"I loved the line, 'the poplar and ash breathe' even though I have no idea what it means." -Girl in Creative Writing

So, I am sorry, I am being hassled, for good reason. It has been a crazy two days of homework, class, birthday parties, meeting advisers, and planning a trip to the desert. I feel like I have let you all down. It is especially bad because you had to keep looking at the article about Allison. I am not going to tell you about a person today because I have some exciting things to talk about, and I'm afraid it might be boring for you. Feedback please.

So my favorite class so far is my creative writing class. Today the professor read us a poem that describes a setting because we have to start creating settings. One of the lines referred to the silence of poplar and ash breathing. I of course was so excited by the mention of trees in my brown desert surroundings, but the Egyptians had no idea what a poplar or ash was. It is amazing what we learn from what we see. My last assignment in there was to take the plain descriptions of a shell and use them to describe something I am scared to talk about. I described failure as a shell in a poem. What an adventure!

Some exciting developments, I saw an Egyptian with braces. I mean, they all have nice teeth on AUC's campus, so I assumed, but seeing it was surprising. So far I have only seen one girl. It rained the other day...well more like a brief sprinkling. I could pretty much dodge the raindrops, but it was water. I got a mentor today, she is really nice. We talked for like 2 hrs. She introduced me to people, and told me about volunteer opportunities. I'm really excited.

This weekend I'm headed to the desert. The white, black, and crystal deserts to explore! I attached the link to our guide's website. We have been referred by a friend, so he is legit. I must be prepared to use the bathroom behind sand dunes and sleep under the starry sky, but I have decided it is a small price to pay to experience such an amazing part of God's creation. I will take lots of pictures! I won't be able to give you updates while I'm gone. So look for a mass update on Sunday. I miss you all! Have great weekends. Don't spend too much time mourning Duke's loss. I'm sad too, but life moves on.