Just in TIME: Abby's adventures in the Middle East

catching up!

This one might be a little random, but bear with me. I'm going to try catch up a bit on our time at Luxor and the Red Sea, and share some more thoughts. We'll see how far I get! Firstly I want to comment on an important issue my grandparents raised, which is my "disappointment" at seeing amazing historical sites which in reality don't live up to one's imagination. While superficially at least this may be true, I have to stress that every aspectof this trip--everything I have done or seen--has been worthwhile. Every experience has value for me, because I am learning that the only variable that can truly determine whether an experience is positive or negative is my own attitude. The only thing I have control over is myself, and I can choose to see each situation as an opportunity to learn something about myself and the world around me. With this attitude, at a place like Troy or the Valley of the Kings, simply being there presents an opportunity to question the ephemeral nature of civilizations, and to use my own imagination to reconstruct the former glory that is only hinted at by the remains of the physical site today. This questioning and wondering is where the value lies, for me, in every place I go, and which makes even those "disappointing" sights undeniably important and worthwhile to see in person.
When we got back to Cairo from our fall break on the Red Sea and four days in Luxor after that, we did some more touring around Cairo. We spent half a day visiting the Giza Pyramids (which are completely the opposite of "disappointing"!) , and were able to climb all the way inside the Great Pyramid through dark, narrow tunnels to reach the impressive burial chamber in the center. What an incredible experience! I still can't quite believe how lucky I am to be able to say that I've been inside the Great Pyramid, probably the most famous building or monument in our cultural lexicon. Egypt is just incredible. While we were in Luxor, visiting the elaborately decorated tombs and temples in the Valley of the Kings was like walking through a dream world. I never thought I'd have the chance to do these things. Last week, we visited a part of Cairo called Garbage City, which is basically a large slum area between the City of the Dead (the vast cemetery of both ancient and new mausoleums) and the steep sandstone hills which mark the end of the Nile Valley and the beginning of the desert. Garbage City is where many of the city's unofficial garbage collectors live and work, sorting trash for recyling to make a living. Many large cities around the world have these so called 'garbage towns' but what makes this one unique is the large churches that have been carved out of the side of the sandstone mounains against which the city is built. The mostly Christian community created these churches without the knowledge of the government and they have become an incredible testimony to the faith and determination of the thousands of poverty-stricken people who have only been able to find work doing what no one else wants to do. The churches are decorated with beautiful carvings of famous scenes from the Old and New Testaments, with verses written in Arabic and english. It was breathtaking to see.
Well, I barely even touched on Luxor--more coming soon. To be continued!

posted by Abby @ 3:08 AM