Bethany J

Thank you! I'll definitely keep this in mind!

I'm not in a small town, but I'm sure if I drove to bigger cities (Tacoma, Seattle) I would find a lot more options. I was mostly surprised by those who said they could find zaatar and sumac in regular grocery stores, given that I have specifically looked for those and come up short.

That's awesome! I lived in Oklahoma for a few years - I used to drive to the DFW area to shop at Eastern European and Middle Eastern grocery stores. Lots of great options in the area. I'd forgotten about that though, so thanks for the reminder. It definitely depends on where in the country you are.

Good luck! That I think I did find at Walmart years ago. Although it might have been just ground and not smoked. Hopefully you can find it

Absolutely!

Totally fair. I've never seen it at my local stores. I did find it in one of the Asian grocery stores - they had a tiny Middle Eastern section. So it's not impossible to find, but I have to go out of my way. (Which is fine, I'm just pointing out it's not common)

That's a lot of Cajun blends 😂

We have a new one that's about 10 minutes away (with a massive parking lot!) and I've been there twice in the last week. I just didn't check spices since I'd already stocked up. Definitely good to know though!

I definitely appreciate a wider variety! I didn't check Trader Joe's - at the time I was looking for sumac the closest TJ's was about 20 minutes away and has the parking lot from hell. My plan had been to check there or whole foods (about 40 minutes away). I just got to Egypt first 😆

Thr girl in the video sucks, but it's not shocking she doesn't know those spices. I don't blame her for ignorance, but she needs an attitude adjustment for sure.

I bought sumac in Egypt this trip because I had a hard time finding it near me (the only options I found were shipping only). The only store I know that has zaatar is world market and it's expensive for a tiny amount and not fresh.

I'm curious about the Americans replying that say they can find these in Walmart or a local grocery store. My experience (WA state) is that most Americans aren't familiar with cooking with Middle Eastern spices, and they aren't easy to find. We have lots of Asian markets, but no ME ones close to me.

No, no. That's the correct version of camping 😄

Thank you. She really did. The initial news was a shock, but there wasn't time to let it sink in. Everything hit like a truck last night. I should have known better than to keep postponing the start of the grieving process.

I'm grateful for the time I had with her, for the things she taught me, for everything she did to help me while I was learning how to be an adult. She was a major part of my life at a formative time. She will be dearly missed, but her memory will live on.

She was incredible. I regret not reaching out more after I left college. There's always excuses, but ultimately I should have done more to help us stay in touch.

I'm sad that she's gone. I'm sad that she was alone and no one noticed. I'm sad that the plans we discussed will never happen.

I'd like to think friends or family would notice sooner than two weeks. I guess my job would at least wonder why I didn't show up. I don't know that there's a reason to worry about this right now, but it does make me think and I'm not sure what to do about those thoughts.

I'm content with my current state in life. I'd like to be married, but I don't know if or when that might happen. But living alone comes with challenges and this is one I hadn't considered. (Not that not living alone isn't challenging, it's just different.)

When I was in elementary school I remember asking my friends if they'd be sad if I died or if they would come to my funeral. I have no idea where those thoughts came from. After hearing about my aunt, those memories came back with the new thought - how long would it take someone to find me?

I don't have all the details, but apparently her neighbors hadn't seen her in a while and called in a wellness check. It makes me sad that she was alone and no one knew. I hate that it took two weeks for her to be found. And selfishly it makes me think about myself.

Years ago one of my siblings said something about how they didn't want me to turn out like her. I think they meant it in regards to some career/professional choices & being alone, but I resented the comment. She had a full life and while it didn't turn out how she expected, she wasn't missing a man.

She was briefly married when I was little (I believe my first flight was as a baby to her wedding), but most of the time I knew her she was single. Growing up Mormon, this was fairly uncommon, and was certainly an outlier in my family.

My favorite aunt, my mom's sister, was like a mom to me while I was in college. She was clever, funny, interesting. She introduced me to plays, art, and movies and helped me learn to expand my horizons. She encouraged my passions and interests and didn't ask "what are you gonna do with that degree?"

In addition to being sad about leaving a place I love, I'm grieving for another reason tonight. While I was in Egypt we got the news that a family member had passed away. Not only that, but they passed and we think it took about two weeks for them to be found.

For anyone that made it through this - thanks for sitting with me in my grief ❤

I'll remember it for the rest of my life. When I said goodbye to my excavation director, who has also been a mentor and a friend, I said, "it's been an amazing ride." And it has been. One that will forever be a part of me and that I'll never forget.

But right now, there are no plans. There's no next year. And it hurts. For now, I'll grieve. When I'm less tired, I'll start planning. I'm sure that I will go back at some point. I have friends and family interested in going to Egypt. But I don't know if I'll see that tiny village again.

I've have spent the last 15 years studying and working in Egypt (to varying degrees). I got an MA in Egyptology. I had plans to pursue a PhD, but academia post 2020 is a risk I couldn't accept. I led a tour group and I hope to lead more.

I didn't expect to cry saying goodbye. I didn't expect to cry driving away on the long, bumpy dirt road that took us from our site back to a small paved road, and then finally back to a highway. I didn't expect to cry flying out of Cairo.

I digress. Leaving Egypt this time was difficult. We work at a remote site close to a tiny village. I've gotten to know the wonderful men that work on our crew. I've watched their children grow up. Despite a language and cultural barrier, I feel connected to them.