एग्य्प्त! EGYPT

In my life, I have realized that when I am writing in a journal it is impossible to play catch up। Well, this is not exactly like a journal but very similar. Trying to tell about everything that has already happened would be impossible so I will simply start with Egypt and show lots of pictures!


EGYPT! well there is so much to say! This will not happen in the future but seeing as I am playing a short game of catch up I will post my e-mail to my family on Egypt Here it goes!

Well I just got home from Egypt. Egypt, Egypt, Egypt! How could I sum up Egypt? Well it is impossible but I have decided to make a list of things I liked and things I did not. This list goes in order from greatest to least.

Things I Did Not Like

1. Wallet or lack thereof. At the top of this list is unquestionably forgetting my wallet in Sinai… I’m sure it’s pretty self explanatory as to why this tops the list. We have an all day field trip tomorrow so I don’t know when I will be able to hear more information but I will inquire about it tomorrow and give an update as soon as possible.

2. The street vendors. They are vultures and are the worst people to haggle with. They lie and are sly and greasy. We were told not to go into the shops because they wouldn’t let you leave after you entered without giving you the hardest time. I learned to ignore people if I didn’t want anything from them or else they might follow me down the street or harass me to buy something.

3. The way women were viewed. This is disgusting and goes along with street vendors. The first things they might say was, “you have pretty eyes.” This is a line everyone knew and would use even if girls had sunglasses on. They gave us all weird looks and used lines on us. I came to appreciate the fact that I could not understand everything they were saying about me and other women because I am sure it was not clean. When in the markets we had to have a guy with us and usually there were more girls then guys. The street vendors would always yell out things like, “you have four wives? I am single! Give one to me!” One even said “I kill my family for you.” This wasn’t said to me but to my roommate. I don't think they meant everything but still, it's a tad weird.

4. The water. It is filtered but that doesn’t take everything out. We still had to use hand sanitizer after washing our hand to make sure everything was clean. Don’t you even think about drinking the tap water or even brushing your teeth with it! No no no! bottled water! (honestly I forgot a few times with the brushing the teeth and I was still lucky and didn’t get sick. Thank you for your prayers.)

5. The food. Any food we ate while we were in Egypt had to be warm or hot. The hotels would have elaborate displays of fruits, cold meats, puddings and vegetables and we couldn’t eat any of it because it wasn’t safe. Often the fruit was washed in the Nile water so it was no good to eat.

6. The bathrooms. In Egypt you have to pay for everything (something else I didn’t like). This would include even the bathrooms. Worst conditions I have seen but I will spare you the details. Half the time it wasn’t too bad but the other half was... gag.

7. The HEAT! When we were in Luxor the temperatures were 110+ degrees. It was very hot but actually it felt a lot like Texas (which made me a little happy in its own way). However, this also meant we all got really gross after just a little while. No wonder so many marriages come out of this program; people have great spiritual experiences together and you see people when they really don’t look so attractive. One afternoon we were in Luxor seeing sites and shopping. It was so hot that I could feel the salt on my face. We looked around and there is a McDonald’s. This usually doesn’t make me excited but it meant safe cheap ice cream! Needless to say we all went into the McDonald’s behind Luxor Temple and got ice cream for about 4 pounds (less than 75 cents).



Things I Liked

1. Mt Sinai! On Thursday morning we hiked Mt Sinai in the morning so that we could be at the top when the sun rose. It was great to start off at 3 in the morning and see the gorgeous stars up above us. We were suppose to bring flash lights but I didn’t really know that… my hiking buddy didn’t either so for part of the time we hiked by the light of the stars. It was awesome. Watching the sun rise was simply incredible. I wish I could have captured it with a camera but try beauty must be experienced I think and not simply seen. I am so glad I could experience that beauty. Afterward we had a testimony meeting a little farther down the mountain. Probably 2/3rds of the class went up to bear their testimony and everyone was great and brought the spirit. I feel like I am really among the best of the best and it is a little intimidating at times but motivates me to become even more! After the testimony meeting we had some along time to do what we wanted. I was able to have a really great experience. I learned and felt things on Mt. Sinai I will never forget. It truly is sacred space and you can feel the spirit strongly there and feel the things that have happened in the past. This experience made the trip for me! I cannot tell what it meant to me except to say that it was really my favorite thing I have done since coming on the study abroad. It was so much more than just a hike.

2. Karnak Temple. This was probably what I was most looking forward to about Egypt. More than anything, from Karnak I gained an increased desire to go to the temple. I can’t wait to receive, as Paul would put it, the ‘meat’ of the gospel and see how things really are. The temple is such a special place and I desire to be there so badly and to be prepared when the time comes. I am thankful for this exposure before I go.

3. We Became a Family. Over the 8 days we spent in Egypt I was able to really get to know a lot of the people in my group. We all drew together and started having those intense spiritual experiences as a whole. I honestly feel like I could go up and talk to anyone and carry on a good conversation. It certainly helps that we are all here learning and generally wanting the same things.

4. The Pyramids. Why is this fourth on the list? The Pyramids were amazing and I feel like they should be higher, but as great as they were the other things just meant so much more to me. After learning about and seeing pictures of the pyramids my whole life, it was so great to actually see them in person

5. Riding a Camel along the Nile. We actually rode a faluka (similar to a sail boat) to the place where we road camels. While we were waiting for the other group to return we all gather around one of the few camels that was left. While we were waiting I kissed the camel! Ok so it was a little gross but so worth the story! I kissed a camel! Ha ha ha! Anyway, so then we got our camels and guides and my camel’s name was Zorro. Sweet name for a camel right? We then rode for about 40 minutes around to a little village and then back. Honestly, it was much like riding a horse without a good saddle so it was kinda nice to feel that.

Another thing that fits somewhere in here is our overnight train ride from Luxor to Cairo. This was on our fifth night of the trip and I think this is what put a lot of people over the edge about missing Jerusalem. If you can imagine a toilet that empties onto the tracks and a flea, not a fly, in your room near your food, a gross smell coming from the next train car, and a rickety ride then you might have a good picture. This sounds so terrible but actually it wasn’t! It’s not an experience I would want to repeat all the time but it is so cool to have been on an overnight train. I grew much closer to so many people that night, especially the girl I was rooming with over that trip. We were able to swap stories and really get to know each other better. One of my good friends here, Aubrey, (also one of my twins) keeps saying that to really know someone is to love them. As I am coming to know the people here, even if I don’t know them very well, I can feel a great love for them developing and I think that she is right.

I realize that with all the negatives about Egypt, it sounds like a bad experience but it really wasn’t! Egypt is not somewhere I would want to stay for an extended period of time but I loved the things that we saw, the people I was with, and the experiences I had. That is what made it all worth it. However, it is nice to drink the tap water and eat fresh fruits and vegetables again. There are so many simple things that I haven’t realized the importance of! Sometimes I still have to double check before I brush my teeth to make sure that I can actually put my toothbrush under the water. It is so nice to be back in Jerusalem.

Surprisingly, it felt a lot like coming home when I got back to the center. I had lived there for less than two weeks before we came but it felt like it was so much longer. Overall, we’ve now been here for 3 and a half weeks but it feels closer to a couple months. I was so attached after such a short amount of time that it makes me wonder how bad the withdrawals will be when I have to leave after 3 more months.

I love being here so much. Already, I feel like I am learning and growing from the experiences I have had. I can’t wait to see what will happen after three more months! This also makes me excited for the mission. What would a year and a half of that do to me! Yeah!


That was the end of the e-mail but I would like to make it clear that I did like Egypt. There have been several comments that have suggested that I didn't but I honestly did!