Well, I emailed Jav and Grandma last night, but I didn't email you, so here we go! This probably isn't going to be super long because I still need to shower & stuff tonight before going to bed early. You may ask, "Abby, why are you showering tonight and going to bed early, when you rarely do either of those things?" I would answer, "Because tomorrow breakfast starts at 5:30 AM so that we can leave for EGYPT!" Yup, I'm going to Egypt tomorrow. I can't believe it; in fact, Egypt was never a big deal to me because I thought of it as just part of the package deal, like "Oh, I'm living in Jerusalem for four months and we're taking a few extended field trips as well" But now that it's getting closer, I'm starting to realize... EGYPT!! I'm going to EGYYYYYPT! I am so excited, even though they've done their best to scare us into staying healthy ("Don't drink the water! Don't brush your teeth with the water! Don't eat anything washed with the water! Don't even LOOK AT or THINK ABOUT LOOKING AT the water!!!") I've decided to take all their precautions completely seriously because I do NOT want to deal with travelers' diarrhea. Especially during my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Egypt. Zowie.
Anyway, it's going to be really cool.. we're tracing the steps of both the Israelite Exodus AND Lehi's family! We're traveling to a couple places in the country, too--the week's events will include:
-A long bus ride to Egypt
-a Kalukah (sailboat) ride on the Nile
-a camel ride in the desert somewhere
-a plane ride from Cairo to Luxor
-a train ride from Luxor to Cairo
-a 'sound and light show' by the pyramids (described by my professor as a "mystical experience in the desert"
-the use of "squatties." Not as excited for that one.
-crawling through the not-the-great-pyramid-but-the-one-that's-next-to-it-and-one-size-smaller pyramid (nobody goes in the great pyramid, apparently. Not even Dr. Chadwick)
-not-crawling through the Egyptian museum. I am super excited for that one.
-taking lots of pictures
-NOT getting sick
And much, much more. I am fully confident that by the end of this trip, everybody will lose all pretense of getting ready in the morning. Mwahahahahahha! I think this is the trip where we all get super close, too; though I'm already starting to see that here. Everyone keeps telling me I look cute. One girl said I always look classy, and a guy with us said, "yeah, you always remind me of Audrey Hepburn." I was duly flattered. I've always wanted to look classy! So in answer to your question about the straightener, don't worry about sending it; I can manage with my roommate's every once in a while, and apparently people think my hair looks good when I throw it into a messy bun, and it's only going to get hotter around here, so no. You don't need to send one. Thanks for asking, though! I appreciate it!
The people here are nice. They're still breaking rules and everything, they haven't changed at all, but my attitude has, and that's a big deal. I'm making some really good friends.
You know what, Mom? I think I will always be glad that I followed the dress rules and that I haven't hacked into facebook or used my personal cell phone or broken the other rules. Personal revelation and the presence of the spirit, I think, depends on our obedience. If I was bending rules (e.g. some people have figured out how to get past the facebook blocker and they feel this is license to use facebook freely), I simply wouldn't get the optimum experience out of being here. I'm glad my skirts are long enough, I'm glad my pants are baggy, I'm glad I can't post my pictures on facebook, because it's humbled me and it's put me in the right attitude to learn the things I need to learn. And apparently it doesn't matter what my clothes look like, I'm still Audrey Hepburn!
Today a group of six of us went to the garden tomb and sang hymns together for maybe an hour and a half. I guess I should explain--the garden tomb is a tomb that most of the Christian world believes is the tomb where Jesus' body was lain. The site includes the tomb itself, of course--it looks like you'd expect; a doorway into the side of a big rock with a little stone courtyard in front of it. A while ago, a British group built up the site. It is now surrounded by pretty gardens and trees, pathways, and little gathering places for groups to sit in while tour guides talk to them. There's a wall around the site that cuts out some of the noise of the busy streets around the site. Basically, it's an EXCELLENT site to sit and and read, ponder, pray, etc. Also, the tour guides are all elderly volunteers from Britain--think Senior Missionary couples. They live in attractive little apartments on the site and they are so sweet! Anyway, it's a really nice, well-taken-care-of site and even though Dr. Chadwick says that archeological evidence strongly suggests that Jesus was not lain here, he also says it doesn't really matter--it's one of his favorite sites. So anyway, six of us went to the garden tomb intending to sing, write in our journals, read our scriptures, etc..., but we ended up singing hymns together almost the entire time. with all humility, we sounded pretty good, and I think people walking along the paths felt the spirit that we felt while we were singing. A few tour groups came through while we were singing; a lot of people took pictures of us as if we were part of the site itself. One couple even joined in with us for a song or two--I think they were surprised when we told them we were Mormons, but they were Mennonites, so there you go. Anyway, it was one of the best 1 1/2 hours I've had since I've been here, and I feel like we shared the gospel as much as we could while still staying within the no-proselytizing rules. Also, you really bond with people after singing with them for an hour and a half. It was a great way to spend the Sabbath.
Another thing I love about going to church here is that during the Sacrament, I look out at the panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem and think about the events of the Savior's death and resurrection. I'm going to miss that a lot when I come home.
I've been sticking to a decision I made to watch what I eat. People have been talking about how much weight they've gained already--one guy has gained 8 lbs already. Girls are telling me that their friends who have come in past semesters gained 15 lbs. Someone told me about a sister-in-law who gained 30 lbs here! I've gained about a kilo (2 lbs), and I've decided that that's it--no more! I noticed my legs one day and realized, "I have nice legs. Those legs are more important to me than eating a million pitas at every meal." And that was the beginning. I have established a one-pita-per-meal-and-portion-control rule. I'm not hardcore dieting, don't worry, I'm just being smarter about what I put into my mouth, because it's really easy to eat a lot here.
Ehhhhh... this wasn't a short email. I'll shoot you guys another one after Egypt. We should probably chit-chat on the telefono when I get back, too, because I will probably have a lot to say, haha...
How is everyone? What's going on at home? You don't post on your blog often enough, mom! I'm sad for ellen that she has to come home, but heck, I'm so excited for her to come home! I want to say to her, "when you get home, this!" and "this summer, that!" but I know she doesn't want to hear it. Sigh.
Well. I'm going to shower now. We get home next Sunday, so I probably won't check my email until next Monday. Until then, be safe, everyone! I love you all Sooooooooo much!
Love, abby
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