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Maria Theresa Gelat
May She Rest in Peace |
I had a rough night yesterday and stayed in today. I decided it would be very apropos to make crepes for dinner tonight since my grandmother and I used to make crepes all the time when I was a child and later on as an adult. My suite-mate, Ellen, and I decided to finally splurge on a non-stick pan yesterday at the store so I knew that I had the perfect pan to make crepes. Finding a mixing bowl large enough to make the HUGE crepe recipe I have loved for so many years turned out to be an issue. I ended up choosing a pot typically used for pasta instead. I went through about 2 liters of milk - I have no idea how much that is in "US" measurements (which I am starting to loathe, by the way). Much whisking and a ton of butter later and I ended up with a very large stack of pancakes. I knew my grandmother would have been proud of what I made tonight and I was able to hang up a crystal in my room in memory of her today. She always used to have these beautiful crystals hanging in the window of her bedroom; when I'd go wake her up in the mornings (to make crepes, of course) the crystals would cast brilliant spectrum of light all across the room. Ever since then I have always loved crystals, rocks, and all things magical since I used to believe that fairies were attracted to sparkly items (like our crystals). It's hard knowing she'll never know how my stay in Egypt ends or that we can never cook another meal together...but I know she's proud that I'm here and I was lucky to find such a kindred spirit in my own grandmother. Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan's wife, once said "Every single moment that we were alive and we were together was miraculous - not miraculous in the sense of inexplicable or supernatural. We knew we were beneficiaries of chance. . . . That pure chance could be so generous and so kind. . . . That we could find each other...that was wonderful."
I leave tonight at 1 AM for my flight to Aswan and then it's 4 days and 3 nights traveling back up the Nile by way of Luxor, ending in a flight back to Cairo at 3 AM (the same day as the first day of school). Everything is moving in a whirlwind at this point. I almost forgot to pack my camera before Ellen made an offhand remark about "taking lots of pictures" and I realized how spacey I've been lately. I know my grandmother would have LOVED to be on that cruise with me, tasting exotic foods and soaking up the sun wherever possible. I won't have wi-fi on the cruise (I'm assuming...) so this is my last blog until September 4th. At that point I'll have finished my entire cruise and my first day of classes.... we'll see how this goes!
