Aswan - Day 1

We had two long weekends way back in April. The first weekend we went to Aswan, in Upper Egypt (really south of here - v. confusing). We almost didn't go - we're in money-saving mode for summer expenses as well as our car in Venezuela, but we decided that we really needed to go to Aswan before leaving Egypt. I am SO glad we did! Aswan is what I THOUGHT Egypt would be like. It is MUCH easier to imagine ancient Egypt there than it is in Cairo. We had a really fun experience and got hassled much less than we did in Luxor last year. We have friends who each have their own Aswan stories, and many of them didn't like it as much as we did, but we thought Aswan was pretty, had nice weather (but it would be hot HOT HOTTTTT in summer), and was much cleaner than Cairo and Luxor.

We arrived late at night and were met at the airport by the manager of our hotel. We stayed at a place called the Memnon Hotel, which we found on Trip Advisor. It was a budget hotel, for sure. I think we paid $29 a night there, and that included breakfast each day. We had our own bathroom, three beds, a wonderful air conditioner, and this view:

We were really happy with the hotel and the friendly people there. Our first morning we walked until we found the public ferry and rode it with the local Nubians across the Nile to Elephantine Island. We wanted to look around and see what was there. Turns out, not much that we were interested in! I wanted to see the Nilometer, but it was located around the other side of the island, and we decided to skip the Nubian village and museum. We walked around a bit, got invited to visit several Nubian homes, and then waited for the ferry to pick us up. It was HOT.

From Elephantine we could see the Old Cataract Hotel, which is featured in the Agatha Christie novel Death on the Nile. We wanted to stay there, but it's closed for renovation till 2012.

While we waited for the ferry, Luke played in the shade.


Later we hired a driver to take us around to see several sights in Aswan. The first was the unfinished obelisk. We climbed stairs through the quarries of red granite to get to it. It was mostly finished but abandoned because of cracking. I was right up next to it before I realized it was even there!



After the obelisk, the driver took us to the Aswan High Dam, which was built to stop the annual flooding of the Nile, generate electricity, and allow for crop irrigation. Building the dam also created Lake Nasser, which is behind Jason and Luke in this picture.


Then we went to the Temple of Philae, which was probably my favorite part of the trip. It was just amazing. It used to be located near the Low Dam, but when the High Dam was built, the whole temple complex was relocated to its present location, about 1/2 km away. It's on an island in the middle of the Nile, and you have to take a boat to get there. The water taxi is not included in the price of admission, so you have to negotiate with the boatmen for a good price. We knew what the guidebook said we should pay, but the boatmen were trying to get ten times that from each person who approached them. We joined up randomly with a group of Spanish people bargaining for their ride. We conducted business in English, Spanish, and Arabic simultaneously, and Jason and I both thought that 4-5 minute exchange was one of our favorite moments in Egypt. It was so cool to speak and understand both Spanish and Arabic and get what we needed!

Anyway, we rode out to Philae on a little motor boat past all these little islands. There is nothing like these in Luxor or Cairo. One book I read said that Elephantine Island got its name because the rocks in the river looked like elephants bathing. Don't know if that's true or not...


We passed this boat on its way back from the temple. Check out the Bob Marley flag.


Approaching the island:
When we got off the boat, this was one of the first things we saw. SO impressive.


The temple complex is just huge, and I feel like we could spend weeks in there looking at everything, but honestly, I get heiroglyphics overload really quickly! This was just so neat because the images were so huge. We haven't seen anything like it.

This is Trajan's Kiosk - a temple built by Roman Emperor Trajan. It supposedly had a roof originally.


I loved the view through it to the Nile. It was so peaceful there.


There was graffiti everywhere in the temples in Aswan, written in English, Latin, and other languages. Most had dates in the 1800s.



This looked distinctly non-Egyptian to me.


There were lots of carvings of people with ONLY FOUR TOES, LOST fans! FOUR TOES! (I know, I know, you probably just can't see the big toe on this one...but I was looking for clues EVERYWHERE!)



I've included this picture here with Jason standing right up under those gods and goddesses so you can get the scale - they don't look so big in the picture above, but they are ENORMOUS.


Luke had fun until he started running through the temple shouting and got put in time out...


He perked up in time for the ride home, though. This time we went around the other side of the island, past Trajan's Kiosk.


That was a lot for our first day there! We had dinner in the hotel - Jason ran out and found some local food (yes, nasty) for us - and we all fell asleep pretty early. It was a good first day.

Trying to catch up!

These pictures are from WAY back in April! Here's one I snapped after Luke had been playing with his Hot Wheels and Yahtzee (He calls it Totsy Wotsy.) and ORGANIZING them inside the bottom of my exercise step. I was so proud.




Also in April, Jason ran a half marathon. He trained really hard for it, too. (Hear the sarcasm?) Two weeks prior to the run, he ran one mile. The week before he ran two miles one day, and then six miles another day. Then he just went out and ran 13. Because that's what you do if you're Jason.

They ran along the Nile and then ended up at our friends' house, where runners and non-runners gathered for breakfast. I made homemade cinnamon rolls and took those.

We jogged and walked the last little bit to the house together.


Jason ached for a few days and smelled like he bathed in Icy Hot for about a week, but he was proud of himself, and we were proud of him!

Quick Hits

It seems like I've been working on this particular post for months now. Actually, I think I started it BEFORE Mother's Day, and I'm just now wrapping it up. It's newsy, and it still doesn't contain everything I'd like to share, but I am thinking at this point that whatever I get posted is progress. I am so behind on the blog and on scrapbooks!! Having a job really puts a kink in my productivity. ;)

• We've been in contact with our Venezuelan school. Everyone, from our principals to the librarian and athletic director, has sent us welcome emails. Seriously, I've probably gotten 10 already! They send me the elementary school weekly bulletin and I think Jason gets the high school one. I've been corresponding with my 5th grade team for next year, and I think we're going to be a great fit for each other. We share a lot of the same philosophies and it seems like we'll work well together. One of the other 5th grade teachers is coming with her husband, 3 year old son, and new baby girl. I'm thrilled that we're going to be new together, and that Luke will have a built-in playmate as soon as we arrive. We've also heard from the couple who has volunteered to be our orientation buddies. They live in our same apartment building and have a little girl who will be in Luke's class! We have even seen pictures of our apartment for next year. We're pretty excited about it - it's on the 13th floor - has an incredible view of the mountains and city, but will require us to get a car pretty quickly upon arrival in Caracas. Which means saving as much money as we can over the next few months. Cars actually appreciate in Venezuela - check out tucarro.com to see prices -a 1984 Land Cruiser might cost $8500 or so there. We'd like to get something 4x4 to be able to drive into the mountains on the weekend for hikes, picnics, etc. I don't care if it's as old as me or ugly - just something safe, affordable, and that will get us where we want to go. Please be in prayer for us as we make this transition to Caracas. It really seems like God has gone before us and is blessing us already with what He has in store for us there.
  We have felt all along in this overseas "adventure" that we are doing what we're supposed to be doing, that God has a plan for us and He placed us here in Egypt for a reason (or several reasons) - and that He's got a plan for us in Venezuela, too. I was looking for the verse that says God will go before you - I think what I was remembering is Isaiah 52:12: "But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard." How comforting to know that God goes before us AND behind us.

• Let me just say that as far as school goes, we are ALL checked out. Kids and teachers both. I have been counting Sundays and Mondays (my least favorite days of the week) since there were 10 left. I did an art show back at the beginning of April, and each child had 2 pieces of artwork on display, which amounted to me hanging about 500 pieces of work by myself, mostly with sticky tack. I had sticky tack blisters on my fingers from peeling it off! It was fun, though. The halls looked great, the kids were proud, and I got to meet a lot of parents who said their kids loved art. After the art show, I did a sculpting unit which was totally exhausting and messy and fun. I learned to use a kiln and loved taking the kids into the kiln room and telling them all about it. We were all fascinated by the whole process.
  

• We've spent lots of time this spring engrossed in LOST. Love it, can't get enough of it, still now, two weeks or three since the season ended, I'm looking for new articles on blogs about it. I am also having dreams in which I've figured out the secrets behind the whole show. I haven't dreamed about a TV show since I was addicted to Alias. We also watch TV with the Simons most weekends. We've watched all the seasons of Big Love (GREAT show) and now we're almost caught up with Entourage. I didn't think I would like Entourage, but it's good, too. Mostly I love spending time with Noel and Rachella, eating chocolate chip cookies, and laughing together. I will really, really miss them.

• Summer's almost here! 13 days from today I will be in my parents' house, happy as a clam! (Are clams really happy?) There's lots of packing to do, though I think we have a pretty good start on it. The summer will be so short - we leave for Venezuela August 4 and we'll also spend some time in Wisconsin in June or July. We are going to try to have some kind of come and go get together so we can see as many people as possible.
  

Crazy Eights

I'm such a slacker when it comes to this blog lately. There's a big long post in the works, but by the end of most days, I just don't want to think hard enough to finish it. I do have the brain power for something like this, though:

Crazy Eights...

My favorite sister-in-law Jenny tagged me for this....so here it goes. :)

Tag Rules...
1. Mention the person who tagged you.
2. Complete the list of 8's
3. Tag 8 of your wonderful blog friends!

8 things I look forward to:
1. Hugging my Daddy and my Mom at the airport.
2. Meeting my favorite nephew and making him smile. I have it all planned out.
3. Seeing Cairo out the airplane window for the last time.
4. Flat Texas land and big Texas sky.
5. Eating LOTS of Mexican food with good friends. All Fresco's, all the time.
6. Hugs from Luke every morning and every afternoon and those sweet random times he comes and gives me a kiss.
7. Having more babies someday.
8. Caracas, Venezuela! (Bogota, Colombia...Quito, Ecuador...Lima, Peru....La Paz, Bolivia...)

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Read to Luke
2. Shouted at kids who wouldn't be quiet
3. Showed Mark Kistler art videos to my students
4. Checked on plane tickets to California for my friend's wedding
5. Gathered a few things to pack
6. Watched The Office with Jason
7. Took a little nap on the couch
8. Played Chutes & Ladders with Luke, who won.


8 things I wish I could do:
1. fly
2. make things better for the people I love when things are not going well
3. be more uninhibited
4. cartwheels
5. discipline myself to write every day
6. catch up on my scrapbooks
7. play piano like Margie Brown
8. tell my grandparents how much I miss them

8 shows I watch:
1. LOST
2. The Office
3. How I Met Your Mother
4. Big Love
5. Entourage
6.
7.
8.

8 Bloggers I Tag
1. Jodi
2. Anne Marie
3. Rosemond
4. Christy
5. I don't know if I have
6. four more to tag,
7. So if you are a blogger, feel free
8. to tag YOURSELF! :)

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Thank you, Mom, for all you do for us. For all the thoughtful things, the ways you help us, the prayers you pray for us. We love you more than we will ever be able to express to you. I wish we were there to celebrate with you today. I hope you have a wonderful day. Here is a picture of your favorite four year old. :)


We love you!
Jason, Katherine, and Luke

Mimi and Kari's Egyptian Adventure - Day 6 Part 2

Near-Death on the Nile

We wrapped up Mom and Kari's visit with a felucca ride. One of our favorite ways to relax, always a good time, and you get to see a more peaceful side of Cairo. Well, this particular felucca ride was neither relaxing, peaceful, or much of a good time, I'm afraid.

We invited some friends to join us, and Beth and Jen came.

We had just climbed aboard our felucca, when my friend Jen jinxed us by saying, "I can already tell this is going to be the best felucca ride I've ever been on!" She and Beth had both brought snacks - I had forgotten all about snacks because we'd just had Luke's birthday cake. They busted out their delicious goodies and we nibbled on strawberries and chorizo, cheese, and crackers as the felucca man prepared our boat and then sailed us out to the middle of the river. Luke played while we chatted, took pictures, and enjoyed the cool air.



It was a much windier day than usual out on the Nile. I thought this meant we'd be able to sail and sail... We usually sail down the river to the part that looks like it could be where Moses was found in the rushes. I love it there. I was so excited for Mom and Kari to see it. Apparently all that wind meant we would go a hundred yards out into the river and stop. For an hour.


To pass the time, Jen had fun making Luke's little army men dance like Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance).




We got out into the river and the boat started listing toward the side Jen, Beth and I were sitting on. We almost got dumped in! We ran to the other side of the boat. Not ONE minute after we moved, a 2-foot piece of wood broke off of the mast somewhere and came hurtling down into the felucca, landing right where Beth was standing minutes before. It seriously could have been a devastating turn of events. I think that shook all of us up, and we kept glancing up into the rigging to see if there were any more potential stakes through the heart headed our way.


Here we all are huddled in one corner of the felucca.

The felucca man tried to get us turned back toward shore, but after another twenty minutes of just sitting there, another felucca captain pulled his boat up next to ours and towed us in.

Not quite the experience I was hoping for for their last night here, but one Mom and Kari will never forget.

Plus Beth got her new nickname: Near-Death Beth!

Mimi and Kari's Egyptian Adventure - Day 6 Part 1

We had big plans for Friday! We'd decided to celebrate Luke's birthday early with Mom and Kari, so I got up super early and made Luke's birthday cake. We went to church at 11:00, and I was so happy because my favorite percussion guy was playing - the man from (Sudan?) who worships the Lord with such abandon - and I wanted Mom and Kari to hear him play. Mom wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home and slept, but Kari got to go.

After church we went to Lucille's - Kari was craving a hamburger -- hooked already on Lucille's!
Then, home for birthday festivities! Luke loves Peter Pan and pirates, so we decided to have a pirate party. Luke got dressed up in his pirate costume for the party.


We had cake and ice cream first.
Luke wanted to know why there weren't FOUR candles on his cake.

But I think he got over it as soon as he tasted the cake! Thumbs up, it's GOOD!

The Simons joined us for cake and ice cream:
Then we had a treasure hunt for Luke's presents. I had made clues for him to read to find the presents.

First he opened his birthday cards, and then a special present Granddad picked out for him:He got lots of wonderful gifts from Mimi and Granddad, including pirates, a pirate treasure chest with a spyglass, doubloons, and loot, a little mp3 jambox with kids' songs loaded, an ipod Shuffle (!), and a Spiderman watch. His Aunt Kari brought him a Little Einsteins Pirate Adventure play set. Jason and I gave him some toy dinosaurs, air force pilots, a hot wheels watch, a toy saxophone, and a construction worker costume. He loved all his toys and didn't know what to do with them all at once!
Granddad also sent Luke this pen that lights up. Luke and Granddad have a special trick they do together - Granddad brings home toys that light up, and Luke waves his hand over them and says, "Magic, Magic" to make them light up. Here's some video of Luke lighting up his magic pen. (I hate that I can't figure out how to rotate the video in Blogger - anyone got any tips?)

After the b-day celebration, it was time to get ready for a felucca ride--our most exciting one yet! More on that soon!