Early morning – late night.
I was up at 5:30am to do some homework and then make it downtown for the 8am train to Alexandria.
Our MCC group was going to hear a speaker discussing Egypt in the Bible and various ways of interpreting events. Mostly about the situation of the oppressed vs. being the oppressor and ways to present the situations to Jews and Muslims.
I slept for most of the trip, so that was good! *smile*
The talk was really good and with questions/answers it was about 2 hours. After that, we went for a nice lunch with lots of red meat (I don’t eat that very often here due to low availability and high price), then we had a couple of hours before our train back.
So we wandered over to the Bibliotecha Alexandrina -- check out the site for good information and some pictures. I took a few pics of my own and will have them available soon. The building just opened this winter, so it still looks new inside and out! It truly is gorgeous and I was pleased to see people using the library for research. Well, mostly for research. Many of the computer terminals were being used by university-aged students to watch movies or listen to music online. *smirk*
On the way back, the train stopped briefly in Tanta! That’s where I will hopefully be teaching, so I hopped out of the train for about 30 seconds. Now I can say that I have officially “been in Tanta”. *grin*
We made it back by 8pm and I rushed back to meet Darren, Annie, and Hashem at the office to watch “The Fellowship of the Ring”. Since I’ve been reading the books, I thought it would be nice to watch the movie, too. We had pizza to go along with it, so that was fun!
Off to bed now. Studying, studying, and more studying is the plan for Sunday.
Saturday, April 05, 2003
Friday, April 04, 2003
For a good laugh, go to:
http://people.albion.edu/jenzer/_test.asp
(then click "Refresh" or "Reload" in your browser to see different pictures.
This is what the Albion College website (that's where I went to college and worked for 2 years) looked like on April Fool's Day! I'm glad they have a sense of humor there!
I've been messing with the layout of my journal a bit, since I added the weather update. I got a comment that it was hard to read the entries b/c they were so narrow so hopefully I've fixed that. I also updated some of the links and what I'm reading.
Frisbee was good. Met more random people. Need to shower and study, then sleep so that I can have energy for Alexandria on Saturday.
http://people.albion.edu/jenzer/_test.asp
(then click "Refresh" or "Reload" in your browser to see different pictures.
This is what the Albion College website (that's where I went to college and worked for 2 years) looked like on April Fool's Day! I'm glad they have a sense of humor there!
I've been messing with the layout of my journal a bit, since I added the weather update. I got a comment that it was hard to read the entries b/c they were so narrow so hopefully I've fixed that. I also updated some of the links and what I'm reading.
Frisbee was good. Met more random people. Need to shower and study, then sleep so that I can have energy for Alexandria on Saturday.
Thursday, April 03, 2003
*burp*
I just got back from a big “International Dinner” at church. We had representatives and foods from different countries – Armenia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, India, Ireland, Philippines, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Russia, Switzerland, and the U.S. People from each country sang songs for the group and then we shared our foods. It’s quite a diverse church, eh?
My contribution was a modified version of my mother’s wonderful lemon cake. It seems that lemon pudding doesn’t exist in Egypt, so I had to substitute custard mix. I also had to replace the yellow cake mix with orange cake mix. Let’s just say it didn’t quite turn out like “Mom used to make”. *laugh* But it was pretty good. I’ll have to keep experimenting to see different ways of making it. The unique part is the orange juice/powdered sugar/water/margarine mixture that you put over the top and I was able to do that (with juice from an orange I squeezed, even!)
I went for some things new and some things familiar. From the Sudan, they had this really thick porridge-type thing. Basically flour, starch and water in quantities so that you had a sticky, thick mass that could be cut into pieces. Very bland, but filling. That was my first taste of Sudanese food.
In addition, I tried some spicy dishes from Sri Lanka and India, plus beef in Guinness from Ireland. On the U.S. table, I chose a bit of corn bread and some baked beans.
While eating, I chatted with a couple of people I’ve been getting to know, plus an older couple that’s new to the church. An Egyptian woman joined us at the end and then asked for my help walking her elderly mother back to their apartment. What a sweet old lady!
Now I’m digesting and procrastinating. Friday and Saturday are both going to be really busy days and I have lots to do in preparation for class on Monday. But I’ll manage!
I just got back from a big “International Dinner” at church. We had representatives and foods from different countries – Armenia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, India, Ireland, Philippines, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Russia, Switzerland, and the U.S. People from each country sang songs for the group and then we shared our foods. It’s quite a diverse church, eh?
My contribution was a modified version of my mother’s wonderful lemon cake. It seems that lemon pudding doesn’t exist in Egypt, so I had to substitute custard mix. I also had to replace the yellow cake mix with orange cake mix. Let’s just say it didn’t quite turn out like “Mom used to make”. *laugh* But it was pretty good. I’ll have to keep experimenting to see different ways of making it. The unique part is the orange juice/powdered sugar/water/margarine mixture that you put over the top and I was able to do that (with juice from an orange I squeezed, even!)
I went for some things new and some things familiar. From the Sudan, they had this really thick porridge-type thing. Basically flour, starch and water in quantities so that you had a sticky, thick mass that could be cut into pieces. Very bland, but filling. That was my first taste of Sudanese food.
In addition, I tried some spicy dishes from Sri Lanka and India, plus beef in Guinness from Ireland. On the U.S. table, I chose a bit of corn bread and some baked beans.
While eating, I chatted with a couple of people I’ve been getting to know, plus an older couple that’s new to the church. An Egyptian woman joined us at the end and then asked for my help walking her elderly mother back to their apartment. What a sweet old lady!
Now I’m digesting and procrastinating. Friday and Saturday are both going to be really busy days and I have lots to do in preparation for class on Monday. But I’ll manage!
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
April Fools Day!
I tried to think of some good joke for today, but the joke was on me! Instead of joking, I ended up doing some serious thinking…
How different would the experience that I’m having now have been just 10 years ago?
By that, I mean that if people in their 20’s were doing this in 1993, how would their experience have been different than mine?
In 1993, they would _not_ have had:
-easy/cheap Internet/email access
-digital pictures to send/receive
-mobile phones so that people could reach them anytime
People just 10 years ago would only have had phone calls and letters to stay in contact. Imagine, mailing a letter and waiting weeks for a response!! *laugh*
What about 20-30 years ago? In Egypt and many places, the availability of a phone would have been severely limited at that time.
For those of you reading this with experience living “away from home” for extended periods of time, what do you think about my questions – based on what you went through.
…and for everyone else, what do you think? Are you glad about having this level of contact? Or would it be better to look forward to visits or hand-written letters?
Please post Comments or share your thoughts with me through email.
Which way is better? It makes me very happy that I am able to stay in touch with so many people by email and chatting online. I also like being able to have this journal available. But does this make me feel too close? It’s the _feeling_ of closeness, without the reality of being with/near people.
If I didn’t have all these ways of staying in contact, then maybe I would just go about my life and not think of people as often, or just look forward to people coming to visit. I think of my friends and family often – when I look at a picture, hear a song, see a certain car, or just remember back to happy occasions.
Now don’t get too concerned. *smile* Certainly, I’ve been a bit sad in thinking about this topic today and in typing out my thoughts, but I’m ok. A very good friend asked me today if I was feeling “culture shocked”. At the time, I denied that I was, but the answer is probably yes.
But I’ll get through it, and it’s not too bad. Today was a good day! The sun was shining and it was very warm. It was 25C (77F) when I was walking around at 6pm and it was much warmer than that at noon when I was getting a bit of sun and reading.
…listening to Fleetwood Mac’s “The Dance” while typing this… Any other Fleetwood Mac fans out there? Will anyone be getting tickets for their N. American tour this summer? The song “My Little Demon” seems to be stuck in my brain now.
I still have some preparation to do for teaching on Wednesday (yeah, I’m a broken record when it comes to talking about class), but after tomorrow I have a few days off again. I’m surrounded by good people here, and I have plenty of support.
I tried to think of some good joke for today, but the joke was on me! Instead of joking, I ended up doing some serious thinking…
How different would the experience that I’m having now have been just 10 years ago?
By that, I mean that if people in their 20’s were doing this in 1993, how would their experience have been different than mine?
In 1993, they would _not_ have had:
-easy/cheap Internet/email access
-digital pictures to send/receive
-mobile phones so that people could reach them anytime
People just 10 years ago would only have had phone calls and letters to stay in contact. Imagine, mailing a letter and waiting weeks for a response!! *laugh*
What about 20-30 years ago? In Egypt and many places, the availability of a phone would have been severely limited at that time.
For those of you reading this with experience living “away from home” for extended periods of time, what do you think about my questions – based on what you went through.
…and for everyone else, what do you think? Are you glad about having this level of contact? Or would it be better to look forward to visits or hand-written letters?
Please post Comments or share your thoughts with me through email.
Which way is better? It makes me very happy that I am able to stay in touch with so many people by email and chatting online. I also like being able to have this journal available. But does this make me feel too close? It’s the _feeling_ of closeness, without the reality of being with/near people.
If I didn’t have all these ways of staying in contact, then maybe I would just go about my life and not think of people as often, or just look forward to people coming to visit. I think of my friends and family often – when I look at a picture, hear a song, see a certain car, or just remember back to happy occasions.
Now don’t get too concerned. *smile* Certainly, I’ve been a bit sad in thinking about this topic today and in typing out my thoughts, but I’m ok. A very good friend asked me today if I was feeling “culture shocked”. At the time, I denied that I was, but the answer is probably yes.
But I’ll get through it, and it’s not too bad. Today was a good day! The sun was shining and it was very warm. It was 25C (77F) when I was walking around at 6pm and it was much warmer than that at noon when I was getting a bit of sun and reading.
…listening to Fleetwood Mac’s “The Dance” while typing this… Any other Fleetwood Mac fans out there? Will anyone be getting tickets for their N. American tour this summer? The song “My Little Demon” seems to be stuck in my brain now.
I still have some preparation to do for teaching on Wednesday (yeah, I’m a broken record when it comes to talking about class), but after tomorrow I have a few days off again. I’m surrounded by good people here, and I have plenty of support.
Monday, March 31, 2003
Another day, another teaching experience.
Today was the first day with the “Upper Intermediate” group. What a change from the “Elementary” level students from the past couple of weeks. I still have some bumpy moments, but today went well for me.
This evening, I’ve been relaxing a bit. Scrabble with Darren, now some email, and then for tea and some Backgammon.
Tomorrow, the cycle of lesson planning begins again, as I get ready to teach on Wednesday. That’s about all I have planned.
Some random pictures...
Username: jpics
Password: easy
Today was the first day with the “Upper Intermediate” group. What a change from the “Elementary” level students from the past couple of weeks. I still have some bumpy moments, but today went well for me.
This evening, I’ve been relaxing a bit. Scrabble with Darren, now some email, and then for tea and some Backgammon.
Tomorrow, the cycle of lesson planning begins again, as I get ready to teach on Wednesday. That’s about all I have planned.
Some random pictures...
Username: jpics
Password: easy
Sunday, March 30, 2003
From Saturday:
Just got back from a performance of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House. The main piece was Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana -- it was amazing!
I kinda organized the evening. I had been hoping to attend this performance and I convinced a couple of other people to go with me. Carmen and Mike from MCC came along, plus this young woman named Charlie.
Now I’m trying to download my email, but somebody apparently sent me a message with a big attachment, so it’s taking a long time! I hope it’s worth it…
It was a big email with a Power Point slide-show with images from the war. Very well-done pictures, but the situation still saddens me.
Just got back from a performance of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House. The main piece was Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana -- it was amazing!
I kinda organized the evening. I had been hoping to attend this performance and I convinced a couple of other people to go with me. Carmen and Mike from MCC came along, plus this young woman named Charlie.
Now I’m trying to download my email, but somebody apparently sent me a message with a big attachment, so it’s taking a long time! I hope it’s worth it…
It was a big email with a Power Point slide-show with images from the war. Very well-done pictures, but the situation still saddens me.
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