Final Post

It's almost been 3 years since I posted on my blog.  At one time 3 days would have been to long to go in between writing.  Since Cameron and I got married, we have moved to Maryland.  After a very long and as always, interesting journey, Cameron is now a permanent resident with an official Green Card.  When we first arrived, getting Cam 'legal' was our main priority and even though it took over a year, so many more exciting things have happened.  After a  grueling 6 month application process Cameron was accepted into the Fire Academy and now works as a full time Firefighter. I returned to my previous job at an Orthopedic Practice, moved around within the company finally working scheduling surgeries and enjoying it.  In April of last year we were lucky enough to get pregnant and had a healthy baby boy on December 30th, 2013.  His name is Rowan Christopher and we couldn't be more excited.  We bought a house last year as well and have been working to make a cozy place for our new family.  We managed to get in an amazing trip to Chamonix, France last February and plan on taking Rowan to Edinburgh in June, as well as spend a week in Iceland on the way back.  Now our adventures are few and far between but we have committed to each other not to let that part of our lives go even though the lifestyle we have chose is much less supportive.  It is still so hard to believe how far we have come since meeting all those years ago.  The adjustment back to 'the real world' hasn't been easy for either one of us but a choice we made none the less. I can not lie, reading back through this blog not only fills me with joy but also sorrow, leaving our old life behind is not an easy thing to do.  Although I miss the adventure and most of all, the freedom of my old life, I am so excited to look toward the future.  I'm so fortunate to have Cameron, my best friend and all the great memories we have made with many more to come.  
Here are a few pictures from the last few years of our lives.

 

A camping trip to West Virginia, one of Cameron's many triathlons,

 visiting New York City and Cam's first baseball game.

 Paragliding above Chamonix, one of the most amazing things I've ever done!

Welcome to the world Rowan!

Cameron is a Firefighter!

Yoga

I've been getting into Yoga these past few weeks (not that I'm any good!)
Here's a view from the Yoga room!

There were peacocks and highland cows roaming

Cameron's brother and cousins

All of our guests

My mom with Cameron's family


Cam's mum rented this really old car to bring me to the ceremony

Cam's grandpa used to be the Lord Provist of Edinburgh. He went to San Diego (Edinburgh's sister city where I lived for a few years) in the late 70's (probably when I was living there) and met with the mayor. He gave him this American flag and he kept it so they hung it up for our wedding. Cameron and I stayed the night there and kept it up until be left. Cam's brother was still there and he said as our car was driving away they took it down.

The ceremony

Our piper, Cam's cousin's best friend.

Revolutions and Weddings

Can't believe how long it's been since I've posted... So much has happened! First of all Cameron and I got engaged in Maryland in December and married in Scotland at the end of April. I am still in Dahab at the moment but will be leaving to join Cam in Scotland in August. We are moving home! Well, my home, at least, in September. We've decided to try our hand at a bit of real world action... let's hope we can handle it!


So what's been going on recently? Well, we went to MD for Christmas and then off to a farm house in the north of England for New Years with Cam's family. That's when the wedding planning started. We found a location, with the help of Jean (Cam's mum), it's an old house in Edinburgh that was built for the lord provest in 1600 something... it has so much character, each room with it's own theme and name. There's the yellow room, the whiskey room, the italian room... We got married in a small ceremony (12 people) in the leather room and then had the reception in the Garden Room with 40 people. Planning a wedding in Scotland will always include a contingency plan when it comes to the weather but we had the most beautiful day, even hot at some points and it couldn' have been more perfect. We went to Paris for honeymoon, I know it sounds like a fairy tale and it was!


So just jumping back a bit... Egyptian Revolution. As we are in Sinai, it wasn't as hectic and crazy here but we definitely started feeling the effects straight away. All internet access was cut off, our phones wouldn't accept international calls and people were starting to get nervous as they closed off the Suez Tunnel which is where we get everything from including food and water. Petrol (gas) was running so low that they were only allowing you to get a small amount at a time to ration. We got some extra food and stocked up on water, the dive center also bought lots of extra drinking water so that we could make sure the staff had enough. People were dropping like flies as all the embassies were suggesting we leave, I tried calling a few Americans I knew in Cairo and most everyone was leaving. As there was no internet and there was no way for my mom and Cam's mum to call us I had to buy phone credit so that we could call home every few days to let them know we were ok. There were no protests here and I felt totally safe... The bedouins had set up camp at all the check points and were prepared to keep everything under control (if need be). During this time, all of our incoming customers canceled and the ones we had left so Dahab was dead. I decided to head back to Scotland for a bit, I mean, I had a wedding to plan! :) I'm so grateful that I got to do that as I ended up getting my wedding dress (which I loved) and got to be more involved in the wedding planning, which Jean and my mom (over the internet) were doing.


Since then things here have returned to normal, well almost. There are still fewer tourist, some businesses have closed and quite a few of my friends have left or are leaving due to the decreased amount of work. Other than that things have been great! Cameron and I and 6 friends went to Sharm for a weekend to do some diving and we got a really cheap deal on an all-inclusive so that was fun. I also went to Israel on a girls holiday for 6 days. We took a taxi to the border, it's only 2 hours away, and walked out of Egypt and into Israel, took a taxi to the bus station in Eliat, bus to Tel Aviv, bus to Mikhmoret Beach where we stayed in a hostel for 3 nights and had a Mediterranean beach holiday. We then bused it to Jerusalem and toured around as well as spending a day at the Dead Sea. I LOVED Israel. It is such a cool place with so many different types of people. We stayed in the old city in Jerusalem and it's split into 4 quarters. Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian. And they all had totally different feels and were just streets away from each other. We visited the temple mount, the western (wailing) wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcure, I touched the stone where Jesus dead body was prepared... The Dead Sea was amazing... You know, it's the lowest point on earth, 400m below sea level. There's even 10% more oxygen down there! We floated and caked ourselves in mud, which was brilliant and left feeling smooth and refreshed. We also ate loads of good food and can't forget about the bagels and lox! Yum! Can't get those in Egypt! It's amazing how different the 2 countries are considering they are right next to each other. After walking through the border into Israel, it is a shining difference from Egypt. The bathrooms are so nice and clean, they don't have rubbish on the streets, there were nice planters with flowers in them and our taxi to the bus station was an air conditioned Mercedes! We had a great break.


Cameron is back in Scotland, spending time with his family while I finish up my last month of work here. I've moved out of our house and in with my friend Naomi. It's a nice flat and I'm just enjoying my last few weeks here. My final mission is to visit St. Katharine's Monestary and climb Mt. Sinai. That is the last thing I wanted to do before leaving. I've convinced a few friends to do it with me... sometime in August probably. We will climb the mountain at night and arrive at the top for sunrise.

Other than that it's business as usual... Oh yeah-and trying to plan the REST OF MY LIFE!!!!!!

I will be leaving Dahab on the 16th of Aug. going to Scotland for a month and then back to MD. We are in the process of getting Cameron's green card. Criminal records, old emails, photos, letters from friends and family stating we have a bonafide relationship as well as lots of paperwork. Not the easiest thing when you like in Egypt. Our lawyer reckons that he should have his green card by December which means he Cam can come back to the states with me on a tourist visa (max 3months) and then will have to go back to the UK for interviews and to get his green card. Pushes back our plans a bit but this was to be expected, I guess I'll be happy if he even gets it by December. So back to work, only 24 more days! and will try to get as many (free!) dives in as possible as well as enjoy my last weeks in paradise.

See you all shortly!!!

Looooooong Time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIKDsHPdlyk

I promise to update VERY soon, but until then... Check me out!

Check it out! My home is numero uno!

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt/sinai/travel-tips-and-articles/76174#

I had an only in Egypt day, here's how it went...
I ordered take away food from the only Chinese food restaurant in Dahab and my bill was 45 LE. I had a 100LE note and I gave it to the non-english speaking chinese lady and she took the money, looked at it weirdly and then started searching underneath all the cushions in the restaurant looking for change I guess, so I went up to her, not really understanding what she was doing and motioned that I would run to the shop and get change. I ran to the shop next door and bought a few things except the shop owner didn't have 20 notes so I got a 50 note. I went back, walked into the kitchen part of the restaurant and asked if she has 5 pounds. She then looked at me weird again and gave it to another lady, she then proceeded to walk back into the restaurant and start looking under all the cushions again!!! I was just standing there in awe wondering if they are either hiding their money under the cushions (which by the way is where all the customers sit!) or just looking for loose change. I mean it is a business, you would think they would have money somewhere!
So I just decided to leave, 5 pounds is less than a $1, without my change. I was walking home when I got a phone call from Cam saying we needed soy sauce. We have this shop that is right outside of our house but we always joke because it never has anything in it. It's got like 73 toothbrushes in the window and a couple of bags of crisps, they don't even have ketchup and are only open about 2 hours a day. Anyways, I had already walked past all the other shops so even though I knew there was no way they had soy sauce I stopped in and low and behold they had some! I don't know why a shop that doesn't even have ketchup is selling soy sauce in Egypt but I'm not going to complain. I grabbed a bottle and put it on the counter and asked how much it was. The boy working in the shop looked at me and then grabbed his phone and tried to call someone... they didn't answer so he tried to call someone else who didn't answer and then tried to start texting someone! I looked at him, looked at the shop and wondered why in a shop with 7 items he couldn't remember how much anything costs! Anyways so I told him I thought it was worth 10 pounds and gave him the money and he says 'you come back tomorrow?' and I was like NO, I'm paying 10 pounds and I picked up my soy sauce and left.
The last thing that happened right outside my house was probably one of those, you have to be there things but I'll continue... A few of the Egyptian guys at work started doing this thing about 6 months ago where they look at you up and down and go 'Niceaaaaaaa...' Not in a weird way but a funny way. The word nice dragged out with an ahh sound after. They do it and then say niceaaa sunglasses or niceaaaa towel or whatever it's just funny. So I thought they made this up BUT after I got my soy sauce, I was walking down the street and a young bedouin guy in a galabaya (long white robes) said hey how you doing, really nicely and so I said good how are you etc... as he passed by me he goes, 'Niceaaa.....Niceaaaa.... then at the last moment he says really quickly, 'body'. I just about peed my pants because this is a joke we have at work and I didn't think people really said it, apparently I was wrong! All of this happened in a span of about 30 minutes which is why I felt the need to share....Life in Egypt is very eventful! Miss everyone!!! xxx

Having a beer after work...

Diving

Summer is here...

I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated my blog!

Summer is definitely here and has been hot hot hot. An average day tops out at about 115F with some days over 129F!!! Thankfully the sea is near and we have quite a bit of wind to help make being outside bearable. Since I last wrote I have gotten a promotion at work and am now one of the Managers at the dive center I am working at, it's more stress but I'm really enjoying it! I still manage to go diving a few times a week and mostly for fun with my friends!

Cam and I celebrated our birthdays together and took 3 days off from work. I can't believe I'm 32!!! We spent the time relaxing and even went on a boat trip to the furthest south divesite in Dahab called Gabr el Bint. I haven't seen a turtle since I arrived and I finally saw 2! I've got some video to try to upload so you can see.

We have bought a new boat at the center, our 4th, and had to have it transferred from Alexandria all the way to Dahab. Once it arrived we had it at the center before we could put it in the water. In Egyptian tradition we sacrificed a sheep. I didn't have any part in it and didn't watch but it's tradition when you buy big things, like a house, car or boat they sacrifice an animal which is suppose to keep people from being envious of you and to also keep evil away from it. They killed the sheep behind the dive center and put bloody hand prints all over the boat. I know it sounds weird...

I have managed to make some really good girlfriends while I've been here and we get together at least once a week to hang out, if we manage to get the same days off we even have been doing some exploratory dives as well. Cameron is in Sharm right now on a boys weekend diving trip. He and 4 other guys went down to Sharm a few nights ago. They have done a day diving on the SS Thistlegorm, the massive wreck in Sharm and did a few reef dives today and saw hammerhead sharks!!!

I'm hoping to try to get a mini-holiday sometime soon to somewhere close. Maybe Alexandria, Jerusalem or maybe to the Dead Sea. There's always the option of a diving holiday as well! :)

Hope everyone is well.xxx

Snowboarding

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz3yyD9OYQo

I'm International

Me wandering around off piste at Le Tour

Oh man, So much has happened since my last post.

Cameron and I went to France at the end of February. His parents have a flat in Chamonix and we had a snowboarding holiday. Cameron's cousin and his girlfriend met us there and then his parents and brother came for the last few days.
We flew from Sharm to Geneva, Switzerland and then rented a car for an hour drive to Chamonix. So we drove through to France and arrived to this small town surrounded by massive mountians including Mt. Blanc which was the biggest mountian in Europe until just recently when they named a taller one in Eastern Europe. Their flat is about a 15 minute walk to the center of town and was really nice and cozy with a view of Mt. Blanc out the back door. Kenny (Cam's cousin) & Sophie are snowboarders already so on the first day I let them go off on their own and just hung around in town. It was quite daunting considering I haven't even attempted french since I went to Quebec in 8th grade! There is a really cute little town with loads of ski shops and brasseries and oh my the cheese! So many nice little places you could walk into that smelled pretty bad but had massive tables with all sorts of cheeses and meats. Also, I didn't really have proper shoes for the snow but took these little moccasin boots I have that have a smooth flat leather sole. The trail to walk to town was running along a little river but was covered in ice and surprisingly I only fell once but it was such hard work I finally buckled and bought a pair of shoes. Life was so much easier after that!

On the second day Cam and I went off on our own to a small place called Le Planard, it was right close to town and seemed to be where all the little kids were learning to ski. There was a little fenced in area with kids about 3-5yrs old wearing helmets and skiing in a straight line following each other while the parents stood outside the fence and cheered them on. You would see some of them crying and telling their parents they didn't want to do it (at least that's what I think they were saying since they were speaking in french) and it was pretty funny. It got less funny when the older ones (7-9yr olds) were screaming past me down the slopes later on.

We spent a few hours on what I called the bunny slope, the first time I said this Cam almost peed his pants and said NEVER call it that in front of anyone else, it's called a GREEN run. I was feeling alright and decided to take the chair lift up and try a blue run. I was scared and fell ALOT but it was really fun. On the smaller slopes instead of chair lifts they have these tows called poma tows... and I HATE them. I'm on one in the picture in the previous post but the poma tows from the first day were super easy... the snow was really soft and I managed my first one without falling, a feat in itself. You basically stand in line till it's your turn, you have your front foot in the board and the back foot is out. There is a pole with a little circle on the end and you put it between your legs and it tows you up except that you have to be able to remain standing. Some of them can have quite a jerk when you first get going and then esp. with a snowboard you have to make sure you don't catch the edge of your board in the snow or else you fall on your face and possibly get dragged it you dont let go... Not only is it frustrating but very embarrassing as well. The next day we all went together to a mountian called Le Tour. Chamonix is the ski resort but there are about 5-6 different mountains you can ski on and so each day we would drive to whichever one we wanted to ski on that day. Anyway, on this day it was snowing like crazy and the visibility was quite bad so everyone stayed with me on the slopes lower on the mountain. Unfortunately for me the only way to get up the slope was a poma tow except these were faster and the snow was much harder. Last time we were in Scotland we met up with Kenny and Sophie and were talking about me trying to snowboard and Sophie was telling me that I'll be crying and probably quit a few times within the first few days because it's so frustrating. Well, I thought I was going to get away without a temper tantrum for the whole time but trying to get up that mountain that morning (oh yeah, did I mention I was getting sick?) was impossible. I fell once then got back on a made it halfway up until I caught an edge and fell... Once I got back down again I fell 5 times in a row straight away as soon as the freaking things jerked me up and so I walked halfway up and sat on the mountain and cried... wondering, can't they come up with a better way? The most frustrating part was that I could actually get down, I couldn't really turn but I could board down the mountain, I just couldn't get up it! Ughhh... luckily for me Cam and Kenny decided to go off pisted (off the main slope where the snow if fresh and powder) and makes jumps and stuff so we stayed there the rest of the day hanging out and just walking up and boarding down. Sophie and I even made a small jump that I managed to go off a few times! It's just such a nice view with clean air. We made salami and brie sandwiches on fresh baguettes for lunch everyday and it was awesome. On my last day we went to Les Houches and we had to take a cable car to the top of the mountain, which I was pretty scared about because it's just a little box with 20 people crammed in about 100 ft off the ground. We made it to the top and it was a beautiful day. The runs are all interwoven together and it's quite difficult at first to try to figure out where to go and which lift to take etc... that day was great and after a few hours Cam and I split up and decided we would meet at one of the cafes on the mountain. After a little while longer I was tired (did I mention by now every muscle in my body was in agony? Including the muscles on the front of my neck and my fingers even hurt from pushing myself up everytime I fell) so I decided to go to the cafe to hang out. Once I met up with everyone else they decided to snowboard down the mountain and I thought it was best to take the gondola down... on my own. Yikes! I think my fear of heights gets worse every year, anyway, we met at the bottom of the mountain at a bar and had some Vin Chaud (hot wine). After that I returned my rented board and am definitely wanting to try it again sometime.
We went into town a few nights for dinner and got house wine and cheese fondue... So good but sooo much cheese. Wandered around to a few pubs in the cold and ice and had a great time.
Cameron's parents and brother showed up the same day Kenny and Sophie left and they took us out for a great dinner and we had ( I forget what it was called) but they brought you a hot stone and beef, turkey and duck which you cooked yourself on the stone and it was delicious.

It was so strange the morning I left Chamonix, I was driving by massive snow covered mountains on icy roads and that evening I was driving by jagged dry mountains in the middle of the desert... I had a great time in France but I was ready to get back to the sun and the sea and my home.

Snowboarding in France!

First time on a POMA tow... I HATE those things

Cam and I snowboarding on my 3rd day...

Just a few pics, Update coming soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Winter in the Desert

This is me and Matt my dmt and Gareth, two of the Army boys, diving in front of our dive center. You can see the mountains of Saudi Arabia in the background. The bit of land to the left is the continuation of the seafront that runs in front of our shop. Im on the right hand side.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
xoxoxo

Since New Years, life has been a bit slower. Most of the tourist left here by the middle of January and wont be returning until March. At work we have contacts with the re-settlement offices for the British Army and have gotten quite a few of them out here since the beginning of the year. I have had quite a few as students but its mostly nice to have a bunch of people around.
Oh I forgot, we had rain!!! It lightly rained for about one night and we paid the consequences for weeks. Almost everyone (except ours) had leaks in their houses, the roads were closed due to flooding and around Egypt houses were collapsing and people were even dying! Right next to our dive center there is a bridge along the boardwalk and that is one of the lowest places here so after about 3 hours after the rain stopped, the water came pouring down from the mountains like a river. It brings everything with it and basically runs into the sea in front of our dive center. The sea was brown for 2 weeks with about 4 ft visibility. The airport was even closed due to a collapsed roof!
Other than the rain we have had a very mild winter which scares me to think of how hot it will be this summer! Since it has been slow most everyone is meeting at the pub frequently to chat or watch sports and we have had quite a few birthdays or going away parties lately, not to mention all the snorkel tests being administered to the Army boys...
As for today, I am meeting a friend for lunch on the seafront and then will go out to dinner with Cameron for Valentine's Day. I've got a pretty good life just now...

We've been living in Egypt now for almost 2 months. Two days after arriving I started work and have been working non-stop since then, which is great. Dahab remains unspoiled and pretty much the same since we were here 2 years ago. It so crazy being back at the same job, Poseidon Divers, and we have actually moved into the same flat we lived in the last time we were here (Cam is working at the same center he worked at before also)! There are alot of the same people which makes it feel as if we never left! The diving is better than I remember and am loving every dive. I have gotten to teach alot of different courses including about 10 or so specialty courses so I will definately not get bored here!
Shortly after arriving we took a trip to Nuweiba which is a Bedouin Village about an hour north of here with my co-workers. The dive center organized the whole thing and we left at 7pm and came back at 7 am the next morning! We stayed at a Bedouin camp and when we arrived it was already dark but we were right on sea and the sky was incredible! I can't remember seeing so many stars before! We had food and a few drinks around a fire and then went to sleep for a short time and before I knew it we were back in the mini bus heading to the center for a full days work!!!
Cameron has taken up windsurfing and is loving it. Wind and Kite surfing here is pretty popular as we apparently have over 300 days with F4-5 Winds...
I had a camel safari at work which means I take people diving but to a place where no cars can go so we have to take camels. We took to to Ras Abu Galum an area about an hours walk from the furthest north road in Dahab. The camels carry all our equipment with us sitting on them as well! My camel was the leader and as soon as he stood up he started walking way ahead of everyone else, he knew where he was going! It was actually kind of relaxing but I was sooooo sore the next day and think I will walk next time I have to do one.
We recently helped celebrate the holiday called Eid al-Adha, Festival of Sacrifice. It comes from when Abraham was going to sacrifice his son for God but then was allowed by God to sacrifice a ram instead. Its about spending time with friends and family and thanksgiving for having food. Each family sacrifices an animal and gives 1/3 to his family, 1/3 to his friends and neighbors and 1/3 to the poor. Cameron's boss slaughtered a sheep(or maybe it was a goat) and we had a nice BBQ on the beach. During this time there were cows and other animals tied up around town. I even saw someone walking a cow along the boardwalk and I was just hopeing that I could get past before they killed it. We had nice food and I tried the meat and it was ok.
So Christmas came and went and we had some elaborate plans for lots of eating and drinking and Xmas dinner with about 20 people at a friends house. At about noon on Christmas Day I started getting a bad stomach and continued to be sick for 4 days... I also woke up on the 26th with bronchitits, so its been fun. I not only missed Xmas but have missed four days of work as well. I will be going back tomorrow, lets just hope I can equalize my ears!
Hope everyone has a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! x

Photos!

Cooking the sheep meat. Cam's boss Khalid is in the green.

Feast BBQ

Me on a Camel

Camels getting loaded up, see our tanks in those burlap sacs?

We also rode these ones, they can hold alot of weight!

The Camp in the morning, we slept under that thatched roof to the left

Cam trying to get some sleep in Nuweiba

Camp in Nuweiba at 6am

Cam, on his 3rd day

Pony that escaped from it's mom to have a snack

View from Lagoon

EGYPT!

So, I am back in Egypt! I'm having a FANTASTIC time and working hard! We dont have internet at home at the moment and so I will update properly very soon. Happy Holidays to everyone! xxx

New Adventures...

I know it has been so long since I have written a proper post but time has been flying by! Cameron and I left Malta at the beginning of October and have since visited West Virginia (where my dad lives), Maryland and are now in Scotland. After arriving here we traveled up north to a town called Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands. We are leaving here tomorrow on a train to go to Manchester for the weekend and then will be flying from Manchester to Sharm and then bussing it back to Dahab!!! I am so excited and can not wait to be back in the Red Sea, literally!
After spending 3 days in WV we headed to Solomons just in time for the wedding preparations! Christophers wedding was on the 10th of October and we had an awesome time. After the wedding we proceeded to move the party down to the Tiki Bar and had an awesome night with family and friends. So awesome that we had to stay in bed all day on Sun! I got to see alot of my friends and do some relaxing as well. We arrived in Edinburgh last week and spent 4 days up north with Cameron's parents, both his brothers as well has one of their girlfriends and her 3 boys. We arrived back to Edinburgh and have been preparing for our next home! I have spent most the day packing and trying to stay under the weight limit and we are ready to go, but first we are stopping in Manchester to visit Kat and Anna, our friends from Honduras and I can't wait to see those girls. Finally on Sunday we are flying back to Egypt! I really will try to keep up with my blog while I'm there and I'm sure being back there will provide plenty of interesting stories... Happy Halloween! xxx

West Virginia, Maryland, Scotland & beyond...

Cam's family

Our house in Aviemore

Along one of our walks through a sculpture garden

One of the Lochs

Out with the girls

The DT girls!

4-wheelin in WV

We climbed up Seneca Rocks in WV

on the farm

Always fun to shoot cans...

Cam, mom and Kristy at the wedding

Mr & Mrs Cochran!

Cameron's first wedding!