An Intellectual Meeting of the Minds

I started writing this blog at 5:51 am on the bus headed to Abu Simbel. I took a brief nap, and now I’m up reflecting on the trip thus far. I think back to the classes and the individual discussions I've had. I'm surrounded by eloquent, passionate speakers who share similar feelings that I have, and when they speak it riles up emotions from deep inside. The first night we were here, we had to separate into groups, and share what we wanted to gain from this trip. "A sense of self", "A better understanding of the history we were stripped of", " The chance to experience life outside of the US, and the chance to immerse myself deep into another culture", were just a few of the answers. As everyone stated his or her reasons, I was filled with a sense of camaraderie, and knew that this trip would be life changing. As our discussion went on, people shared that they were learning how to speak Arabic, or learning how to read Hieroglyphics, and countless others were working on research projects. The brainpower in our group is tremendous. I'm taking in all that I can because it is a blessing to be here. Never in a million years did I ever think that I would be able to climb into a pyramid, or see the treasures of King Tut. I've been on a boat floating down the Nile, and have learned a lot about myself during this trip. Dr. Carr or Dr. Beatty quickly answer any questions that are asked, and if they don't know the answer, they find out for us.

We are taking on the jobs of scribes, writing down our experiences, snapping pictures, blogging to share our journey through our past with those who are unable to be here with us physically, but are here in spirit. This trip has taught me that one shouldn't take things at face value, and if you look closely there is normally a deeper meaning to everything, and this is the charge of intellectual integrity. Others may come here and look at the Hieroglyphics, and think: oh what pretty pictures, and not know what those pretty pictures mean. People with our group can decipher those pretty pictures, and give you a complete break down of their meaning.

Please excuse my random ramblings, there are so many thoughts in my head, and I'm trying to get them all out before I forget.