Too much to do. Lots of work. Really sleepy.
Got a B+ on my Egyptian Lit paper. Yay.
Can now tell Senusert III and Amenemhat III apart.
Arabic final tomorrow will be scary bad.
Longest bus ride home yet: 2 hours, 10 minutes.
Got delicious cupcakes, finally. Pumpkin and carrot.
Anthro presentation postponed due to kindness of classmate.
Much ado about everything today. More tomorrow.
Showing posts with label egyptology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label egyptology. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
rainbows and puppies
Is basically what the second half of today was. No joke.
I got to campus early to write my Art and Architecture paper, and it was a good thing that I did. It was done in time to print it out and bring it to class for Professor Ikram to look over.
When I went to her office after class with some other students, she checked it and said it looked good, I just needed to change a few things and add a sketch of the statue, which looks like this, by the way:
Then she took me outside to talk in private, about my Egyptology scholarship and whether I was actually getting the money from that (which I am, yay!), and about whether I would like to work at the Egyptian Museum. Yes. The answer is yes.
So that was the rainbows and puppies part, and it cast a haze of amazing over everything else for the rest of the day, Anthro class and Arabic and a horribly long bus ride included.
Just now, I got an email from the professor, telling me the museum would be getting in touch, and containing a very clear warning not to let her down, to which my first reaction was: "ulp."
And my second reaction: "I won't."
I got to campus early to write my Art and Architecture paper, and it was a good thing that I did. It was done in time to print it out and bring it to class for Professor Ikram to look over.
When I went to her office after class with some other students, she checked it and said it looked good, I just needed to change a few things and add a sketch of the statue, which looks like this, by the way:
 |
| imakhufu and his wife |
So that was the rainbows and puppies part, and it cast a haze of amazing over everything else for the rest of the day, Anthro class and Arabic and a horribly long bus ride included.
Just now, I got an email from the professor, telling me the museum would be getting in touch, and containing a very clear warning not to let her down, to which my first reaction was: "ulp."
And my second reaction: "I won't."
Sunday, October 24, 2010
midterms upon midterms
Sorry for the late (and uninteresting) blog post. I just spent four hours studying with friends for my Art and Architecture midterm tomorrow, so I'm a little bit brain dead on all things not ancient Egypt. Actually, scratch that, I'm pretty brain dead on everything.
School was fine today, although it was another day where I really could have used a hug. It probably would have made me cry, but not in a bad way. Sarah, be prepared for this possibility when I come get you at the airport next week, okay?
My Dramatic Lit midterm went really well, I though, especially since I didn't study as much as I might have. There were at least two sections where I know I didn't miss any points at all, and there wasn't anything on there that I wasn't capable of answering at least partly. I'll let you know how it turned out when I get my test back.
Egyptian Lit wasn't torturous today, mainly because the stories we talked about were actually interesting and class had to end early since the professor wasn't feeling well. I was glad it did, because it gave me some extra time to study for Art and Architecture before I had to go to Arabic class.
I've actually been enjoying Arabic class for the past few weeks, but today was the exception. We had to repeat the dialog from the book over and over again until the whole class could say it, which was just torture. I already knew most of it, so it wasn't that hard for me, but I felt a little bit like a show-off, even though that's not at all what I meant to do. I hope it didn't come across that way to any of my classmates.
I got home from campus at 6:30, and started studying for A&A at 7:00. We finished going through the slides about 15 minutes ago, which just goes to show how much information there is that we need to know. I'm feeling confident enough right now, although I still need to work on the map section before I can take the test.
Now it's definitely time for bed. Wish me luck on the quiz tomorrow!
P.s. If you are in the U.S. and don't have anything to do tonight (Sunday), watch Sherlock at 9:00 pm on PBS. It's a really really great show, and I don't think you'll be disappointed!
School was fine today, although it was another day where I really could have used a hug. It probably would have made me cry, but not in a bad way. Sarah, be prepared for this possibility when I come get you at the airport next week, okay?
My Dramatic Lit midterm went really well, I though, especially since I didn't study as much as I might have. There were at least two sections where I know I didn't miss any points at all, and there wasn't anything on there that I wasn't capable of answering at least partly. I'll let you know how it turned out when I get my test back.
Egyptian Lit wasn't torturous today, mainly because the stories we talked about were actually interesting and class had to end early since the professor wasn't feeling well. I was glad it did, because it gave me some extra time to study for Art and Architecture before I had to go to Arabic class.
I've actually been enjoying Arabic class for the past few weeks, but today was the exception. We had to repeat the dialog from the book over and over again until the whole class could say it, which was just torture. I already knew most of it, so it wasn't that hard for me, but I felt a little bit like a show-off, even though that's not at all what I meant to do. I hope it didn't come across that way to any of my classmates.
I got home from campus at 6:30, and started studying for A&A at 7:00. We finished going through the slides about 15 minutes ago, which just goes to show how much information there is that we need to know. I'm feeling confident enough right now, although I still need to work on the map section before I can take the test.
Now it's definitely time for bed. Wish me luck on the quiz tomorrow!
P.s. If you are in the U.S. and don't have anything to do tonight (Sunday), watch Sherlock at 9:00 pm on PBS. It's a really really great show, and I don't think you'll be disappointed!
 |
| best modern adaptation of sherlock holmes ever. i promise. also, not my picture. duh. thanks bbc. |
Friday, October 22, 2010
a sketchy situation
Woke up today at 7:30 to shower and start studying, which actually kind of worked. I got stuff done, at least until I took my first break, which lasted a lot longer than it should have. I got to skype with my friend Maggie from home, though, so that was really nice.
Then I went downstairs to the courtyard to study more, and managed to get through my notes almost two times before we had to catch a cab to the Egyptian Museum. It was an interesting experience, because the driver was the first I'd met who willingly admitted that he didn't speak a lick of English, not in so many words of course. I was pretty proud of myself for making it work, and getting him to drop us off in the right place, although we did have to cross about six lanes of traffic to actually get to the museum. We also were there freakishly early, because Kim and I were a bit paranoid about being late again, after last time. It wasn't too long before the entire group showed up though, and we headed inside. The trip this time was much less frenetic, and much less boiling hot, because it wasn't nearly as crowded and we didn't have to run up and down any giant staircases. We looked at and learned about a ton of new and interesting Old Kingdom statues, including the only for-sure identified statue of Khufu (Cheops), the builder of the great pyramid at Giza. The statue is less than four inches tall. And it's adorable. The only remaining image of a pharaoh who is painted in history as an egotistical maniac is a teeny tiny ivory statue. If he'd really been as bad as Herodotus says he was, don't you think we'd have found more evidence?
Part of our assignment at the museum today, other than to follow Professor Ikram around like little ducklings* (or 'chickadees' as she sometimes calls us), was to describe a work of art in detail, as practice for our class paper. I chose a statue of King Raneferef from the 5th dynasty, which sadly is all broken up and the paint is almost all gone. That in itself isn't very interesting, but what happened to me when I was sketching the statue was. Perhaps the fact that what I was drawing was called a 'sketch' lends a certain tone to my encounter. An Egyptian man, who I hadn't noticed standing beside me, all of a sudden commented on my art. "Very beautiful," he said, "you are very good." I pretty much ignored him, and continued to draw. "You have chosen a wonderful piece," he said, "it is beautiful." At this point, I was wondering if he would just go away, but sadly, this was not the case. "You are from America," he stated, "you are touring?" I really shouldn't have responded, but I couldn't seem to help myself. "No," I said, "I live here. I live in Cairo." He was bit surprised, but quickly smoothed it over with, "Me too! I also live in Cairo. I am an accountant. What do you study?" "Egyptology." "What?" "Egyptology." "What?" "I study Egypt," I finally said, really kind of wanting him to go away. "Oh, oh, Egypt. Of course. I am an accountant," he repeated, as if I had thrown him off his script. "I play judo, and also swimming." "Hmmm," I said, trying to be noncommittal and also dismissive, if at all possible. Maybe I should have left then, but I was still trying to draw the stupid statue. He was silent for a while, then said, "Okay, okay. I must say. I am not married. I have not been married."
Around then, my friends showed up, ready to leave, I finished my sketch, and I said to him, "Very nice to meet you, goodbye." And to his credit, he left. Major props to him for that, at the very least. So, that was it. My very first 'marriage proposal' in Egypt. I'm so excited. I could tell he didn't really care about me though, I knew the relationship couldn't last. Relationships based on lies never do, and he started out with one, complimenting my drawing. I know the truth. This was my sketch, after all... (As you can see, that man was a big fat liar. Also, you can stop laughing now. Anytime.)
When I got home from the museum, I studied some more, then made the mistake of taking another break. It didn't really turn out to be a mistake, though. Quite the opposite. Instead of spending another five hours studying, I spent five hours hanging out with friends talking about whatever crossed our minds. And apparently, we are all huge nerds. I mean, I know I'm a huge nerd, but it's always nice to have company. We talked about Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Buffy&Angel, Lord of the Rings, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Anne McCaffrey, George RR Martin, Sherlock, The Room, fanfiction, Lost, Dr. Horrible, internet memes including drunk Jeff Goldblum and sad Keanu, and in short, it was the most epic conversation I've had in a long time. There were, of course, interludes of pizza and cupcakes (not for anyone but Peter, though), but pretty much, it was an amazing conversation that continued solidly for five hours.
One of the best quotes to come out of this monster conversation was this, as Peter attempted to explain why everything bad that happens to Harry Potter and his friends is Harry's own fault: "Harry Potter is the reason Cedric Diggory is a vampire." And I have to say, it was a pretty persuasive argument. Also, the description of the Twilight movies as "comedies with really good soundtracks" was wonderfully apt.
So, that was my day. Egyptian Museum (with marriage proposal), studying, and ultra-nerdiness. It was a pretty great day. Hopefully celebrating my birthday tomorrow on the Giza plateau running around after Professor Ikram again* will be just as fantastic.
*Do not in anyway misunderstand me: I love having the chance to follow Salima Ikram around like a baby duckling.
Then I went downstairs to the courtyard to study more, and managed to get through my notes almost two times before we had to catch a cab to the Egyptian Museum. It was an interesting experience, because the driver was the first I'd met who willingly admitted that he didn't speak a lick of English, not in so many words of course. I was pretty proud of myself for making it work, and getting him to drop us off in the right place, although we did have to cross about six lanes of traffic to actually get to the museum. We also were there freakishly early, because Kim and I were a bit paranoid about being late again, after last time. It wasn't too long before the entire group showed up though, and we headed inside. The trip this time was much less frenetic, and much less boiling hot, because it wasn't nearly as crowded and we didn't have to run up and down any giant staircases. We looked at and learned about a ton of new and interesting Old Kingdom statues, including the only for-sure identified statue of Khufu (Cheops), the builder of the great pyramid at Giza. The statue is less than four inches tall. And it's adorable. The only remaining image of a pharaoh who is painted in history as an egotistical maniac is a teeny tiny ivory statue. If he'd really been as bad as Herodotus says he was, don't you think we'd have found more evidence?
Part of our assignment at the museum today, other than to follow Professor Ikram around like little ducklings* (or 'chickadees' as she sometimes calls us), was to describe a work of art in detail, as practice for our class paper. I chose a statue of King Raneferef from the 5th dynasty, which sadly is all broken up and the paint is almost all gone. That in itself isn't very interesting, but what happened to me when I was sketching the statue was. Perhaps the fact that what I was drawing was called a 'sketch' lends a certain tone to my encounter. An Egyptian man, who I hadn't noticed standing beside me, all of a sudden commented on my art. "Very beautiful," he said, "you are very good." I pretty much ignored him, and continued to draw. "You have chosen a wonderful piece," he said, "it is beautiful." At this point, I was wondering if he would just go away, but sadly, this was not the case. "You are from America," he stated, "you are touring?" I really shouldn't have responded, but I couldn't seem to help myself. "No," I said, "I live here. I live in Cairo." He was bit surprised, but quickly smoothed it over with, "Me too! I also live in Cairo. I am an accountant. What do you study?" "Egyptology." "What?" "Egyptology." "What?" "I study Egypt," I finally said, really kind of wanting him to go away. "Oh, oh, Egypt. Of course. I am an accountant," he repeated, as if I had thrown him off his script. "I play judo, and also swimming." "Hmmm," I said, trying to be noncommittal and also dismissive, if at all possible. Maybe I should have left then, but I was still trying to draw the stupid statue. He was silent for a while, then said, "Okay, okay. I must say. I am not married. I have not been married."
Around then, my friends showed up, ready to leave, I finished my sketch, and I said to him, "Very nice to meet you, goodbye." And to his credit, he left. Major props to him for that, at the very least. So, that was it. My very first 'marriage proposal' in Egypt. I'm so excited. I could tell he didn't really care about me though, I knew the relationship couldn't last. Relationships based on lies never do, and he started out with one, complimenting my drawing. I know the truth. This was my sketch, after all... (As you can see, that man was a big fat liar. Also, you can stop laughing now. Anytime.)
When I got home from the museum, I studied some more, then made the mistake of taking another break. It didn't really turn out to be a mistake, though. Quite the opposite. Instead of spending another five hours studying, I spent five hours hanging out with friends talking about whatever crossed our minds. And apparently, we are all huge nerds. I mean, I know I'm a huge nerd, but it's always nice to have company. We talked about Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Buffy&Angel, Lord of the Rings, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Anne McCaffrey, George RR Martin, Sherlock, The Room, fanfiction, Lost, Dr. Horrible, internet memes including drunk Jeff Goldblum and sad Keanu, and in short, it was the most epic conversation I've had in a long time. There were, of course, interludes of pizza and cupcakes (not for anyone but Peter, though), but pretty much, it was an amazing conversation that continued solidly for five hours.
One of the best quotes to come out of this monster conversation was this, as Peter attempted to explain why everything bad that happens to Harry Potter and his friends is Harry's own fault: "Harry Potter is the reason Cedric Diggory is a vampire." And I have to say, it was a pretty persuasive argument. Also, the description of the Twilight movies as "comedies with really good soundtracks" was wonderfully apt.
So, that was my day. Egyptian Museum (with marriage proposal), studying, and ultra-nerdiness. It was a pretty great day. Hopefully celebrating my birthday tomorrow on the Giza plateau running around after Professor Ikram again* will be just as fantastic.
*Do not in anyway misunderstand me: I love having the chance to follow Salima Ikram around like a baby duckling.
Monday, October 4, 2010
grey over cairo
Well. I had my map quiz today. It went pretty well, I thought, except for me forgetting where Meir was. That's alright though. Who cares about Meir anyway?
Most of today seemed to be made up of people asking various professors about class on Thursday, and whether or not it could be cancelled. This week, tons of people are going out of town, for a 4 day weekend. We have Tuesday off like normal and have Wednesday off because of Armed Forces Day, so most students are just planning to skip Thursday. I know some people who are going to Luxor and Aswan, some who are going to Jordan (and renting a car - scary!), and even one girl who is going to Istanbul. I'm actually a little jealous of her, because I've been to Luxor, and I have a trip to Jordan planned later this semester, but I don't have any plans about Istanbul. Maybe if I have any money left after winter break I'll figure it out and pay Turkey a visit. It's Istanbul, not Constantinople now...
I did research in the library today for both my essays, one of which is due on Sunday. I hope I'll actually make myself write it tomorrow or Wednesday, but I might not. I do have almost a whole week, after all!
Wow, today was boring, looking back on it. Geez. Maybe I should have made plans for this weekend just to have something to spice up my blog with.
I guess tomorrow I am going to the Egyptian museum, though. It should be pretty interesting to have Professor Ikram there to explain things. From what I've heard the museum is not organized in any way that is conducive to easy understanding, unless one knows what to look for. Lucky for me, I'll have a professional Egyptologist as a tour guide!
The bus ride home today was a long one as well, almost an hour and a half. For some reason, I woke up halfway through, which was odd, because I'm normally asleep right up until the bus parks at the curb and it's time to get out.
When I woke up on the bus this time, we were just climbing an onramp to merge with the ring road, Cairo's main highway. Every minute or so, the bus would be able to crawl forward another ten or twenty feet, but not before it rolled back a few when the driver took his foot off the brake. I tried to ignore the little lurches, and looked out the window.
As far as I could see across the city, in all directions, the light was the same. It was around sunset, but I couldn't see the sun. Instead, it was like a giant grey bowl had been turned upside down and placed over the city, cutting off everything else. The sky was absolutely uniform, with no individual clouds or rays of light to break through the silent grey. At first, I thought for a moment that it might be rain clouds. Then I realized that the clouds were made of smog, hung so low over the city they covered the sky.
Most of today seemed to be made up of people asking various professors about class on Thursday, and whether or not it could be cancelled. This week, tons of people are going out of town, for a 4 day weekend. We have Tuesday off like normal and have Wednesday off because of Armed Forces Day, so most students are just planning to skip Thursday. I know some people who are going to Luxor and Aswan, some who are going to Jordan (and renting a car - scary!), and even one girl who is going to Istanbul. I'm actually a little jealous of her, because I've been to Luxor, and I have a trip to Jordan planned later this semester, but I don't have any plans about Istanbul. Maybe if I have any money left after winter break I'll figure it out and pay Turkey a visit. It's Istanbul, not Constantinople now...
I did research in the library today for both my essays, one of which is due on Sunday. I hope I'll actually make myself write it tomorrow or Wednesday, but I might not. I do have almost a whole week, after all!
Wow, today was boring, looking back on it. Geez. Maybe I should have made plans for this weekend just to have something to spice up my blog with.
I guess tomorrow I am going to the Egyptian museum, though. It should be pretty interesting to have Professor Ikram there to explain things. From what I've heard the museum is not organized in any way that is conducive to easy understanding, unless one knows what to look for. Lucky for me, I'll have a professional Egyptologist as a tour guide!
The bus ride home today was a long one as well, almost an hour and a half. For some reason, I woke up halfway through, which was odd, because I'm normally asleep right up until the bus parks at the curb and it's time to get out.
When I woke up on the bus this time, we were just climbing an onramp to merge with the ring road, Cairo's main highway. Every minute or so, the bus would be able to crawl forward another ten or twenty feet, but not before it rolled back a few when the driver took his foot off the brake. I tried to ignore the little lurches, and looked out the window.
As far as I could see across the city, in all directions, the light was the same. It was around sunset, but I couldn't see the sun. Instead, it was like a giant grey bowl had been turned upside down and placed over the city, cutting off everything else. The sky was absolutely uniform, with no individual clouds or rays of light to break through the silent grey. At first, I thought for a moment that it might be rain clouds. Then I realized that the clouds were made of smog, hung so low over the city they covered the sky.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
confusion in the library
I got my class with Professor Ikram! I can die happy now. *sigh of contentment*
Of course, now that I'm enrolled in a new course (or at least a different version of the old course), I have new books to buy. There are three textbooks for Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt, but the professor recommended that we only purchase two of them. I did that this morning after switching my classes, and shelled out 400 pounds for two semi-large (paperback) books. That's about $80, which really isn't bad, especially since in the US those same two books at the UCSB bookstore would most likely have cost at least that much each. Still, it seems like a lot of money. I think my brain is adjusting to Egyptian currency and prices more and more each day, since now my reaction to paying four pounds for lunch is "That's waaayy too much money. I could get it cheaper somewhere else!" although I know perfectly well that four pounds is less than a dollar, and I could never get that much food for a dollar at home.
After my visit to the bookstore, I dropped by the library for what I hoped would be a quick visit. All I needed to do was get a book out of reserve, photocopy about thirty pages, and then return it. Because this is AUC, however, the completion of this process entailed the use of four different computers, multiple treks up and down the stairs (I have actually visited every floor of the library today, and some more than once), and talking to two different people about where on earth this book could be.
It's called The Atlas of Ancient Egypt. Its call number is DT60.B34 - you see, I've memorized it. I started my search by looking for it on the normal shelves, not such a crazy place, you might think, especially since the call number said CHECK SHELF after it. However, it wasn't there. Then I asked a friendly man at the reserve desk if he had it, since my teacher had said that at least on copy was on reserve. No dice. He sent me first to the reference shelf, then back up to the third floor to check in special reserves when that didn't work. By the way, look at the crazy scanner that was on his desk:
I couldn't find the book on the normal shelves, or on the special reserve shelves. Finally the lady at the desk took me to the special reserves reference shelf, and we found it there. Just to make it clear, all four places I looked or this book had the exact same call number, and apparently that is also true for most of the other books here.Of course, once I had the books in hand, I had to follow their rules to copy it, since I couldn't check it out. One chapter, or 10% of the book. I tried to get a little more, but she caught me, and I had to ask for only half of what I needed. To make the experience even better, the book couldn't even be photocopied immediately, I was told to come back in an hour. Aren't libraries wonderful?
After that lovely bit of confusion, I actually went to class and experienced some more. Some tidbits from my day: an argument with a professor over free will versus fate in Dramatic Literature, a confusing essay assignment (topic = whatever, length = whatever) in Ancient Egyptian Literature, and just general confusion in Arabic class. Actually, scratch that, Arabic made sense today, and that in and of itself was confusing.
I came home on a very crowded bus that drove much too quickly, and started on my homework. I guess I wasn't exactly 100% dedicated all day, but it seems like I was. I got it all done, anyway. Around 9 pm I went downstairs with some reading for Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt to get dinner, only to arrive about 30 seconds after the cafeteria shut down. So that was fun too. I was okay, actually, because I ate a big lunch of falafel and cucumbers and pita on campus today. I'll have better luck with dinner tomorrow, I swear.
No news on the cell phone front, still, but I was told to talk to reception in the morning, and hopefully they will call housekeeping down from their lair to return my mobile. Hopefully.
Two quick pictures:
Of course, now that I'm enrolled in a new course (or at least a different version of the old course), I have new books to buy. There are three textbooks for Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt, but the professor recommended that we only purchase two of them. I did that this morning after switching my classes, and shelled out 400 pounds for two semi-large (paperback) books. That's about $80, which really isn't bad, especially since in the US those same two books at the UCSB bookstore would most likely have cost at least that much each. Still, it seems like a lot of money. I think my brain is adjusting to Egyptian currency and prices more and more each day, since now my reaction to paying four pounds for lunch is "That's waaayy too much money. I could get it cheaper somewhere else!" although I know perfectly well that four pounds is less than a dollar, and I could never get that much food for a dollar at home.
After my visit to the bookstore, I dropped by the library for what I hoped would be a quick visit. All I needed to do was get a book out of reserve, photocopy about thirty pages, and then return it. Because this is AUC, however, the completion of this process entailed the use of four different computers, multiple treks up and down the stairs (I have actually visited every floor of the library today, and some more than once), and talking to two different people about where on earth this book could be.
It's called The Atlas of Ancient Egypt. Its call number is DT60.B34 - you see, I've memorized it. I started my search by looking for it on the normal shelves, not such a crazy place, you might think, especially since the call number said CHECK SHELF after it. However, it wasn't there. Then I asked a friendly man at the reserve desk if he had it, since my teacher had said that at least on copy was on reserve. No dice. He sent me first to the reference shelf, then back up to the third floor to check in special reserves when that didn't work. By the way, look at the crazy scanner that was on his desk:
 |
| thank you, american taxpayers, for my egyptian university. |
After that lovely bit of confusion, I actually went to class and experienced some more. Some tidbits from my day: an argument with a professor over free will versus fate in Dramatic Literature, a confusing essay assignment (topic = whatever, length = whatever) in Ancient Egyptian Literature, and just general confusion in Arabic class. Actually, scratch that, Arabic made sense today, and that in and of itself was confusing.
I came home on a very crowded bus that drove much too quickly, and started on my homework. I guess I wasn't exactly 100% dedicated all day, but it seems like I was. I got it all done, anyway. Around 9 pm I went downstairs with some reading for Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt to get dinner, only to arrive about 30 seconds after the cafeteria shut down. So that was fun too. I was okay, actually, because I ate a big lunch of falafel and cucumbers and pita on campus today. I'll have better luck with dinner tomorrow, I swear.
No news on the cell phone front, still, but I was told to talk to reception in the morning, and hopefully they will call housekeeping down from their lair to return my mobile. Hopefully.
Two quick pictures:
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| 'sorry seems to be the hardest word'?? AUC computers are weird. |
 |
| be quiet in the computer lab, or this little girl will kill you. with her brain. |
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