So I just got back form Wadi Natrun, and it was like a tropical paradise. We were just driving in the desert and then it was green grace, flowers and trees! We got to play frisbee and volley ball and went swimming! They had an amazing beautiful pool. There were baskeball courts and soccer fields for those who enjoyed that kind of activity. We played hard and had group discussion times and good food. The down side was that I woke up after the first night with many many mosquito bites. At least I assume they were misquitoes they could have been some sort of weird Egyptian bug because in the states I never have a problem with getting bitten! So I have like 15 bites on my face and bites all over my arms. Its really really bad, I feel like something ate my face off. So hopefully those all go away soon!

Anyways, we are back in Cairo for a few days before heading out! I think I might try to go visit Coptic Cairo this afternoon which is the Christian center of Cairo. Some pretty cool old churchs and monasteries there, very beautiful I hear, with some really reallky old grave yards. The next two days is going to be spend cleaning and packing, with maybe heading out for something fun in between. Our goodbye party is Wednesday night and then we head to the airport afterwards. I will be seeing you all soon! This will probably be my last entry unless something really important comes up I think can't wait. Thanks to my readers! I'll be seeing you all soon!

Hello everyone! I speak from a glorified state as I have just recently finished my last paper!! I remarkably managed to solve the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in a 5 page paper, I don't know what all the fuss is about! Obviously I make this statement tongue in cheek as the absurdity of me solving the problem in a mere 5 pages is completely ridiculous. Nonetheless this was the ridiculous assignment our dear instructor gave us. And so help me if I hear the term "children of empire" (coined also by Doctor Holt) one more time I think I may scream! But anyways, before I get off on a diatribe, I am all done with school for the semester! Yeah!

So I got to visit my host family one more time, where I found that my sister Somer who was supposed to have gotten married, was not only not married but now no longer even engaged, when I asked why they said mish kwayyis (not good) I asked if the man wasn't good and they said yes. And then I was surprised to disover that the middle sister Hint, has gotten engaged and had a party and a ring and pictures taken that looked remarkably like prom pictures. They still had left over strawberry juice and candies from the celebration. I was very happy for her but very surprised since as far as I knew she hadn't even been seeing anyone! Sometimes Egyptian culture confuses me very much!

So we leave tomorow for our retreat getaway/rentry time. It should be very wonderful and relaxing and just a fun time to spend our last weekend together. We did purchase a lamb, yes a whole one, and yes its dead, for our traditional passover meal that we will be eating on Sunday which isn't passover day but easter, but oh well, its the Middle East. I have no idea how we will be transporting this dead lamb in our bus, but I would love to see how we are going to try! The adventures continue!

So I will be exiting this country next Thursday (April 20th) at 4 in the morning. I will not have gone to sleep that night and will be travelling for a total of 15 hours before I reach the states at 12:25 PM (enter time change here) I then will fly to DC to visit my sister Summer for a few days before I come back to school on the 23rd for all those interested in the dates of my arrival. I can't wait to see all of you! Only 6 days till I'm back in the states!

So all 6 essays have been written and were turned in yesterday. We are now doing the Israel debriefing time before we will be given those essays to write which will be due on Saturday before we leave for our retreat/re-entry weekend. It will be a nice time of relaxation and encouragement and talking about returning back to the states. After that we start cleaning up and getting ready to head out!

I hope to see me host family one more time before I go, as well as go to the Egyptian Museum! I am also finishing up my souvenire shopping, and trying to do all the last minute things I have been wanting to do all semester but never seemed to get around to it! We do get to have a sader (passover Meal) after all! We are putting on ourselves, one of the guys in our group does it every year with his family so he knows all the food and things that we will need. So that will be fun! So know we are kinda just chilling, we are busy in teh mornings then have the afternoons to ourselves, we don't start writing essays again till Wednesday. Things are wrapping up quite nicely here, only 10 more days till I fly back and I get to see my sister and brother in law! Then back to school to graduate! Then home for the summer! I'm excited.