to the Desert and Back again

As I type this, I'm listening to You Tube "A Horse with No Name" - ha! Thanks to John, this song was stuck in my head off and on...in between a Veggie Tales Song (no joke, Tanya, Teri and JenZie)...."everybody's got a waterbuffalo..her's is fast but mine is slow...."




At one point, John screamed out to the van people as we started to call "them" affectionately - remember this old hymn? "On Christ the solid rock I stand! All other ground is sinking sand...." HA HA HA! it'll make more sense later...keep reading....

This is going to be a long post and it'll take a good long time to get it together, in the meantime, I'm sure everyone's wondering where are their emails or skypes or f/b notes...well....they're coming together slowly here in one culmination.

First off - JASMINE LOVES SCHOOL!! and she was STOKED to return today - she woke up 20 min before daddy walked her to school, she ate breakfast on the way there....they're not doing L for lady bug, but rather I for insects, so she picked out a butterfly shirt since they are infact, insects ;)

We had wonderful hosts in John and Yrene and their kids yesterday as they invited us to join them and their friends from America (Tony and Monica). Tony and Monica hired a van and driver for their month here. Tony is Egyptian, I'd say he's probably 36-40 yrs old. He was born and raised here, left for America at age 18, so his return was bittersweet for them all - VERY cool experience for their family!

We left our home at 5:31 am Monday.

(sunrise over the pyramids)

We returned to our home at 8:47 pm Monday night. you KNOW kids are tired when....they're laying 2 people thick and mine even has a plastic cooler on top of him! Jasmine was asleep between Wy-el and I, I had a cramp from holding her legs off the stick as their SUV is manual.

Poor Jorge is on the BOTTOM! (age 4) and Joshua's drool! HILARIOUS!!!

this is her after a short nap between "stops"

speaking of Jorge - proof of Jasmine being smitten ;) We saw those two wander off...found them looking at rocks leaned up against....a trash can!


It was a day of Unbelievable Calamity (for Tony), Unruly Laughter for all, Unpredictable Awe over Creation!! I truly felt a burden as I again failed to express myself for what I feel over God's majesty, power, beauty, abundance. Truly unpredictable awe! We only had one major crash - Jasmine (poor girl) threw a tantrum (natural consequences rule) down the side of a steep incline...because other kids were eating OUR cantelope (you haven't had cantelope until you've had it outside the typical US stores...so I do grasp her possessivness YES ha). So...anywho...she stuck close after that. Some tweezers, antibacterial spray, lots of screaming and kisses and one ginoooooormous bandaid later...we were off again. But not before she had to apologize to 6 other children - goodness....I like that type of punishment! ha! I know you think I'm mean, but you don't know what a snob she can be sometimes - I'm baffled by her "teenage mean girl" mentality sometimes....but watching her humble herself not only made me giggle...it made me proud!

Unbelievable Calamity - Poor Tony! Our family prayed about specific things for our trip..and God supplied in unbelievable ways! You may think, as John said, that this story of Tony is one of fiction - rest assured...it is NOT!

side stop for my favorite pic! Xavier - 6, Joshua - 8, Gabriel - 9 - KING of the rock formations! I'd already climbed up ALOOONG ways - and then zoomed in - they are VERY high up there.


Imagine yourself..no roads...no cell coverage...one suv and one mini van. 10 kids, 8 adults..nuttin but 2 hrs of desert behind you and nutting but days worth ahead of you......as you ride out to explore the Western Desert of Egypt - still one of the least explored areas of the world. Hence, no roads ;) We did come across a few helipads...and decided this must be how Mexican drug runners feel! HA! sorry, bad humor...the heat and sun and all...anyway..moving on...

imagine it OK? THERE IS NO HELP! we're as prepared as we can be, just off on an adventure...taking some risks....

When suddenly...the Egyptian driver of the mini van doesn't see a big soft spot and drives right into it.......

Thinking like Americans, we ASSUMED the SUV had a tow strap. NOPE

Well.....the TWO GUYS in the ENTIRE area who saw us...happened to be surverying of sorts to create a "road" (you'll see the roads out here in pics, you'll get an idea of what I mean by this road, more of a "path" - well these 2 guys saw us....they were working in their......

yes...you've envisioned where we're at right? You stopped thinking American right?

They came for us...in a FRONT END LOAD AND A BULLDOZER! and I don't even mean the little ones on little streets - THE BIGGER ONES! Pulled us right out!







Then they went back a ways for a little Jeep they had...

(how many Egyptians does it take to get thru the Western Desert? HA! Van driver in white, Tony (Egyptian American) in Hawaiian shirt, Wy-el (Wael) in orange shirt laughing, Coptic Egyptians in Jeep. (Coptic Christianity is a history lesson for another day - I mention it for our bud Gage who has interest in world religion and history!)
and lead us to a bedouin "camp" where they were erecting something, I can't begin to fathom ANYWAY...

We get there...and the driver of the van hadn't heeded the last warnings about how to drive (you know what happened right?) HE GOT STUCK!

So Wy-el was trying to pull them out, as Tony purchased the tow strap (HIGH value here, people OUCH) and Wy-el is attempting to pull them out, but....

1. the other driver doesn't realize he needs to be IN GEAR W/ HIS FOOT ON THE GAS!

2. once he figures THIS out..he doesn't realize he should drive straight and keep the rope taught....getting stuck AGAIN....off to the side but still behind us

3. Then 12 Bedouin push the van out but - read 2 again..HE ALMOST NAILED US AS WE WEREN'T READY - COMMUNICATION PEOPLE! (yes, both drivers are first language in Egyptian, it was NOT a language barrier). Wy-el takes off FAST - AS WE HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN IN THE BACK OF THE SUV LIKE PIGS TO SLAUGHTER!

4. This caused all the kids to flounder, scream, grunt...and WHAM....rip goes the tow strap.....

5. A Jeep of Americans come thru (why, I dunno? LOCO GRINGO'S! said best in Spanish)....what do they do? instead of noticing us, they pull up...almost run over the tow strap THAT'S LIKE 4' IN THE AIR AT THIS POINT! slam on their brakes then do the AMERICAN "swearing" HONK!

WITH MILES OF DESERT AROUND!

6. Tony pays all of the bedouin and they get us out....we drive thru the smallest things to call town - even John and Yrene said it's MUCH more desolate, poor and "dank" than Mexico! (yrene is Mexican, she'd know).

they wouldn't let me take photos....but I did get THIS sign after the above photo







as you can see.....we almost didn't heed its warning! about a 20' drop off!!!

All the while....the rest of us are having competely unruly laughter!!! John and Rob had to exit the suv and wander off, they were laughing SO hard, Wy-el couldn't concentrate! I couldn't get out because I didn't bring a skirt (oopsie) to put over my shorts and we were in a bedouin village. I contained myself...Wy-el banged his head on the steering wheel a few times and I think might've come close to loosing his integrity w/ the other driver a few times ;) GOOOO WY-EL!

Oh! and we saw goats and families living on top of "shacks" ?? I mean..not hanging out..but like...sleeping mats, cook stoves.....

So - we get set and they're in front...and

LOOOOOK OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUT!

The van driver hit a giant "bump" that was hard.....got airborn (I'm dying laughing still since no one was hurt), hit so hard that he knocked the spare tire off the bottom..and it's just going erratically across the desert on its own!! MAN THAT WAS HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!


Wy-el at one point yells out in his Egyptian accent

"What make of this? That van! THAT VAN! what make of this?"

The other family along w/ Yrene, Joseph, Xavier rode in the van. I rode w/ the rest in the SUV. I was in front with Wy-el. He would like to take his family to America, be a semi driver and travel in the sleeper w/ his family - NEAT WENDY C, EH?!

OH THE GROSSEST THING! may want to scroll a bit and skip this little part ;)
I had to go SO bad, but I couldn't out there...because...well the bedouin were with us!! The other women were nursing and sadly enough, actually became dehydrated :-( I was hurting VERY badly I had to go so badly....

Well we found a little medical center in one little "town", Wyel went in to ask if an American woman with her hair down and exposed legs could use the potty - so they cleared the area and Wy-el took me in....and stood guard...there was feces, piled with flies on the door, the walls, the toilet....

FIVE wipes...FIVE wipes.....but if I went in, YOU KNOW I WAS DESPERATE!! i thanked the nurses profusely, answered a few questions, then Wy-el said something and dragged me out (drug me out? HELP! am I really my kid's teacher?)

this was beside the clinic..I'd have prefer to go with these adorable beasts!! I think water buffalo are EVEN cuter than cows - how can I adore such stinky vile beasts? ha!

OH - nurses, did you know they're not medically trained here? They're more of like "support staff" with a pretty "label" - kinda scary! BUT - you see, at least nurses and doctors ALL want to BE that, it's not a "status" thing here, nor is it ANY way to make money! In the US, it's like "oooh you're a doctor" people know you'll have the big house, fancy cars after you pay off your incredible loans....anywho - here nobody does it for status or wealth, it just doesn't happen...so every doctor actually WANTS to be a doctor and serve - neat neat!

Did someone say this was a post about Mon? I think I'm on a rabbit trail!

I think I can get back on track

SQUIRREL!

I think I can get back on the desert track ;) and attach some way cool photos now!!

OH - my 2nd day of Arabic was GREAT!! I really like our teacher. Rob really enjoyed 3 hrs sitting in the cafe drinking his fruit smoothie and doing his computer work in calmness. We enjoyed our 30 min before and after class together JUST FOR US!

I have OODLES of homework, I'm going to make my family nuts ;)

Well, I have to get my little insect from school - GOTTA SMOTHER HER IN KISSES! I can't believe, after being with them NON STOP how much I missed them Sun and today - blushing at the admission. IT'S GOOD FOR ALL OF US!!

No word on my mom's heart test results. THANKS for prayers the other day! Will keep you posted!

When I sit again, I'll add pics.......

ok FREAKY story!! You all know, if you didn't know me WELL before the blog, I'm a "passionate" person..it's a blessing and a curse ;) Most people say I'm high strung, some people politely say I'm high energy, a few love on me and affectionately say I'm passionate ;) (tee hee) well....I put Jasmine in the back of the SUV (please stop panicking about seat belts and safety..it's just...throw it out of your mind..it's part of living here ;) now you can read on! lol

ok - so I'm in the front, right? John and Rob are in the middle w/ stuff, 4-8 kids in the back depending on what they wanted...I put Jasmine in the back of the truck....we "raced" vehicles...after 20 min of NOT seeing the other vehicle, I wanted Jasmine's attention to tell her something...

you know where this is going now don't you, Mom??? Everyone pick their hearts up off the floor..keep reading..it's a happy ending.....it's ok to breathe.....

THO I DID NOT!

Wendy "Hey, Rob, get Jasmine's attention for me please"

Gabriel "Jasmine's not back here"

W - ok kids, seriously, get Jasmine for me

Rob - SERIOUSLY, SHE'S NOT IN HERE

W - (complete meltdown) WHAT DO YOU MEAN? GET SERIOUS!

Rob - SERIOUSLY, SHE'S NOT IN HERE!

W - WY-EL STOP THE TRUCK! WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER?! WHERE IS SHE?!

Wyel - We go back, madam, we go back

fast u-turn, speeding back.....breathing mother......QUIET suv (4 boys....VERY quiet).....all you hear is me breathing....and us hitting bumps at 120 kmp (that's 70 MILES per h in the desert!!!!) and Wy-el mumbling......

We see the van.....he's swerving so they know we're not playing now......

Wy-el - Jasmine there? Jasmine there?

other driver - yes, she got in at the last minute

Wendy to Wy-el, I'm going to kill her!

Wy-el LAUGHING HIS BUTT OFF!!

Now we're back to racing ;) and later Rob said to Jasmine "it's fine you wanted to ride in the van, but ALWAYS ask mommy or daddy before doing that, ok?!" I simply cried and held her - heaven sakes, mommy!

The drive home was INTENSE! If you thought the driving in the desert was an adventure....well....try driving IN THE DARK WITHOUT LIGHTS (they think it's rude to shine lights in other's faces) going 50 MILES per hour in 3 lane traffic...and remember what's on the side of the road? WATERBUFFALO'S! 8 yr olds on donkeys! EEEEK! I'm not sure HOW others could rest! I even let out some gasps and grabbed the "panic handles"!!! (blushing)








We found an oasis! COOOOL!! gorgeous waterfall! The ONLY one still "active" in Egypt - plenty of dried up ones. Joshua found this section of a backbone and we turned it into the bedouin who keep this "section" of land looked after. We are SO curious what it could be! But even tho I had some strong opposition from MANY ages...I felt it cruel to steal it from its resting place!!










I need to do my homework for today - I'd better stop reviewing all my pics ;)
Thanks for looking!!!

Mahsehlehmah!!