What's going on in Egypt?

Do you have 15 minutes or so?

We've been watching the situation in Egpyt a lot on the news, as well as reading various articles on the country's current predicament. We also have some first-hand information on what the political climate is like there from our friend's parents (who are Egyptians living in Kuwait, but had traveled to their house there recently), and we will hopefully have more information soon from our friends that are traveling there. You've probably seen things in the news, too, so what do I have to say about the situation? It's complicated.

Thanks to the 22words blog, I found an easy-to-read article that is pretty understandable; it will give the basic facts about why there are tens of thousands (if not millions) protesting in Egypt: A Short Primer on Egypt Now

Now, what's the U.S. stance on the Egyptian "revolution?" I think that varies according to who's talking, and even with President Obama, it's ambiguous. Generally, one would think that the U.S. would support a new regime of democracy and push away from the current tyranny, sort of like what has taken place in Iraq; however, because of America's interests in the Middle East (especially its relations with Israel), it looks like the U.S. supports the current leader, Mubarak, who just about everyone in Egypt hates.

Egypt is one of the only countries in the Middle East that recognizes Israel as a country. All of the Gulf states (including Kuwait) consider that area Palestine, and support the Palestinian government. If Egypt were to appoint new leadership, the U.S. has no guarantee that the new government would be pro-Israeli, or at least remain neutral, potentially costing the U.S. one of its footholds in the Middle East. Also, if the U.S. is seen as supporting the the president-dictator (now age 83), it speaks against all of our cries for democracy and human rights. If we push for Mubarak to stay, we are essentially speaking against the Egyptian people, and probably angering the other Arab states. That, I think, would be a bad move for America.

Generally speaking, this revolution is about domestic affairs- people's rights to low-cost food, jobs, and less police corruption. I don't think those are terrible things, so you can probably guess where my opinion sits. I might not have quite the scope of information that a foreign policy analyst does, but I can say that living here has certainly shaped my point of view on things!

Caution: The following video contains violence, some swearing, and people in peril.

18 degrees

Hopefully, these pictures will make you feel warm inside, since it's only 18F in Indiana, PA. We are hanging out at a mild 65F here, with a low of 43.

Egypt
Jordan Plus

Happy New Year!

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Merry Christmas, everyone! I can't remember what we usually do the day after Christmas, but for me, it usually involves eating cold turkey sandwiches with mayonnaise. That may sound repulsive to some, but I'm pretty sure it's near heavenly. At any rate, I hope you're all having a great day.

We are hanging out in our hotel in Cairo, and just returned from a visit to the Pyramids of Giza. We probably spent a good six hours there, checking out the various angles, the panorama, and the Sphinx. Afterward, we decided we were tired of eating falafel and shwarma, so we went to the Pizza Hut for lunch; I've never been at a Pizza Hut that has such a nice view.

Last night, I had the amazing opportunity to witness part of an Egyptian wedding in the hotel. It was extravagant to say the least, and a really unique experience. Once we're home, I'll post some of the pictures and video, although I was too busy watching what was going on to concentrate on what I was doing. You might get dizzy after watching it.

We will leave for Luxor on Sunday, and then fly out of Egypt on Wednesday morning. Until then, Happy New Year.

To Egypt for Christmas

Well, we're off again, but this time a little less smoothly. Thus far, our flight has been delayed for about 2.5 hours, so we're just relaxing in the airport. At this point, we have an hour until we board, so I have resorted to blogging.

There are a lot of places and activities that I could highlight from our most recent trip, but I want to take time to honor my hubby. Chris and I celebrated our third anniversary on Thursday of this week, and I couldn't be more delighted. Also, I think this is the first time that just the two of us have vacationed together abroad, so we'll get to see how we travel as a pair. I'm grateful that he would be willing to treat us to an Anniversary/Christmas vacation.

Even before we were dating, Chris was setting an example of what a godly person should look like. He's often looking to others' interests first, and is passionate about caring for people from different cultures. Throughout college and in these first years of our marriage, he's wanted to reach out to international students and help them feel some sense of comfort as they were away from their homes. This guy puts his given social skills to good use!

He's also cared for me and put my needs above his own. I remember a week that I was horribly sick after we had been married for only a month or so; even though he was substitute teaching and beginning his Master's degree, Chris dropped everything in the evenings so that he could stay by my side and tend to my every whim. He often still defers to me for our leisure activities and plans. It's so easy to serve a husband this caring.

Happy Anniversary, Chris. I love you, and hope we get to celebrate many more.