EGYPT

I don't really have words for the past week. It has been a complete dream!

Back in the summer, I chose to apply for BYU Jerusalem for Winter semester 1) because it worked out with my academic track and 2) because I hate the cold and wanted to skip a Utah winter. 

But it wasn't until after getting accepted that I found out this is the semester they were going to EGYPT! How lucky are we?!

I don't know what I was expecting... but the moment I first saw The Great Pyramids of Giza out the bus window, my jaw was on the floor. And that's basically the summary of my week! Floored.

With everything we saw and experienced I just kept thinking HOW?!

How did the ancient Egyptians build this with such limited resources? How did they carve massive tombs in the Valley of the Kings and paint the most incredible works on temple walls? How am I riding a real-life camel right now on the banks of the Nile River and dancing to Shakira's This Time for Africa IN AFRICA??

If I could sum up all my emotions it would be: 

in awe

blessed

overwhelmed

grateful

& exhausted.

Since I can't do it justice through words, I'll make an attempt via pictures!

Day 1: THE PYRAMIDS! 

[this is probably the most accurate depiction of our feelings that day]

My home slices Kendall & Nate who doubled as body guards.

Squad.

The weather was perfect in Cairo. 

(a nice thick layer of air pollution protected us from the sun too lol)

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE SO MUCH. 

Pretty camels.

Our group has been slaying with puns this trip; my favorite so far is "So you Sphinx You Can Dance?"

Let's highlight all 8 modes of transportation we enjoyed in Cairo and Luxor:

Correction: lived on buses.

(and went a little crazy)

Side note: I am actually super grateful for those bus rides. It's so fun having long conversations with everyone (and rap battles and jam seshes on the ukelele) I'm confident that this trip and this study abroad in general is not so much about the sites and events but much more about learning from these incredible individuals.

MOTO-TAXIS !!! 

Actually Cairo and Luxor reminded me a ton of my mission. Freakin hot, sandy, lots of rice, street-side fruit stands, weak infrastructure, palm trees, moto-taxis, and wonderful, hilarious people who speak a different language. So fun to experience that deja-vu. 

(An example of a meal that reminded me 100% of Peru)

Sarah-- such a babe.

On next season's episode of The Bachelor... Matthew Shawcroft, everyone.

Low quality pic but the FUNNEST night on a cruise liner on the Nile river.

Synagogues, mosques, temples, museums, bazaars, we saw it all!

The exhaustion was real.

(Also 10/10 would recommend laying under the stars in the middle of an open air courtyard in an ancient temple at night.)

(And major props to our tour guide people and security for not losing a single one of our 100+ suitcases if you count faculty and everyone. Pure skill)

Our hotel in Cairo was the nicest I've ever stayed in so we felt pretty underdressed every day when we came back from field trips dusty and super sweaty, haha.

The dessert bar. Baklava was a hit!

THE KARNUK TEMPLE! Hands down one of my favorite sites. 

That headset life. 

(Kate and Weston generously sharing one earphone each with Jason hahaha)

THE CAIRO MUSEUM HOLY MOLY no pictures allowed but it was the coolest experience.

My favorite would definitely have to be the mummies. They looked so real -- hair intact and everything. We saw King Tutankhamun's tomb treasures (insane), ancient papyrus, statues, steles, coffins, and the list goes on.

Some of us weren't quite as excited as others ;)

Oh yeah we did get one picture from someone with a photo pass inside the museum.

Dr. Huff!!! Just one of our amazing faculty members/directors. 

Valley of the Kings!! 

It was so hot and I was so tired and Sarah's hat was not a comfortable resting place hahah.

Porter getting way too close for comfort (inside joke).

The prettiest restaurant on Lake Qarun.

Ok first miniature panic attack of my life happened inside this pyramid (the very first built in Egyptian history). They sent us down this narrow tunnel wayyyyy down inside. It gradually got warmer and warmer as we made our way down and the air started thinning out and all of a sudden it occurred to me that like 84 of us were down there and I could not take it. I booked it out of there as fast as you can climb up a narrow tunnel shimmy-ing past dozens of people in near pitch blackness.. Never been more grateful for open air!

Some people went down into a bat cave (crawling) and I definitely did not join but hey we got a picture with the mastaba! [side note on those water carriers -- I think I drank like 4 liters of water a day in Egypt no joke]

Hatshepsut's temple! 

Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh in history and accomplished a ton during her reign including the construction of this temple built into the mountain. And for all my LDS friends, the facsimile papyri that Joseph Smith translated were found right near this spot.

Girl power.

Leslie, Megan, & I.

Those colors have lasted 3500 years.

Oh and they did give us some time to relax -- and by that I mean one, dreamy afternoon at the pool.

The highest point in Cairo with cute Sarah.

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali.

"And [God] said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Exodus 3:5

I've said it already and I'll say it again. I love being in the holy places of other religions. 

There is something inspiring about seeing how others worship, even if the what is different from our beliefs. 

A sweet Asian woman asked to take our picture and kept saying "beautiful, beautiful" over and over. 

And random Egyptian guys our age would come up and ask to take pictures with us, haha the celebrity days. 

All the women wore head scarves and everyone took off their shoes in this mosque as a sign of modesty and devotion to God. 

Grateful for good company on this trip. 

There's nothing like living with dozens of the most kind, fun, and talented people.

(And we just hit our one month mark -- say whaaat?)

What a week! 

I never want to forget the sights, sounds, feelings and tastes (but mayyybe not the smells) of Egypt.

Such a beautiful country full of the deepest history. 

I still feel like it was a dream, but I'll be forever grateful that it wasn't. 

Until next time, Egypt!