Mercedes in Regalia

Not one of my students, but a student whom I got to know while working here. Her name is Mercedes and she is a little strange. Quirky, really. I like her a lot.
She had this picture as her FaceBook profile pic for a little bit. She is in traditional dress here, for a dance that the school sponsored. I'll try to post pictures from the performance sometime.
Mercedes has a friend named Melina and both of them decided that they loved me and always stopped by my office and talked to me and followed me around. The worst moment came when they asked me if they could call my "mommy." I was HORRIFIED!!!
They were sweet but, really, I need my space.
And I'm not anybody's mommy.
I didn't want to hurt their feelings, though, so I was kinda stuck for awhile. Finally after basically ignoring them a lot when they would come by, they maybe got the message and stopped trying to hang out in my office. I felt like a heel, but dude. I need my space.
That's why I live half a world away from my husband.
:)

my favorite student named Heidi

OK, I shouldn't say I have a favorite student, but I do. Her name is Heidi and she rocks! She studies quantum chemistry. She is totally cute and awesome. I do have other favorite students, I guess,, now that I think about it. And I have many many lug-nut idiot students that I hate. But I don't have pictures of them.
Here is Heidi in traditional dress, for a Chemistry Fair the school did. She had to usher some local school kids around the exhibits. And she, and everybody else, got out of class for it.
That's something I could complain about - the fact that nobody bothers to tell the English Department about ANY events so we don't know that our classes won't be happenening until we are the only ones that show up. I say I COULD complain about that, but anytime I get to spend a day without teaching, is a good time for me!

Sayed and Asharaf

This is Sayed with his brother Asharaf. They work together hauling tourists around Aswan in the feluca or the motor boat. Sayed built a house for Ahsaraf over the last couple of years and they are very close. Now Asharaf has to find somebody to marry. Sayed is not going to help him with that :)

Talkin to Sayed

So how sweet is this, Sayed goes into Aswan to use the internet cafes to talk to me. This morning he surprised me because I thought he would wait till Friday. It was really cool to have morning coffee with him. He's really the best. And I'm not biased at all, no.
In other news I will not be able to drink green beer for St. Patrick's Day because of thesis work. I have not been posting because of thesis work. I have not been doing anything because of thesis work. Why, again, did I put myself through this?!?!?! I don't know. But I must get back to work.

A Taste of India in Luxor

We met Dani and Katja and Dr. Onstine at this Indian Restaurant I believe called "A Taste of India" and the food was very very good. Luxor was decked out for Christmas so I had to get this picture from a tiny park-like area beside the road. Like Alice in Wonderland on acid in a happy kind of way. I love it, love it, love it!!!!

Medinet Habu Temple Part I

We went one afternoon to Medinet Habu Temple. Well, Dani and Katja came to our house fro lunch and then we all went to the temple. It was a good excursion. The temple is pretty and the surrounding area is interesting because of the contrast between desert and ultra-green farmland. We walked the perimeter before we went into the temple and these pictures are from that recon mission. The town I am in front of is no longer a living town, that was one of the villages that got moved. The government built new houses but didn't actually pay people to compensate for losing their family homes (or their traditional livelihood from tunneling under their houses to pilfer tombs). Kind of sad. But life is change.

Another Wedding Party

Ragab took me with him to another wedding party. Sheeko came to this one. The groom was a friend of theirs and the party was in one of the places right on the Nile where people have wedding parties. The obligatory cake and Pepsi was served. It was fun and the music was loud and the people were all happy. This couple was a lot better off financially than the first wedding party we crashed that was held in the street. But both were about the same as far as the music and dancing and lights and festive atmosphere.

More pictures at Dawn's

More San Giving Day pictures at Dawn's. These were before I jumped on the trampoline. Don't worry. I'll post those. I didn't throw up.

EGSA Halloween PArty 2009

The EGyptology Graduate Student Association annual Halloween costume party was well attended and a good time was had by all. Especially me. Because I got drunker than anybody else :) But these are just pictures of everybody else. The first years are all so CUTE! Dr. C was a spider web and Dr. Brand was a Roman. Dr. Onstine was a pharaoh and Mariam didn't show up because she had to move or something. There were a lot of Greeks and Romans, a couple of pirates, a princess, a cowgirl, Laura Croft, Miss Piggy, and a dapper Sweeney Todd. Dr. Onstine graciously let us trash her house for the party. I had a designated driver. It was all good :)

Me-maw

My paternal grandparents: Elbert Bryman Deason and Edith Percival Jones. So do I look like her? Or does Ginger look like her? We both look like her in some ways I think.

Shicko

Ragab's nephew Shicko (Shee-ko) works for him in the shop. Shicko ROCKS!!!! He's the nicest, sweetest, kindest person I met in Cairo. Well, one of them anyway. He works in the afternoons and nights. He has a little brother, Mohammed, who came up during a school holiday and worked with us. Ok, I say us because I was always there. But I washed some dishes and felt like I was working. Sort of. Maybe I was just in the way. But Ragab says I was part of the shop and I belonged there, so it's probably all cool.