friday

Day two rose with blue skies gleaming and the sun shining; it looked like a promising day for the students of JUC. Off we headed to the Amman citadel and museum where we were greeted with the first of the many, many columns we would be seeing this day.

The packed and crowded capital city of Amman

Courtney and me posing with a sweet statue face in the museum. See the resemblance?

Fragment from the Dead Sea Scrolls!

This is the remnants of the "Balaam text". It actually talks about Balaam (see Number 22) and how he was a seer of the gods. It's cool when secular findings match up with the Bible...just more evidence in the truth of God's word.

We continued on to Jerrash-the city of a thousand columns. It was spectacular. It was different then all the other sights we saw because every time you walked up a new hill there was another amazing mess of columns and ruins to see. It seemed as if the columns would never end. Just a tiny picture of maybe, maybe a tenth of all the ruins.

We were in this theater with AMAZING acoustics. The bagpiper and drummer played several songs for us. Marcus even got a little bit of drumming time in...

Here's a better view of the theater

Me, Ash, and Kaytlin being silly at the very top of the theater

And then to Ashleigh and Kaytlins dismay, I insisted on our typical weird pose with the columns! What would a beautiful mass of columns be without us showing them a little love???

The Jabbok river was our next stop, and though not an amazing sight to see, it was a great place to talk about some insights from the Bible. The Jabbok river was possibly where Jacob wrestled with the angel. Dr. Wright shared about Jacob and how he is a great representation of us. We strive so hard to separate ourselves from the sinful men and women of the Bible. We read about them and laugh at the fact that God still uses them through all their screw ups, while all the while being so proud that we are better then them. We are so blind to think that. The truth is, we are Jacob- a clever deceiver, doing all that we can to better ourselves while God, in his grace and majesty chooses us to be his despite our selfish actions. The story of the Bible is our story. The stories of the men and women actually paint a shockingly realistic picture of our lives. It is only in our pride and foolishness that we see ourselves as somehow above these people. We are them. We are the ones God send his son to redeem. This class time was a good reminder.

We finished off the day at a "mystery" sight. We weren't allowed to read the sign and we had to explore the ruins and try to piece together what we were looking at, who built it, what time period it was from, etc. It ended up being Tyre, a pleasure palace from early AD

Dan high atop Tyre as the sun sets.