I'm sick.
I'm also still packing, storing, cleaning, and moving in general.
I'm also still in Utah.
It is also STILL SNOWING. Even though tomorrow is May 1st.
On that note, I thought I would share some excerpts from Andrew's recent emails so you can get a little taste of what I'm in for.....
4.26.10
"Ok so we went to the pyramids this morning and it was magical! Don't worry I'll take you as soon as you get here. Cairo is pretty crazy, I somehow made it from the airport to my hotel last. You should be so proud of me. I rode this weird bus with Allah written all over it to the metro station. Then on the metro everyone was laughing at me. Maybe it was the purple bag ;) But they weren't mean, just kidding around, and I tried to talk to them. Arabic is soooo hard, haha. But I'll be ok."
4.27.10
"I had a much better time talking to real life Arabs yesterday and today. Last night me and Mike rode the metro to nowhere in particular and just talked to people we met on the train. It was really fun, I talked for like a half-hour with this random guy named Zaghlul. Everyone I've met is super friendly. We ate Koshari last night, that famous macaroni stuff, and all the teenage guys working there were totally thrilled we were there. I don't think alot of Americans walk into their place, it wasn't a scary place, but it was pretty poor and unscenic ;) Tonight, we want to ride the metros again, this time we're going to ride it to the other end and just explore wherever it takes us. this city is absolutely HUGE so there's plenty of places to explore.
This morning, we went to a barbershop and got a straight-razor shave. They used thread to pull out all my cheek fuzz, then gave us facial massages, shaved us, then gave us hot and cold towel treatment and then washed my hair and slicked it back with way too much gel. Everyone back at the hotel loves my new 'doo. And it was all for like $2. They're our new best friends :)"
4.30.10
"Today everyone went to the McDonalds and i'm afraid to say that in Egypt they do not have potato wedges. I was completely crushed. After that we toured the neighborhood around the church and saw the Ma'adi club from outside, looks pretty snazzy. It's probably a ten minute walk from our place, I would say, and not hard to find, just a turn here and there and you're there."
"I don't know if I should tell you this, I hope it won't freak you out, but there was a PSA ad on during the commercials about not becoming a terrorist haha it was super weird. It was like you were watching MTV at home and an anti-drug commercial came on, but instead it like, hey kids, don't get mixed up with those terrorist gangs. Totally surreal."
"Tonight I went with a bunch of kids to see Iron Man 2. It premiered tongith in Egypt. Going to movies in Egypt is way fun, its still in English but with subtitles and there's an intermission! So you can go pee without missing anything, genius! there's assigned seats which is weird but whatever. I really liked the movie, I guess I should see the first one haha. It was fun to unwind for awhile. And here's the really good news, Robin Hood is coming there soon, so we can still go to see it together :) I'm not as hopeful for Sex in the City 2 though, haha."
And also, just to show how cute he is....
"I slept with your Zebra stuffed animal you sent with me last night, it's all I have to remind me of you :( I think you're pretty much the best thing that happened in my life EVER. I pray for you all the time and ask Jesus to let you know how much I love you :)"
(dont kill me for sharing that Andy!!!)
Um, yeah, why am I NOT in Egypt with him yet?!?!? I miss my boyfriend.
Only 12 (ish) more days.....
Cheers,
M.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
You say Goodbye, I say Hello
After lots of packing (like 4 boxes just for Megan's shoes kind of packing...) we are finally wrapping things up around here for the big move. In fact, one of us is already on the other side of the planet!
Andrew left to Cairo on SATURDAY! Gaaaaaaaaaah!
I miss his face. It came SO FAST. It feels like somewhere between running errands, moving boxes, organizing everything we own, Andrew up and left to Cairo without me. Ok, ok, not "without" me, but definitely without me until I get there in 2 weeks! I'm trying to be brave, let's talk about something else...
I get asked the same questions alot- "What are you wearing?!"(refer to last post...) "Why are you going?!" "Are you scared?!" "What will you do?!"
Here's a mini question and answer session, from me to you.
WHO is going to Cairo: Andrew. And Megan.
WHAT is going on in Cairo: Andrew is a Middle East Studies Arabic major at Brigham Young University. As part of his major, he is required to do a study abroad for one semester before his senior year. He will be studying Arabic at a private institute in Cairo. It will be a seriously intense language program and his Arabic skills are only going to get better! Megs will be playing with the other wives, doing lots of outdoor activities at the Sports Club, maybe learning to cook (maybe...), hopefully volunteering in some local orphanages, and wanting to find some Muslim women to become friends with.
WHERE is Cairo: In Egypt, duuuuuh. North Africa, Middle East, whatever you want to call it. Do I need to get a map for you? *cough, cough, AUNT TRINA, cough cough, AUNT KRISTI!!?*
WHEN are you going to Cairo: Andy pants is long gone. I fly out from PHX on May 11. Our time in Egypt will be over on August 1st, then we will spend a week in London touring grad schools and visiting family until August 7th. Then back to Poootah.
WHY are you going to Cairo: Because that's how we roll. You will quickly learn, MegAndy do everything BIG. Moving to Egypt, it aint no thang.
I am hoping to get another detailed email from Mr. Howell in the next few hours, explaining his first day experience in Cairo so far. All I got in the first email was, "Hey, I'm here, I'm safe, I miss you, Cairo is crazy, Arabic is hard, the pyramids are magical, and all the guys laughed on me on the bus."
......well Andrew, when you go out carrying around a medium size, LILAC colored, rolly suitcase, those things might happen.
Little did they know that suitcase was filled with a 3 month supply of anti-diarrrhea medication and tampons. He is a good man who takes good care of his wife.
Until next time....
Cheers!
Megs
Saying our goodbyes to the Yellow House.
And evidence of the purple suitcase....
Andrew left to Cairo on SATURDAY! Gaaaaaaaaaah!
I miss his face. It came SO FAST. It feels like somewhere between running errands, moving boxes, organizing everything we own, Andrew up and left to Cairo without me. Ok, ok, not "without" me, but definitely without me until I get there in 2 weeks! I'm trying to be brave, let's talk about something else...
I get asked the same questions alot- "What are you wearing?!"(refer to last post...) "Why are you going?!" "Are you scared?!" "What will you do?!"
Here's a mini question and answer session, from me to you.
WHO is going to Cairo: Andrew. And Megan.
WHAT is going on in Cairo: Andrew is a Middle East Studies Arabic major at Brigham Young University. As part of his major, he is required to do a study abroad for one semester before his senior year. He will be studying Arabic at a private institute in Cairo. It will be a seriously intense language program and his Arabic skills are only going to get better! Megs will be playing with the other wives, doing lots of outdoor activities at the Sports Club, maybe learning to cook (maybe...), hopefully volunteering in some local orphanages, and wanting to find some Muslim women to become friends with.
WHERE is Cairo: In Egypt, duuuuuh. North Africa, Middle East, whatever you want to call it. Do I need to get a map for you? *cough, cough, AUNT TRINA, cough cough, AUNT KRISTI!!?*
WHEN are you going to Cairo: Andy pants is long gone. I fly out from PHX on May 11. Our time in Egypt will be over on August 1st, then we will spend a week in London touring grad schools and visiting family until August 7th. Then back to Poootah.
WHY are you going to Cairo: Because that's how we roll. You will quickly learn, MegAndy do everything BIG. Moving to Egypt, it aint no thang.
I am hoping to get another detailed email from Mr. Howell in the next few hours, explaining his first day experience in Cairo so far. All I got in the first email was, "Hey, I'm here, I'm safe, I miss you, Cairo is crazy, Arabic is hard, the pyramids are magical, and all the guys laughed on me on the bus."
......well Andrew, when you go out carrying around a medium size, LILAC colored, rolly suitcase, those things might happen.
Little did they know that suitcase was filled with a 3 month supply of anti-diarrrhea medication and tampons. He is a good man who takes good care of his wife.
Until next time....
Cheers!
Megs
Saying our goodbyes to the Yellow House.
See you soon my love!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
This is only the begining.
It's really happening. We are moving to Egypt. It still sounds weird when I say it out loud... or, type it I guess. It has definitely been an emotional rollercoaster for the past couple months. Trying to figure out exactly what was going to happen this summer has been hard on us. I'll spare you the details, let's just say we are both THRILLED that this is actually going down now and that we are going to enjoy the summer abroad TOGETHER.
Since the final decision was actually decided not too long ago **cough cough 2 weeks ago to be exact!** we are scrambling to get things figured out with our house and storage and jobs. I literally had a panic attack in my managers office when I was trying to tell her I'm quitting my job (in this economy?!) to move to the Middle East. I feel like a crazy person. I don't remember much about our conversation, except that I think it went well, and at one point she asked if I needed a paper bag because I strated hyperventilating. It aint no thang!
We are storing stuff here, and there, and everywhere, and hopefully not taking too much to Egypt.
The most frequent question I get seems to be, "But, what are you going to wear??" As far as clothing goes, BYU has placed really strict guidelines on how the girls need to dress while we're there. I may not love the rules, BUT I will follow them, and I know our teachers are giving them to us for our protection. Here's the basic rundown; I have to wear shirts that have necks that are closer to my collar bone than my chest, and have sleeves that are closer to my elbows than my shoulders. I cannot wear pants/skirts that are cut above mid-calf, and nothing that is revealing or form fitting in any way.
While I'm walking around in 100+ weather, mind you. BUT I have found a few things and ultimately I just want to go for comfort more than style obviously.
Here are the 2 skirts I have (DownEast Basics & Shade) :
Maxi skirts are in, riiight??? .....Say yes.
And the pants in khaki and denim blue (Target):
I know, so attractive! Ok, ok, they're not that bad. They're actually really lightweight and SO comfy.
And some examples of the kind of shirts I am bringing (Forever21, Shade, DownEast Basics and Target):
Instead of a purse, I plan on carrying a classy looking CamelBak, that looks something like this one:
I am excited because it holds plenty, including 2 liters of water. Have mercy!
I am only bringing a few pairs of shoes; plain flip-flops, stylish (and cheap) sandals, my TOMS, and the shoes that bring me right back to my riverguiding days- my Chacos that look something like these:
So, that's a little run down of where we're at with clothing and such as of right now. Hopefully I will be able to find some threads to purchase over there once I get sick of the same clothes over and over and over!
I had planned on spending the day inside packing up our apartment, but the weather was just too perfect, and I spent the entire day outside playing with neighbors- a much better life decision. We have 2 weeks to pack it all up, wish us luck!
Cheers- Megs
Since the final decision was actually decided not too long ago **cough cough 2 weeks ago to be exact!** we are scrambling to get things figured out with our house and storage and jobs. I literally had a panic attack in my managers office when I was trying to tell her I'm quitting my job (in this economy?!) to move to the Middle East. I feel like a crazy person. I don't remember much about our conversation, except that I think it went well, and at one point she asked if I needed a paper bag because I strated hyperventilating. It aint no thang!
We are storing stuff here, and there, and everywhere, and hopefully not taking too much to Egypt.
The most frequent question I get seems to be, "But, what are you going to wear??" As far as clothing goes, BYU has placed really strict guidelines on how the girls need to dress while we're there. I may not love the rules, BUT I will follow them, and I know our teachers are giving them to us for our protection. Here's the basic rundown; I have to wear shirts that have necks that are closer to my collar bone than my chest, and have sleeves that are closer to my elbows than my shoulders. I cannot wear pants/skirts that are cut above mid-calf, and nothing that is revealing or form fitting in any way.
While I'm walking around in 100+ weather, mind you. BUT I have found a few things and ultimately I just want to go for comfort more than style obviously.
Here are the 2 skirts I have (DownEast Basics & Shade) :
In grey, NOT white...
Maxi skirts are in, riiight??? .....Say yes.
And the pants in khaki and denim blue (Target):
And some examples of the kind of shirts I am bringing (Forever21, Shade, DownEast Basics and Target):
But in not that color.... think more grey, blue, black...
And various other button ups in white and blues.
I'll be all covered up!Instead of a purse, I plan on carrying a classy looking CamelBak, that looks something like this one:
I am only bringing a few pairs of shoes; plain flip-flops, stylish (and cheap) sandals, my TOMS, and the shoes that bring me right back to my riverguiding days- my Chacos that look something like these:
So, that's a little run down of where we're at with clothing and such as of right now. Hopefully I will be able to find some threads to purchase over there once I get sick of the same clothes over and over and over!
I had planned on spending the day inside packing up our apartment, but the weather was just too perfect, and I spent the entire day outside playing with neighbors- a much better life decision. We have 2 weeks to pack it all up, wish us luck!
Cheers- Megs
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