This site has been set up for me to post some musings. In particular, to keep friends and family up to date.
Sunflowers (15th July, 2004)
Geneva - our first day (14th July, 2004)
Newsletter #15 (14th July, 2004)
We arrived in Geneva, Switzerland last night after a hectic last week in Cairo. Now that our year there is over, how do we sum up the experience. We've defintely changed in terms of our thoughts and attitudes about culture, theology, relationships, work ethics etc. So, here goes at an attempt to sum up our time, in the last Josh'n'Jo newsletter.... More
Deaf Unit (15th June, 2004)
Olympic Torch Relay (11th June, 2004)
Newsletter #14 (6th June, 2004)
'You've been back two weeks, the Weetbix has been eaten and you're running out of Ginger Nut biscuits. Has the sparkle of your return to Cairo gone?' I think not, for there are still new things to experience and all the while it's somehow familiar, that we're in our local city.... More
Newsletter #13 (23rd May, 2004)
First impressions (second time around)... More
Newsletter #12 (16th May, 2004)
As you are aware, Jo and I came to Australia for my brother Tim's wedding on the 8th of May. (It was beautiful, with great weather and a lot of fun. I'll tell you the story of the buck's night cowboy on Super 12 TV later!)... More
Tim and Sarah's wedding (8th May, 2004)
Newsletter #11 (12th April, 2004)
Just wanting to wish you all a Happy Easter from Egypt. Today is a national public holiday called 'Sham El Nessim', or 'Smell the Flowers' day, which is the Monday after the Coptic Easter weekend. So, smell a flower today, or whenever you receive this.... More
Newsletter #10 (21st March, 2004)
It's been too long since our last update, especially considering what we've done, where we've gone and how things are going. So here are some highlights.... More
Desert Trip (12th March, 2004)
Jordan (27th February, 2004)
Eid El Adha (1st February, 2004)
Newsletter #9 (7th January, 2004)
We're back from two very relaxing and refreshing weeks in Switzerland over Christmas and New Year. So energising was the holiday that it feels like more than two weeks since we were left. Our time included culture shock to both the Australian and Egyptian way of life.... More
Swiss Christmas (Christmas, 2003)
Newsletter #8 (19 December, 2003)
"Christmas is coming": It has been a long time since we sent out an update and I'm sure you're all saying 'Christmas is coming'. It's one week away and we've had Christmas trees in shops here for ages, almost three weeks now!... More
Tim's visit (18th December, 2003)
Newsflash (10th November, 2003)
At 6.10pm on 9th November, 2003, it rained in Cairo... for five minutes.
Saqarra 2 (19th October, 2003)
Giza pyramids and Sphinx (19th October, 2003)
Nile cruise between Aswan and Luxor (5th - 7th October, 2003)
Alexandria (3rd and 4th October, 2003)
The Citadel (2nd October, 2003)
Saqarra 1 (28th September, 2003)
Wissa Wassef again (28th September, 2003)
Newsletter #7 (28 September, 2003)
At the risk of sounding obsessed with money and the cost of living, this update will be based around what you can get for less than ten Australian dollars here in Egypt. (A$10 = 40LE Egyptian pounds).... More
Revolving Restaurant (30 August, 2003)
Farewell Kristian (29 August, 2003)
Coptic Cairo (28 August, 2003)
Newsletter #6 (27 August, 2003)
We've just returned to Cairo after a short break. It was good to be able to breath clean air and not hear car horns, yelling taxi drivers or horses being whipped.... More
Holiday in Ain Sukhna (24 August, 2003)
Ramses Wissa Wassef Centre (18 August, 2003)
Newsletter #5 (19 July, 2003)
One month in, since we last wrote, we've started Arabic study, spent one afternoon in a hotel's rooftop pool, watched the Wallabies lost to South Africa, had a gorgeous felucca ride on the Nile at twilight, drank fresh mango & banana juice for A$1, been abused by a couple of taxi drivers, worked on our objectives for the year, eaten at a very odd Chinese restaurant (Le Peking), planned to start a new bible study, tried some Egyptian beer, hired a house cleaner, found an authentic Korean restaurant on our street, visited the garbage city and the cave churches, asked lots of questions about the Tukul craft program, caught up with some other Aussies in Cairo, tried ordering home delivered kushari in Arabic (with reasonable success) and found five pounds in a packet of chips.... More
Garbage city and the cave church (18 July, 2003)
Our apartment in Zamalek (18 July, 2003)
All Saints' Cathedral (18 July, 2003)
Newsletter #4 (27 June, 2003)
We've now been in Cairo for two weeks and it seems time for an update. Already we have seen so much, learnt a lot and met stacks of people. I'm sure things that may have originally seemed a little odd, like not having a door to an elevator, but being able to see the wall slide by, are now just considered the norm. So, before I stop noticing, I'd like to share a couple of stories... More
World Refugee Day at American University of Cairo (21 June, 2003)
First Impressions (17 June, 2003)
Here are a few of the general first impressions we have of Cairo. I would also like to put together some photos that try to capture the essence of our reactions to Cairo... More
Newsletter #3 (17 June, 2003)
This is a brief note to let you know we have arrived, what our contact details are and some of the initial impressions we have of Cairo. We are sharing a three bedroom flat with Kristian a Danish volunteer also working at the church. He will be heading home in August which will be a great loss for the Refuge Egypt program... More
Photos of the Bennett children (14 June, 2003)
Wallabies training session at North Sydney oval (10 June, 2003)
Newsletter #2 (10 June, 2003)
With three days to go before we leave for Cairo, it still doesn't seem very real. Since we last wrote, Josh has finished working and enjoyed the novel and DVD he got as a farewell present... More
Newsletter #1 (14 May, 2003)
Well, this is it, the first ever newsletter for the Josh'n'Jo Yahoo! group. (And we haven't even left the country!) We've paid for our tickets and fly out on Friday 13th, June on Malaysian Airlines, stopping once in KL before we reach Cairo... More
