I actually have work sitting right beside me...I will do work tonight, i will do work tonight, i will do work tonight....
Today was a pretty standard day at the lab...actually not so standard, my material just got extremely complicated for myself, but for the most part in a good way...a challenging way. I learned so much today and I'm sure I will learn more in the next few.
In the bathroom at the site there is this gecko that hangs out on the walls (I started using this bathroom after I got my period since there is a waste basket in there...I no longer use the mastaba spot), He is a pale yellow and blends in the the walls. The bathroom there, as I'm sure I mentioned before is just a hole in the floor basically...it's really hard to aim when you're a girl by the way. Anyways...the gecko is in there a lot since there are a lot of flies. He startles me every time I go in there. Today I saw him go for the kill and grab this huge bug with his mouth. I was most intrigued so i watched him wrestle it and prepare his meal. He kept shaking his head violently, bug clenched in his mouth. He then jumps back when he sees me...shakes his head some more and then the next thing I know I have a half alive bug whizzing past my face...yes..the gecko threw the bug at me. When I went inside and explained the story to Richard and John, Richard said that perhaps it was an offering and that the gecko was trying to please me...John agreed adding in that I do spend a lot of time in the bathroom...which is tue, because as most of you know I have the saddest excuse for a bladder, and here I drink 5 bottles of water and about 4-5 cups of coffee...maybe tomorrow I will keep track of how many times I pee...but maybe that is very unnecessary information, if you have spent an afternoon with me, you know how it goes. In fact, my first day here Richard took me aside to check and make sure I wasn't have intestinal/bowel issues already....it was a really awkward an embarassing conversation partly because I think he might not have believed me at first when I just said it was my bladder,,,but now I think he knows I was telling the truth since I'm a pretty consistent pee frequenter...
Oh wow..my entries have regressed into discussion of urination..I need to get out of here...
Another thing that has been bothering me is not being active. I work all day of course, but I just sit at my lab table. I don't do very much walking, I don't get a lot of exercise and I always led a pretty active life before coming here. I can't really do any exercise outside either because it's too hot, and jogging is not something you do in Cairo. Today, I was so desparate to do some sort of exercise activity that I tried to make a jump rope in my room...it didn't work. So instead i turned on some music and danced around my room for a half hour...laugh if you will...but there's nothing wrong with dancing by yourself after a long day's work.
Speaking of long day's work..tomorrow i don't have to work all day! I'm not sure if we are working a half day and finishing at 1:30, or if we are going to return after lunch and work until 3:30. Apparently we are meeting up with another zooarchaeologist that Ricahrd knows.
We are also only working half of the day on Thursday because we are moving out of the Villa and into the large apartment for the rest of the stay. After Thursday we are on our own with laundry and meals. I've been kind of spoiled these past 3 weeks in terms of that. We will probably eat a lot at that one delicious restaurant I write about. The other night between two people there was a plate of falafel, a mashed bean and herb salad called bassara, pita and baba ghanoush, tomatoes and cheese (which i didn't eat of course) and 2 cokes all for under 6 dollars...it's incredible...one of the best restaurants i've ever eaten at, with the best middle eastern food, costs less for two people, than my shampoo and conditioner did...less than 2 boxes of granola bars that I bought...it is unreal.
All in all,..yay for short weeks! It is almost the 29th...which means, only 16 days until I get on a plane! Only two more Fridays of Egyptian excursions.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
5/27/85
Someone please look at the date....don't ask me how I managed to write that it's 22 years ago...ahem:
5/27/07
Today as I was heading downstairs for dinner, Maryann, the ethnobotnist among many other titles, stopped me and asked to have a word with me. Maryann is really sweet and so I was not immediately worried that she was taking me aside, but at the same time I was initially perplexed. She began by saying that she was getting ready to go out with Ana and Mark, two other project leaders to talk about who will and wont be working here next year. My heart sank. Richard and i had already talked about me coming back here next year, but was she pulling me aside to tell me otherwise?...I struggled to piece together the past few weeks at rapid pace, racing through anything I could have possibly done wrong and trying to come up with some sort of response to it. Was someone having a problem with me that I didn't know about? Had I done or said something inappropriate or disrespectful? I keep to myself a lot, so I could not imagine what she was going to say next. Well, it turns out, that that was just the sidenote for why she was talking to me now and not at dinner. She actually just called me in to say very kind, supportive, and encouraging things. She has been a tremendous help while I have been here and I look up to her so much. She constantly tells me how well I am doing and that she thinks that she and I are a lot alike, which is an amazing compliment, because she is so accomplished. She has worked all over, and she teaches in London. I could only hope to be that successful in my endeavors.
****
The weather is getting much hotter. It's the kind of heat that rolls over you, makes you break a sweat and take a long blink. You feel tired, and out of it, with intermissions of light headedness. As much as I want to drink coffee to combat the sleepiness I feel, I know that it is from dehydration and not from lack of sleep, or the need for caffeine. What I have been doing is telling myself that I cannot have coffee until I drink a bottle of water. By the time I down the water, i feel energized again and don't need the coffee, so it works out. It is pretty uncomfortable though. You walk by a window and it feels like you are walking by an oven. In the lab, I will feel like I am fine, but then i will stand up and realize that my clothes are damp from sweat.
My sweat dampened skin traps dirt into every crack and cuticle on my hands. I looked down at them today after I had been working a while. I thought to myself, wow...my dad would be so proud...so proud to know that his little girl followed his footsteps in picking up and seeing the world, living in new places...he would also be proud to know that my dirt crusted hands could rival his own- yes, that's how dirty my hands were today.
Given that the days are filled which so much dirt and sweat...naturally when I get home, I want to get into the shower. So far, I could vouch for the fact that the showers here have been great. The water works, the bathrooms are clean...but of course, that would be a statement spoken much too soon.
Today I got in the shower after work, much like I do most days. I start my shampooing my hair and letting it sit on there for a bit so that I can really get all of the dirt out. Meanwhile I lather up the rest of me, lots and lots and lots of soap. So I am doing this, the way I do everyday...then suddenly, the shower head starts spitting at me..a rush of pressure causes hot water to spout from the hose connected to the head and complete shower chaos ensues. Next, the pressure reduces to the point that only little droplets dribble down, having minimal affect on my sudd covered self. So I try turning the water off and turning it back on. Again I get this spitting response from the shower until it just stops working all together. So here I am, standing the shower, soap all over, shampoo in my hair utterly perplexed...perplexed, but not surprised. Okay,, the soap not a big deal...take a wash cloth and get it off. My hair...there was the challenge. Lucky for me, I am one of those terrible people that constantly has 4 or 5 half filled water bottles in my room. So I wrap myself up in a towel and trot down the hall to my room to grab some bottles...BLAST! Yesterday the cleaning people had taken all of my water bottles! I did have one though, but it was nearly empty. The sink in the bathroom wasn't working either so I couldn't fill it up there, and I did't want to walk downstairs in a towel to get more bottles of water for my hair. Quickly I think to try the sink in my own room. Eureeka! it works...so I start filling up my water bottle..done...scuttle back to the bathroom and rinse out the shampoo...but of course one bottle of water isn't enough, have you seen how long my hair is getting??? So i come back here to repeat- a situation where rinsing and repeating is actually necessary. Only this time, when I fill up the bottle the water looks like this:
I repeat, this water came from my faucet.
Now at this point I am incredibly distraught...I begin thinking...holy geez, how often is the water like this withut me knowing or noticing. Word on the street is that if you put your clothes, after washing them here, into a clean bucket of water, the amount of dirt that bleeds into the water is outrageous. So at this point...I can't even decide if i want the water to start working again knowing that theres a chance that that much dirt could come out.
Of course after a certain amount of time the water did start working again and i just did as I always do and rinsed the rest of my hair out without thinking about how dirty the water could be,,,but this had involved many trips back and forth to the bathroom, in my towel and shampoo saturated hair.
Well that is going to do it for the day in the life of a kelly in cairo. I took some benedryl because my allergies were out of control today. Apparenly date palm is in bloom...and apparently i'm allergic to it! I sound pretty gross...lots of sneezing and lots of snot, and lots of morning post nasal drip mmmmm....
I hope everyone has a good day off tomorrow. I will be working from 7-5 yet again~!
5/27/07
Today as I was heading downstairs for dinner, Maryann, the ethnobotnist among many other titles, stopped me and asked to have a word with me. Maryann is really sweet and so I was not immediately worried that she was taking me aside, but at the same time I was initially perplexed. She began by saying that she was getting ready to go out with Ana and Mark, two other project leaders to talk about who will and wont be working here next year. My heart sank. Richard and i had already talked about me coming back here next year, but was she pulling me aside to tell me otherwise?...I struggled to piece together the past few weeks at rapid pace, racing through anything I could have possibly done wrong and trying to come up with some sort of response to it. Was someone having a problem with me that I didn't know about? Had I done or said something inappropriate or disrespectful? I keep to myself a lot, so I could not imagine what she was going to say next. Well, it turns out, that that was just the sidenote for why she was talking to me now and not at dinner. She actually just called me in to say very kind, supportive, and encouraging things. She has been a tremendous help while I have been here and I look up to her so much. She constantly tells me how well I am doing and that she thinks that she and I are a lot alike, which is an amazing compliment, because she is so accomplished. She has worked all over, and she teaches in London. I could only hope to be that successful in my endeavors.
****
The weather is getting much hotter. It's the kind of heat that rolls over you, makes you break a sweat and take a long blink. You feel tired, and out of it, with intermissions of light headedness. As much as I want to drink coffee to combat the sleepiness I feel, I know that it is from dehydration and not from lack of sleep, or the need for caffeine. What I have been doing is telling myself that I cannot have coffee until I drink a bottle of water. By the time I down the water, i feel energized again and don't need the coffee, so it works out. It is pretty uncomfortable though. You walk by a window and it feels like you are walking by an oven. In the lab, I will feel like I am fine, but then i will stand up and realize that my clothes are damp from sweat.
My sweat dampened skin traps dirt into every crack and cuticle on my hands. I looked down at them today after I had been working a while. I thought to myself, wow...my dad would be so proud...so proud to know that his little girl followed his footsteps in picking up and seeing the world, living in new places...he would also be proud to know that my dirt crusted hands could rival his own- yes, that's how dirty my hands were today.
Given that the days are filled which so much dirt and sweat...naturally when I get home, I want to get into the shower. So far, I could vouch for the fact that the showers here have been great. The water works, the bathrooms are clean...but of course, that would be a statement spoken much too soon.
Today I got in the shower after work, much like I do most days. I start my shampooing my hair and letting it sit on there for a bit so that I can really get all of the dirt out. Meanwhile I lather up the rest of me, lots and lots and lots of soap. So I am doing this, the way I do everyday...then suddenly, the shower head starts spitting at me..a rush of pressure causes hot water to spout from the hose connected to the head and complete shower chaos ensues. Next, the pressure reduces to the point that only little droplets dribble down, having minimal affect on my sudd covered self. So I try turning the water off and turning it back on. Again I get this spitting response from the shower until it just stops working all together. So here I am, standing the shower, soap all over, shampoo in my hair utterly perplexed...perplexed, but not surprised. Okay,, the soap not a big deal...take a wash cloth and get it off. My hair...there was the challenge. Lucky for me, I am one of those terrible people that constantly has 4 or 5 half filled water bottles in my room. So I wrap myself up in a towel and trot down the hall to my room to grab some bottles...BLAST! Yesterday the cleaning people had taken all of my water bottles! I did have one though, but it was nearly empty. The sink in the bathroom wasn't working either so I couldn't fill it up there, and I did't want to walk downstairs in a towel to get more bottles of water for my hair. Quickly I think to try the sink in my own room. Eureeka! it works...so I start filling up my water bottle..done...scuttle back to the bathroom and rinse out the shampoo...but of course one bottle of water isn't enough, have you seen how long my hair is getting??? So i come back here to repeat- a situation where rinsing and repeating is actually necessary. Only this time, when I fill up the bottle the water looks like this:
I repeat, this water came from my faucet.
Now at this point I am incredibly distraught...I begin thinking...holy geez, how often is the water like this withut me knowing or noticing. Word on the street is that if you put your clothes, after washing them here, into a clean bucket of water, the amount of dirt that bleeds into the water is outrageous. So at this point...I can't even decide if i want the water to start working again knowing that theres a chance that that much dirt could come out.
Of course after a certain amount of time the water did start working again and i just did as I always do and rinsed the rest of my hair out without thinking about how dirty the water could be,,,but this had involved many trips back and forth to the bathroom, in my towel and shampoo saturated hair.
Well that is going to do it for the day in the life of a kelly in cairo. I took some benedryl because my allergies were out of control today. Apparenly date palm is in bloom...and apparently i'm allergic to it! I sound pretty gross...lots of sneezing and lots of snot, and lots of morning post nasal drip mmmmm....
I hope everyone has a good day off tomorrow. I will be working from 7-5 yet again~!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
5/26/07
I don't plan on writing very much today.
In my material i found a human skull...this isn't really anything interesting or intriguing to my work, it is actually just an excavation mistake...it should have gone with the osetology specialist. It was still kind of cool to find though.
Today was pretty normal though...although I was startled from my sleep by my buzzing phone at 4:30 am, with a picture text message from my cousin. It was a picture of my brother's toe which is terribly infected and gross looking. I was quite confused. It took me until about mid afternoon to realize it wasn't a dream.
I did find these for your viewing pleasure. Videos of traffic in egypt...this shows them at slow pace though..things get even scarier when speed is involved, Notice all of the honking horns...this is what you hear all the time from everywhere in egypt. This is my "mood music" if you will...some people listen to crashing waves, some the lovely songs of humpback whales, other the chirps of crickets in the night...I listen to horns...and they are only to be outdone by call to prayer. The only time there is not rush hour traffic in egypt is on Friday when everyone is praying at the mosques
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYqhiFnuLSM&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmTIUKaLWBs&mode=related&search=
I think the fact that you can look up insane traffic specifically speaks on its own
Heres one forminside a car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-t6FZujJxM&mode=related&search=
whats hilarious about this last one is it makes it seem like people pull over for an ambulance..,a lot of times the ambulance turns on sirens just to get through traffic...however in my experience no one moves for them...in fact..i was in traffic, stuck next to one with the sirens blaring in my ears...I look over and the driver and the passenger are both laughing and having a cigarette...yes big emergencies.
Here is a clip will call to prayer in the background...it really is amazing how used to it you get...like i said, i sleep through it every night/morning, most people do not. This video does not actually do justice to how poor quality the speaker system is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPrbuHxi1w8&mode=related&search=
In my material i found a human skull...this isn't really anything interesting or intriguing to my work, it is actually just an excavation mistake...it should have gone with the osetology specialist. It was still kind of cool to find though.
Today was pretty normal though...although I was startled from my sleep by my buzzing phone at 4:30 am, with a picture text message from my cousin. It was a picture of my brother's toe which is terribly infected and gross looking. I was quite confused. It took me until about mid afternoon to realize it wasn't a dream.
I did find these for your viewing pleasure. Videos of traffic in egypt...this shows them at slow pace though..things get even scarier when speed is involved, Notice all of the honking horns...this is what you hear all the time from everywhere in egypt. This is my "mood music" if you will...some people listen to crashing waves, some the lovely songs of humpback whales, other the chirps of crickets in the night...I listen to horns...and they are only to be outdone by call to prayer. The only time there is not rush hour traffic in egypt is on Friday when everyone is praying at the mosques
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYqhiFnuLSM&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmTIUKaLWBs&mode=related&search=
I think the fact that you can look up insane traffic specifically speaks on its own
Heres one forminside a car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-t6FZujJxM&mode=related&search=
whats hilarious about this last one is it makes it seem like people pull over for an ambulance..,a lot of times the ambulance turns on sirens just to get through traffic...however in my experience no one moves for them...in fact..i was in traffic, stuck next to one with the sirens blaring in my ears...I look over and the driver and the passenger are both laughing and having a cigarette...yes big emergencies.
Here is a clip will call to prayer in the background...it really is amazing how used to it you get...like i said, i sleep through it every night/morning, most people do not. This video does not actually do justice to how poor quality the speaker system is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPrbuHxi1w8&mode=related&search=
Friday, May 25, 2007
5/25: oh it's the 25th already! Oh snap~!
I am doing some massive multi tasking right now, mainly because I can't sit and write this blog while my room is the disaster that it is...so i started organizing my stuff and packing up for the move next week. But at the same time I am just really hyper so I clean a little, and then i come back to the computer and then i move around and eat candy and sugar and ahhh.
I think I have quickly readjusted to living by myself again. The perks of privacy have re-emerged so I am doing well.
Oh man someone just said enjoy your memorial day weekend....i didn't even know it was memorial day weekend..heh.
I slept so well last night. I woke up delighted, surrounded by a plethora of plushy pillows and a matress that doesn't leave half of my limbs tingling with loss of blood flow. Waking up in comfort put me in an instant good mood.
I also went shopping today. here is me before going into town. I took a picture of me standing in front of the mirror. This shirt is my trick method of adding long sleeves to tank tops!
here are pictures from town. A lot of this is 15th-16th century architecture and it was great to walk through, as I am a pretty big fan of medieval architecture.
I went into one of the mosques and it was absolutey breathtaking. When i came in, I had to take off my shoes and cover my hair. The sunlight ricocheted off the white floor, it was blinding.
This is the gate into town.
These right here were used to hang the heads of enemies in the past. From above we found the area where they would dump hot oil on the enemies as the walked under the passage:
We were able to climb the minerets and get an amazing view of mosque courts and other religious architecture in the hazy distance. In there is also an original piece of the wooden doors that managed to preserve. I also took a picture of the roof tops of peoples houses and sale shops...it's actually for a top secret theory my professor is working on.
This was on display inside the wall and mineret towers. They have been doing a lot to restore it and found these artifacts. I chose this photo op for obvious reasons if you can make out the blurb:
(I realized you can't...they are little coffee cups with an explanation on coffee making)
Here is a picture just of town. This is what most of Cairo looks like. Dirt roads and shop after shop after shop. The quality and range of merchandise is similar to american flea markets, only as my professor noted, these ones actually have fleas too.
I thought for sure I had captured a scene where a local had just defeathered a duck and cut its head off but alas, it was not in my camera...I'm sure you're all devestated.
I did not buy much at the Bazar. I got Marcia's gift and Megan's gift. Megan, I'm sure you know you are getting a snowglobe, because i hate shopping and you asked for one...but oddly enough, I asked my professor about it and he said he had never seen a snowglobe in Egypt. We looked everywhere for them but after a while we gave up and decided to leave. Imagine our surprise when we go to walk out of the Bazar and there is a stand with SNOWGLOBES. The guy really took advantage of me not understanding how egyptian pounds and dollars work. I was not able to haggle the price down by much. But megan let it be known, that my professor is DIGUSTED that someone he knows bought a snowglobe in egypt...I wouldn't be too offended though, he bought his wife lapis beatle earrings.
After the Bazar, we went to the Meridian and got sushi...I really do love getting spoiled on Fridays and eating in fancier places. It is a nice break. Once we finished eating, Richard took me to this store my roommate had reccomended that had fixed prices and higher quality merchandise. I got a lot of gifts out of the way there, including some stuff for me. here are some earrings I purchased:
HOLD IT! I just went to the earrings to take a picture of them and I realized megans snow globe broke... CURSES...no seriously...mummy curses...It was the tackiest snow globe in the world with a deformed Nefratiti- she had a lazy eye, oh blast!
heh I really don't know what i am going to do about that snowglobe...guess you might have to settle for a nicer gift meg, because i am never going to the bazar again haha...that is a place only to be experienced once! I really loved how tacky that thing was. The snowglobe, not the bazar.
Well that is it for today...i will probably proof read this later, but not now. Have a happy memorial day everyone!
I think I have quickly readjusted to living by myself again. The perks of privacy have re-emerged so I am doing well.
Oh man someone just said enjoy your memorial day weekend....i didn't even know it was memorial day weekend..heh.
I slept so well last night. I woke up delighted, surrounded by a plethora of plushy pillows and a matress that doesn't leave half of my limbs tingling with loss of blood flow. Waking up in comfort put me in an instant good mood.
I also went shopping today. here is me before going into town. I took a picture of me standing in front of the mirror. This shirt is my trick method of adding long sleeves to tank tops!
here are pictures from town. A lot of this is 15th-16th century architecture and it was great to walk through, as I am a pretty big fan of medieval architecture.
I went into one of the mosques and it was absolutey breathtaking. When i came in, I had to take off my shoes and cover my hair. The sunlight ricocheted off the white floor, it was blinding.
This is the gate into town.
These right here were used to hang the heads of enemies in the past. From above we found the area where they would dump hot oil on the enemies as the walked under the passage:
We were able to climb the minerets and get an amazing view of mosque courts and other religious architecture in the hazy distance. In there is also an original piece of the wooden doors that managed to preserve. I also took a picture of the roof tops of peoples houses and sale shops...it's actually for a top secret theory my professor is working on.
This was on display inside the wall and mineret towers. They have been doing a lot to restore it and found these artifacts. I chose this photo op for obvious reasons if you can make out the blurb:
(I realized you can't...they are little coffee cups with an explanation on coffee making)
Here is a picture just of town. This is what most of Cairo looks like. Dirt roads and shop after shop after shop. The quality and range of merchandise is similar to american flea markets, only as my professor noted, these ones actually have fleas too.
I thought for sure I had captured a scene where a local had just defeathered a duck and cut its head off but alas, it was not in my camera...I'm sure you're all devestated.
I did not buy much at the Bazar. I got Marcia's gift and Megan's gift. Megan, I'm sure you know you are getting a snowglobe, because i hate shopping and you asked for one...but oddly enough, I asked my professor about it and he said he had never seen a snowglobe in Egypt. We looked everywhere for them but after a while we gave up and decided to leave. Imagine our surprise when we go to walk out of the Bazar and there is a stand with SNOWGLOBES. The guy really took advantage of me not understanding how egyptian pounds and dollars work. I was not able to haggle the price down by much. But megan let it be known, that my professor is DIGUSTED that someone he knows bought a snowglobe in egypt...I wouldn't be too offended though, he bought his wife lapis beatle earrings.
After the Bazar, we went to the Meridian and got sushi...I really do love getting spoiled on Fridays and eating in fancier places. It is a nice break. Once we finished eating, Richard took me to this store my roommate had reccomended that had fixed prices and higher quality merchandise. I got a lot of gifts out of the way there, including some stuff for me. here are some earrings I purchased:
HOLD IT! I just went to the earrings to take a picture of them and I realized megans snow globe broke... CURSES...no seriously...mummy curses...It was the tackiest snow globe in the world with a deformed Nefratiti- she had a lazy eye, oh blast!
heh I really don't know what i am going to do about that snowglobe...guess you might have to settle for a nicer gift meg, because i am never going to the bazar again haha...that is a place only to be experienced once! I really loved how tacky that thing was. The snowglobe, not the bazar.
Well that is it for today...i will probably proof read this later, but not now. Have a happy memorial day everyone!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
5/24/07 updated 5:08
Dear Bloggary,
Today i only had to work a half day! usually the crew gets half of thursday and all of friday off during the excavation season, however now as the season wraps up and everyone frantically finishes analysis and reporting, they find themselves working through to the end of Thursday....but not this one! You would think that I would come home and be productive, but I really wasn't. i cleaned my room a bit and took a shower, and then chatted online.
My stomach was still a little off today...more and more I am growing skeptical of food choices, even though they often taste delicious, you never know how you are going to react to the bacteria here. I soon may find myself only subsisting on rice...However after we move we don't have people cooking the meals anymore and we will have to get them ourselves, so that will be more trustworthy. This morning i was working on my crossword puzzle and drinking my coffee, when I decided i needed more sugar...I left to get some and when I turned around, my good friends the maggots paid me another visit. i turned around and there they were wiggling about on my crossword puzzle (they must be coming from the ceiling). so i went to get a napkin to crush them and get them off the table...and did you know those things can jump? Here he is...he popped in the air after the flash:
Tonight we went into town for dinner. We ate at an Italian place. I just had pasta. Those were three very simple sentences.
I had a really good time and I tried the espresso there which was better than what I had in Zurich, but I also got to drink it out of a fancy glass.
I would like to take this moment to tell you all in Michigan that I do not want to hear you say how hot it is...when it's 88 here I contemplate grabbing a jacket...
Tomorrow is my day off and we are going to the Khan and the Bazarr I believe...the names probably aren't important, the main point is that tomorrow I am shopping. Now, I am not a big fan of shopping in the first place...and these places don't have fixed prices, it's all haggling prices down...because I have such a tremendous impatience for this sort of thing, presents for my close family and friends may not be as well thought out as they have been in previous vacations of mine. I dont even know what to get for boys out here...especially Kirk, that weirdo...I want to try to avoid really hard just giving people stuff that takes up space, but we'll see.
That should take up about half of the day and then i will HOPEFULLY do some work, either on my research design, or my area database. Then it's back to work on Saturday.
ALSO, i took my roommate's bed...it is amazing by comparison...it is amazing by default of being flat... I also now have soft fluffy pillows as opposed to the very uncomfortable one I had before. Finally some beauty sleep!:
Sorry that's such a boob shot...it's just the tank top, Egyptian water didn't give a C cup or anything like that.
Thats it for tonight, I need sleep now!
But lastly, Janel: I got your comment but I am going to keep it unpublished so no one else can read it. Give me your email and I will write you back about it.
Today i only had to work a half day! usually the crew gets half of thursday and all of friday off during the excavation season, however now as the season wraps up and everyone frantically finishes analysis and reporting, they find themselves working through to the end of Thursday....but not this one! You would think that I would come home and be productive, but I really wasn't. i cleaned my room a bit and took a shower, and then chatted online.
My stomach was still a little off today...more and more I am growing skeptical of food choices, even though they often taste delicious, you never know how you are going to react to the bacteria here. I soon may find myself only subsisting on rice...However after we move we don't have people cooking the meals anymore and we will have to get them ourselves, so that will be more trustworthy. This morning i was working on my crossword puzzle and drinking my coffee, when I decided i needed more sugar...I left to get some and when I turned around, my good friends the maggots paid me another visit. i turned around and there they were wiggling about on my crossword puzzle (they must be coming from the ceiling). so i went to get a napkin to crush them and get them off the table...and did you know those things can jump? Here he is...he popped in the air after the flash:
Tonight we went into town for dinner. We ate at an Italian place. I just had pasta. Those were three very simple sentences.
I had a really good time and I tried the espresso there which was better than what I had in Zurich, but I also got to drink it out of a fancy glass.
I would like to take this moment to tell you all in Michigan that I do not want to hear you say how hot it is...when it's 88 here I contemplate grabbing a jacket...
Tomorrow is my day off and we are going to the Khan and the Bazarr I believe...the names probably aren't important, the main point is that tomorrow I am shopping. Now, I am not a big fan of shopping in the first place...and these places don't have fixed prices, it's all haggling prices down...because I have such a tremendous impatience for this sort of thing, presents for my close family and friends may not be as well thought out as they have been in previous vacations of mine. I dont even know what to get for boys out here...especially Kirk, that weirdo...I want to try to avoid really hard just giving people stuff that takes up space, but we'll see.
That should take up about half of the day and then i will HOPEFULLY do some work, either on my research design, or my area database. Then it's back to work on Saturday.
ALSO, i took my roommate's bed...it is amazing by comparison...it is amazing by default of being flat... I also now have soft fluffy pillows as opposed to the very uncomfortable one I had before. Finally some beauty sleep!:
Sorry that's such a boob shot...it's just the tank top, Egyptian water didn't give a C cup or anything like that.
Thats it for tonight, I need sleep now!
But lastly, Janel: I got your comment but I am going to keep it unpublished so no one else can read it. Give me your email and I will write you back about it.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Approaching 5/24
Two entries in one night....what is going on you ask?
I was able to pass out in my room around 10:30. My roommate was still packing up her stuff, but since I work in the morning, and worked all day today, I didn't have the energy to stay up with her. Not to mention dinner tonight made me a little ill (I wasn't the only one that's why I know it was dinner and not me being sick). Tally One for adverse throw up reaction towards food served in Egypt.
When I woke up an hour later, it was dark, the other side of the room was empty, and my roommate had left the once always oscillating fan situated with the cool air blowing only on me. She also left me some saltine crackers in case I was feeling sick again. And now here I am unable to fall back asleep. Part of me is sad, part of me is lonely, part of me is a little anxious. I guess i really didn't consider how comforting it was to have someone who every morning and every night is empathizing and relating to the things you are going through. And when I didn't want to go through those things, i could talk to her about something else to distract from the many thoughts driving my introversion. Now it is just silence and isolation and I almost don't know what to do with myself. She wasn't even here most of the time, and when she was she was usually skyping or texting. But all of the little things which helped make this living condition easier are now gone and it is an entirely new adjustment. By the 30th, I will also be packing to move into a different living space entirely.
It's life on the go, job in a suitcase, time spent alone, but it's still apart of a dream I want, and am still grateful for having received so far.
This entry was more so just meant to help me re-unwind and get sleepy again.
Didn't work much so I will read.
I was able to pass out in my room around 10:30. My roommate was still packing up her stuff, but since I work in the morning, and worked all day today, I didn't have the energy to stay up with her. Not to mention dinner tonight made me a little ill (I wasn't the only one that's why I know it was dinner and not me being sick). Tally One for adverse throw up reaction towards food served in Egypt.
When I woke up an hour later, it was dark, the other side of the room was empty, and my roommate had left the once always oscillating fan situated with the cool air blowing only on me. She also left me some saltine crackers in case I was feeling sick again. And now here I am unable to fall back asleep. Part of me is sad, part of me is lonely, part of me is a little anxious. I guess i really didn't consider how comforting it was to have someone who every morning and every night is empathizing and relating to the things you are going through. And when I didn't want to go through those things, i could talk to her about something else to distract from the many thoughts driving my introversion. Now it is just silence and isolation and I almost don't know what to do with myself. She wasn't even here most of the time, and when she was she was usually skyping or texting. But all of the little things which helped make this living condition easier are now gone and it is an entirely new adjustment. By the 30th, I will also be packing to move into a different living space entirely.
It's life on the go, job in a suitcase, time spent alone, but it's still apart of a dream I want, and am still grateful for having received so far.
This entry was more so just meant to help me re-unwind and get sleepy again.
Didn't work much so I will read.
5/23/07
Sorry I missed the entry yesterday...I'm sure you were all devestated! I had to babysit after I got off of work and before I went over there I had to call my mom and wish her a very happy birthday. She is going through some hard times right now, though she is in good spirits which makes me glad. She sounded happy to hear from me. I actually had called her a few nights before in tears, so she considered her birthday present from me a "I'm feeling better" phone call.
That said, you should all know, that for various, not to be overly detailed reasons, I am doing much better here and I anticipate it to last throughout the rest of my trip. So hopefully no more downer entries- but still insightful ones! I also have pictures to post today, yay!
I suppose I will start with recapping yesterday. One of the professors here had to give a lecture. He has adorable kids that needed to be looked after while he and most of the GPMP members attended. My roommate had originally asked jokingly if I would help and I said that I would actually love to help. First of all, it's one of her last nights here so i wanted to hang out with her, plus I want to get in as much socializing as I can before she and her team leaves. Once they are gone, it is just Richard and I pretty much, After a week or so, John, the guy I babysat for, will come back and keep working in the lab with us, only he works on something else.
My roommate, whose name I never mentioned before, Ally, went over to John's around 3:45. I wasn't done working until 5:00 and then I called my mom afterwards. This means, that in order for me to babysit, I had to walk to John's...alone. That's right...I walked somewhere in Egypt for the first time, by myself. It wasnt icredibly far away or anything...maybe like a quarter mile. I made sure I was covered, my arms, my hair, my eyes...despite the fact that I was hidden under these layers of clothing in the 90 degree evening, I cannot begin to tell you guys how liberating it was to be able to walk down the street by myself. Of course I can never blend in completely here...the white skin still visible on my face, and the western apparel still brought on the attention of drivers who honked and hollered...but it was nothing that made me too uncomfortable, nor did it take away from how great it felt to just walk down the street.
Once I got to the apartments standard babysitting routine ensued. We watched Madagascar. I wasn't able to pay much attention to it. John's children are 2 and 4, and another woman who excavates here, Ana, her daughter was over as well. The kids were a handful so I only caught bits and pieces of madacascar. Alex, the 2 year old is in that "What's that?" phase. I told him that the shiny thing he could see in the street was a butterfly balloon, at least 37 times. Additionally, he still wants to be held constantly and any attempt you make to try and put him down is countered with exorcism qualitity body contortions. Rosie, the 4 year old, just had a lot of energy and was pretty much impossible to please ha! She made Ally pick out every tiny sliver of basil in her spaghetti. Then she wanted grape juice-but once you got it for her, she wanted tea- and then grape juice again. I made her a picture with her name on it which she hung on the door.
Babysitting was definitely tiring but I had fun. I am glad i helped, I have no idea how Ally would have done it alone with that little alex not having anything to do with being put down. It was also just a good way for me to feel more apart of the team. Alex had his birthday party tonight too, and the kids came up and hugged me...it's like being apart of another family out here, it is nice. Again, too bad everyone is leaving!
Oh man this entry is getting super long and that's without the pictures!
From time to time I remember that there are things i have been meaning to mention and haven't. As i sit here, itching, I think..boy what were those things...itching..ah hah! oh yes. So you heard me complain about mosquitos. Well let me tell you about this wonderful game we have here called- Guess the Bug Bite...this of course is because there are multiple bugs that bite you out here. If you have bites on your feet, they are from fleas. It's funny....I have never been the type of person to really prefer walking around barefoot. Sure in the summer I will sport some flip flops, but as soon as i'm walking around my room or house, I want socks. You would think I would be far more insistent on wearing socks here since everything is so dirty...at least to me that seems like the most forward logic...but I also only have so many socks here, and I don't like getting my laundry ready every other day...after working in the field, when i come home, the sweaty, sandy gross socks have to go. Afterwards I just never put socks back on. I usually hate wearing pants with socks...but now i do it all the time...which of course means, I have little flea bites on my feet. I know for some people, that feeling would be awful...knowing there are flea infested carpets and that they are snacking on your toes...I myself, just got over it...because wait until you hear what else we have....I will call upon a sweet nightly nothing:
"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite"
Bed Bugs...yep we got 'em, and yep they bite us. Ally and I frequently spray down the beds with water and euclyptus oil which is supposed to help. It also makes the sheets a little damp which works out on the hot nights. You may be thinking..sleeping in damp sheets?? Yes...the theme of my travels is, adjust quickly, or lose your sanity. Wet sheets and bed bugs,,,and I swear to you, I've never slept better.
On the topic of bugs check out these guys:
These are flesh eating beatles. Remember my photos of the comparative collection of skeletons? The ones we use to compare the bones from the site to. Well...this is how we get the comparative collection. We get dead animals, either kill them, hunt them, fish them, or we get road kill. Our fish collection is quite small...so we have been doing this the past few days:
The beatles are floating in the water
mmmmm chow down beatles!
Then they dry out:
This all happens right outside of the lab. Did I get grossed out by the smell? No..we poured ammonia in there so it helped a bit, but it did smell kind of bad.
Today I finished week 4 material and started week 5. Keep in mind I haven't even worked 3 weeks yet, so this is very good news, I am doing quite well. Unfortunately I am not very caught up on data entry, or my reading...they are just very hard to focus on...it will get done though.
My cough here has actually gotten worse. I don't feel ill otherwise, just a bad cough. My chest is really tight, and last night it was actually kind of hard to breathe. I've been keeping my professor informed so that it doesn't get bad. He went and bought me cough drops today. This morning I coughed up mucus that actually had dirt and sand in it...it was pretty gross. I am starting to understand how my professor wound up with lung cancer without ever having smoked a cigarette in his life...simply working here for 20 years.
With that, I leave you with another photo of the Giza skyline...look at the beautiful haze.
and here are some more shots of tombs and pyramids...you know i nearly forget that I live and work here. The last photo is of the lab. The tent is where the little coffee making set up is.
byeeee everyone!
That said, you should all know, that for various, not to be overly detailed reasons, I am doing much better here and I anticipate it to last throughout the rest of my trip. So hopefully no more downer entries- but still insightful ones! I also have pictures to post today, yay!
I suppose I will start with recapping yesterday. One of the professors here had to give a lecture. He has adorable kids that needed to be looked after while he and most of the GPMP members attended. My roommate had originally asked jokingly if I would help and I said that I would actually love to help. First of all, it's one of her last nights here so i wanted to hang out with her, plus I want to get in as much socializing as I can before she and her team leaves. Once they are gone, it is just Richard and I pretty much, After a week or so, John, the guy I babysat for, will come back and keep working in the lab with us, only he works on something else.
My roommate, whose name I never mentioned before, Ally, went over to John's around 3:45. I wasn't done working until 5:00 and then I called my mom afterwards. This means, that in order for me to babysit, I had to walk to John's...alone. That's right...I walked somewhere in Egypt for the first time, by myself. It wasnt icredibly far away or anything...maybe like a quarter mile. I made sure I was covered, my arms, my hair, my eyes...despite the fact that I was hidden under these layers of clothing in the 90 degree evening, I cannot begin to tell you guys how liberating it was to be able to walk down the street by myself. Of course I can never blend in completely here...the white skin still visible on my face, and the western apparel still brought on the attention of drivers who honked and hollered...but it was nothing that made me too uncomfortable, nor did it take away from how great it felt to just walk down the street.
Once I got to the apartments standard babysitting routine ensued. We watched Madagascar. I wasn't able to pay much attention to it. John's children are 2 and 4, and another woman who excavates here, Ana, her daughter was over as well. The kids were a handful so I only caught bits and pieces of madacascar. Alex, the 2 year old is in that "What's that?" phase. I told him that the shiny thing he could see in the street was a butterfly balloon, at least 37 times. Additionally, he still wants to be held constantly and any attempt you make to try and put him down is countered with exorcism qualitity body contortions. Rosie, the 4 year old, just had a lot of energy and was pretty much impossible to please ha! She made Ally pick out every tiny sliver of basil in her spaghetti. Then she wanted grape juice-but once you got it for her, she wanted tea- and then grape juice again. I made her a picture with her name on it which she hung on the door.
Babysitting was definitely tiring but I had fun. I am glad i helped, I have no idea how Ally would have done it alone with that little alex not having anything to do with being put down. It was also just a good way for me to feel more apart of the team. Alex had his birthday party tonight too, and the kids came up and hugged me...it's like being apart of another family out here, it is nice. Again, too bad everyone is leaving!
Oh man this entry is getting super long and that's without the pictures!
From time to time I remember that there are things i have been meaning to mention and haven't. As i sit here, itching, I think..boy what were those things...itching..ah hah! oh yes. So you heard me complain about mosquitos. Well let me tell you about this wonderful game we have here called- Guess the Bug Bite...this of course is because there are multiple bugs that bite you out here. If you have bites on your feet, they are from fleas. It's funny....I have never been the type of person to really prefer walking around barefoot. Sure in the summer I will sport some flip flops, but as soon as i'm walking around my room or house, I want socks. You would think I would be far more insistent on wearing socks here since everything is so dirty...at least to me that seems like the most forward logic...but I also only have so many socks here, and I don't like getting my laundry ready every other day...after working in the field, when i come home, the sweaty, sandy gross socks have to go. Afterwards I just never put socks back on. I usually hate wearing pants with socks...but now i do it all the time...which of course means, I have little flea bites on my feet. I know for some people, that feeling would be awful...knowing there are flea infested carpets and that they are snacking on your toes...I myself, just got over it...because wait until you hear what else we have....I will call upon a sweet nightly nothing:
"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite"
Bed Bugs...yep we got 'em, and yep they bite us. Ally and I frequently spray down the beds with water and euclyptus oil which is supposed to help. It also makes the sheets a little damp which works out on the hot nights. You may be thinking..sleeping in damp sheets?? Yes...the theme of my travels is, adjust quickly, or lose your sanity. Wet sheets and bed bugs,,,and I swear to you, I've never slept better.
On the topic of bugs check out these guys:
These are flesh eating beatles. Remember my photos of the comparative collection of skeletons? The ones we use to compare the bones from the site to. Well...this is how we get the comparative collection. We get dead animals, either kill them, hunt them, fish them, or we get road kill. Our fish collection is quite small...so we have been doing this the past few days:
The beatles are floating in the water
mmmmm chow down beatles!
Then they dry out:
This all happens right outside of the lab. Did I get grossed out by the smell? No..we poured ammonia in there so it helped a bit, but it did smell kind of bad.
Today I finished week 4 material and started week 5. Keep in mind I haven't even worked 3 weeks yet, so this is very good news, I am doing quite well. Unfortunately I am not very caught up on data entry, or my reading...they are just very hard to focus on...it will get done though.
My cough here has actually gotten worse. I don't feel ill otherwise, just a bad cough. My chest is really tight, and last night it was actually kind of hard to breathe. I've been keeping my professor informed so that it doesn't get bad. He went and bought me cough drops today. This morning I coughed up mucus that actually had dirt and sand in it...it was pretty gross. I am starting to understand how my professor wound up with lung cancer without ever having smoked a cigarette in his life...simply working here for 20 years.
With that, I leave you with another photo of the Giza skyline...look at the beautiful haze.
and here are some more shots of tombs and pyramids...you know i nearly forget that I live and work here. The last photo is of the lab. The tent is where the little coffee making set up is.
byeeee everyone!
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