Khan trip, complete with Egyptian pancakes

My friend Nacia showed me how to take the metro to the Khan al Khalili. I feel very empowered now:) It is the giant bazaar where you can find literally ANYTHING you want and you hear lots of funny comments ("Stop, please stop....I want to marry you! What can you buy first?").

I think I posted about my first trip there in May last year (can't remember exact date).

Anyway, a few friends of mine met up to do some shopping for gifts. We walked along and I saw another version of a public water fountain to add to my photo-collection (see facebook for collection album). Then Nacia, the great, took us to the Egyptian Pancake place. WOW is all I have to say. Super yummy and impressive how they make it. I recorded the guy making the feteer (aka Egyptian Pancake). They serve both savory and sweet....and let me tell you, the fresh banana with cream filling and covered with powdered sugar one was pretty much my favorite, hands down.


This is a picture of a little tiny boy selling tissue in the middle of a very busy, traffic-jammed road. He had no fear and was desperate to sell them.

Cairo Tower

I went with some friends to the tallest building in Egypt, the Cairo Tower. It is a bit of a tourist trap as it is rather expensive to go up, but it was a pretty impressive view. First time I really saw just how ENORMOUS this city that we live in is. Crazy big---18 million + big.

We hired a driver to take us downtown to the tower since it is hard to find and traffic is terrible downtown, went up and enjoyed the view and then enjoyed the food at the revolving restaurant located in the tower. It was fun, although admittedly a bit indulgent. I think I spent about $60 including paying the babysitter for 4 hours (Brent was in Georgia--the republic). I don't do that very much, so I didn't feel bad. At least, until the drive home.

On drive home, driver was telling us about his life. I asked if he was married and he said no because it was too expensive. Then he told us that he made a monthly salary, and he was saving up so he could marry. He mentioned how much he made a month---750 LE/$138 USD. As he was talking, I realized that I had basically spent 1/2 his monthly salary on that one night! I was shocked back into the reality of rich and poor and questioning how I got so blessed, while there are so many others not as fortunate. I am grateful....and a bit guilty.

The Disgrace of Survival

The other day an educated Egyptian told me he used to think that Egypt was poor, but they were still trying (as a country) to do well, so it was ok and he was proud to be an Egyptian. Now, he says, Egypt is just a country with broken systems and results in survival-mode being the only thing people know. He (not me saying this!) said now he thinks it is just a disgrace.

Very interesting to hear this from this source. I wonder why he chooses to stay and work so hard amidst it . No one knows how to fix it. They are trapped in a broken system. When I think this, I immediately recognize that all countries have aspects of their system that is broken. So what is the difference? I think it is hope. If there is a form of government where hope for change exists, then it seemsto me that it lifts the population out of survival mode. Whether change actually really occurs is another topic entirely.

The common people of Egypt seem to have no hope for the future. They live day to day and struggle to get through. They have the "what I can do?" attitude and seem to place their future in the hands of a strange form of fate.

So I wonder, what makes these "hopeless" people smile so much and repeat over and over, "Welcome to Egypt."

Track season and life happenings

Well, it is track and field season here. Rebekah and Josh both are on the middle school team and they both ran in the 200 meter race today (Thursday 22nd). They did great and ran hard and I am proud of them for sticking with it. I tried to get a picture of the race, but I was so busy yelling and cheering, that I didn't get a good picture. I will try again on Saturday:)

Our church branch hosted a Community Concert and that was also tonight. It went well and we had quite a number of participants. The primary kids sang 2 songs, so it was fun to see the kids perform. The kids think the best part was all the cookies at the end:)

Brent is traveling to the Republic of Georgia next week. He hasn't been there before, so it will be a new experience. The air is clearing enough around Europe to finally allow plane travel, so he will go as planned. They said the ash passed through Cairo air the other day....I couldn't tell a difference, which goes to show how bad the pollution is daily here!

I am substitute teaching quite a bit and really liking it. Last week I was a drawing/painting teacher, a pe teacher and a ceramics teacher. I like the variety and I really like the kids. When I get the dinner in the crockpot before I leave in the morning, then the day goes pretty smoothly:)

We are jut plugging along and getting ready for our trip back to USA this summer. Excited to come and be with family. My brothers Andy and Alan both welcomed little baby boys into their families in last few months, so we have new cousins to meet and love on. Josh FINALLY has some more boy cousins on the Kearns side. He can teach them everything he knows:)

Along with track, Rebekah and Josh have piano lessons. Josh also plays trumpet and baseball. Elisabeth is doing horse-back riding and getting quite good at it. Emma is taking gymnastics and basketball. Sarah is reading better and better and still loves to sing her heart out. Brent and I are just trying to keep up with life's pace and still have time to spend a little time together.

Hope all of you are doing well. Love you all and thanks for all the support you give to us:)

All this for $7

I went to the local seouk and got ALL of this produce for about $7.00. Yeah, pretty awesome and so yummy. I have to wash it all very carefully (bleach is involved), but even for that 15 minutes of time, the price is worth it!

Spring Break Trip: Chapter 4: Petra (part 2)

At the entrance to Petra

Entering the gorge

30 awe-inspiring minutes later as we continued to walk through the gorge.

It is coming......

Still coming.....

WOW---there it is...the Treasury. Recognize this from Indiana Jones?

Can you believe how HUGE this is!?!

Emma and Sarah sitting with old Bedouin music maker

Beginning the ascent to the Monastary---950 steps UP!

Halfway, looking back down. Beautiful

And THERE IT IS! Amazing

Amiee and the kids on the peak overlooking the Monastary

Ok: this is really funny....we ran into this girl who saw my BYU shirt and pulled out her Utah UTES sweatshirt. Who would have thought that "the rivalry" could carry across so many countries:) It was so funny, we took a picture together!

The theatre---see the benches carved into the mountainside? Brent and the kids decided to put on a tradgedy of their own:)

All of this rock coloring and formation is natural and a result of years of erosion. It was remarkable and beautiful!

Finally, 8 1/2 hours later, we made it back to the beginning. Petra was truly amazing and we were blessed and in awe to see it. God's creations in nature are so amazing!

Kids enjoying LOTS of ice cream and the Movenpick ice cream parlor back in town:) What a way to end a great day!

Spring Break Trip: Chapter 4: PETRA (part 1)

After crossing all the borders, we were in Aquaba, Jordan and had about a 2 hour drive to Petra. We didn't have a very detailed road map, and the Jordanian arabic proved to be a little bit too different from the Egyptian version, but luckily, Jordan has good road signs. It was nice to be in a place with good, clear road signs again:)

The sunset drive along the high mountain road that wound around to the town above Petra, Wadi Mousa, was breathtaking. It reminded me of driving along Skyline drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, but a lot less green:) It was only 48 degrees (COLD for here!) and the air was crisp and clean. The mountains were rugged against the colored sky and the sun dropped like a huge ball of fire below the horizon .

We finally found our budget hotel, with the aid of a taxi cab to guide us. Brent went in to check it out while we waited in the car. It was fine: clean, no bugs, hot water and looked over the valley that led down into Petra. After a long day, we all went to bed at 7:30pm.

March 31st, we awoke at 6am and ate a quick middle eastern breakfast before heading into Petra. (see below for description of middle eastern/Egyptian breakfast) It was perfect weather----chilly in the morning and comfortable with a cool breeze in the afternoon. We walked A LOT....we were in Petra for about 8 1/2 hours and we walked a solid 6 of those! Considering Elisabeth was still recovering from stomach flu, the kids did very well. Emma and Sarah walked pretty much the whole way and Rebekah and Josh helped them a lot, while Brent and I took turns helping Elisabeth. One funny thing: there were a lot of men trying to sell donkey rides to tourists. They would ask us a lot (because of all the kids) but when they saw Brent carrying Elisabeth/Emma/Sarah on his back, they would point to him and say, "Laa, burro. Enta burro!" Roughly that means no burro because you are the burro:)

All of our family agrees that it was one of the best things we have ever seen and done together.

***typical hotel version of the Egyptian/middle eastern breakfast:

usually consists of plain yogurt, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, baladi bread, buns, some toast bread, boiled eggs, cut up hotdogs, strong cheese, a salami-like meat, tea and coffee, and some super sweet juice. There can also be hummus and pickled egg plant/vegetables. I usually had plain yogurt mixed with tomatoes and cukes, hard boiled eggs and a side of toast with fig jelly. We are getting used to having vegetables for breakfast more.

Spring Break Trip: Chapter 3: From Egypt, through Israel, to Jordan

The 31st was a day to try men's souls.....well, it sure tried our souls anyway....and our patience! We left Nuweiba and headed North to Taba. The plan was to quickly leave Egypt in Taba and enter into Eliat, Israel, then pass directly into Aquaba, Jordan. I had spent a few months and hours of time preparing all the paperwork in order to make the border crossing experience go smoothly. I guess you can't plan for all things:)

Leaving Egypt was WAY harder than I thought it would be, especially since we are American diplomats living in Egypt. There was lots of red tape and waiting around, then immediately after we left Egypt, we entered Israel---literally 20 feet away! The travel guy at the US Embassy here in Cairo had faxed information to them, we had all our passports and things, but it still took FOREVER. Poor Elisabeth started throwing up in the middle of the night, and someone forgot to tell her stomach that you don't want to have the stomach flu while in the car for HOURS while waiting to cross borders. We finally entered Israel and hurried to drive 5 miles to leave. That really took a long time and then we had to cross into Jordan.

In the end it took us 5 1/2 hours to go essentially 5 miles:) It was quite the adventure and what we learned is that we can do hard things as a family and still have fun together.....well, mostly:)

Here are some pictures of the experience:

Leaving Egypt

Israel

Entering into Jordan and then a picture of all 3 countries (Egypt, Israel and Jordan).

Spring Break Trip: Chapter 2: Nuweiba

Morning of the 30th, we left Sharm and drove North up the eastern side of the Sinai. We passed through the hippy diving town of Dahab and ended up in a very little Bedouin village of Nuweiba. We were hoping the Nakhill Inn would be nicer than the place we stayed in Sharm. We were very pleased and had a blast at this beautiful, peaceful place nestled between the towering mountians and the Red Sea. We snorkeled some more, kayaked, swam, played in the sand, enjoyed peace and quiet and had dinner next to the water in a Bedouin tent. It was perfect!

Spring Break Trip: Chapter 1: Cairo to Sharm El Sheik

We left Cairo, after much planning and packing, early Saturday morning, March 27th. We crossed the Suez canal and drove down the Sinai Penninsula. 6 hours later, we arrived at Sharm El Sheik. Sharm is a totally tourist destination. We went because they also happen to have Egypt's only National Park: Ros Mohammad National Park. We stayed at a cheap place that was ok. No bugs, clean sheets and some decent Egyptian breakfast.

First thing we noticed about Sharm was that people followed the street light signals, drove in the lines and didn't honk too much. AAAHHH what a nice break from Cairo:)

Sunday morning (28th---my 34th birthday!!!) the kids sang to me over breakfast in English and Arabic:) We headed to Ros Mohammed, after getting our snorkeling gear together. It was amazing! Sandy beaches, rocky beaches, turquoise water with brilliant coral and reef life. We swam, collected rocks and shells (that we left there at the end of the day---national park, remember!) and snorkeled like crazy. Brent thinks he counted 30 different varieties of tropical fish along the reef we visited. Really, it was amazing.

Here are pictures: