"Say Hello to Cleopatra for Me!"

Ahhh! It's been forever and a DAY since I last posted something. I apologize. My life has been a constant stream of activity. And no, not interesting, let's blog about it things. Rather, it has been a wonderful onslaught of completely banal happenings such as studying, eating, hanging out with friends, taking 3 hour bus rides from school and taxi-ing our way to everywhere. BUT, there have been intermittent periods of entertainment, and so I give you, THIS BLOG POST.

Okay so there are 3 Basic things I must catch you up on. First, Daily happenings and a lovely trip to al-Azhar park. Second, an amazing trip to the BEAUTIFUL Alexandria, and finally, a random day full of events. So, let's start with numero uno.

1) DAILY THINGS, oh and Al-Azhar park too=]

First off, don't even ask me why I grouped these two things together. They don't really have anything to do with one another, I just thought about them in this order, so that's how they're going to be written. Basically I just felt like saying some random things about Cairo, living here, and what's up.

So, random things that come to mind when I decided to write this:

• Bus rides to and from school--they take FOREVER. On an average school day, I spend at least 2 hours on the bus. Some days it'll take 2 hours just to get home. On the one hand, this is absolutely absurd.  It is aggravating, hot, and just a generally unwanted occurrence. On the other hand....who am I to complain? Let's take a look at the positives here: I get an hour long nap before and after school. I get a constant reminder of why I love this city as we pass by skyscrapers, dirty streets, broken down building and mosques. I have time to read the Bible, pray and generally spend time with God. I get to chill and think over whatever my mind may be reeling about at any given moment. I have a chance to do homework before I get home. I enjoy games of backgammon courtesy of Andrew's iPod. And i get a chance to really appreciate some of the music on my iPod that I hadn't listened to before. So, I guess that kind of outweighs whatever negatives I originally found. Glad you all worked through that one with me=]

• I LOVE FOOD. I know, for anyone that knows me this is a ridiculously obvious declaration to make, but I'm choosing to do so anyways. Why? Because I just need another chance to inform you of how wonderful the food here is. While the fact that it's cheap DOES factor into why I love it so much, I do just generally enjoy it. I know I posted a few pictures of different things a while back, but I'll make a Food in Focus blog soon, don't you worry. I wish I could bring you all here to enjoy the wonderful character of places such as Alex Top, Alf Layla wa-Layla ( ألف ليلة وليلة), Goal, Saladero, Munch'n Bagel, Euro Deli, or Cook Door. Okay, well, those are just simple everyday places. But, I've also had some WONDERFUL Yemeni, Korean and Indian food since being here. Next up are Egyptian, Sudanese and Ethiopian hopefully! Oh! And I had brain the other day. Yeah. we'll discuss that later.

• Bartering. You have to haggle for everything here. Okay, not everything. Just some taxis and at marketplaces. But, I'm tired of it. that's pretty much all I have to say about that. 
• School. It's getting in the way of my travelling desires. I'll be honest and say that it's nowhere near as hard as UVA but the work is still enough to take away from fun trips, sleep and generally hanging with friends now and again.

2. Al-Azhar Park

The citadel from afar

Yeah, okay. I decided it deserved it's own bullet. I don't actually have a ton to say about it. It was beautiful. One of the gents and I went there for the afternoon and just hung out. It was so nice to be out of Zamalek and  at least feel as if we were out of Cairo for a bit. There was grass, flowers, benches, fountains, and COUPLES! People being couple-y in Egypt is pretty much Haraam (or no bueno as I would say). It was so odd to see so many couples wandering around. But, moving on, the view was awesome. We could see the pyramids, the Citadel and the majority of Cairo from the top of the hill. A refreshing change to say the least.

3. Alexandria

Cairo Train Station

Ah, yes, the portion you have been waiting for. Or, more likely, the segment you just skipped straight to reading. Either way, here we go! This past weekend Andrew and I hopped on a train to Alexandria. It's only about 2.5 hours away so not a bad ride at all. Also, the Cairo train station was BEAUTIFUL. Weird. Clean and beautiful doesn't happen often in Cairo. So, trained on up to Alex, chilled out for a bit and then met up with 2 other friends for dinner and shisha. But, before I move on, let me just tell you about dinner. It was phenomenal. Yeah, I bolded, underlined AND italicized that. The food, price (and company) was THAT good. We got more bread and dips than we could handle, 3 different types of fresh fish, waters and Anjana got a sort of odd, but not terrible chicken dish.

Devouring the fish.

J's not a fan of fish=]

We keep it classy.

Balbaa

Alright, so good times all around at Balbaa. Then, the next day it was SIGHTSEEING! YAY!

 We started off by walking down the boardwalk until we hit this lovely Fort. It's the Citadel of Quaitbay and it's built on the exact same spot that the Lighthouse of Alexandria used to be.

View out of the Citadel with Alex in the background.

Did I mention that the weather was GORGEOUS? It was, and the waves were super Little Mermaid-esque  as they crashed on the rocks. It was amazing.

 Pompey's Pillar was hilarious. First because it's in the middle of an extremely rundown town and second, because well....that's it. It's a pillar. Don't get me wrong, it's a GIANT pillar. But, it's still just a pillar.

After Pompey's Pillar we went to the catacombs known as Kom al-Shoqafa. They were really, really, really cool. Not only was it incredibly intricate with rooms and you know, burial places, but it had a "mummy-chute" to get the mummys down there. Plus, in terms of history, it was a fascinating combination of Roman, Greek and Egyptian art and architecture throughout. Also, there was a chopping block where they would behead Christians, and a room where they buried four horses and a donkey. Interesting. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures so you'll just have to google it. 

That evening we just wandered around a bit. Ended up finding this amazing marketplace. I wish i could have gotten a better picture but I didn't really want to keep my camera out.

ALSO, I got this dessert. Ice cream, peach, and strawberry sauce. ahh YEEUH.

     The last day, right before we headed back on the train, we ran over to the Roman ruins nearby. There is a magnificent ancient Ampitheatre. It was surrounded by classrooms, a bath house (on the far left in the picture  below) and houses. The rooms of all those things are there, but overall they are of course, ruins. It was awesome to see all of it nonetheless=]

In this picture...directly behind me are the classrooms, to the left (where the pillars are in the background) is where the bath house was, the ampitheatre would be to the right and the houses in the WAY back.

3. The Past Few Days

 So, since the trip to Alex I have had a midterm, test, and am now preparing a presentation for tomorrow. It's been a bit hectic. To top things off, I chose to spend the day gallivanting around Cairo with a friend yesterday. Which, let's be honest, I don't regret at all. We went to Giza to legitimately see the pyramids (I only galloped around them last time) and then headed over to Khan al-Khalili to get some scarves and a shisha. While there I got to enjoy a taste of brain. I KNOW. And, you know what? I didn't hate it! Actually, it was pretty good. But, it probably would've been better if I hadn't been mentally freaking out over the fact that it was brain the entire time I ate it. Also, it was just one bite. So, let's not get too crazy here. Maybe i'll do the full sandwich next time.

The sandwich on  the left is brain. 

     Oh and remember how busy I was? Yeah I spent the morning at City Stars. It's a giant shopping mall---possibly bigger than Tysons, in the south of Cairo. It was FREAKISHLY western. I ate Pinkberry's for goodness sake! But, while fun, the overly western feel almost bothered me. I've gotten far too accustomed to my normal, raggedy Cairo. Also, we hit a guy on the way over to the mall. Like how casually I slipped that in there? Yeah, that's what it felt like. Remember those blog posts where I freaked out about how ridiculous the traffic is here? Well, today that finally culminated in our taxi hitting a middle-aged man at full speed. Yes, he tried to slow down. Yes, he ran out to help as soon as it happened. Yes, we got waved on after 15 other people rushed to help him. Yes, that's it. It was terrifying. I'm pretty positive my heart stopped. We were in complete shock that it happened. I'm praying he's completely okay. He didn't look like he  broke anything but he was older, we were at full speed and he was limping. Not a good situation. Yup. That's Cairo for ya. And he wasn't even crossing an 8-lane highway! Amateur.

Well, that's pretty much all I got for ya for now. Thank you for waiting patiently with me through this novel of a blog. 

Psalms

Just doing a little time with JC and felt like sharing=]

Psalm 18:30-36


³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect: 
   The LORD’s word is flawless; 
   he shields all who take refuge in him. 
³¹ For who is God besides the LORD? 
   And who is the Rock except our God? 
³² It is God who arms me with strength 
   and keeps my way secure. 
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; 
   he causes me to stand on the heights. 
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle; 
   my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 
³⁵ You make your saving help my shield, 
   and your right hand sustains me; 
   your help has made me GREAT. 
³⁶ You provide a broad path for my feet, 
   so that my ankles do not give way.


-----------------------


I LOVE this. I love the constant reassurances that regardless of how hard life is, regardless of what troubles we face, God is CONSTANTLY watching out for us. Read it again. Look at what He does. God shields, arms, SECURES, trains, helps, sustains and provides for us. The two images I love best in this are the feet of the deer and the broad path. Upon first reading i was like...oh whatevs, Biblical imagery blah blah blah. But, I guess that's the point at which one should actually attempt to look at what it's saying. So I did. Yeah self-motivation! Yeah!

Anyways, what I love about these two images is what they say about who God is. Hidden under a random phrase or an oft repeated saying, God's personality is being revealed. Obviously some of the characteristics are simply put for the reader, but these two one has to work for a bit. And i'm glad that I did. Because when you really look at what it means to have your feet be like the feet of a deer...it's pretty fantastic. Deer are quiet. (To which, my original thought was...sweet. God made me quiet. WAIT. False. I obviously read this wrong.) But, the reason deer have quiet feet, is because they are light on their feet. They have nothing weighing them down, and therefore have the ability to quickly remove themselves from harm's way. THAT is what God does for us. He helps us with whatever happens to be weighing us down. He makes sure that we are NOT along when facing the rough parts of life and those things that may easily overthrow us. God refuses to let the children He adores do that alone. mmm....that. is. awesome. Our God sees our difficulties and is automatically at our side; sustaining, helping, and providing for us.  God is Good.

The second image I love is a bit more obvious in what characteristic it's showing. BUT, it's still not one that is often thought of in this respect. Usually, when one thinks of Christianity you think of the cliché "straight and narrow" path (Matt 7:13-14). But here, David, says God makes our paths BROAD. So what's the deal? Well, I think it's a mix of the two. Because obviously Christianity is NOT the easiest religion in the world to adhere to...(the straight and narrow), but, at the same time. Within that narrow pathway, once chosen, God is MORE than happy to enlighten us as to which way is going to be the best route. Over and over again I have had God answer my prayers in terms of where I was supposed to be. He never fails to close doors and make apparent what road  I need to be on. However, I have to be willing to ask for it. So, i love this. I love that David notes how God gives to us when we all on Him. He helps me when I am at my weakest, and guides me  to the best of times with family and friends. It's nice to know, that thousands of years later, my sentiments towards God are exactly the same as they were for David.

Our God is an AWESOME God.

Pyramids, Pools and Puppies.

So, due to aggravated requests for a new post, here's is the latest edition of "What in the World is Kaye Up to?" Well, it's been a while, but I promise there's not TOO much that's happened. Most of it can be fairly neatly summarized so here we go.

SAQQARA and DAHSHUR
 So, last weekend, (Feb 17ish??), some friends and I went to Saqqara and Dahshur. I'd been wanting to do that for a while, so when one of the gents mentioned it I was ALL in. Super pumped. Saqqara and Dahshur are where the original Egyptian pyramids are located. Going there is pretty much like watching the progression of pyramid building through time. It's WONDERFUL. Plus getting there was pretty great in and of itself. Unfortunately I don't have pictures to show this, but driving down to Saqqara was phenomenal. Having become used to seeing only brick, sand, and concrete, suddenly being surrounded by lush green fields, donkeys, sheep and general color was an exciting sight. Anyways, since I have no documentation of that you'll just have to go ahead and take my word for it. What I DO have evidence of however, is everything we saw once we got there. With one small exception: THE SANDSTORM. Basically the entire time we were there sand was pelting us from every which way. I came back and I swear I poured at LEAST 3 handfuls of sand out of each of my shoes and my hair took at LEAST 2 days to recover from the sudden influx of sandy scalp conditioner. However, I'd vote it was completely worth it. I mean, if you don't have SOME obstacle to overcome a story's no good, am I right?

SAQQARA:
First, the museum:

The World's Oldest Roof. Yeah.

Then, the Steppe Pyramid of Djoser and surrounding Temples, and Mastabas (original burial places in ancient Egypt). Unfortunately the Pyramid itself was being restored or something ridiculous. Ah well, you can't win 'em all.

the ORIGINAL pyramid in Egypt

Sweet snakes 

Inscriptions inside one of the Mastabas--Teti I think?

 Oh! And they had some monuments to some of the Greek great thinkers.Well preserved, eh? too bad you can't see the pounds of trash surrounding it. Sad to see so many wonderful historical sites disregarded like that.

The Philosopher's Circle

 DAHSHUR:
Dahshur has the next few pyramids in the progression of attempts towards perfection. First, is the Bent Pyramid, which is basically, as the boys said, "the idiot cousin of the family". Actually, it just got a bit screwed up during construction. Can you imagine getting halfway and realizing you messed a pyramid up? hahah. That sucks.

Good try Senefru, good try.

Finally, there was the Red Pyramid, which happens to be the first one that they attempted to put siding on...successfully. And, hey! It actually sort of looks like a Pyramid! SUCCESS.

Red Pyramid

Whaddup, TOMB!?

 AIN SOKHNA
So, after a few cancellations, the Res-Life trip to the Red Sea FINALLY happened. We were taken to a beautiful resort (albeit in the middle of nowhere), on the coast of the Red Sea. Surprisingly enough we actually got through everything on time the first day! What?! Insanity. I know. Anyways, so we basically got there, unpacked, grabbed a DELICIOUS lunch and headed to the beach. Weather? Warm and 70s. Water? Crystal clear. Level of Joy? Through the roof.

This is my attempt at artsy. You're welcome.

Our Resort!

St. Antony's Monastery

 This monastery is one of the oldest in the world. It was founded around a desert spring oasis and if you were going to be a monk...this is an IDEAL spot. It was astoundingly beautiful with the mountain face in the background, lush green in the center and endless desert surrounding. 

This is currently my favorite man in the world. I mean, he was snappy. And that beard? You can't NOT like him.

The Medieval Church 

Probably my favorite thing in the entire monastery was this insanely beautiful carving in the wall of the Church of the Resurrection. This church was a MUCH a more recent addition to the monastery but also a masterpiece in terms of artwork. For me, personally this image was the best. As always, God is and was good, and knew what I needed to see at that moment. While it's actually a carving of Mary washing the feet of Jesus with her hair, there are 2 instances of this happening in the Bible, the second one being with a nameless woman identified only by her title of "sinner". While I love both stories, the one that resonated when I saw this was the latter. Although I cannot fully explain it, I will venture to say that I completely understood what she was feeling in that moment, and I envied her. I envied the tangible way in which she got to interact with God, and her ability to plainly represent her spiritual position before Christ.What an incredible reminder of where I am, what I owe to Christ and how much His love overcomes. I am blessed. 

I love Christ's eyes in this. So loving and gentle. He looks like he's ready to give her a hug. 

 Finally, we trekked up 1200 stairs to reach a TEENY TINY hole in the mountain face where St. Anthony lived. Upon having completing the "walk" to the "cave" I had only  two three four thoughts

1) No wonder he didn't come down very often

2) He must have been the world's most athletic monk ever.

3) Why did I do this?

4) This is an insanely beautiful view.

SUCCESS.