I thought 
my limbs were going to be permanently damaged from the cold while waiting 1 1/2 freezng hours at the summit of Mt. Sinai for the sunrise, after climbing three hours on only two hours of sleep, but in the end, the experience and the suffering were well worth it. (picture: the horizon from the top of Mt. Sinai just before sunrise)
The hundreds and hundreds of people that had been at the summit then began the descent at about the same time, which slowed down our progress down the mountain, but my limbs were still really half-frozen, so I couldn't move fast anyway. The best part of the journey was by far the descent! (picture: beginning the descent!)
my limbs were going to be permanently damaged from the cold while waiting 1 1/2 freezng hours at the summit of Mt. Sinai for the sunrise, after climbing three hours on only two hours of sleep, but in the end, the experience and the suffering were well worth it. (picture: the horizon from the top of Mt. Sinai just before sunrise)I was fortunate enough to travel to the Sinai Peninsula on April 30-May 2, especially since the US Embassy in Cairo does not want the NSLI-Y students to take a trip there with the program - apparently for security issues. Around Easter time, I told my counselor that I really wanted to go to Sinai, and he invited me on an upcoming trip with some of the students of the Theological Seminary at which he teaches. His family is hosting a NSLI-Y student, Catalina, who arrived for the second semester, so the two of us accompanied the 30 or so Egyptian seminary students on the trek to the Sinai Peninsula. We were the only Americans, let alone the only girls our age, but I can't complain and we still had fun!
Day 1, April 30:
We arrived at Saint Catherine's Monastery on Friday night after a ten-hour or so bus ride. We had stopped at a couple of places on the way: after going under the the Suez Canal, we briefly stopped at the "Springs of Moses" where the Israelites supposedly rested after crossing the Red Sea, and Moses turned one of the salty springs into drinkable water. Next, we visited the "Pharaoh's Bath" where there were some hot springs that flowed into the Red Sea - some Egyptians apparently still use this site as a remedy for rheumatism.
St. Catherine's Monastery is nestled at the base of some mountains, and our group was able to stay overnight at the guesthouses at monastery - most people who visit stay in hotels in a nearby town - so this was a privilege. After eating dinner, we attempted to sleep for a couple of hours before waking up at 1am to begin our ascent!
Day 2, May 1:
The beginning of a long, long day!!! 
Before starting, the seminary leaders handed us snack bags with juice boxes and some snacks...I ended up dragging two of these bags up and down the mountain without consuming anything but juice. We were given a local guide to lead us up the mountain, and then we began our night-trek with flashlights in hand. We followed the camel path, the less-strenous route up, with many switchbacks and small wooden kiosks along the way in case we needed anything. The other route consists of 3,700 stone steps that a pious monk carved into the mountain! (picture: forcing myself to pose right after sunrise while still freezing.)
Before starting, the seminary leaders handed us snack bags with juice boxes and some snacks...I ended up dragging two of these bags up and down the mountain without consuming anything but juice. We were given a local guide to lead us up the mountain, and then we began our night-trek with flashlights in hand. We followed the camel path, the less-strenous route up, with many switchbacks and small wooden kiosks along the way in case we needed anything. The other route consists of 3,700 stone steps that a pious monk carved into the mountain! (picture: forcing myself to pose right after sunrise while still freezing.)Our group split apart after a short while, but we ended up reaching the top together as a group because we paused a long time at a place just below the summit in order to avoid waiting in the freezing wind at the top. We were by no means the only climbers, either! There were many other groups going up, Egyptians and foreigners. Intermittently, we also were forced to follow some trekkers on camels, and since it was dark, I couldn't see where I was stepping, so I'm sure my shoes got very filthy from the camel droppings!! 
Our group took many breaks so I never became too fatigued, although I'm sure that climbing over 2,000m above sea-level on less than two hours of sleep was not helpful! And even though the moon was really bright, we unfortunately couldn't take pictures of the looming mountain during the ascent because it was still too dark. (picture: from the summit of Mt. Sinai, overlooking the surrounding mountains with the church in the foreground.)
Our group took many breaks so I never became too fatigued, although I'm sure that climbing over 2,000m above sea-level on less than two hours of sleep was not helpful! And even though the moon was really bright, we unfortunately couldn't take pictures of the looming mountain during the ascent because it was still too dark. (picture: from the summit of Mt. Sinai, overlooking the surrounding mountains with the church in the foreground.)We finally arrived at the top around 4am, sweaty and tired, and we spent the next 1 1/2 hours just waiting in the dark for the sunrise. Meanwhile, the frigid gusts of wind against our sweat made us painfully cold, and I was not properly equipped, either...I was only wearing my raincoat over a long-sleeve tshirt. I opened up the three packs of hand-warmers that I had brought from the US and shared them with Catalina, but after a while, even my hands turned numb! It was truly quite miserable and I couldn't even admire the vast array of stars because I was too cold to think of anything!
The first hints of light to appear were a welcome sight, although slightly misleading , because we stood at the ready, gazing at the horizon for a long time for any hints of the actual sun, whose appearance took a lot longer than I expected. The summit was packed with people, all with cameras out and huddled in big groups. Catalina and I unfortunately couldn't 'huddle' with our group of Egyptian men, so we had tried to keep warm together behind a wall, but it was pretty useless. I really don't think I have ever been that cold in my life!
After all of this, though, the sunrise was a truly amazing sight, and once the sun started illuminating the surrounding mountains, the view was gorgeous! I didn't think any view would be able to make all our shivering worth it, but in the end, I was definitely happy to have climbed Mt. Sinai!!
The hundreds and hundreds of people that had been at the summit then began the descent at about the same time, which slowed down our progress down the mountain, but my limbs were still really half-frozen, so I couldn't move fast anyway. The best part of the journey was by far the descent! (picture: beginning the descent!)Despite receiving negative feedback from the seminary leaders to not descend via the stone stairs, Catalina and I followed the advice of Rough Guides as well as her host sister (who wasn't there but climbed last year), and we went down the alternative, less-crowded and far more beautiful route. 
The views of the surrouning mountains were spectacular, especially in the morning light, and even better, there was no camel poop, kiosks, or switchbacks!! The final portion overlooked the monastery set between the mountains, which was an interesting view.
The views of the surrouning mountains were spectacular, especially in the morning light, and even better, there was no camel poop, kiosks, or switchbacks!! The final portion overlooked the monastery set between the mountains, which was an interesting view.Catalina and I grabbed some tea and bread from breakfast, took it back to our room, ate, I showered quickly, and then we collapsed into bed. 
We overslept and awoke in panic because the monastery closes at noon, and we woke up at 11:20 am, so we jumped out of bed and ran to the monastery. It was very crowded with tourists, but I did an abbreviated Rough Guides tour. We dashed through the museum first - I wish we could've spent more time there to actually enjoy the rich collection of icons and other religious masterpieces it contains - and then went in the church and saw the 'descendant' of the Burning Bush. The inside of the churh was under construction so we weren't able to see the supposedly-amazing mosaic that is over the altar. (pictures: coming down the stairs, with St. Catherine's monastery in the background; reaching toward the Burning Bush!.)
We overslept and awoke in panic because the monastery closes at noon, and we woke up at 11:20 am, so we jumped out of bed and ran to the monastery. It was very crowded with tourists, but I did an abbreviated Rough Guides tour. We dashed through the museum first - I wish we could've spent more time there to actually enjoy the rich collection of icons and other religious masterpieces it contains - and then went in the church and saw the 'descendant' of the Burning Bush. The inside of the churh was under construction so we weren't able to see the supposedly-amazing mosaic that is over the altar. (pictures: coming down the stairs, with St. Catherine's monastery in the background; reaching toward the Burning Bush!.)The monastery itself was a little disappointing because of the crowds and I thought there would be more to see, 
but I would have enjoyed it more if I could have explored the museum more. However, after lunch, our seminary group had a special meeting with one of the 33 monks at the monastery. Most of the monks living there are Greek, but this man is from the US - a Texan, in fact - and has been living at the monastery for 14 years. His serene demeanor, carefully-chosen words, and long beard reminded me of Dumbledore, so it was an amazing experience. He took us into the private library at the monastery where no visitors are usually allowed and showed us part of the manuscript of the Codex Sinaiticus. (picture: the church bell tower inside the monastery)
but I would have enjoyed it more if I could have explored the museum more. However, after lunch, our seminary group had a special meeting with one of the 33 monks at the monastery. Most of the monks living there are Greek, but this man is from the US - a Texan, in fact - and has been living at the monastery for 14 years. His serene demeanor, carefully-chosen words, and long beard reminded me of Dumbledore, so it was an amazing experience. He took us into the private library at the monastery where no visitors are usually allowed and showed us part of the manuscript of the Codex Sinaiticus. (picture: the church bell tower inside the monastery)One of the monks was currently studying this manuscript, so it wasn't on display in the museum, so we were able to see it up close while our monk-friend described its significance and storied history. 
It is a 5th century Greek manuscript of the Bible and is now currently located in four different places (St. Catherine's, British Library, and museums in Russia and Germany). One of its most important features is that it contains the first known, complete version of the New Testament. Our friend is currently working on the Codex Sinaiticus project in an effor to try to gather a complete digital version of the manuscript and publish it online (http://codexsinaiticus.org/en/). (picture: looking in admiration at our monk-friend)
It is a 5th century Greek manuscript of the Bible and is now currently located in four different places (St. Catherine's, British Library, and museums in Russia and Germany). One of its most important features is that it contains the first known, complete version of the New Testament. Our friend is currently working on the Codex Sinaiticus project in an effor to try to gather a complete digital version of the manuscript and publish it online (http://codexsinaiticus.org/en/). (picture: looking in admiration at our monk-friend)After that wonderful tour, we gathered our bags and hopped on the bus, bound for Dahab on the Red Sea coast. We stayed at the Miami Beach Hotel, which is outside of the main town, and it was not as nice as the hotel at Hurghada, but was definitely good enough for us. We relaxed for the evening and went into town that night, which was filled with a bunch of tourists, tourist shops, and seafood restaurants. Catalina and I did find a hotel called "Monica's Hotel," so I of course had to take some photos :)
Day 3, May 2:
We had a prayer session after breakfast with the seminary out on the beach, and then afterwards, I went on a short jog with Catalina's host brother. 
I spent the rest of the day outside, reading by the pool a little, which was a nice break to regain some of the energy that was exhausted during the Mt. Sinai expedition. Catalina and I rented snorkle equipment for $5 from the hotel and waded out into the water, right off of the beach at the hotel, and we went snorkling for an hour. The water was a little choppy because of the wind, but there were lots of beautiful fish and coral right off the shore - so much better than Hurghada because a lot of the coral was still alive and the water wasn't freezing either! After swallowing too much salt water, I headed in, and soon thereafter we had to shower, pack up, eat lunch, and get back on the bus for our 10-hour return trip to Cairo! (picture: after snorkeling in Dahab)
I spent the rest of the day outside, reading by the pool a little, which was a nice break to regain some of the energy that was exhausted during the Mt. Sinai expedition. Catalina and I rented snorkle equipment for $5 from the hotel and waded out into the water, right off of the beach at the hotel, and we went snorkling for an hour. The water was a little choppy because of the wind, but there were lots of beautiful fish and coral right off the shore - so much better than Hurghada because a lot of the coral was still alive and the water wasn't freezing either! After swallowing too much salt water, I headed in, and soon thereafter we had to shower, pack up, eat lunch, and get back on the bus for our 10-hour return trip to Cairo! (picture: after snorkeling in Dahab)I am so happy and feel so fortunate to have been able to go to Sinai because most of my friends on the program have not had the opportunity. Although it was short and not perfect by any means, I thorouhgly enjoyed the trip and have so many memories of both the suffering and the beauty!
