whereisjodi.

"The UC system admits that there is no evidence that students who have taken courses that include the use of such textbooks are any less capable of university success, but the UC system still contends that students who wish to enter the UC system must have taken core courses that use only textbooks that do not promote a Christian viewpoint."

Posted by authorjodi at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I keep feeling my lymph nodes to see if I've contracted Cat Scratch Fever. Cali is making me seriously reconsider my decision to allow her to keep her claws. I think the guy at the Humane Society caught me at a week moment two years ago, telling me declawing was not the way to go. Since then I've cringed at the destruction of my couch, my chairs, my carpet...but Saturday night might have been the final straw.

I was sitting inside Bertha while my aunt stood outside, and since Cali is well-known for attempted jail-breaks I was holding her in my lap. My uncle was outside playing with his chipper and apparently something startled Cali but good. She went nuts and left me bleeding in more places than I could hold kleenex against on my own.

Cats really are psychotic animals. After the surprise wore off I went up front to check on her and she was staring at me from the front window as if to say, what is your problem?

Maybe it's the Cat Scratch Fever taking over, but I called three radio stations today to solicit interviews. Other than the nausea, it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. ;)

Posted by authorjodi at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by authorjodi at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Did you know Utah is the only state where college students are allowed to bring concealed weapons onto campus? I was reading the Longview News-Journal this morning and discovered that little gem right beneath an article discussing the VTech tragedy.

It reminded me of a town I read about in college, where it was a law that you had a firearm showing at all times. They were about an hour from a big city -- Chicago, if I remember correctly -- and they had a big problem with gangs coming to town and committing crimes. Once the show-your-gun law passed that problem pretty much disappeared.

The most interesting quote I found in the article was from a Republican <shock!> Senator in Utah:

"If government can't protect you, you should have the right to protect yourself."

I'm having a hard time finding the error in this statement. The only thing I can't figure out is why Oklahomans don't have a similar law. Everyone there is packing heat and I'm pretty sure the students don't leave their guns in their cars.

The other article I found interesting was that the FDA is looking at changing the definition of chocolate. Currently something must contain cacao fat to receive that coveted name, but the change "would make it possible to call something chocolate even if it had vegetable oil instead of that defining ingredient."

My favorite part of the article? The fact that protest websites have sprung up <Don'tMessWithOurChocolate.com> and petitions have been started. In the midst of all the serious troubles in our world, it must be fun to turn activist over something like this. :)

Posted by authorjodi at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've got ants again. It must be the result of sitting in one place for too long -- the last time I was swarmed by ants was when I sat for a couple weeks in Southern California. I don't know if Texas ants are somehow heartier, but they sure are crunchier when I squish them. ;)

I just returned from meeting Tim Baker, the youth pastor at my aunt and uncle's church. He's authored 15 books and graciously talked to me for about an hour during their car wash/garage sale youth fundraiser. Sweat dripped down my back as I took notes and tried to soak up as much as possible. The best <and worst> part -- he affirmed my frustration and the fact that I'm not alone in feeling totally alone trying to market myself.

Sadly, he wasn't the brother of someone famous who'd just called asking if he knew any up-and-coming Christian authors they could interview...but other than that he had some great suggestions. ;) One I've heard several times before -- that I should hire a publicist and try to get an agent. Of course, if I could afford a publicist and attract an agent, chances are I wouldn't be quite so desperate for either one. :p

He also had great suggestions for doing some legwork before my upcoming appearance at the International Christian Retailing Association Conference (formally CBA). As I listened to him talk I knew it was all good stuff, but I couldn't help the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought of trying to arrange meet-n-greets with editors and agents and etc.

Sometimes I wonder how in the world I got myself into this situation. Maybe I would have been better off keeping my manuscript in the drawer! Intellectually I know that's not true, that this process is good for me -- character and faith building and all that. But I do occasionally whine to God about the injustice of having to market my own material when I have the stereotypical author persona, more attracted to a hermit's life than public speaking or cults of celebrity.

Regardless of my feelings of complete inadequacy, this is the path He has me on right now so I'll try to charge <or stumble> forward. The most recent iTunes purchase I made was Kutless' Strong Tower and it's speaking to me this morning:

You are my strong tower
Shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting King

You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And Your face is all I seek

Posted by authorjodi at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Mirto and Ernest Simpson, members of a Florida area Gideons group, were handing out Bibles in front of a public high school last January when they were arrested. When asked the charge, the officer responded that they'd be informed within 48 hours. Allegedly, they were also told they could "pray to Jesus all the way to jail."

They didn't get within 500 feet of the school and they'd informed both the local sheriff's office and school officials that they'd be there that day. In other words, they followed the correct legal procedure and still were arrested <read more>.

This reminds me of a story I read while overseas about an entire hotel chain that just decided to remove the Bibles placed by Gideons because they'd had one complaint. Remind me again what country it is we live in?

Posted by authorjodi at 08:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm feeling like one of the Seven Dwarfs today and it's not Sneezy. After a full day of moping around I realized that I'm experiencing re-entry stress. Not that my life is bad! It's just...there's something so fabulous about trips, where the only thing you have to decide is what to wear for the day. Maybe whether you're going to have Coke or tea at dinner -- but nothing much more serious than that.
Five weeks of that made me a little lazy I guess.

Tomorrow I rejoin my current reality, wandering around the country trying to sell books and listen to what God wants to teach me through the process. Marketing here I come!

Posted by authorjodi at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1. Readily available supply of Dr. Pepper.
2. Signs in English.
3. When I arrived in Atlanta and turned my cell phone on for the first time in 5 weeks, I discovered the battery was nearly dead. Luckily there was a Kwik-e-Charge machine available but as I didn't have any 1's I went across the concourse to the Brookstone store to get change. The lady at the store said save your money, we'll charge it for you and while you wait you can sit right here in this chair and try out our new foot massaging machine.
4. Toilet seat covers in clean bathrooms.
5. No-Smoking areas.
   
6. While I was waiting in Atlanta during my 4-hour delay due to bad weather in Dallas, the gate agents kept making apologetic announcements. Even though they had nothing to say but "we're delaying again, sorry," it was better than the time I was sitting in the Luxor airport waiting for a midnight flight that was apparently delayed. Nothing quite like watching your departure time come and go when you don't speak the language and aren't 100% sure you're even sitting in the right area. ;)
   
7. Pringles.
8. Freedom of Speech <ie. not having to constantly self-edit to make sure I'm not writing something in my blog that could have dire consequences>.
9. Trees.
10. A generally higher leaning toward not littering, especially around national monuments.
11. I don't have to dial 42 extra numbers to call the States. ;)
12. Not so many professional beggars.
13. You don't have to check the fill-level on your Coke to determine whether the bottle's been reused.
    
14. Traffic lights and painted lanes.
    
15. I've never once gotten on a bus in America and wondered if it might blow up.
16. American Efficiency! I was just having a conversation with a friend over the fact that efficiency is a cultural value, not a moral one. While I recognize the truth of that statement, I still appreciate our efforts to make things run smoother and faster.
17. Child labor laws.
18. Cheap gas. Don't laugh, it's true.
    
19. High quality shoes <a la, not walking up Mt. Sinai in flip flops>.
20. Modesty. I know we're total hypocrites in what we export to the world Hollywood-wise, but I appreciate that we generally don't put full frontal nudity on the cover of the New York Times, unlike a German paper I picked up in the Frankfurt airport.
21. Honesty. Again, a cultural value rather than a moral one, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
22. Microwaves.
    
23. We don't live in an honor/shame culture.
24. The price is the price. It doesn't matter if you're a girl, or a tourist, or you're a tourist but you speak the language, or you've got a language speaker with you who knows how to get a better deal...
25. Bribery is not institutionalized.
26. I don't have to do differential calculus to figure out how much money I'm spending.
27. Breath mints and deoderant. Sorry, but I came by my sniffer honestly.
    
28. A woman wearing a t-shirt and shorts is not immoral.
29. You may not like the taste of tap water, but ours won't send you home with a new tenant in your intestinal tract.
30. Not having to pay to use the bathroom.
31. The American Embassy. Anywhere.
32. 'Shaking the faith' of a Muslim is not a crime punishable by imprisonment or death.
33. We're don't have to follow in our father's career unless we want to.
34. Free public school.
35. In most areas you're not taking your life in your hands to cross the street.

Posted by authorjodi at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night I called the airline just to confirm everything after last week's fiasco and, lo and behold, my reservation had been cancelled. What! Turns out the local Lufthansa office hadn't done everything they were supposed to do when the ticket was rebooked so the reservation was no more.

Luckily there was still availability tonight so they rebooked me again and I'll be heading for the airport in about an hour. I'll have a 4-hour layover in Frankfurt, then a 10-hr flight to Atlanta. After another 4-hr layover there I'll catch my last 2-ish hour flight to Dallas. I imagine I'll be one tired cookie but it'll be nice to get "home" to Bertha and regular life.

*** You have one final day to enter the drawing for a lovely solid silver necklace handmade in Amman <or a more manly option if you'd prefer>. Just write a review of my book on Amazon and you're entered. Contest deadline: Tuesday night at midnight. :)

Posted by authorjodi at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The more countries I see, the more I wonder if we're not all really the same at heart. Granted, I frequently see news stories that shake that opinion -- like yesterday's report of a 12-year old boy beheading an 'American Spy" for the Taliban. It reminds me of how sick at heart I was several years ago to see footage of young Iraqi boys waving guns and jumping up and down on mutilated American soldiers.

Yet I've found there's more to the world than what the media endlessly cycles...go figure! When I was in Bethlehem a couple weeks ago our Palestinian host told us that the majority of his people want peace. He says the media comes in and seeks out the zealot and presents him as representative of the feelings of all. It sounded strangely familiar.

Familiar too the sound of the Jordanian guide talking about their illegal immigration problem with Egypt. Floods of workers coming in and taking jobs away from Jordanians. At first they only took the low-paying jobs no Jordanians wanted to do; then the business owners would give other jobs to them as well because they'd work for less money, no benefits, etc. Sound familiar? Nowadays unemployment in Jordan is quite a problem.

The seed of this post was that I saw two young men playing smashball earlier today when I went out. It's a game played with two wooden paddles and a small rubber ball and my best friend and I passed many happy hours playing it in the past. For some reason it was kind of a shock to see it being played here. I also saw a young man pop a precarious wheely on a rickety old scooter while zooming by two eligible single gals. He quickly flipped a U to see what they thought of his handiwork but I didn't see their reaction because I was walking to find a grand taxi to take me to a petite taxi <so reminds me of Korea and taking the sit-down bus to the stand-up bus but that's another story!>.

I used to have a theory that every high school student should have to spend a year abroad so that they'd quit whining so much and appreciate what we have in America. ;) But maybe it'd be useful on another level as well. Maybe we wouldn't have so many international arguments if more of us had met each other face to face.

Posted by authorjodi at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I didn't want to talk about it when the group was here, but now that everyone but myself has returned to the States I figure I can mention it without worrying too many people. ;) One aspect of this trip that was interesting to me was the level of protection we "required" as an American group. Having been to Israel before I wasn't surprised by the kids packing guns wherever they went. And by kids I mean the majority of Israeli soldiers who, at 18-21, look even younger to me than they did on my last trip. ;)

That I was used to. However, when we crossed into Jordan and I saw a tank sitting in front of the American Embassy...well, I have to say it was a little sobering. I never felt ill-at-ease or unsafe, it was just interesting. Also surprising that we had to go through a metal detector to get into our hotel. Apparently there was a bombing there two years before, which my dad said made it the safest hotel in Amman now.

Egypt was a bit of a different story. Again, I never felt unsafe, but it was downright weird to have a man accompany us with a sub-machine gun hanging under his suit. We called him our personal Secret Service agent, complete with sunglasses. One time we were in an alley getting a lecture from our guide when a man approached us, I assumed to sell something. I watched our security guy cross the group and engage the guy in conversation, while shaking his hand and sort of dragging him away from the group. It was so smooth I really could have been watching the Secret Service!

There were loads of tourist police all over the place, always armed, but not looking...shall we say...completely 100% like they were paying attention. We went through metal detectors in Egypt as well, almost everywhere we went in fact. The thing was, they were either turned off or beeped for every person that went through with no negative consequences.

On the day excursion to Luxor we went to the Temple of HawChipSoo <totally spelled wrong!> which is where 60-some tourists were killed in the 90's. I never realized, but tourism is the #1 money-maker in Egypt. It took many years for the industry to recover after that attack and I think that's why they have such a visible police presence now.

I did find it really interesting that there were so many tourists in Egypt. Tons more than in Israel! It made me a little ticked actually -- people talk so much about being scared of their personal safety in Israel so they never visit, but they were running around Egypt no problem. In terms of the efficacy of security <and not just the show>, I think Americans are much safer in Israel.

I feel the need to reiterate that I never felt unsafe, but it gave me some interesting things to think about living that way, albeit briefly. I have much respect for Americans who live and work in those areas where they stick out like a sore thumb. When I lived in Korea I certainly stood out, but I never felt like there was the remotest possibility I could be targeted for my citizenship.

Traveling as I am now without the group, I find myself making different choices. There've been a few bombings recently and some alerts have been put out -- enough that I decided against taking a side excursion by myself. I very strongly believe in the sovereignty of God and that my days have already been numbered -- when it's my time to go it won't really matter where I'm at geographically. But it's a completely different lifestyle to have to think through the safety ramifications before you make daily decisions.

There's a very minor similarity in the RV lifestyle I'm currently living. I make sure I stay in safe places and put time into planning where I'm driving through and all that...but this is Bertha living on steroids!

Posted by authorjodi at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We walked a couple blocks to have dinner tonight at an outdoor cafe; a soup known as the national dish. I ate most of it, but left the meat chunks as I often do when I'm in a foreign country. As we got up to leave a young boy came up to beg from us. I've gotten fairly used to it and ignore them as I've been told to do, but this time my friend decided to get a bag and give the boy our leftover fries. Much to my horror, he went over to the table, took my spoon and ate the pieces of meat I'd left.

My friend tells me that he's a professional beggar, that his clothes are too clean and he's got shoes and he probably gets sent out on the job by his parents. She's says it's a culture where people eat from a communal pot so eating out of my bowl was no big deal for him. While I appreciated her attempts to make me feel better, the whole episode left a bad taste in my mouth.

You see, I was reminded tonight how fickle my convictions can sometimes be. I'm easily outraged by injustice, but the passion soon cools and I move on. Last summer in Guatemala I was deeply impacted by poverty the likes of which I'd never seen. I was told 50,000 infants died every year from basic diarrhea -- something that can be cured with a $3 pill. $3.

My second brother died as an infant and it was one of the most impactful, defining moments of my life. When I heard about 50,000 families going through a loss like that which could be solved by what I spent on a cup of coffee...I'll be honest, I found a back room in the church and I wept. I came home to Boise and couldn't spend $3 at Starbucks for a long, long time. I haven't even used more than a cup or two from the $50 in Starbucks gift cards I got for Christmas. But more than a general nausea when it comes to Starbucks, what have I done with that conviction, that outrage? Not much. And somehow I've found a way to live with it.

A couple months ago I heard that 60% of the men of Sudan have been killed in the last few years. 60%. Can you even imagine that? I've been meaning to write a blog about it but I couldn't think of what to say that wouldn't be completely hollow.

The problem as I see it is that we're surrounded by horror. Perhaps not always in our own lives, but watching 10 minutes of any given newscast on any given day will remind us. It's too much. How can we absorb so much pain and destruction and not become calloused? Especially when almost all of us can name a family member or close friend who's suffering right at this moment from cancer, or divorce, or the death of a loved one. Who can handle the rest of the world's problems when we're absorbed with our own and those of the ones we love?

Maybe I am transitory in my convictions. Maybe it's a coping mechanism to let certain things go and only focus on a few issues I feel there's a possibility I might accomplish something in. Who knows? What came to my mind and gave me comfort tonight while thinking of my ever-morphing outrage was this verse:

...being confident of this, that He Who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

If I don't understand God's ways in allowing different things to happen or I don't know how to deal with it all perfectly, I guess that just means His good work isn't complete in me yet.

Posted by authorjodi at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The world seems exceedingly small to me this morning as I sit at a computer in North Africa reading about yesterday's partial birth abortion ruling from the Supreme Court. It's the first full news story I've read in almost a month and I can see that things haven't changed much in my absence. The headline reads "Abortion Ruling Emboldens Opponents." Maybe I'm super touchy, but the majority of time I see emboldens used when talking about insurgents and criminals. It's sort of a negative word to me, and certainly a negative spin on a very overdue and positive ruling.

But maybe I'm just being over-sensitive. Let's read a little further:

Wednesday's ruling — a turning point in a debate that has engaged the nation for more than three decades — confirmed the worst fears of abortion rights supporters and the highest hopes of abortion opponents: that Bush's push to leave his stamp on the court could open the way for a host of new abortion restrictions.

Yes, this debate has been raging since the Supreme Court looked hard enough into the Constitution to find a woman's right to murder her child in privacy. If only those irritating pro-lifers anti-choicers would just give up! But how interesting that poor President Bush is held responsible for yet another blight on humanity. His terrible urge to 'leave his stamp' is having dire consequences, etc., etc. While we're on the subject of bashing Bush, let's throw in a little bit of old and moldy sour grapes:

Gandy <National Organization of Women President> called Wednesday's decision the court's most political since Bush v. Gore, the 2000 ruling that handed Bush the presidency.

The funny thing is, all this hogwash is quoted before the reporter gets to the really interesting stuff -- after 30 years of relentless and continual indoctrination about a woman's right to choose, public opinion is pretty clear. The vast majority of Americans want some restrictions on abortion and over 60% agree with the Court's ruling against partially delivering a baby and then jamming a fork into its brains.

On a side note, as if I didn't have enough reasons not to vote for Mr. Obama, I read that he endorsed a bill giving a doctor the right to smother the baby if somehow it was delivered before the doctor got the fork in position.

Posted by authorjodi at 03:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the things that was most impactful to me on this trip was the night climb up Mt. Sinai. We'd crossed the day before from Aqaba, Jordan to Nuweiba <sp?>, Egypt. That's another story entirely that I'll write about later...but after the crossing we drove an hour or two into Egypt and ended up at a small hotel at the base of the mountain. It was quite cool because the little one-room units were made out of stone quite similar to the mountains, so if you weren't looking super careful the whole complex would blend right in.

We climbed a couple flights of stairs to the restaurant which was on a traditional site that escapes me, but I think it had something to do with where the people gathered while waiting for Moses. Anyhow, we had a quick dinner then tromped off to bed quite early since we had a 1a wake-up call.

When the call came my aunt and I dragged ourselves out of bed and met the other 10 or so hearty souls on the bus for a quick drive. We stopped for a few minutes at a little coffee shop type establishment for a shot of caffeine to go, then drove up to the main tourist parking lot. It was a little after two when we started walking and I was surprised at the number of buses and people there already.

I should probably just get this over with, the part where I admit I'm not a morning person and, when the group started race-walking from get-go, my mood turned foul fairly quickly. Almost immediately I was way in back with a dark cloud over my head, muttering to myself and not at all entering into the supposed spiritual experience.

After maybe 15 minutes racing through the dark we came to St. Katherine's Monastery and the place where folks could catch a camel ride if they wanted. My mom and several others got rides immediately and about 15 minutes up the hill my dad hitched a ride as well. I saw mom a couple times after that, gliding along above the dirt and fray. I could hear her singing every so often -- it was just lovely.

I'm not sure when my stubborn streak first reared it's ugly head, but pretty early on I decided I was going to make it on my own. My resolve weakened considerably every switchback as I looked up and saw sporadic flashlights shining a long, long way up. Pretty quickly I realized that there had been some sort of misunderstanding about how far this trek would be. We'd been told 1.3 miles or about 600 steps which I thought would be no problem since we had four hours til sunup and I'd just done 900 or so steps in addition to several miles in Petra a couple days before.

There was a full moon out and it was actually quite bright as we hiked up and up and up. Occasionally we'd walk with the mountain between us and the moon and at those points it was almost pitch dark. It wasn't until later that I realized there were almost 1,000 people on the trail because most of the time I was walking with only a couple people in my vicinity.

Most of the hike was sort of other-worldly. We had to duck to the side of the trail for camels to pass fairly regularly and Bedouins would appear out of the darkness and try to tempt me into purchasing a camel ride. Every so often a few Nigerians would materialize out of the darkness, heading back down saying things like "too far!" or "too long!" To add to the weirdness, every quarter mile or so there was a "coffee shop" tent offering various drinks and snack items while you sat to catch your breath.

The path was so switch-backy that I couldn't see very far ahead and I had no idea how much further there was to go, which made it all the more difficult to keep plodding along. One time I looked up and the switchback was just perfect -- I could see three people riding on camels high above me, exactly in front of the moon. It was so beautiful and, I don't know, biblical maybe, that it brought tears to my eyes.

Maybe an hour into the hike I was gasping for air when my dad came loping up and offered to carry my increasingly heavy backpack. I gladly tossed it up and walked about five steps before his Bedouin guide demanded an additional five dollars to have the camel carry the bag. I was so miffed I took it back and vowed not to give the man a dime.

Just then another Bedouin appeared at my right hand and started asking whether I wanted a camel. Unlike the forty others who'd offered and given up after one or two no's, this man walked beside me for several switchbacks. I became increasingly discouraged as he whispered things in my ear like "It's too far. You can't make it. It's two more hours to hike to the top. You need a camel. You'll never make it."

After listening to this litany for awhile my discouragement started morphing into amazement. What a priviledge to experience such a realistic picture of the spiritual battles we go through in life! As we try to climb to the top of the mountain, finish the race, and etc., the devil walks alongside whispering defeat at every step. It was quite empowering actually. I told the guy to buzz off and soared ahead of him.

It would be a great story if I could say from that point on I ran at break-neck speed up the hill, but that would be a big fat lie. :p That hike was one of the hardest things I've ever done physically. Even harder, in a different way, than running a marathon a few years back. I think a big part of the problem was totally skewed expectations that it was going to be a nice jaunt in the wilderness, plus the deadline of trying to beat sunrise to the top.

However, after almost three hours I made it -- turned out the 1.3 miles was straight up! We climbed nearly 5,000 feet into the air, churning through about a 5-mile path. The last hour was basically climbing straight up stone "stairs," mostly laid by one monk as a vow to God.

Much to my surprise, I arrived before the sunrise and sat in the lee of a rock with a couple other gals, huddled together to ward of freezing to death while the wind did a number on our sweaty selves. We sang a few songs and watched the light begin to break across an entirely amazing mountain range.

In my head I'd always thought of Mt. Sinai as set apart, the only mountain around. It's actually just the highest point in a huge range of beautiful, stony, forbidding neighbors and the sun breaking against them was breathtaking.

The hike back down in the light was no cake-walk, but at least it was downhill. And with almost every step I was thanking God for the experience and for the fact that I'd climbed in the dark ---- I didn't know just how far I had left to go. I'm pretty sure I would have folded from discouragement if I'd been able to look up and see how many steps were left ahead of me when I was working so hard for each one. There's something biblical there as well I imagine.

If I find myself in Egypt again I think I might climb once more. It was an amazing experience I hope many of you will be able to participate in at least once in your life.

Posted by authorjodi at 06:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

One of my favorite songs is by a group called The Kry. It's an older song -- I think 80's or early 90's. Of course to some that's not considered old, but to me it is. ;) I didn't look it up, but as I remember these are a few of the lines:

No one will ever go hungry or cold
No one will hurt or will ever grow old
No one will die and leave someone alone
That's when I'll know
I'm home forever, no pain or disease
All will be equal and all will be free
True love will come and we'll fall to our knees
That's when I'll know I'm home

A friend of mine died today. She was only a couple years older than me and she died in her sleep. A couple hours before I got the news I was doing some work on our short term bulletin board and saw several messages from her -- taking care of people and answering their questions...and I was grateful that she was so on the ball while I was a little out of the loop over here. It's just sort of stunning that she's gone.

I don't understand God's ways. At least I'm finally old enough now to understand that I never will. What I do know is that He is good. And right now I'm overwhelmed with a feeling of happiness for her. Don't get me wrong -- it's not for me. But for her what an amazing thing to fall asleep with the worries and cares of this world on her mind and wake up in heaven. To pass from death into true life. I'm sure she's dancing.

Posted by authorjodi at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Apparently it's not a good restaurant unless there's a cat wandering around the premises <meaning they feed it rather than eat it I guess>.

This scroungy but quite sweet cat came up and sat on the couch with us until the waiter shooed him away when the food arrived. He was, as you can see, there when the appetizer beans were served...

Posted by authorjodi at 08:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Someone recently mentioned to me their theory that my mother tends to classify everything that doesn't go exactly right as "an experience." ;) As if I hadn't had enough experiences in the past month, or year for that matter, I'm in the middle of a brand new one.

In case any of you imagine that I'm blogging from Atlanta which is approximately where I'm supposed to be right about now...you'd be off by several thousand miles. I'm actually still in North Africa which is where I've been sojourning for the past week. One of the experiences I'll be trying very hard not to repeat in the future is to travel overseas for any length of time without bringing my own laptop -- serious pain in the rear when you're trying to blog everyday! I figured I could take a one-week blogging hiatus no problem and have had a lovely time since leaving the rest of the group last week in Egypt. However, by yesterday evening I was fairly well ready to get back to the States. My friend and I were figuring out which train to take to the airport when we decided we'd better double-check my ticket to make sure we arrived early enough.

My plane left at 12:55am. On the 16th. ie., about 15 hours before! After a moment of pure shock that I'd made one of the more elementary mistakes in travel, I laughed on and off for the rest of the evening. Thankfully I don't have a regular job to get back to because all the flights back are full until the 24th. I have to think it's a God thing that neither myself nor my two more experienced international traveling companions thought of the 12:55 dilemma -- but maybe that's just me trying to assuage my ego. :p

Regardless, I'll be sojourning for another week before returning to the States. Other than having some concerns over my poor neglected pet, I'm thrilled to have more time here. We'll see a few more sights and have many more chats. The best thing -- my shopping is already done! ;) I've figured out a way to blog and get some other work done, so I think I'll be back to my usual schedule -- but no promises since I'm fairly well out of my element here!

Posted by authorjodi at 05:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Dad ended his work early so I get the 14 minutes left on our hour. You have to buy an internet card from the hotel <if they have internet> for an exhorbitant fee each half hour or hour. Of course there's a jillion internet cafe's, but this kind of touring doesn't lend itself to a leisurely stop to compose and sip a latte. ;)

We've been doing our usual going, going, going the last several days. Jordan was wonderful! Much more beautiful than I'd pictured. For some reason I had desert, desert everywhere in my head, but we drove through a lot of green mountains. We did drive through some desert on our way to Aqaba which is where we caught the boat over to Egypt. For those of you on the short term committee, Mom and I came up with a new training scenario: Egyptian Border Crossing. I'm going to blog about it, but not until I'm out of the country...

Luxor was so hot today I can't imagine what it's like in the summer <our guide told us they tour from 5:30a-10a then>. We were literally dripping with sweat as we explored some of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings at 8 o'clock this morning. Our ticket gained us entry to three of the 60-some-odd tombs and they were increasingly humid and stuffy -- though interesting! We saw a couple more temples, the Valley of the Workers, Karnak <which I plan to write about in detail later> and ended the day with an hour's sail on the Nile that was fairly peaceful except for every time we floated past a generator pumping water out for the fields. :)

Only about half of the group took this side excursion so we'll hook up with everyone again tomorrow. We're sitting in a hotel lobby waiting for our pickup at 10p, then we'll wait in the airport until our midnight flight. This morning we flew down with a huge group of grade school kids from Qatar. Lots of interesting accents among teachers and students.

Oops! Times almost out so I better publish before I lose it all. I doubt I'll be able to post for a few more days til I'm situated in the next country.

Posted by authorjodi at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by authorjodi at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Sorry -- posting in Jordan turned out to be a one time affair. We're in Egypt now -- technically in Luxor waiting a couple more hours to catch our flight back to Cairo. We had a one day excursion today, leaving the hotel at 4:45 in the am to fly down here. We'll get back at 2a and start the last day of touring at 8:30. Strangely enough, that won't be the least amount of sleep I've had in the last couple days. We had a 1a wake-up call the morning we hiked to the top of Mt. Sinai.

So...I have a million more stories to write about but no time to do it now. After tomorrow's full day I say goodbye to the rest of the group about midnight and then sleep a few more hours before catching my own flight. It's been a wonderful trip but I'm looking forward to a slightly less frenetic pace for the next week of traveling. :)

Posted by authorjodi at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)