As usual, my luck with travelling never fails to disappoint...

It's been a while since my last post, and that's just a testament to how crazy I've been going. I've been very busy traveling and working for the past couple of weeks, and I'm exhausted.

In terms of work, it's been at bit frustrating. As I said last time, I haven't felt like I've really been able to integrate into the workplace here, or been able to do much outside of editing documents in English and doing some research. So I asked my co-workers for some more responsibility and if I could work more closely on some of our program area's projects. So, they gave me a lot more work to do, including writing a grant proposal for a current women's rights program that CARE is heading up. Unfortunately, both my boss and my co-worker were away the whole last week of February and the beginning of the first week of March, but they told me to write the proposal anyways since it wasn't due until the following week. So, when they got back and I gave them the proposal I had written, they basically said this is really good, but it's too late now to submit because we've been away and don't have time to approve it all before the deadline. Awesome. So all that work was for nothing. I mean, I guess it was a learning experience, but it was really frustrating to have all that work be for naught. I keep telling myself that this is how NGOs must work and to just roll with it, but it's hard. But my time here is almost finished - I have just two weeks of work left and three weeks before I leave Egypt entirely. As for my last few weeks here, I've been asked to help the Agriculture and Natural Resources program area work on a business proposal for a project they'd like to develop that assists small farmers. So, hopefully, I'll be able to garner some more valuable work experience before I leave.

In terms of travelling, the last few weeks have been full. There was a freak thunderstorm (including hail!) in Cairo the last weekend in February that basically closed down the city for a few days. There is no drainage system here, so when it rains the streets are completely flooded and no one can drive anywhere. Nevertheless, on the Saturday, I was able to go on a day trip to Ismailia, which is a small city on the Suez Canal. In fact, it was the headquarters for the British while they were building the canal. It was great to see the Canal and the ships crossing, it reminded me of being under the bridge back home in Sarnia. We also visited some October 6th War sites (this refers to the war between Israel and Egypt, when Israel invaded and occupied the Sinai) on the Sinai side of the canal, which were interesting. Finally, we went and had lunch at a seafood restaurant, which I was excited for but did not really enjoy in the end. I mean, a whole fish? Scales, head, eyes and all? Not to mention how tedious it is to pick out all the small bones. Wasn't for me.

Ship crossing on the Canal near Ismailia

Last Thursday, my friend Breanna (who is currently doing a year exchange to Germany) came to visit me! It was great to see her, especially since she left Canada in September, so I hadn't seen her in over 6 months. It was also awesome because we went on a trip to Luxor together, which I would have had to do on my own otherwise. Anyways, Bre arrived on Thursday night and then on Friday my host mom Jill took us to Sakkara where the very first pyramid was built - the Djoser step pyramid. There were also a whole bunch of 'mastabas' in the area, which were the early form of tombs before the ancient Egyptians began building pyramids. It was incredible inside these tombs! There were carvings and paintings and hieroglyphs, and they depicted every day life so it was so interesting to look at the pictures. It's even more incredible when you remember that these mastabas are around 5,000 years old! Sooo cool.

Me and Bre in front of Djoser pyramid

Some carvings/paintings on the wall in one of the mastabas

On Friday night, Bre and I took the train to Luxor. It was a 10 hour over night train ride, so you know, kinda brutal. Plus, we were warned by Jill that men in Luxor were way worse for harassing women and boy, was she right. There were a couple guys on the train who wouldn't stop staring at us and it made it really unnerving to fall asleep. It's so annoying when guys keep yelling hello, hellooo, speak English? If you even acknowledge them at all, they take that as confirmation that you want to have sex with them then and there. It's so frustrating! And it happened all weekend. I ended up being really anxious again and uncomfortable, because their harassment (which gets worse, believe me) has this way of making me feel uncomfortable in my own skin. I mean, how dare they get to objectify me that way right? I know it sounds crazy, but there's just no way to stop them form harassing you except leave and it can really ruin your touring. Other than that, Luxor was pretty awesome, once we got the hotel fiasco sorted out (yeah, the hits just kept on coming...wait for it).

After arriving in Luxor early Saturday morning, we did the East bank of Luxor (a.k.a. ancient Thebes!). We saw the Karnak temple complex, which was HUGE and incredible and so detailed it was amazing, the Luxor temple, which was also really cool and had some areas where Christians defaced the "pagan" temple and paint Christian scenes, the Luxor museum which was really good and the Mummification museum, which was pretty cool (there was even a mummified baboon and crocodile!).

Karnak - the the columns in the Hypostle Hall, there are a total of 134 (note the people in the background to give you an idea of the sheer size of everything here...)

On Sunday, we did the West bank, which included the Valley of the Kings, the Hatshepsut Temple, the Valley of the Queens and the Colossi of Memnon. The Valley of the Kings was really cool, there are 62 tombs in total burried underground in the valley (including King Tut), and your entrance fee allows you to visit three (except Tutankhamen's and Ramses IV, which are extra). So Bre and I chose to do Tuthomosis III, Tawosret/Sethnakht (Tawosret was the only queen buried in the valley of the kings, but her successor Sethnakht usurped her tomb and buried himself there), and Ramses III. It involved a lot of climbing and it was soooo hot, but totally worth it in the end. Very very cool. The Hatshepsut Temple was amazing, and the only Temple built by a queen I might add - girl power! The Valley of the Queens wasn't very impressive, which is why most tourists don't go there. In fact, we actually saw two tombs of princes and only one of a queen, and the princes' were far more impressive (figures), but it was still cool to see. The Colossi of Memnon are two big statues that are in pretty poor condition. Apparently they're the only surviving pieces of a much larger temple (thought to have been larger even than Karnak, which was huge) built by Amenhotep III that was destroyed over the millennia. To top it all off, our hotel had an amazing pool and because it was so hot, we did the touring early before it became unbearably hot and then came back and cooled off by the pool! Mini vacation! It was beautiful.

Hatshepsut's Temple - I'm doing the "wife's lamenting pose" as I like to call it (the pharoahs were pretty consistent in their tombs, painting their many wives 'lamenting' their deaths in this pose...i reserve judgment about whether they were really that broken up about it)

After taking the train back to Cairo late Sunday night, we arrived Monday morning and in the afternoon I took Bre to the pyramids. It was cool because this time, I got to go in the Great Pyramid of Khoufu. And let me tell you, was it ever wayyyy harder than the 2nd biggest. I understand now how some people can't do it. We were lucky we went on a weekday because there were hardly any tourists, so we didn't have to deal with being behind people and it being cramped etc. while you're climbing. Basically you climb up to the middle of the pyramid where the tomb chamber and sarcophagus are and it's far! Wooo. We were already tired so it was pretty insane, but cool cause now I've been in two of the three great pyramids!! There was a mini sandstorm kicking up after that so unfortunately, not the best day to see the pyramids, but it was cool. Then Bre and I walked down to the exit and caught a cab. The cab driver hardly spoke any English and when we got to the part of the city I live in, he got mad at me for not knowing how to get to where I live. I was like ask someone, jeez. Anyways, he was a total jerk. And to top it all off, I realized about an hour later that I must have left my camera in the taxi. Crapity crap crap, total freaking crap! What's worse is that I got him to drop us off at Kimo market, which is around the corner from the apartment because he was so clearly annoyed with us, so if he found my camera and actually wanted to return it, he wouldn't know where I live anyways. I tried going back to where I caught the cab and asking around if anyone knew him etc. and a few people offered to help but I doubt anything will come of it. Luckily, Bre took lots of pictures, which she shared with me, but it still totally sucks. Now I'm in Egypt without a camera! I cried. It was the perfect way to top off a whirlwind tour that had already tested me to my limits. If Bre hadn't of been there, I would have had such an awful time on my own (so if you read this, thanks Bre!!).

Finally, on Tuesday I worked a half day while Breanna went to the Cairo Museum and then I met her and we went to the Citadel. The Citadel is a huge fortification built around 1170 AD to protect the city from the crusaders. Later, it was also used to slaughter the Mamluks! Good times. We managed to visit two mosques within the citadel complex, including the very famous Mohamed Ali mosque, which was beautiful! And poor Breanna's shirt went a little too low in the back and she had to wear the robe/bag of shame! Hee. Tour guides even used her as an example! It was funny.

Me in front of the Citadel (the Mohammed Ali mosque inside), without my camera

Anyways, I saw Breanna off this morning back to Germany and now it's back to work. Anyone feel like buying me a new camera?