Team Edfu

Today's the day we drive 2 hours out to Edfu and find our home for the next few months! So I thought I should introduce you to some of the people I'm with (hopefully none of them kill me for the photos I chose)!

Lindsey:

This is Lindsey (my fellow cat lady). I've known her since our first quarter of hieroglyphs together, way back in 2005. We immediately formed a study group and friendship. She's an archaeology student, so she gets to do all the dirty digging and find cool things. You'll remember her from last year, and if you're my facebook friend, you'll see I was a bridesmaid for her wedding this summer!

Jonathan:

Jonathan is my partner in crime in everything. We've co-taught a class together already and now we get to do the block yard together. I just love working with him (and I hope the feeling is mutual). He's super smart (smarter than me when it comes to language, so I'm glad he's here to help with translations) and lots of fun. He's only with us for half of the season (insert frowning face here), so we'll hustle to get as much done as we can.

Tasha:

My fornana (Arabic for "boss"). She's been the ceramicist for Edfu for several years now and is doing her dissertation on the NK pottery there. I like working for/with her because she lets me be a goofball and taught me everything I know about pottery. She's also usually my roommate, so we are pretty much inseparable (whether we want to be or not) while in Egypt. Plus, she's the one that gave me my dissertation idea last year... wait, maybe I shouldn't be happy about that?

Kat:

Kat's joining us later in the season this year, but she's in charge of what we call "small finds". Basically, that's anything that isn't pottery. So seal impressions, figures, scarabs, grinders, etc, she catalogs them all and stores them in our magazine at El Kab. Her dissertation is on the ostraca of Edfu, and she also got married this summer.



These are the only UofC students coming this year, but we'll also be joined by another ceramicist from Australia, a student (or two) coming to study the ancient bugs, Valerie (who was here last year) to study the OK pottery, and a few others. It should be a good team, but it might be a bit hectic with tons of people coming and going all the time. Let's see who I can drive nuts first!

Luxor Plans

(Note: this post was set up to post automatically in case I wasn't able to check in yet.)

Provided everything went according to plan (I promise I'll check in ASAP if I haven't already), I should be in Luxor today after getting in very late (landing at midnight Egypt-time, then getting bags and getting to the hotel). So needless to say, we're probably sleeping in after 27 hrs of travel.

Once we're up and about, we'll probably hit some shopping and errands in Luxor. Lindsey, Tasha, Jonathan and I left for Egypt early b/c we'll need to do some things in the "big city" before heading out to Edfu, like:

•  Get visa extensions (the visas we got upon entering the country are only good for stays of less than 6 weeks)
• Get cell phone credits. There are no cell phone plans here; you buy a phone and then pre-paid credits.
• Show Jonathan around Luxor. He's been to Egypt before, but hasn't seen our favorite haunts.
• Snack Time. Look at that post and tell me if I need to say more.
• Stock up on last-minute food supplies from the hole-in-the-wall British imports shop.
• Eat at the British cafe, the Italian place, or McDonald's (or, more likely, all 3!). Yes, I know we're in Egypt, but YOU eat Egyptian food and then come talk to me. And honestly, these places aren't really authentic; there's plenty of Egyptian influence (gamoosa burgers, anyone?).
• If we didn't do this earlier, visit duty free and grab some alcohol. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that archaeologists like their booze and when you're in a Muslim country, you stock up when, where, and how you can.

Whatever of that doesn't get done today will get done tomorrow. We then leave for Edfu on the 8th and start the season on the 9th! Don't worry if you don't hear from me for a few days: internet can be tricky at first.

Speaking of Packed Bags...

My dear friend Kate is amazingly brilliant and got a Fulbright to study in Taiwan for a year. She's also doing a blog and one of her early posts made me realize that I never really told you about that dreaded thing known as packing! I mean, I gave you a glimpse about how hard it was going to be last year, but didn't tell you how I rectified it. I'm sure you've wondered about it, since we've all taken vacations where we agonized over what we'd need, how much room the suitcase had, and whether or not we had room for just one more shirt (just in case!). But those vacations are typically only for a week or so.

Imagine trying to pack for 2 months. In one checked suitcase. For a 3rd world country. Where you will be wearing at least 2 totally different outfits a day. And you have to bring along work gear. Now sure, I've changed my list a bit from last year, but that doesn't mean I've pared down; I'm not bringing as many work shirts, but I'm also packing more food to make life there bearable. It's a trade-off. I also like bringing a lot of my own toiletries and medicines, even though you can get stuff in Egypt (an easy way to save on luggage is to buy these things in country as you need them, but for two months, I want MY shampoo and medicines I know and trust). Needless to say, the packing list ends up being... long. How long? This long (with helpful notes):

For Site

- tents, printer, ink and epigraphy pens (this is the group work gear I'm in charge of bringing)

- work shirts x4

- work pants x3

- underwear (old/cheap stuff- it never really gets clean since we wash by hand and can be thrown away at the end of the season or your vacation)

- site backpack

- long sleeve shirt/sweater

- good sunglasses

- contacts

- socks

- head coverings (not required, but it's nice to have something that will keep the dirt and sun away from the hair- wait til you see the fun ones I have for this year!)

- sunscreen
- knee pads (I'll be kneeling a lot to do epigraphy, so between the Alieve and knee pads, I'm hoping to save my body a *little* discomfort)

- chapstick

- tennis shoes

- belt

- water flavor (seriously, drinking 1/2 gallon of water daily gets... old)

- watch
- notebook
- fake wedding ring (both for security reasons, and because I don't want to get my ring all gross)

For the House

- sleeping bag (it gets cold at night!)

- travel pillow

- ear plugs (4am call to prayer: enough said)
- blow-up camping mat (Best. Thing. Ever. Folds up fairly small, then inflates to form a nice mat that is a million times more comfortable than the sackful of rags that literally is our mattress)

- sleeping mask
- travel alarm clock (with batteries removed so buttons don't get pressed in the bag)
- extra earrings

- peanut butter x2 (breakfast of champions and they don't really have that over there)

- nutella

- flip flops
- Keens

- glasses

- glasses cleaning cloth

- PJs

- shampoo and conditioner

- soap

- deodorant (lots, since we put it on at least twice a day)

- toothpaste and brush

- hairbrush

- hair ties/clips

- qtips

- razor and blades

- vitamins (lifesavers! seriously, always take them when traveling)
- clothes for after work

- some nice clothes for while we’re at Chicago House

- Halloween costume (this is a must!)
- swim suit (the Luxor hotels many times have pools and it's nice to lay out during days off)

- kindle

- ipod

- good lotion

- pain killers/medicines of choice (I come prepared: Alieve for my back, melatonin to help me sleep, laxatives and antidiarrheal [seriously, bring both], Tums, and my personal favorite: chewable pepto tablets [I end up taking these almost daily to just keep everything happy])

- camera

- computer

- laptop cooler

- passport

- money
- flash drives for backups

I told you it was a lot of stuff! And this doesn't count the drawing supplies that I left there last year, nor the alcohol I'm required to pick up at duty-free.

To pack all of this into 1 checked bag and 2 carry-ons, I am glad that my father is a packing savant and some of that rubbed off on me (along with a massive amount of Tetris-playing as a child). Basically, I start very early and re-pack several times. Ask Dan: I had the suitcase out in early September this year, which is actually later than last year. The worst part is the crushing feeling when everything finally fits... and it's 4 pounds over the weight limit (this is why you always leave a bit of room in your carry-on, just in case). With a little luck and a lot of careful planning, you really can get all of this (plus computer):

Into this:

The clothes there are what I'm wearing on the plane.

All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go

And the 30 hr travel day begins! I'll be leaving Hyde Park and heading to O'Hare this afternoon. I miss my husband, kitties, and cozy bed already. Here's my flight schedule (all times are local):

10/4 Lufthansa 435: Chicago to Munich, leave 8:50pm and arrive 12:30pm (on 10/5)
10/5 Lufthansa 7176: Munich to Cairo, leave 3:55pm and arrive 7:35pm
10/5 EgyptAir 62: Cairo to Luxor, leave 10:50pm and arrive 11:50pm


I probably won't have internet access for a few days, but I have some pre-planned posts scheduled for the next few days. Once we get settled into Edfu on the 8th and start the season on the 9th, I hope to quickly be able to start back up on my daily schedule!

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about the things I have to bring to bring with me, but can I tell you what I'm not bringing with me this year? 30 pounds of me! That's right, you might notice that I'm looking a little different in photos. Thanks to Weight Watchers and a new-found love of running, I've slimmed down from this:

(Granted, the shirt is a men's large, so I look a little bigger than I was, but still, thighs, face, and double-digit pants don't lie)

to this:

I'm hoping I can keep it off, but since I won't be able to run and most meals are high carb and cooked in oil, it could be tough.

Let me know if there are any topics you want me to write about this year. I know I went through a lot last year, so I'll try to find new things to talk about, but anything you want to ask will be helpful! See you on the other side of the world!

Permits: Achieved; Tickets: Acquired

Permits are (unofficially) in and I just purchased tickets! I'll be leaving on Oct 4 (the countdown has been updated) and going straight to Luxor (so no dealing with the craziness in Cairo at the moment), where we'll stay a few days to get acclimated, get our visa extensions, and stock up on cell phone credit.

Are you excited for the season? Cause I am! My suitcase is already half packed and we've just got some organizational stuff left (like buying epigraphic supplies and doing a last-minute review of the blocks). Oh, yeah, and my pesky proposal defense... Here's the timeline:

Oct 1: proposal defense
Oct 4: leave for Egypt
Oct 5: after a 27 hour day, arrive in Luxor super late (like, almost Oct 6th)
Oct 8: drive to Edfu (about a 2 hour drive)
Oct 9: start excavations!
Nov 27: last day of excavations, leave for Luxor
Nov 28: leave for Cairo
Dec 4: after staying a few days in Cairo, leave for home

Can't wait to share this season with you all again!

Deja vu

If you read my posts last year, you'll remember The Wait. It appears that we'll be having a repeat of last year, as we have yet to get our permits. The bad news is that they've restructured the SCA, an organization which appears to be run like an elaborate shell game combined with leap frog. The good news is that for the moment, the man we really like is in charge, so we're hopeful we'll be getting word soon. In fact, I'm hoping this post helps, since I have just the type of luck where I tell you we're still waiting, only to get the "we have permits!" email moments later.

Here's hoping.

In the meantime, I finally got my proposal draft accepted, so now I'm enjoying a little bit of last-minute vacations, followed by prepping for my proposal defense. The defense consists of me giving a 20-min presentation where I cut said proposal in half to make it fit in the allotted time, while somehow still giving all the relavent information to the committee. Once I'm done, the committee gets to ask me all sorts of "fun" questions that I can hopefully talk my way out of. Provided all of that goes well, I'll be officially ABD (all but dissertation) and PhD candidate!

Jonathan and I also have been working to figure out how we want our mastaba benches to look and where we want to place our blocks, but without being in the field where we can see exactly what we have and how big everything is, it's terribly frustrating. We're also already writing up abstracts for conferences to present findings we have no idea if we'll actually find. :) Welcome to the world of academia, where everything's made up and the points don't matter.

The countdown will stay as-is, but given that my proposal defense is scheduled for Oct 1, I'm doubting we'll actually leave that day.

Won't You Please, Please Help Me? (Help Me, Help Meee, oooh)

Did you know that you can help me with this project? Yes, YOU! My project currently isn't really funded- no! Don't stop reading. Here's the deal, my project doesn't have official funding yet, but it's a fairly cheap project, all things considered. Here's how:

We're making our benches out of bricks, which only cost about $.25/each in Egypt. Which means a donation of almost ANYTHING can help me! Don't you want to help me instead of some random charity where most of your money gets put towards advertising? This is an actual project with an actual person you know. Sounds good, right? And donating is easy, just go here. Make sure you select "Tell Edfu Excavation" so that it doesn't just go in the general Oriental Institute fund. If you want it to go specifically to me, type something in the "special instructions" box that mentions my name (like "for Janelle's block yard project").

BUT WAIT! Act now, and I'll throw in a "Janelle In Egypt" special deal!! If you donate to my project specifically and then let me know how much you donated, either in the comments or privately through email/facebook, I'll send you a picture with exactly what your donation bought. Or of me doing something silly. Or of me doing something silly with what you bought. If you donate enough for an entire bench, I'll even see if I can send along a picture of the completed thing! Pretty cool, huh?

Even that random pocket change can buy several bricks, so why not donate it to a good cause and help me look super awesome to my advisor?

Thanks, everyone!! I know you won't let me down!! Remember, if I don't get funded, I don't get to go, and you don't get to read my blog posts and live vicariously through me as an Egyptian archaeologist. So really, this is an altruistic post- I'm just thinking of you and your future happiness!

P.S. You might want to click to opt out of donor recognition mailings. You *might* get stuff from us, but you'll more than likely just get a bunch of crap asking for more money.

P.P.S. Want more information about donating? I'm happy to answer any questions you might have via comments or emails! Or, for larger donations, I can pass you along to Nadine.