May 4th, Cairo

I woke up feeling amazingly refreshed and more confident in my traveling skills. Yesterday had proven an important learning day for me and I felt secure about getting around Cairo.

First thing I wanted to do today was find out exactly where to catch the bus to make it to Mount Sinai. All of the people I had spoken to and all of the books or web pages I looked at were unclear with their directions. I did have the name of the bus station, "Turgoman Garage" and a rough idea of where it would be located. So I started walking and found my way into a large compound of city buses none of which would take me to the Sinai Peninsula. I started asking for directions. None of the people there spoke enough English to give me even basic directions. The only thing I could do was point to the map and say "San Katerine" for the monastery that is located by Sinai. By doing this several times I was able to communicate where it was that I wanted to go but nobody seemed able to help me. Finally after pointing to the map and saying "San Katerine" one man exclaimed "Ah Turgoman Garage." Progress! I could not understand a single other word he spoke but I followed his hand motions as he pointed and indicated turns.

I then took off trying my best to follow his directions. They led me through a crowded market and then down some poor neighborhood road until I came to the freeway again. I saw a small building the same colors as some buses I had seen on the road. I went in and found a young girl working at the desk. I was at the right place. The poor girl just looked the more confused the more I talked but I managed to find out that the buses will take me to Sinai and where they will pick me up. So tomorrow I will leave for Sinai. However, because I will be in the middle of the Sinai wilderness like the children of Israel, this means that you will probably not hear from me until Thursday or Friday. Sorry family but there is nothing I can do.

Once I figured that out I headed off for the Egyptian museum. Because I had my international college student id card I was able to get in for half price. (Thank you Kristen) Now, I must be careful not to sound too nerdy as I talk all about the history stuff at the museum. I will do my best to spare you.

I loved the museum! To be honest, I liked it more than the American History Museum at the Smithsonian in DC. The one in DC has recently been remodeled and they turned it into this interactive child friendly playground. Where is all the cool stuff!? I don't want to watch an interactive DVD about Rosa Parks or look at some wax dummy of Alexander Graham Bell holding a phone I would like to see the phone! I want to see the stuff! The Egyptian Museum is bursting at the seams full of stuff. They have so much in there I was giddy for almost half an hour running around before I was calm enough to start looking at things and actually reading the plaques. There are some downsides to the Egyptian museum obviously. The place feels more like a warehouse than a museum. But I think that I like that actually. Second, half the stuff is not labeled and the labels they do have do not contain very much information. But they are building a new museum that will probably change all that. I had one interesting thoughts that I will share with you quickly.

First, I was looking at one of the best preserved colossus that they have found. It was of Pharaoh Khafre who had built one of the great pyramids. This statue was found in the temple of the sphinx right next to his pyramid. Right behind his statue was one of the members of his court who was given the title of "first next to Pharaoh" or something similar. I immediately thought of Joseph in Egypt who I had read about that morning. It then occurred to me; the very statue that I was looking at was carved and placed in the temple during the "Old Kingdom" period. That was at least hundreds of years before Joseph at least 1,000 years before Moses. Both of them. Holding high positions in Egypt, they both would have had access to see these objects. I was looking at a colossus that Joseph and Moses most likely saw. I felt the same way I did when I first stood in Carthage Jail and looked at the floor stained with Hyrum's blood. For the first time in my life I had a tangible connection to the Old Testament and to the Patriarchs.

I finished the museum and went home to change. I wanted to look somewhat presentable because I was meeting with Dr. Patrick mason who teaches American History at the American University in Cairo. He is the brother of another Dr. Mason who teaches at BYU who put us in contact. Dr. Mason (the one in Cairo) had invited me over to his house for dinner with him and his wife. I rushed home and washed up than ran to the metro in order to get there on time. He was waiting for me and I had an absolutely wonderful time at dinner with him, his wife, and their 15 month old son. We talked about Egypt, how he likes living there and all that I am doing on my trip. Then we also talked about Notre Dame, where he went to grad school, and what the pros and cons would be to me applying there. Dr. Mason will actually be going back to work at Notre Dame this July and will be there when I apply. When I left he told me to keep in touch and that he would love to see me at Notre Dame when my undergrad work is done.

Thus ends day four of my trip in the Middle East. A very full and wonderful day. Tomorrow I will be crossing the Sinai desert for 6-9 hours (you never know) in an unairconditioned bus with who knows how many Egyptians...oh joy. Until next time.