Share and Voice: Egypt



The Pyramids of Giza



In May 2009, I traveled across the world to Africa, more specifically Egypt.  It was absolutely amazing.  The question I get asked the most is why did you go?  And honestly, my response is quite simple.  Someone told me about the trip, it sounded excited, so I signed up.  It wasn't some life long dream of mine to go to Egypt but the opportunity arose so I took a chance and decided to go for it. 

I traveled with a group of 25 through my local community college.  People aged 18-60 traveled in our group.  We had a educational tour guide with us the entire time and saw so many fabulous things.  I had no idea how much there was to see there.  When you think of Egypt, you think of pyramids but there is so much more than that.  The weather was between 100-106 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time.  Our days were packed with activities to do from sunrise to sunset, somedays even waking up at 2am to get on a plane to go to a temple to watch the sun rise.

The most important thing I learned from traveling to Egypt, is that there are so many wonderful things out there in this world that are just waiting for you to experience them.  Life is too short to sit in Minnesota forever, take advantage of opportunities when they come your way because you may never get the chance again.  The world is fabulous with so many things to see :)




Yes, all the statues were really that big!



The Sphinx



I held a real crocodile, it was their "pet"

Please feel free to ask me any questions about my adventures to Egypt, I love to talk about it and encourage anyone to go if they get the chance!

Share and Voice: Smart Sun Safety

So as part of my blog I am hoping to inform others on how to be safe in the sun while still having fun.  So I found this website, titled Smart Sun Safety, Fun in the Sun 101 and I thought it was perfect to include in my blog.  The site is put on by the Skin Cancer Foundation and is made possibly through a grant by Banana Boat.  You should visit the site because it is a really fun way to learn about how to protect yourself while in the sun.  The main areas it focuses on are sun safety, skin types, UV rays, and sun protection.  It has quizzes on different subjects relating to sunscreen and the sun.  I took some and was shocked to learn some of the answers.  Test your knowledge with the quiz on Sun Safety, located under Sun Funzone.   It also provides teacher resources and free posters.  I found this site to be really interesting and spent a lot of time just reading the different articles on it.  I really hope you check it out and see what you already know and learn a few new things too.

Read 'N' Seed 1: Plenty - Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet

The book I chose for the Read 'N' Seed portion of the class is called Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon. 

The book is about a couple in Canada that plan to eat locally, within 100 miles of their home, for one year.  They learn the challenges and advantages that come along with this journey and become an inspiration for many others around the world.

I chose this book because the title stuck out to me, I thought it sounded really interesting.  After reading the synopsis, I was already hooked.  I'm jealous of the couple before even reading the book because I think this would be a huge challenge, and they were successful at it.  I hope I can learn enough tips from the book that I can tweak my own eating habits in trying to be more environmental friendly and eating locally grown foods.

I found three links that I thought were important to share with all of you,

1. Book Website
2. Book Excerpt
3. Book Review

The first link I found about the book is its main website. It offers information about the book.  It also has a section  on how YOU can join the 100 Mile Diet pledge to eat locally for one meal, one week, one month, or even longer! I think that is an awesome idea.  Once I get more into the book, I think I will take the pledge for a week and see how it goes.

The second link I found is an excerpt from the book.  So you can actually read the first few pages of the book to see if you like it.

The third link I found is more of a book review piece.  It allows you to read someone else's perspective on the book. 

Plenty Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet has 264 pages.  The book is divided into 12 months and an epilogue.  Thus I will divide the book into four sections with three months in each section.  For example, the first quarter will be the months of March, April, and May.  The second quarter will be June, July, and August.  The third quarter will be September, October, and November.  The last quarter will be the months of December, January, February and the epilogue.


I am really looking forward to reading this book so come back and check out what else I learn from Plenty Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet :)