Welp, I owe my good friends and family an activity update.

Almost two weeks ago, we took a trip out to the Sahara to spend the weekend in a small berber oasis. This was the coolest experience ever! We stayed at a hotel called the Desert Rose which was located on the very edge of the desert and city. It was so nice to not hear any noise. As cool as Cairo is, it is a very large city and never still. So listening to nothing out in the desert was so nice. The Desert Rose has no electricity either, so we sat around a fire and watched the stars. One of the days we spent the whole day four-wheeling through the desert and sandboarding and sitting in the hot springs. Yes, there are hotsprings in the middle of the desert. :) That night, we slept in a tent out in the dunes. So cool! The rest of the weekend was spent walking through the oasis town (called Siwa, and surprisingly pop. of 250,000), bike riding down palm tree lined roads and listening to sweet berber music.

We returned from Siwa and immediately went to various homes all over Egypt. I really don't have too much more to say regarding that. :)

Tommorow we will be leaving for the rest of the weekend to tour the Nile and the ancient temples and burial grounds. I am really excited for this opportunity!

As cool as all of these experiences have been, I am starting to wear out. I am trying to learn Arabic, both speaking and reading/writing/grammer at the same time, studying the political makeup of Egypt and the Middle East, studying the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and comparing Christianity with Islam. As if these were not enough, I am also reconstructing my own personality and values. So in the non-existent free time that I have, I am doing some deep thinking.

Welp, I miss you but I am truly enjoying the opportunities I have here. Talk to you soon!