Salam!

Day 1

Happy new year, or as my nonna would say, happy new you! I've been so lucky to survive another year of Hopkins taking on the responsibility of Club Soccaaaah co-captain with Hobsy and to spend the summer on my first trips out of the country. I spent 10 days in Italy with my family in an amazing apartment overlooking the Pantheon and an unbelievable 5 week adventure in Cusco, Peru. Although I'm proud of the things I've accomplished at Hopkins these past few years, I feel like I've lost my muchness (Alice in Wonderland reference). I'm taking my nonna's goofy saying to heart this year in hopes of reviving the real me.

New years resolution: re-learn how to relax and re-find happiness

Plans to accomplish: fulfil life goals of digging in Egypt and living in Italy

I started off the new year on a 30 hour journey to Luxor. While my first two flights were crowded, cramped and full of crying/screaming infants, I was upgraded to business class on my EgyptAir flight to Luxor. What treatment business people get! I used my newly learned haggling skills from Peru and was able to get the taxi to our hotel to 60 pounds from 200! The hotel got my room situation wrong and I had to share a room with two grad students. I slept on a cot in a room with no windows and smelled like pure cigarette smoke. The hotel, while shady, does have a nice pool on the roof! I woke up having NO idea where I was... I got excited when I figured it out, though. =)

Luxor Temple and Avenue of the Sphinxes from my hotel room

After breakfast we headed out for a stroll around Luxor. The Avenue of the Sphinxes, Luxor temple, and the Nile are right outside our hotel, but we only saw them from afar today. Instead we went through all of the shops and walked around town. Dust, car horns and horse/donkey crap pretty much sum up the experience. The horses pulling all of the carriages are extremely underfed and have bloody knees: not quite the romantic ride like NYC. The weather is perfect. Sun + t-shirt & sunglasses - sweating = success. It must have been 72 degrees and I had chills the whole day. I've dreamed about this place for more than half my life. It seems like an ethereal dream.

In a restricted part of Karnak

After lunch I switched rooms. My new room has a balcony that overlooks the sphinxes and luxor temple and I can see the West Bank across the Nile. We then headed to Karnak. Now that I'm part of a legit dig, I get into almost anything (even the stuff not available for the public) for free! We went to the open air museum and got to go into some of the temples that were roped off. I got to see all of the stuff I've studied like the temples, Chapel Rouge, pylons and obelisks. The detail of the glyphs is absurd and the color on some of the images is so vivid. I can't even explain what it's like to stand in an in tact temple at sunset. The place is beyond huge and we barely had time for the Hypostyle Hall or sacred lake. We will return so I will comment on those when I return. After a gross meal at McDonalds (yes I had to eat that crap. sorry mom!), we went through the souk (market) ... and i thought Peru was bad. At least the guys are hilarious!

The preservation of color is amazing considering it's outside!

I'm a Sekhmet!

Overall: an unbelievable day. I now remember why I was interested in this place to begin with and it's only the first day. I don't start work until  the day after tomorrow. Can't wait!

Karnak at sunset