One Year

One Year

I have lived in Cairo without going back to America for One Year

And after a short trip to America I am about to do it again

So you ask what happened after I stopped updating my blog?  Well curious reader lots of things have happened! 

• I took a 10 hour bus ride to the Western desert not once but three times because I just love being in the Sahara.

Jeep in the Sahara

Outside the hotel that Prince Charles stayed at in Siwa!

• I made the choice to stay in Egypt one more year thus now working full time at EpiscoCare.  I have been working there full time for several months now but I am really excited about what I will be able to be a part of for the next year!

One of countless feluccas I have taken with friends this year 

• I traveled to Cyprus for a bit of fun traveling and then our MCC Regional Retreat.  It was great to get to see my fellow SALTers and to drive again! 

One of my travel companions on
my driving tour of Cyprus !

Some of my favorite MCC service workers!

• I have made and developed friendships with some amazing people.  People who have been and continue to teach me more and more about life!

Some of my favorite women in Tahrir Square 

My lovely friend Salma and I at my favorite park

Some of my beautiful co-workers and friends

A friend who I already miss dearly
 whose time in Egypt was too short! 

Tunnels make great photo taking locations!

Ingy, Salma and I at one of my favorite Cairo cafes

A couple of my favorite guys in Cairo ...
the third seems to always avoid being in the photos !

Some of my favorite people

Breakfast meetings with beautiful girls :) 

One of the amazing girls I'm not sure I could live here without!

• My little brother came and visited Egypt!  I took him on one of my desert excursions and showed him all of my favorite parts of Cairo.  It was awesome to get to see him interact with my friends here and to see him before he left for Nepal.

Cute sibling photo :)

Jacob and the expanse of the desert 

• So in the end I know that God is not done with me here in Egypt yet.  There is more to learn and see and I am so excited for the next year!  I will be back in America from Sept 21st to Aug 8th and I would love to see people or schedule phone dates.  Let me know and I will try to see your face!  

Aladdin ... pretty sure he is the love of my life ;) 

That One Time, the New Year and Tonight

It has been so long since I blogged.  But I am alive.  And now I am going to tell you everything that has happened to me since I last wrote as they relate to that one time, the new year and tonight.

That One Time


So that one time in December my mom came to visit.  My mom got here a couple of days before Christmas and was here with me for Christmas a couple days after.   We stayed in Cairo because all mom really wanted to see were all of the places that I go and get a taste of the things that I do.

 We did make a stop at the pyramids so that we could take the necessary photos.  But the majority of our time was spent going to the places where I work so that mom could meet the people that I work with.  She also got to attend the last day of my English class.  We rode the metro and took taxis and walked all over.  We spent Christmas with the MCC staff and baked a really great (not)red velvet cheesecake.  We had lot of good conversations and ate lots of good food and even went to see the ballet at the Opera House.  Overall it was awesome to have my mom here and I was sad to see her go but it is great to Skype with her now that she has seen the world that I live in here.

The New Year

The new year has been amazingly great.  I had an extended break from teaching because the universities had exams and then break, but I am getting ready to start a new teaching session and I am super excited.  In the extra time that I have had I have been working more with Episcocare.  I have been teaching English to some of the women in the office and it never fails to be a great time.  I have met new people who are becoming great new friends.  I have read 6 books, which I am just really excited about.  I finally started using all of the time that I spend on public transit or waiting for feedback on things that I edit to do something other than twiddle my thumbs.  I have developed a strange love for Anise tea.  I hate black licorice so I am not sure why I like a tea of the same flavor, but I do!!   I started Arabic lessons again and I really really like it.   This year has started out splendidly and I am excited for the things that are coming up.

Tonight


  Tonight I finished a book, finally did the laundry I have been avoiding, cleaned my room and drank a great deal of tea. There was nothing special about tonight ...  I just felt like I needed a third period of time for a really good title :)