Egypt

This week has been absolutely crazy, so I will try to get pictures and some more blog posts up as soon as I can. We got back from Egypt last Saturday night around 10 pm, but we have had finals this week for both our Modern Near Eastern classes and for our Old Testament class (I had two finals today, and still have Old Testament tomorrow.) I don't think I have ever experienced such intense school in my life. The only saving thing for my mental state was the fact that even if I do poorly in these classes, I don't really have to worry about it since I already have a job. I am trying my best because I really want to learn the information though.
Egypt was absolutely amazing. I learned so much about the temple, and I wasn't really expecting that. I want to read a book by Hugh Nibley that I think is called the Egyptian Endowment when I get home. We went non-stop every day. We went to Cairo and Luxor both, and did it all in 7 days (But with travel time it really was only 4 days looking at things in Egypt.) I also had my first experience on an overnight train car. I also got sick in Egypt with my stomach problems. About half of the students got some kind of sickness, and I can't tell if mine is from stress, or if it is from Egypt. It has the same symptoms. I am not all better yet, but the stress of taking finals after only a few weeks of classes isn't helping that at all. I am doing my best to take care of myself though. Don't worry Mom; I am keeping food inside me. It's just in the uncomfortable stage right now.
I did get to do some pretty amazing things in Egypt, like go on a camel ride for an hour. I absolutely loved it. I had a ten-year-old Egyptian boy leading me around. (I tried really hard to remember his name, but I really can't remember it.) We went all through the Egyptian neighborhoods right by the Nile in Luxor. It was eye-opening to see how they live. We went inside one of the Pyramids of Giza, and several other tombs, through the temples of Karnak and Luxor, into the Tombs of the Kings. I also went shopping at the Bazaar in Luxor, but I didn’t go shopping in Cairo, because I was so tired and sick by the end of the trip that I stayed on the bus and slept.
We are leaving for Galilee on Sunday (since we start the New Testament this week). I have some great experiences from this week (besides spending hours studying and trying to really learn the information we are being presented so quickly. I am loving it, and am so thankful for this experience. I’ll try to get another post up before I leave and add pictures. The computers have been occupied almost constantly as people have been studying.