Happy New Years 2012!!!
2011 has been quite a year for me and Rob. We began our year still in Cairo, Egypt, where I was working for Dr. Zahi Hawass and the Supreme Council of Antiquities. At first it seemed like it would be just another normal year, but no. Egypt, the most stable Middle Eastern country, decided to join in on the Arab Spring, and began a revolution. It was a bit scary at times, but we were lucky to live and work in Zamalek, an area of Cairo largely unaffected during the protests. Not that it mattered to me, I had to work right on through the revolution. I worked every single day in February. As a gift to myself, I plan on NOT working a single day in February 2012. Rob and I even went down to Tahrir Square, ground zero of the Cairo protests, the night Mubarak stepped down. It was interesting to see how quickly the protesting turned into partying. While I wouldn't want to do it again, it's kinda cool to say that you've lived through a revolution! As far as I know, Rob and I (and our friends Beth, Damian, Tom, Haisam, Kei, and Rania) are the only people I know who can say that! I really hope that 2012 will be the year that safe and positive change comes to Egypt.
In April Rob and I did some traveling before we left Egypt. Our first excursion was to Wadi el Hitan, a site out in the middle of the desert where you can find fossils of whales. WHALES WITH LEGS!!! We dragged all of our friends along and played in the desert all day. You used to be able to drive, but a couple years ago some jerk diplomats drove their fancy car over some fossils, so now you have to just wander through the sand looking for bones. It's awesome. The erosion patterns on the rocks are really cool, I think it's because they all used to be underwater, but hey, I'm not a geologist. If you think acting like idiots in the desert doesn't sound like fun, clearly you've never done it!
The second trip was to the White Desert. If you want to see the White Desert you have to camp, cause it is no where near any cities or towns. So, if you know anything about me, you know I am not interested in camping. However, I had heard that seeing the White Desert is a must, so I bit the bullet and booked a three day camping trip. I slept in a tent, yuck, and peed outside for the first time in my life. I was completely traumatized. However, the White Desert was in fact amazing. The best part was by far the Fennec Foxes! They are easily the cutest animals on the planet. I want to cuddle them. Hard. The real reason people go to the White Desert is to see the big white chalk formations, called Inselbergs. They look like icebergs floating in the desert. At sunrise and sunset they turn pink, orange, and yellow. It's beautiful. I'm really glad I did it, cause there is no way I want to do it again. I hate camping, no matter what the payoff!
Next we were off to the Sinai Peninsula and St. Catherine's Monastery. I have always wanted to go to St. Catherine and Mt. Sinai, it has a lot of great icons that survived the iconoclasts, and the site is holy to the three major religions. Hiking up Mt. Sinai to see the sunrise is a major thing. It is where Moses (allegedly) received the commandments from God. To get up to the top by sunrise, you need to start hiking at 3 am. Yay... You can walk up or ride a camel (they don't go all the way to the top though). We walked up with our tiny, old, Bedouin guide. I don't know how he did it, but he practically ran up the mountain. After three hours, we made it to the top of the mountain, and watched the sun came up. It would have been perfect, except there was a group of Spanish tourist singing Kumbaya. Once we we had hiked back down, we toured the monastery and saw a bunch of cool icons (at least I thought they were cool), the Well of Moses, and the Burning Bush. Also, we saw a bunch of gnarly cats. Rob took lots of cat pictures. When I told him it was weird he told me it was weird that I love old dead mummies. Touche.
Our last excursion before leaving the Middle East was a visit to Jordan. I have been dying to go to Jordan for a LONG time. We started in Jerash, an ancient Roman city. I do not know a whole lot about the site, but it was amazing. Next we headed to Petra, and spent two days there. My favorite movie is Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail, and in the movie the Holy Grail is located in a tomb in the city of Petra. I Loved Petra. I love everything about it, and I think everyone should go. I took about 1000 pictures. No lie. I whittled them down to my favorite 400. Click here and here if you want to see them. After Petra, we headed north to the Dead Sea. We slathered mud all over ourselves and floated in some super salty water. It was very therapeutic.
Finally in April, Rob and I moved home to the states. We came home in time for Easter and my friend Melissa's wedding. April was a big month.
We spent the rest of the summer in Georgia, mostly in Atlanta (my parents) and Athens (Rob's parents). We also visited NYC/NJ, and Washington state and VANCOUVER ISLAND (nyc/NJ to visit my family, and Washington state to visit with Rob's grandparents). I also had a girls weekend cruise with my mother, Aunt Patty, Aunt Diane, my cousin Nicole (and her friend Jackie), and my friend Mauri. We went to the Bahamas, and Mauri, Jackie, Nicole, and I got to go swimming with dolphins!
At the end of the summer, Rob and I moved to St. Kitts so that he could begin Vet School at Ross University. Rob studied his butt off and made a 3.0 this semester! I relaxed my butt off by hanging out with my new VIP friends (VIPs are the spouses/loved ones of Ross students) at the beach!
We've had a crazy year. We've lived in three different countries, traveled to some really amazing places in six different countries, lived through a revolution, and taken the next step to realizing Rob's dream of becoming a veterinarian. We have made loads of amazing friends along the way, and we're pretty thankful for all the cool things and people we have in our lives.
I hope that 2012 is just as much fun as 2011 (although, I really hope St. Kitts doesn't stage a revolution), and I can't wait to see what the future holds for me and Rob!
We both hope that all of our friends and family have a safe, happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year in 2012! We love you all!
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