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.

Day 6: Luxor

Luxor was pretty hot (107 degrees)! We had to wake up pretty early to get finished before it got unbearable. First we went to the Temple of Hatshepsut. She was a pretty amazing woman. She sent her stepson away to school and ruled Egypt in his place. She didn't want to be considered a queen, so she dressed herself like a man and preferred to be called a king. She had a lot of the materials for her temple brought in from her excursion to Somalia, which was called Punt at the time. The art on the walls of the temple depict different scenes from her life. Once her stepson got older, he was pretty bitter about the situation. When she died of breast cancer, he defaced her temple, removing her khartoushes and some of the pictures of her dressed as a king. He even put his pictures in the places where he removed hers. She was buried at the Valley of the Kings.

Later that day, we went to the Valley of the Kings. It was quite interesting. We went into three of the tombs, but we were not able to see King Tut's tomb. I didn't know that his actual mummy is still there! The art inside of the tombs was still very nice. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the tombs though.

After lunch we took a boat ride across the Nile to Luxor Temple, which was also interesting. There is a mosque that was built in the middle of the temple. Despite the protruding obelisk, the builder claimed not to have known htat there was a temple buried underneath. Later on, we went to the light show at Karnak Temple. This temple was massive. There were many ancient structures still standing, and the lights and narration made it much more ineresting.

Day 5: Alexandria-Cairo-Luxor

Before we headed back to Cairo, we visited St. Mena Monastery. I had never seen a monastery before, so I was pretty surprised. The monks were self-sustaining, so they had olive trees to sell olives and olive oil. The first church that we went into had a service going on. Women were on one side and men were on the other. When we walked into the church there was a strong smell of incense. The priests were singing or chanting in Coptic. They were also performing a ceremony where they walked in three small circles and three large circles around the church, while holding a picture of Jesus. They must do this ceremony before the reading of the Gospel for forty days. We then went to a larger church with mosaics of different Bible stories like Noah's Ark and the parting of the Red Sea. There was also a mosaic of the Holy family's visit to Egypt. The large dome at the top of the church also had elaborate artwork. We also went to a smaller church where Pope Kyrillos's body was kept.

We arrived in Luxor at night. It is much smaller than Cairo and Alexandria. There is also no traffic and car horns like everywhere else. We went to a small bazaar where I purchased a few souvenirs.

Day 4: Alexandria

Alexandria is absolutely beautiful! The weather is very nice. I would love to come back and visit in the future. It is much more laid back than Cairo. The first place we visited was the museum of Alexandria. There were a lot of pieces about Alexander the Great and his influence on the city. Apparently his body is buried somewhere in the city, but no one knows exactly where. It was also interesting to see certain exhibits in which Greek gods and Egyptian gods were kind of mixed up; so a statue would have both Greek and Egyptian influence. The Alexandrians seemed very proud of their Greek heritage. Downstairs in the museum we took pictures of an actual mummy!

When we left the museum we went to the catacombs. They were "discovered" by a donkey that basically fell down into them. Although it was once full of bodies, it was really cool to see all of the artwork. There were both Greek and Egyptian influences in the art as well.

We also stopped at the theatre. There are multiple theories about what it's actual purpose was. I think the explanation that it was once a university is probably the best one. There was one place in the theatre that looked like a lecture hall. There was an area, designated by a round stone, that amplified the sound of our voices. We then went to St. Mark Church.

For lunch we had a picnic at Montazah Gardens.

Day 3: Cairo to Alexandria

Before we left Cairo, we stopped to visit the Ibn-Tulun Mosque. There were mosques everywhere in Cairo. This mosque was nice. We covered our feet when we went inside. This was the third largest mosque, so it was huge. We saw many of the elements that we had learned about in class: there was a large fountain in the center of the mosque for washing. The minaret was also unique because it had a winding stairwell on the outside. The beauty of the mosque was awe-inspiring.

After we left the mosque, we walked right next door to the Gayer-Anderson house. This house was a gift to Gayer-Anderson, a doctor and Major in the British Military. There were actually two houses that connected. The houses were very ornately decorated, and each room had a special theme. One cool thing that I learned was that one of the James Bond movies was filmed in that house. Once this was over, it was time to hit the road for our trip to Alexandria. We stopped at a petting zoo/restaurant. There were lions, hyenas, and other animals. While we didn't eat there, we sampled some of the bread that the women were making.

When we got to Alexandria we saw the name of the city written on the gates in Greek letters because of the Greek influence. The Mediterranean Sea was beautiful. The first place we went was the citadel. We had dinner at a great seafood restaurant.

Day 2: Cairo

On day 2 we went to the pyramids at Giza. This was awesome. The first pyramid that we saw was the largest pyramid. After taking pictures here, we went to the solar boat museum right behind the pyramid. The solar boat was used in the afterlife to take the pharaoh from one side of the Nile to the other. It was found buried in many small pieces. After leaving the museum we went to the second largest of the pyramids. This one was cool because it still has some of the limestone coat at the top. We were able to actually climb inside this one as well. When we came out, there were a couple of really cute kids selling souvenirs. After the pyramids came the camel rides. This was by far the highlight of the day! After the camels, we went to see the sphinx.

After lunch we went to see how papyrus was made. I bought one with the ankh in the middle and two names on the sides in hieroglyphics. Later in the evening we went to a shisha cafe. It was very similar to the hookah bars in Nashville. It was a fun group outing.

Day 1: Cairo

We got into Cairo around 2AM and had to be up and ready to go in a few hours. Breakfast at the hotel was pretty good. Sherif, our professor, was right about the juices. The orange juice tasted just like I was biting into an orange. I even tried the hibiscus juice that he talked about.

The first thing that we did was load the bus to Dashur. In Dahsur we saw the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid. We actually got to go inside the Red Pyramid. The climb down was pretty intense. I definitely bumped my head quite a few times! Once we got inside, there was really nothing to see, except a couple of rooms. It was a cool experience. In the distance we could see the bent pyramid.

When we left Dashur, we went to Memphis. Memphis was the first capital of Egypt. It was basically a tribute to Ramses II. The largest item there was the statue of Ramses II. It was made of limestone. Our tour guide pointed out a lot of useful information. All of the statues have the left foot forward because they were said to be following their heart.

We also went to Sakkara to see the step pyramid, which was the first pyramid. It was pretty cool. There was a courtyard next to it. The king used to run around the yard to show that he was still strong and able to lead the people. Imhotep was the builder.

We also went to El Sultan carpet school. At this school, children received an education in exchange for making carpets. They worked so fast! The guide at the school gave me a bracelet of gold silk for good luck. He also showed us why magic carpets are magic. The color changes in the light. The guide even lifted up his shirt to show us his Obama t-shirt!