Traveling Light

Since I will be leaving for Egypt in just over a week, I thought I would come clean about a travel plan that will horrify some and impress others.

I will attempt to pack everything I need for this summer into one day pack and one larger pack the size of a carry-on suitcase.

This spartan ideal is partially a result of traumatic past travel experiences—my checked bag has been temporarily lost on three of my last four plane trips. However, I will also be moving frequently from place to place, with no one to cart my stuff around but me. On top of that, with the possible exception of my week in Strasbourg, I am going to be sweaty and filthy, all day every day. So what is the point of bringing too many changes of clothes? Last year on the dig, I took to wearing the same outfit to site every day for a week (and I wasn't the only one)!

Here is my packing list so far, which is very slim by my standards but not quite hardcore backpacker level:

- 4 t-shirts
- 3 button down shirts (for sun protection plus modesty)
- 3 pairs of pants
- 3 pairs of travel socks
- 4 pairs of travel underwear (They claim you only need two—you wash one pair in the sink every night and wear the other. The fabric dries within hours. Same for the socks, but I'm the extravagant type.)
- 1 hoodie
- 1 hat
- 1 pair shoes
- 1 pair Tevas
- sunglasses
- 2 pairs pj pants, which are actually athletic pants so I can wear them outside of my room (t-shirts are doing double duty as pj tops)
- toiletries (I will buy more sunscreen and bug spray when I get to Egypt so that I don't have to check my bag.)
- soap for laundry in the sink
- school supplies for the dig (most of which I will promptly dump when we are finished)
- guidebooks
- camera case and contents
- laptop, charger, computer lock, and adapters
- flashlight (power outages are ridiculously common in Egypt)
- travel towel and sleep sheet (for hotels/hostels with bad linen service)
- batteries
- travel alarm
- Kiva keychain bag (a tiny zippered pouch that expands into a decent-sized duffle) for potential souvenir overflow

I know what you're thinking. What will I do if I realize this just isn't enough? If it happens, worry not, I'll just buy more stuff. But I doubt I will actually need more than what I'm bringing. Who knows, I might even conclude by the end of the summer that I brought too much! Before I leave, I want to weigh my bag, and I can pretty much guarantee it will still be ridiculously heavy.

Cairo Street Crossing

I was going to use a Flip camera this summer to give you guys a glimpse of Cairo traffic, but fortunately somebody has already done it for me:



No way am I going to repeat this fine (and dangerous) work when I can instead pay tribute to those who have gone before!

Back to France!

It is now official! Dan and I will be capping off our summer adventures with a week in Strasbourg in late July. We'll be part of an international Coptic papyrology seminar, which means I will get to meet other hardcore Coptic people and pore over ancient texts with them—and maybe go out for a beer afterwards. Hopefully Strasbourg's location near the French/German border will mean the beer is particularly tasty.

This summer is shaping up to be a real adventure. I'll be out of here in less than a month, and I absolutely cannot wait.