General Reflections

This particular experience appealed to me because of both the rich history of Egypt and the focus on the intersection of religion and society. Religion is very important to me, so it was interesting to study how diverse cultures are impacted by religion as well. It also didn't hurt that Egypt is one of the most amazing and beautiful places in the world!

I was fortunate to have learned more about myself through my experiences in Egypt. I pushed myself to new limits physically, intellectually, and emotionally. I became more aware of no tjust my immediate surroundings, but also the world around me. I would not have gained this insight if I hadn't traveled outside of my comfort zone.

My trip to Egypt has impacted my short-term goals in that I am considering adding a Religious Studies minor. I enjoyed learning about different religious beliefs and practices, and would like to learn even more. I will admit that before coming to college, I was somewhat threatened by religions other than my own. I was frightened because I did not understand their differences. Through this class, however, I have learned to embrace the similarities.

Most of my interactions with the Egyptian people were shaped by my nationality, race, and gender. As we walked down the streets people often shouted, "Michelle Obama!" I thought this was pretty funny. There were many other experiences like this as well. Some people would say, "Welcome home sister" or "cousin." I even got, "I like dark chocoloate!" A few times we were asked if we were Egyptian or Nubian and if we spoke Arabic.

The only preconceived notions that I had about Egyptian culture revolved around religion. Because Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country, I expected everything to stop during the calls to prayer each day. I was surprised to find that did not happen. Some people stopped and prayed if they were free, but most people went on about their lives and made the prayers up later in private.

Day 13: Cairo

Our last day in Egypt!! This day was long, but exciting. First, we had lunch at the Azhar Park. The park used to be a garbage dump, but President Mubarek's wife decided to turn it into a park. You would never know that it used to be a dump though. The food there was delicious. After we ate, we went into the park. There was a cell phone tower near the park that looked like a big pam tree!

Afterwards, we went to an orphanage. Before we left the U.S., we all gave our professor money to donate to the orphanage. We also bought some hats for them. Unfortunately, they were in school, so we weren't able to spend time with the orphanse, but we spoke to the director of the orphanage and his family. They really do great work in Cairo. They were building new facilities so that they can take in more children. They get them at such a young age and take care of them until they finish school. I was surprised that one didn't have to be an orphan to live there. If parents decide that they cannot take care of their child, they can take them to the orphanages to ensure that they are well taken care of.

After the orphanage we went to City Stars Mall. This place was massive! There were some really nice stores, so we were able to do more shopping before we left. We managed to find a couple of American teenagers that were just hanging out in Cairo. After the mall, we went to our professor's house in Cairo. We got a chance to meet some of his family, which was nice. After we hung out there for a while, we went to a dinner cruise on the Nile. There was a myriad of entertainment: singers, a spinning man, and a belly dancer. The group surprised me and another student with birthday cakes. They put fireworks on the cakes and sang to us. The end of the cruise signified the end of our time in Cairo, so it was bittersweet. From the cruise, we went to the airport to wait for our flight.

Day 12: Cairo

On Day 12, we went to old Cairo for the Christian segment of the tour. The first church that we went to was the Hanging Church. They call it the Hanging Church because it is built on top of another structure. Most of the other churches looked similar to this church. At St. George we took pictures of some of the tools that were used to torture Christians. There were shoes with nails in them that Christians were actually made to walk in. It really took a lot of bravery to openly proclaim Christianity in that environment. I admire anyone who was able to do this. We also went inside an actual Christian torture chamber. It was a weird feeling to know that I was standing in a place where so many people had suffered for their faith. It was also interesting to see St. Sergius Church. Under this church there was a crypt where the Holy Family is believed to have stayed when they fled to Egypt. We also went to Ben Ezra synagogue. It had once been a Coptic church but was later turned into a synagogue. There aren't very many Jewish people in Egypt though (less than 100). We drove by one synagogue that was guarded by armed guards to thwart attacks. If being a Coptic Orthodox Christian is tough in a Muslim country, I can only imagine how hard it must be to be one of the few Jews.
For dinner we went on Felucca boats on the Nile River

Day 11: Cairo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Day 11 was our tour of Islamic Cairo. We traveled around and saw a few mosques. The first mosque was the Mohamed Ali Mosque. This was in the citadel. Mohamed Ali is important to Egyptian history. He is often given credit for "Egyptianizing" Egypt. As we drove up to the mosque, we could see the large silver domes at the top. They were so bright in the sun. It is also called the Alabaster mosque because it was built from alabaster. At some point in history that place was gleaming white and silver in the sun. That was undoubtedly an amazing sight to see. I can only imagine how beautiful it was. The inside of the mosque was just as amazing as the outside. There were light fixtures and chandeliers hanging everywhere. The ceiling was also a very beautiful green. While our guide spoke with us, she told us that the women pray at the back so that they aren't a distraction. We were also able to view Mohamed Ali's tomb, shich was inside the mosque. Outside, there was a goof view of the entire city and you could even see the pyramids in the background.

Once we left this mosque, we wen to the El Sultan Hassan and El Rafaei mosques. They were right next to each other and were very similar because the newer one was built to model the older one. There was an artist making a music video outside, which was interesting to watch. Inside the mosques were elaborate tombs for the royalty that were buried there.

Afterwards, we visited a perfume factory. They let us smell a lot of the oils that they make from natural products. I bought a bottle. From here we went to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. It wasn't as hectic as I thought it would be. I purchased most of my souveniers there. Later that night, we had a lecture from a Coptic Orthodox priest from Nashville. He gave a really good history of Christianity. I learned a lot from this lecture.

Day 10: Sharm to Cairo

When we arrived back in Cairo, we went to the Egyptian Museum. The museum was built in 1902 and everything inside was real. Outside there were lotus and papyrus plants symbolizing upper and lower Egypt. We looked at artifacts from the old, middle, and new kingdoms. The old kingdom occurred from 2800-2200 BC. I was surprised to see a wooden statue with movable arms included in the artifacts from this period. There was also a nice statue of King Khafren. This statue was found buried in a hole at the sphinx. They exaggerated his features on the statue to make him look more god-like. The middle kingdom was divided after a civil war, so there were no kings; there were only princes of lower and upper Egypt. The new kingdom occurred from 1575-798 BC. This was a period of perfect art and famous names. We saw some sphinxes of Hatshepsut, which were cool since she is a woman. There was one room of the museum that was very different. This room represented the reign of Akhenaten. He changed the art, religion, and capital of Egypt. The people in his art have both masculine and feminine traits. Our guide explained a few of the theories for this:

• He wanted to represent all makind
• He had a genetic disease
• He was of an undefined sexual orientation

Nefertiti was his wife. Her name means "The most beautiful." No one knows what happened to her though. Tutankhamun followed Akhenaten. His exhibit was by far the best. There was so much gold! We actually got a chance to see his famous mask, which is made completely of gold. The gold came from Nubia, which means city of gold. Nubia was covered with water, however, after the Aswan dam was built. On our drive to the hotel we drove by the tomb of unknown soldiers and the building where President Sadat was assassinated. We also drove through the sacred burial grounds, sometimes referred to as the "City of the Dead." There were actually groundskeepers living there with their families.

Day 9: Sharm

Everyone was excited about the trip to Mt. Sinai. We left late at night, so that when we finished climbing we could watch the sunrise. This part of the trip meant the most to me because I got the chance to stand where Moses stood and received the Ten Commandments. Little did I know, however, that the climb up the mountain would be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. It took us around three hours to get to the top. Half of our group left us behind because we were going so slow! That climb taught me the importance of being in shape. At the top, the sunrise was beautiful.
On the way down the mountain I twisted my ankle a few times, but I didn't let it ruin my day. Once everyone descended the mountain, we went to St. Catherine's monastery. This was at the base of the mountain. Inside the monastery was the burning bush. I thought this was exciting. This monastery is also unique because there is a place for worship for Muslims inside the walls of the monastery.

Day 7: Luxor to Sharm

From Luxor we flew to Sharm el Sheikh. Some of the group went to ride ATVs in the desert, but I went to the beach first. You could actually see the fish through the water. Later in the evening we went to dinner with the Bedouins in the desert. This became my favorite part of the trip. We drank some of the Bedouin tea, which is supposed to be beneficial for health. We also made bread over an open fire. They lit candles in the rocks of the mountains around us while we ate the delicious food. It was absolutely beautiful. I was so grateful for this experience because it was something that I would never have seen on my own. After the meal they brought out shisha and played music. We danced around the campfire for a while. After the dancing we lied down and looked at the stars. I even saw three shooting stars! The whole night was a wonderful experience.