I am going to Egypt. I am going without children.
Hmm. Interesting, you might say to yourself. How is she going to swing that? Doesn't her husband have a job? Aren't her kids kind of young? Aren't there several of them? Why is she going to one of the great wonders of the world and leaving the most important people in her life behind?
First of all, before I explain the details, can I just say BAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I'M GOING TO EGYPT!!
If there was something I never imagined myself being as a suburbanite kid growing up two towns away from Gary, Indiana, it was a world traveler. Now, here I am living in the Far East, racking up stamps on my passport like it's a hobby or something.
The facts are that the school we work for is taking some students on a trip. They needed an extra chaperone and voila, I am here to serve. The trip falls over the Spring Break, so my knight in shining armor will be flying solo with all the bread-buttering and bathtimes, and using up his precious vacation time to do so. I feel really blessed by him and the joy he seems to genuinely experience at the idea of me getting to do something so rare and exciting.
We will be in Cairo for 10 days: haunting the pyramids, flying down the Nile, losing ourselves in street markets and the inky depths of middle eastern coffee. There is some business to attend to (the purpose for our trip, ahem) but even that is exciting: a five day simulation of the United Nations that will be full of interesting ideas, proposals, debates, and all that is the melting pot of young minds hard at work.
I am planning to breathe deep, look long, take pictures, and hopefully share some of it here with you when I'm not enforcing curfew and sitting tight lipped in a hotel conference room. On top of all that I'm sure I will be waylaid with guilt about the fact that my husband is bearing the raw end of this deal, and that there are a host of people who are far more deserving of this trip than I.
He's excited about having a special time with the kids; loading up on pancakes and Monopoly marathons. I'm stocking the freezer and trying to figure out what to wear when it's 90 degrees and you can't show any skin.
We leave one week from today.
Wow! I am so excited for your opportunity and adventure! I am also envious! Have a great time and don't feel guilty about it. Josh just wants you to have a great time. And yes, we want to see tons of photos!
ReplyDeleteJealous! Enjoy every minute and good luck with that wardrobe issue... I've been there! It's, well, challenging, but totally worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteHello from Sydney Australia and a big thanks for your commentbox over at Journeymama's which made my day.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to hearing all about Egypt. My mom always tells me that the time a mother takes away from her family so as to "replenish the well" is an investment in the entire family and a gift. I'm so excited for you!!!!! Revel in it!!
Thanks for the well wishes Eleanor! I will try not to feel too self-conscious... I feel as though I just had a celebrity drop by!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you were from Sydney- my husband is from there and that's where my in laws live. I nearly cried when we stepped off the plane at the airport there last year. It is so beautiful and the sky was sooo blue.
Amy and Erin, I will keep you guys posted! Layin out the clothes as we speak... lots of tshirt underlayers for all my plunging necklines:)