Masallamah Ya Misr

So I have been a pretty bad blogger over the past two weeks, but I have been busy with final exams, papers and presentations, as well as packing. We had a four-day weekend, and spent Tuesday sleeping and recovering from the week. Wednesday I went into full on study mode for my exams, and then took a break to see a movie with Andi. We had wanted to see “Easy A” but unfortunately it was no longer showing, so we saw “Due Date”. It is a comedy with Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr. driving across country. The hit lots of bumps in the road (no pun intended), but in the end they make it through. It was ironic we were seeing it at the end of our semester in Egypt, as it seemed really allegorical. We had a bumpy ride, but we were almost at the end.
Andi and I went to Cairo on Thursday. We went to Khan al-Khalili for the last time and bought some souvenirs before meeting up with her friends Andrew and Cosette who graduated from Duke last year and are doing a year long program in Cairo. I had met them with her last time we came to Cairo, and it was really great to see them! We went to the Yemini restaurant again, and kept them laughing with some of our crazy stories from the semester. We finished our night at a rooftop bar near our hotel, and it was oddly peaceful. I say oddly because Cairo is really the city that never sleeps. I have never really been a huge fan of Cairo, but I realized that the cool (seventy degree) December weather makes the craziness totally bearable, and that it is actually a really amazing place. Andi was even talking about coming back to do another summer program there! Because we have spent a lot of time in Alex, feeling trapped, we can appreciate the opportunities of Cairo, and are able to look past a lot of its shortcomings.
Friday we met up with Seif, who I was put in contact with through a family friend. He lives in Cairo, but has worked abroad, and is about ten years older than us. He took us to the garden at the Marriot, and yet again showed us that Cairo can be fun and beautiful. He couldn’t believe how tough our experience had been, but helped us see how unique it was. He also kept saying, “You girls are toughies,” and was really impressed with the amount of Egyptian Arabic we could speak. Andi and I both agreed that we definitely liked Cairo this time around, and felt ready and refreshed for exams.
Saturday brought the biggest storm Alexandria has seen in twenty years (great timing…just as we are leaving). It lasted two days with high winds, hail and rain. Buildings all over the city were destroyed, there were several deaths, and most of the city was under water due to the poor drainage system. I waded my way to class and exams, and it didn’t really faze me cause we were so close to the end.
Sunday and Monday were basically a blur, as all of my tests were those two days. Considering the fact that my classes and teachers were my absolute favorite part of the experience, I can definitely say it was bittersweet.
Tuesday was the official final day of the program. My one class had been canceled, so I spent the day packing. That evening we went to a group dinner at the boys’ dorm (which was a PALACE compared to the girls’ dorm). All of our teachers and Egyptian roommates came, and there was a talent show after dinner, including a few skits on daily life in Egypt, hilarious imitations and moving poetry readings. After the talent show, Nehad thanked everyone for the semester, and FINALLY announced that the pledge was over! We all said our goodbyes, and went back to the dorm.
My plane to Turkey is at 7 AM on Thursday, so I spent today relaxing, and making sure I was all packed. I am so excited to go to Turkey, and then home. I am absolutely ready to get out of Egypt; however there will be things I will miss. I will miss the temperate weather, running along the Mediterranean Sea, drinking tea at any time of day, everything being insanely inexpensive, using random Arabic phrases and having everyone understand and I am sure there are a million other things that will come to mind sporadically as I go through my daily life at Penn next semester.
I have had a very different abroad experience than most American students who choose to spend a semester in another country. I have been exposed to the evils and the beauty of this country, one of the oldest in the world. I have proved to myself that I am stronger than I ever anticipated, and learned first had that good things never come easily. I have met people and seen things that have changed my life. Robert Frost said it best in his poem “The Road Not Taken”:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”


I want to thank everyone who has followed this blog, as well as all of my friends and family for all of their love and support throughout the semester. To all of you who were here with me in Egypt, we wouldn’t have made it without each other, and I thank you for always lending an ear even when you had a hard day. Thanks to the girls who hosted me in Europe, and everyone who checked in on me every once in a while, and a special thanks to those few who sent me encouraging emails/texts/Skype chats/gchats on a daily basis making sure I was doing alright. As well as a special thank you to my wonderful parents, who endured many tearful Skype calls, as well as flew half way across the world to see me. Sometimes I feel like you went through all of my trial and tribulations with me from thousands of miles away. I will not be posting in Turkey, as I am not sure about my Internet situation there, so this will be my last post! Hope you have all enjoyed the blog, and I will see you State side.

Ten Days!

I have had a pretty busy week, and have not had a chance to update. Friday, I spent the day studying, and then went to Liz’s apartment for our program’s Thanksgiving celebration. Everyone pitched in and brought something to the meal, I brought plates and utensils, and it was a success! I was so impressed with the boys, and they did most of the cooking, including the best sweet potatoes I have EVER had, and some pretty awesome cornbread. All of us were so happy to be eating traditional Thanksgiving food in Liz’s beautiful apartment. A lot of the Egyptians came to the dinner, but none of them tried any of the food. Almost everything was Halal, and there hadn’t been any dinner in the dorm that day, so I was confused as to why they weren’t partaking in the feast! I asked someone if he had tried the food, and he gave me a look and said, “No, it looks strange.” I wanted to say, “We eat YOUR weird looking food everyday,” but I refrained. I was really surprised, and for some reason kind of hurt, we have been living in this country for almost four months, taking in the culture as best as we can, and are often criticized for our lack of open-mindedness, yet they couldn’t even try some food?!
I mentioned Liz’s apartment being quite nice. It is spacious with a full kitchen, living room, dining room and bedrooms, and fully furnished. I think that if I had the opportunity to live an apartment in Egypt, the experience would have been different, and probably a lot easier. This is simply because we really have no chance to escape from the culture, or just hang out, and an apartment would fulfill both of those need. Alas, that was not possible, as it is mandatory to live in the student dorms, and students staying a full year can move into an apartment after the first semester.
Saturday was my final class on Christianity in Egypt, and I had to do a fifteen minute presentation. I am thrilled to be coming to the end of the program, but it was bittersweet finishing my class with Ustez Emad, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. The rest of the school week was pretty uneventful, and I spent Wednesday working on a video for my Egyptian Colloquial class. The video is supposed to be on the “Dos and Don’ts of Egypt” for the incoming students. There were a few road blocks, as it is against Islam to be in films, except for official purposes, and most people were not willing to be filmed. We found a group of middle school boys who were willing to be in the video and harass us, so as to show how to handle harassment. They were hilarious, and sort of nervous about the whole thing, thinking it was going to be on American television, but we explained to them that it was just for a class, and then even more agreed to participate. We went all over the city, pointing out the best spots to visit, and the best things to do.
Wednesday night was the first night of Hannukkah, as well as the beginning of December! It was sad to not be home for Hannukkah, and not even be at school with my friends, but Andi, Tik and I went to Harry Potter, which was a nice break from Arabic. Tik was surprised at the amount of harassment we got when leaving the movie theater. When he expressed this, Andi promptly replied, “Welcome to my life.”
I spent Thursday doing work. Andi and I went to a café to get a change of scenery. We tried to get a cab or tram or bus to the café, and it took us over half hour. We asked the driver what the issue was, and he reminded us of the soccer match that was occurring in Alex at that exact time. Nobody was working, as they were ALL at the soccer match. No, this was not a special match, or a final of any sort, it was just a normal soccer match, and all public transportation pretty much shuts down.
Friday I went to a Coptic mass with Jessie, and my teacher Ustez Emad, and his family. The entire service was in Modern Standard Arabic, except for some bits in Coptic, which is pretty much a dead language. A lot of the prayers are extremely similar to those in a Jewish Shabbat service, which was really surprising! My teacher had mentioned that he had the same experience when he went to a synagogue in the States, and that there is a strong bond between Judaism and Coptic Christianity. We had lunch with his family after the service and then I went back to the dorm to do more work. I lit the Hannukkah candles with Ariana and Brianna, and it nice but made me a little homesick!
Today I had my final exam for Islam in Egypt, as well as the speaking part of my final in Modern Standard Arabic. I am totally finished with my one on one class, and my other classes are coming to a close. I went running after my exam, and I thought about how beautiful the sky here is. You can’t see all the pollution and the sad state of the buildings if you are just looking up. The sun was setting over the Mediterranean, and it was pretty magical. I have trained myself to look down at the ground or at a random spot in the sky, so as not to make eye contact with anyone and get any unwanted attention. I was running and minding my own business, when a random teenage boy attempted to punch me in the face. I ducked and he ran after me and hit me in the back of the head. I was really upset, but finished my run and realized that there is absolutely nothing I could do about this, except to stop running, which I do not want to do. Instead I chose to just get over it, and think about the run itself. That’s what Egypt has taught me to do. I am now able to recover from small traumas, by dealing with them quickly and internally so I can move on. Ten more days until the end of the program!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday I woke up late, and did work, but felt like a zombie and was THRILLED to go to sleep early. Back to class on Saturday, and it was nice to see everyone, and it seemed like I had never left Egypt. It was a generally normal day, but I couldn’t help but notice the genuinely horrific smell on my walk to school. I realized, that it was the aftermath of the most recent holiday, Eid al-Adha.
Eid al-Adha is a holiday in which Muslims traditionally sacrifice a sheep. The background of this is that G-d told Abraham to kill his son, Ishmael, to prove he was a believer. Abraham obeyed, but no matter how many times he put the knife to Ishmael’s throat it would not cut it. G-d told Abraham that he had proved himself, and that he should sacrifice a sheep instead. In current times, if you have the means, you are to sacrifice a sheep, keep a third of it for your family, give a third to your friends, and give a third to the poor. While I was away for the celebration, I did get a glimpse of some early sacrifices preparing for the big festival right on my street.
Flash-forward almost a week later, and the lamb’s blood (is it Passover yet?) and remains of its fur and innards are still embedded into the sidewalk. It doesn’t really rain here, and it seems that any efforts to clean it up were unsuccessful. The smell was unbearable.
Additionally, it seems that this last home stretch is difficult for all of us in Egypt, and for a lot of my other friends abroad. We are SO close to being done, but there is definitely still a decent chunk of time. I made the decision, after much deliberation, to change my ticket home from Jan 5th out of Tel Aviv, to December 21st out of Istanbul. I am so thrilled that I will have more than five days at home before my next semester of school, and an adequate period to re-adjust to America. I was initially extremely excited to travel, but my plans were not solidified, and honestly providing me more anxiety than necessary. Those places will always be there, and I think Istanbul will be a wonderful end to a trying semester.
On another note, my insomnia has returned with a vengeance. Several nights in the past week I have laid awake and listened to the muezzin call the Fajr prayer, the first prayer of the day between first light of dawn and sunrise usually around 5:30. Needless to say, I have been somewhat of a zombie lately, and hopefully I get back on track soon!
On Monday evening, I went to 3seer Mecca, a juice bar, with some of the Egyptian girls and we met up with a group of the guys (both Egyptian and American). It was great, but due to my exhaustion I wasn’t an active participant in the conversation. As the topic of conversation shifted to soccer, I became more of an observer, noticing that while the Egyptian guys seemed comfortable with the girls, they would never utter a curse in front of them. They all comfortably shook my hand, but would never dare to do so with an Egyptian girl (as touching her in any way would scar her reputation). Even with these seemingly progressive interactions and meet-ups at the juice bar, there are still so many boundaries between men and women in Egypt.
Tuesday was relatively uneventful, with the exception of my history class. We are learning about the end of the monarchy in Egypt, and to our surprise our teacher spoke very frankly about Egyptian government. He cited 1951 as the year when the last “real elections” took place, after which, all elections have been seemingly fixed. This is pertinent now, as there are Parliamentary elections this Sunday. Additionally, we spoke about 1948, and the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Little did my teacher know, that he was explaining the differences between Zionism and Judaism to three Jewish students (yes there are only three of us in my class, and yes we are all Jews). It was great to hear him go on for about ten minutes about how Zionism is a movement, and Judaism is a religion, and that educated people in the Middle East distinguish between the two, and how anti-Semitism is frowned upon in most educated circles.
Wednesday came and went. We had make up classes, because we had an extra day off in October. I visited Ahmed, the hairdresser, who was surprised that I actually had the language skills to speak to him, given I had last seen him in September when I was going through major culture shock. However it is great to be able to see my own improvements and the amount of the language I have acquired in such a short time. My ECA class went to a movie, which was exciting because I could understand it! However the movie itself, labeled as a comedy but actually rather dark, was bizarre. It was about a man who you are led to believe has Alzheimer’s, when actually it is all a rouse put on by his two sons and they are leading him to believe he has the disease so they can control his money. He finds out about the rouse, and spends the second half of the movie getting back at them. I was exhausted from my insomnia, and went to bed super early and slept for twelve hours.
Today was Thanksgiving, my first not with family, and I woke up very late. I spent the entire day alternating doing work and doing absolutely nothing. The program is having a Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow evening, but tonight there was nothing planned. I went to Chili’s with four other girls to have a taste of America, and we had such a nice time! I’m sad to not be in America for Thanksgiving, and it was definitely hard to be motivated to do my work today but we really tried to make the best of it together!
I came home and skyped with my family, and my mom passed the computer around to various family members. It was great to see everyone, but sad to be missing out on the event. I think that everyone abroad right now is having a similar Thanksgiving experience.

Welcome Back to Egypt?

Two tube lines were down on my way to the airport, and all I could think was that traveling is never simple, even in western civilization. Otherwise, my flight went very well! It was five hours, and I landed at 8:45 PM Cairo time (seven hours ahead of EST). I promptly went to the bus station, and got on the next bus to Alexandria.
I felt refreshed after my time away, and actually excited to be back in Egypt. All of the people at the airport were surprised I was speaking Arabic, and I was happy that I still felt very comfortable in the language, even after ten days away!
I got on the bus at a little before 10PM, and took a Tylonel PM, figuring the journey would be long, but I could sleep through it. My BlackBerry had very little life left, so I turned it off, and prepared for a long nap.
Unfortunately, this was not what transpired. By 11:00 PM we were still in Cairo. The bus broke down in the middle of the city (what is with me and broken busses?), and the driver didn’t seem to be doing anything to fix it. I stayed calm for the first hour, trying not to fall asleep standing on the side of the road. A woman and her brother, as well as a businessman who was fluent in English, befriended me, and we worked together to decide what should be done. We missed all of the other buses to Alexandria, the trains stop running at midnight, and a taxi is too dangerous. We ended up waiting on the side of the road until 1:00AM, when the new bus came.
I finally called my mom from my Egyptian phone to let her know I was on a bus. I started to cry. I was exhausted, and they Tylonel PM in my system wasn’t helping, and I realized that for the first time in Egypt I had actually been frightened. Rationally, I knew nothing would happen to me. But being a twenty-year-old girl standing on the side of the street in Cairo after midnight is not the safest thing, and i could no longer ignore the lump in my throat that was present throughout the entire wait.
I pretended I was asleep, but the other passengers gave me some water and told me to have my own row to myself. I passed out on top of all of my stuff, as I hadn’t allowed the driver to put my suitcase under the bus, and woke up in Alexandria at 4:00 AM. The woman and her brother wouldn’t let me take a cab alone, and they dropped me off at my dorm. Once in my room, I was pretty wired, so I unpacked and did some laundry before passing out until 1 PM the next day.
Did I expect smooth sailing on the trip from Cairo to Alex? No. I have also learned, by now, to be prepared for anything. However that bus experience was worse than expected, and worse than the way to the airport because it was at night. Despite the experience, I am going make sure I get the most out of the next three weeks.

Londontown -Part Two

Tuesday was another packed day. My friend Sam from my program in Egypt happened to be in London also, so we spent the day together, as Ange and Jess had class. Sam and I met up at the Tate Modern. After that we walked across the Millenium Bridge, past St. Paul’s, and through Hyde Park and Knightsbridge. The day was beautiful, the streets were charming and we were both thoroughly enjoying our time in civilization.
We had a super long lunch at a beautiful restaurant and then continued walking around and found ourselves traveling through Notting Hill, and all over the Kensington area. Eventually we ended up in another part of town around the Old Street tube stop for excellent Thai food.
The fun of just walking around a great city like London is undervalued. I think I was particularly happy because the city is decently clean (VERY clean in contrast to Cairo), and it was a wonderful change to not have people blatantly staring at me.
Wednesday, my last day in London, was a fabulous! Andrea and I got up early and went to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Upon arrival we were given iPod touches that had an interactive tour of the cathedral. It really made all the difference, as we learned SO much about the cathedral (the first cathedral on that spot of land was in the seventh century, and Christopher Wren’s cathedral that stands now is the fourth) and thoroughly enjoyed our time there! It is so incredibly beautiful and rich in history. The iPod even showed us a clip of Charles and Diana’s wedding in the cathedral in 1981, which was poignant given the long awaited engagement of Kate and Prince William (yes yes I got caught up on my British gossip while in London.)
After St. Paul’s, I met our family friend Morgan at a hotel that overlooks Hyde Park for lunch. I enjoyed seeing her, and we even called my dad to say hi! The view was spectacular, and I could see beyond the park all the way to the London Eye!
On my way back to Ange and Jess’s I stopped and picked up half price tickets to Les Mis! Jess had seen the show the last time she was in London, but Ange had never seen it. I was in the show once, and have seen it twice, but I felt that it was a great opportunity to see it again, and I felt like I was revisiting an old friend. The story is so beautiful, and the cast was pretty good! I cried my way through the second act (from “Bring Him Home” onward, if anyone is familiar with the show), and was thrilled that Ange enjoyed it just as much as I did!!!
I had such a wonderful time in London, a part of me wishes I could stay, but the other part is ready to finish my program in Egypt (a little more than three weeks are left). My trip to Europe left me feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the last few hurdles of my semester!

Londontown -Part One

I arrived in London at 9PM GMT on Saturday, and took the Tube over to Jess and Andrea’s dorm in Waterloo. Being with my friends, in an English speaking country, in one of my favorite cities in the world was definitely the remedy to my Middle Eastern misery.
On Saturday night we went out to a club and had a great time (I love that the legal age is eighteen, it makes life so much easier). The tubes close at 12:30, so we ended up walking back through some of London’s most famous areas, and it was a wonderful welcome to the city. We crossed the Waterloo Bridge and saw Parliament and Big Ben all lit up, as well as the London Eye, and in the other direction St. Paul’s and the Tate Modern.
I have been to London before, on my own and with my family, so I didn’t feel the need to do major site seeing. Sunday morning we woke up late, and Jess and I took the tube to Portobello Market and walked around all afternoon. It is such an adorable area with so much character, we ended up spending hours there. Even the rain couldn’t wreck my mood, as I was having so much fun going into different shops and eating amazing cupcakes at Hummingbird.
When we returned, I went running along the Thames. It was absolutely surreal, as I have been running through the ruins of what used to be the glorious city of Alexandria. I got to run by all of the monuments mentioned before, and felt totally at ease, with nobody staring at me or trying to grab me. Since I enjoyed it so much, I made sure to run again over the next few days!
The rest of the evening was low key, we went out to dinner, and I spent time with them and their suitemates who were great. They live in a suite of six people, and they all have their own rooms and bathrooms, but share a kitchen and common space. It was great to meet new people, and see what a very different abroad experience is like!
Monday morning I woke up to beautiful weather. I was meeting my other sorority sisters, Nina and Julie, as well as their roommate, Mia, for lunch on the other side of the city, and I decided to walk. Throughout my walk (more of a leisurely mosey) I decided that London is so magical for several reasons: 1) there are very few tall buildings, which gives the city a quaint feeling, making it less intimidating than New York 2) the architecture is absolutely beautiful, and so much older than anything in the States, I felt like a Jane Austen character was going to roll up in a coach as I was walking around the city 3) the city is very spread out, and each neighborhood has its own traits, yes this is a characteristic of every major city, but I feel like it is so much more prevalent in this city 4) everyone has such cool accents, and 5) it is a truly international city, there are people from every place in the world, and this is represented by the languages you hear spoken and the excellent ethnic food available on every corner, and because of this characteristic, is easy to feel connected to the city. I didn’t feel like a foreigner or a tourist, I blended in easily, and not because I speak English, but because I could speak any language and be any ethnicity and not get a second glance in London.
Lunch was great! Again, it was so nice to see more friendly faces and hear about all of their abroad experiences. After lunch I met Jess at the National Gallery, which was absolutely beautiful. They have such a comprehensive and diverse collection of art, ranging from Medieval Art all the way through to twentieth century art, and some very contemporary pieces as well. I personally enjoyed the Post-Impressionist section of the museum, and made up for missing the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. We walked back to their dorm, and we made dinner in their kitchen. After dinner I did laundry, which was really exciting. I haven’t used a dryer in months, and right before I left the washer on my floor in the dorm broke. It couldn’t process the detergent for some reason, and just moved the clothes around in water, leaving them discolored and still not clean. After several tries with various machines, I took all my clothes into a shower stall and washed them with a bar of soap…definitely not fun. So needless to say, a real washer/dryer was a fabulous change.
We all took naps and then went out to a club nearby in a big group, as one of the other suitemates had a visitor as well. We walked back from the club (across the suspension bridge), and again saw the skyline which never ceases to amaze and excite me!

Amsterdam!

Because of patchy Internet while traveling i didn't get the opportunity to post about the rest of my trip, and will be posting them all now!

I left Leuven early on Thursday to meet up with some of my sorority sisters (Lora, Sami, Brittany and Stef as well as Lucy who is in Tri Delta and Louisa who goes to Johns Hopkins) in Amsterdam. They are all studying in Paris for the semester, but were spending the weekend in Amsterdam, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to see another new place!
I arrived in Amsterdam around 1PM on Thursday, and was greeted with the worst weather possible. It was freezing, pouring rain and windy. I was warned that people in Amsterdam suggest everything in the city is walking distance. We knew the hotel wasn’t far, but we wanted to take a cab because of the weather, and were turned down by several cab drivers all of who told us to walk. This would NEVER happen anywhere else I have ever traveled, as it seems counter productive to the livelihood of the cab drivers!
We walked around for a while and went into a coffee shop, and saw firsthand why Amsterdam has such a crazy reputation. There are “no smoking” signs everywhere, but they say “TOBACCO PROHIBITED, MARIJUANA ENCOURAGED” or something to that effect. Needless to say, this is VERY different from Egypt. If an Egyptian is caught with drugs, their punishment can be as severe as to get their hand cut off.
Because of the weather, we eventually decided to go to one of Amsterdam’s many museums. We spent the afternoon and early evening in the Heineken Experience, which was a really well done exhibit. We learned how beer is made, and got three free beers with admission! They also had a really cool room with reclining chairs in front of televisions showing a loop of Heineken commercials from the 1960s until today.
We had dinner at an amazing restaurant, I honestly don’t know the name of it, but it was wonderful to have western food and spend an evening with so many familiar faces!
The next morning we got up early to go to the Anne Frank house. It was an amazing and moving experience. We all agreed that it provided an amazing amount of insight into her family, and it was easy to see that they were all very close, especially from the video interview of her father. The museum worked to preserve the story of the Frank family, as well as educate all of its patrons on the general history of the Holocaust. I was happy to have shared that experience with my friends, many of whom happen to be Jewish as well.
After Anne Frank we had pancakes, one of the many things Amsterdam is famous for, and then set off on a bike tour of the city. We were really lucky that the weather held up, and we took a three hour tour, stopping at all the main sights. The Vandelpark was one of my favorite places, as it reminded me a lot of New York City’s Central Park. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city, which is rich in history. One of my favorite parts of the tour was when the guide explained that all of the houses along the canals are build to be slanted inward. All of the houses have hooks on their roofs, where people’s stock would hang in the sixteenth century, so as to avoid getting wet if the canals flooded. The houses are tipped forward so the stock wouldn’t damage the façade of the house but hitting against it.
We spent the better part of the afternoon walking around after the bike tour, and then partook in rijstaafl for dinner, which is a seven course Indonesian meal. There are an abundance of Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam, as it was a Dutch colony. I have never eaten Indonesian food before, and we all agreed it was a wonderful gastronomic experience. The food came all at once and we feasted for a while, enjoying savory sauces and different types of rice and vegetables. I would definitely do it again! We were exhausted after our long day and decided to turn in early.
The next morning, we slept in, and went to breakfast at a place called Bagels and Beans. We were so thrilled to have bagels! They were more like fancy bread in the shape of a bagel, but beggars can’t be choosers. Afterward we went over to the museum square and took pictures in front of the “I Amsterdam” sign. Then we waited in line for the National Gallery. The museum itself was amazing, with a lot of Rembrandts and Vermeers. It is no my favorite period of art, but the building itself was architecturally beautiful, on the inside and the outside, and the collection was extensive and impressive. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough time for the Van Gogh, but I have seen a lot of exhibits (at YCBA and the Met), and enjoyed the last few hours walking around Amsterdam with my friends before hopping on an InterCity train from Amsterdam to Belgium, and then the Eurostar from Brussels to London.
I definitely want to go back to Amsterdam, preferably in the summer, as there are beaches nearby and it is a beautiful city to walk around. It is a ton of fun, but also rich in history and culture.

Belgium: Famous for Chocolate, Beer, Waffles and Mussels

I got of the train in Brussels at around 10:30AM and quickly put my luggage in a locker for the day. First stop was the Magritte Museum, the building is just as fantastic as the art inside. The Magritte exhibit was amazing, following Magritte through his life, and different stages of art. I also saw an exhibit on Orientalism from Delacroix to Kandinsky, which was even more incredible, although somewhat ironic as over eighty percent of the paintings were of Egypt.
Next we walked around and saw the Grote Mart or the Grand Place in Brussels It is an absolutely beautiful main square with old buildings, and the whole place is a bustling market on Saturdays. We then went to Delerium, a bar with every Belgian beer. I am not a big beer person, but the bartender gave me a lighter beer with a honey aftertaste, and I really liked it! Additionally, as we walked we stopped at the many chocolate shops around the city. They are everywhere, and are all extremely delicious. We got one piece at every place, and my favorite was a dark chocolate with a praline filling from Leonidas.
We explored the city, with Sarah as my guide, and I got to experience the tempermental Belgian weather, as it rained five or six times in the span of a few hours, and after every time the sun would come out. I absolutely LOVED Brussels, as it looks like a story book, most of the people speak English and there are helpful signs everywhere.
After grabbing some amazing Thai food for dinner, we headed to Leuven, where Sarah lives. Leuven is a really cool place, with tons of bars, restaurants and shops, and over seventy percent of the population is under thirty years old! It is a really friendly place as well. In Brussels, most people speak Dutch and French and a little English. In Leuven everyone spoke perfect English as well as Dutch. Sarah has friends from a whole slew of countries, and it was really great to meet them and go out with them. I was also surprised by the price of alcohol, as a beer was about 3 Euros and a cocktail 6 Euros, where as in New York drinks can be as expensive as $20 each!
I cannot express how much I enjoyed Belgium. From the two cities I saw I feel that it is a beautiful country, with culture and character, but still is easy to navigate and maneuver. I don’t think there is a ton to do as a tourist, you would only need two days in Brussels to see everything, but it would be a fantastic place to live. I would definitely recommend a semester abroad in Leuven for anyone who is still deciding!

The R7lah (Journey) to the West

My journey from Alexandria to the Cairo Airport was nothing if not eventful. I purchased a ticket for a bus directly to the airport, and was advised to account for a decent amount of traffic, so I bought at 9:30 AM ticket for my 5:30 PM plane. Little did I know when I reached the bus that it would be the beginning of quite a journey. It was smooth sailing for about the first forty minutes, and all of a sudden the driver pulled over. Thinking he had to pray or smoke, I really didn’t mind. However after half an hour went by I knew something was amiss, and inquired about the problem. I saw that the gas tank was LOWER than zero (uh oh), and additionally I heard that there were issues with the battery of the car. I did my best to keep calm, and started planning for worst-case scenario possible (missing the plane). Initially, the women were sitting in the over heated bus while the men stood outside in the fresh air, I got impatient and decided that committing a cultural faux pas was better than heat stroke, and climbed out of the bus. Then I saw, that people were slowly starting to collect their luggage from under the bus. Oh dear. What in the WORLD could this mean? Originally the driver had said another car was going to come and we would get some gas from him until we made it to the nearest gas station, but apparently that plan got nixed and instead a whole new bus was coming…from Alexandria…now an hour away with the increase in traffic. After waiting about an hour longer (telling myself this would probably be the WORST place to have a panic attack), and being constantly told the bus was coming in “ten minutes”, I decided to take action. I would NOT miss my flight to western civilization because I was standing on the side of the road. So I stuck my hand out and flagged down a microbus (called mashro3 in Alexandria.)
I know Mom, you are holding your breath and really angry with me, and I am SURE everyone is assuming I just wasn’t thinking. But I was. This was, in my humble opinion, the best thing to do at the time, given the circumstances.
For those who don’t know, microbuses are a phenomenon I have only seen in Egypt and Morocco (and I know they are all over the Middle East.) They are basically large vans that have an unofficial route and you just flag them down, as you would a taxi, and they tell you the direction they are headed. In Alexandria, they are really the best way to get around, and are totally safe. However, the side of the road between Alex and Cairo may not be the safest place to pick one up…but I figured a) they stopped for me, so they are clearly okay with me, a foreign woman, on their bus and b) there was another woman on the bus. My plan was, take the bus to wherever it would end up in Cairo, and then jump in a cab.
The microbus was 100% the best cultural and linguistic experience I have had in Egypt. I definitely got skeptical looks from people as they first entered the bus and saw me, but the others would explain the story about how they picked me up off the side of the road, and how I needed to get to the airport. I talked about America, and my time in Egypt, and they told me about their lives and their service in the army. At one point a man in his seventies who worked as a technician in Vienna for a year in the 1980’s sat next to me, I knew he had lived abroad cause the other men in the bus kept their distance by giving me my own row. I felt extremely comfortable and safe with them, and they were very respectful of me, asking about my life but not prying in any way. The driver kept pulling up to tour busses and asking if they were headed to the airport, in attempt to find me a direct ride, and eventually we found one…it was a new bus, but the same one I had been on originally!
So patience has never been my strong suit, and in this circumstance it may have done me good to just wait a little longer on the side of the road. But in Egypt, you really never know. If someone says ten minutes, it could be three hours! We made it to the airport at 3:30PM…it was definitely a journey.
I honestly experienced some culture shock at the airport. Everything was so clean, and nobody bothered me as I just walked around the shops and food areas. If anything, the plane was even more of a culture shock. The flight was five hours, and I got to watch movies…in English! The flight went smoothly, and when I got out of the plane at Heathrow I couldn’t contain my excitement… I think I was the most enthusiastic person the customs officer had seen all day.
I took the Heathrow Express to central London and then the tube to where I stayed, and met my friend from high school, Emily Macleod, who is studying abroad in London. Seeing Emily for the first time in two years was great, and we had fun catching up.
I unfortunately came to London in a span of time when almost everyone was traveling. The girls I was staying with left early Wednesday morning, and my other friends weren’t getting back until late Wednesday night. I decided to use this opportunity to take the Eurostar to Brussels! My friend Sarah is studying in Leuven and met me in Brussels (a twenty minute train ride away). I will write all about my time in Belgium in my next post!

Smoke Break During a Movie? Only in Egypt!

So I definitely worked on smiling this week, and I think it had a positive effect on my psyche. The weather the past few days has been amazing, a high of about 85 degrees and getting down to around 65 degrees at night. The week went off without a hitch, one of the more embarrassing moments included having to perform a poem from memory in my ECA class. Tuesday was Molly’s birthday! We had so much fun, and went to China House to get dinner and a birthday drink, and met up with a lot of the group at an Ex-Pat bar called Spitfire. Apparently, the Egyptian beer company Stella was having some sort of promotion with a prize under the cap of the beer. Desperate to find the winning bottle, the bar was giving out free beers! (Where are we again?) This was a particularly unique and fun experience in Alex, and I have to say, a great start to the weekend!
Wednesday, Andi and I got up early and tried one of the old, famous cafes on the Corniche. It was called Atheneos, and it definitely left its glory days somewhere in the past, but it was great to get out of the dorm! Determined to stay out, Andi and I ran, and then went to City Center (aka Little America) with Molly. We walked around and got Starbucks and it almost felt totally normal, until someone pushed me out of line at H & M and I had to yell at them to get my place back…
Thursday I basically spent the entire day relaxing and doing work, and then we went to see “The Social Network” in an area called Smouha. The shopping center that housed the movie theater is called Green Plaza, and is actually really beautiful. Its totally outdoor and the weather is perfect, so we just walked around until it was time for the movie.
The movie itself was great! I think I liked it because I am so starved for any American culture and it was extremely witty and sarcastic. I really don’t think the Egyptians got a lot of the Pop-culture references, as the translation was really strange and nobody laughed at the funny parts. The weirdest part of the experience was the random smoke break. Justin Timberlake was talking, and all of a sudden the movie was cut off, and the word “Break” appeared on the screen in Arabic. All of them men filed out of the movie to smoke, and the filed back in about five minutes later as the movie resumed.
Friday was fabulous. My MSA teacher owns several private centers that teach fus-ha (MSA) to Egyptian students. Friday, six of us went over to his school to go to a class. The students are all in high school, and focus on grammar, while foreign students are encouraged to study grammar, listening, speaking and writing. The class was over fifty kids, and boys sit separately from the girls (cause otherwise they would talk too much). The students clearly revere my teacher, and were paying attention for almost the entire two hours. Everyone participated, collectively shouting out the answers to his questions, and laughing along with his jokes. After that we went to a café to do work.
The school week was pretty much uneventful. We had midterms, and a lot of stuff due before the big break. Tomorrow I am off to Europe!

Getting Out of the Funk

So, I haven’t posted for over a week, and that is really because nothing extremely positive happened, and I am getting sick of being such a Debbie Downer…believe me I am really trying my best to enjoy my time here and view this as a life experience, but in the moment it is definitely not so easy.
Classes went on as usual after my parents left. I had a particularly interesting religion class in which we were discussing why Islam allows men to have up to four wives. Some of the reasons were social, such as the fact that there were simply more women than men, so it was an opportunity for everyone to have a chance at marriage. The prophet Mohammad married many women, and only one of them was younger than 45 years old when he married her, as many of them were older widows, or relatives of his friends and he helped them through marriage.
The discussion was going really well when my teacher started talking about “3laqat gheer 7lal” or relationships that are not “Halal” or sanctioned by Islam. He proceeded to tell me that women who engage in sexual relationships that are not sanctioned by Islam WILL get sexually transmitted diseases, like AIDS. I really thought I didn’t understand him so I had him repeat it several times, yet unfortunately I got it right the first time. It is a solid example of yet another cultural gap between the US and Egypt.
The next day, I was walking by a tram, and a teenage boy stuck his hand out the window and smacked me in the face. I was absolutely stunned, and couldn’t believe that had happened. The catcalls and the whistling really don’t bother me, but an invasion of personal space by a total rando is difficult for me to deal with. I can safely say that people in the States DO NOT walk around smacking people, and while it is not by any means endorsed by the masses in Egypt its not uncommon.
Tuesday night I went to the American Center with a bunch of the kids from the program, where we met up with some students from Alex U. These are weekly dialogs, in which the students as a group choose issues and discuss them, and this week the issue was “the Environment.” While I think these dialogs are really great in theory, in practice it was kind of a failure. We ended up just talking a lot about “Captain Planet”, and came to the conclusion that the entire Egyptian culture would need to shift in order to make any drastic changes toward a cleaner Egypt. I don’t think I will go back.
After the talk, a group of us went out to a fish restaurant, Qadoura, which was great! I am definitely going to make a conscious effort to eat out more, as its relatively inexpensive (my two shrimp and quarter kilo of calamari plus tons of mezzes was LE 40, about $8), really delicious, and breaks up the monotony dorm life.
The next day we went to Mars al-Matrouh, a beach town four hours outside Alex. Truth be told, I was not a fan of this outing at all. The beaches were beautiful, but they were covered in trash. There was no way I was going in the ocean after I saw dirty diapers and the like floating around in it. I was the only person who didn’t go in the water, and everyone wondered why…
Additionally, the air-conditioning on the bus broke on the way back, the windows of the bus did not open, and we got stuck in traffic. Unfortunately my seat was right next to the bathroom, and the door to the bathroom was broken as well. The smell was unbearable, and it was a long ride back. I never thought I would be so happy to be back in Alex.
After returning from Matrouh, I slept in, and spent the day relaxing and doing homework. I also made the decision to skip the next group trip, and instead use my ten free days to go to Europe (THANKS MOM AND DAD!!!) Generally, I dislike big groups of people, especially when I am traveling, and I have been having a difficult time here. I think seeing my friends from Penn in Europe, as well as just being in western civilization, will be a refreshing break for me before the last three weeks of class. I am so excited about this trip, and I am going to start anew and make a bigger effort to be more positive here, only 44 more days!

To Cairo and Back Again

On Tuesday we headed back to Cairo after spending the morning on the hotel beach. I have been in Alex for two months, and have never been to the beach. Public beaches are not for women, and places where it is appropriate to wear a bathing suit are few and far between (and there is something unappealing about going to the beach in leggings and a long sleeve shirt). The beach was beautiful, especially the Mediterranean Sea.
Tuesday evening we arrived at the hotel in Cairo, and went to dinner at a restaurant that was supposed to be ten minutes away. Because of the traffic, it took us over forty minutes to get there. The cab had no air conditioning, and the driver had a strong odor. By the time we arrived at the restaurant the three of us were totally frazzled, and all I could think was, “HOW CAN THEY LEAVE ME HERE?!” The experience at the actual restaurant was really positive though, as they had a full bar, sushi selections and lots of options without garlic and onions, (nearly impossible in Egypt) as my parents are allergic.
Wednesday we went on a tour, and decided to start with Coptic Cairo, which was absolutely beautiful. About forty minutes from Downtown Cairo, it is a quiet neighborhood with many churches, as well as a synagogue. We saw the famous Hanging Church, which is from the third century and build on top of old Roman ruins. The synagogue was also extremely beautiful, and has been a church and a mosque as well in its lifetime.
We then went to a perfume factory, which was just as enjoyable as when I went with the group in September! We got to smell lots of different scents and blends, and my mom decided to buy our favorite one, Lotus, which is indigenous to Egypt and never exported. We then went to a government shop for souvenirs like mother of pearl boxes. The quality at government shops is guaranteed, and hassling is not allowed, so it was an overall positive experience. Our last stop was the Cairo Tower, which is 187 meters high, and is located in Zamalek. We were all very impressed with the tower itself, and the amazing views!
We had an early dinner at a Lebanese restaurant around the corner, and then ventured to Khan al-Khalili to see a Sufi dance show. I had heard from several people that the show was incredible, and as it is free, chairs are a hot commodity, so it is important to go early. We took the subway to the nearest stop, and walked a little before we jumped in a cab. Through this experience, my parents definitely got to see the “real Egypt”, as we were in a local neighborhood. Surprisingly, my mom was really excited about it and my dad felt very frazzled by it.
We got to the dance show and got chairs (yes!). Although we waited an hour for it to start, we were really impressed by it. The first act was an orchestra of traditional instruments and drums, followed by some dancing. The main attraction was the whirling dervish, a dancer clothed in bright colors who spins continuously throughout the show. It was really amazing to see him do tricks with different props while spinning!
The next day was our big sight seeing day, as we went to the Great Pyramids at Giza. It was also my dad’s birthday! The pyramids were incredible, and the weather was beautiful! We also saw the Step Pyramid of Dsojer at Saqqara, which predates the pyramids by a few hundred years. My favorite part of the day was when we went into a “carpet school”, where children are taught how to hand-make carpets from age six. The child-labor aspect of it was sad, but it was really amazing. A square inch of a wool rug has over 200 knots in it! We also saw how woven carpets were made. After that we went to Khan al-Khalili to get the final souvenirs, and returned to the hotel for the big birthday dinner!
We spent our last day at the hotel relaxing, and I took a train back to Alex at 6pm. On the train, the car I was in flooded with water from the bathroom, and I knew that the break I had with my parents was over.
I am so thrilled that my parents came to see me, but it was really hard to see them go. I basically begged them to take me back with them, knowing full well that it wouldn’t happen. I think Egypt is a really cool place to visit, but definitely a hard place to live, and now that they saw it, they can better understand my experiences.

Jodi and Al Take Egypt!

A part of me really thought that my parents weren’t going to make it to Egypt. My dad is not the biggest fan of language barriers, foreign currency, long flights (flights in general actually) and strange food, thus traveling farther than Florida is not always a great experience for him. My mom loves being in new places, and seeing new things, but we have pretty much stayed within our comfort zone of Europe, and Egypt is definitely different. So when I saw them walking through the hotel security in Cairo, it was an extremely surreal moment. All I could think of was, “Those people LOOK like my parents, and they are coming toward me!” I didn’t cry, like I thought I would, I just waved and waited until they came through security.
I was happy to hear that the flight went smoothly and so far the trip had gone off without a hitch. After settling in we went off for our first meal in Cairo. I immediately started chatting with the cab driver so that he would turn up the air conditioning in the cab. The traffic was pretty bad, even for Cairo, and it took us forty minutes to get to a restaurant we could see from our hotel room. They were shocked by it, despite being New Yorkers. Just to reiterate the basics of Cairo traffic, there are absolutely NO rules, traffic lights or stop signs, and you REALLY cannot imagine the traffic until you see it. Another thing that shocked them was my ability to actually speak and understand Egyptian Arabic, or Arabic at all. When I told my brother this he commented, “What do they think you have been doing for the past four years?" However, I am often reluctant and embarrassed to speak to people in Arabic at home so their shock is somewhat justified. I realized that because of the pledge, and the sheer number of people in Alexandria who don’t speak English, I have become much more comfortable conversing in Arabic.
The rest of the night went off without a hitch, and we decided to go to the Citadel the next day. It was absolutely incredible, but extremely hot (100 degrees out with no shade in sight). I think we were a little overly ambitious for their first morning, but it was still a really cool thing to see. After the Citadel we went to Khan al-Khalili, which was another new experience for them. My mom went to the Arab markets in Jerusalem when she was a teenager, but my dad has never seen one before. Even though Khan al-Khalili is a manifestation created by Egypt for tourists, I think it gave them a general idea. I also took them to the Egyptian side, which is where they sell fruits, vegatables, meat etc., has unpaved roads, and is noticeably more run down than the tourist side. After about an hour we returned back to the hotel to escape the heat, and our cab took the back roads to the hotel.
Our hotel is absolutely beautiful, and is in Garden City, an area devoted to ex-pats, embassies and hotels. It is so nice to get away from the craziness of the city, but I was thrilled we took a cab ride through the real Cairo, so that my parents could see it. The poverty was apparent, and we all agreed the place could use a power wash, and since rain and clean water are both scarce, that is probably not going to happen. We ended up relaxing at the pool and having a great dinner at Sequoia (thanks Mark!), a super chic restaurant in the middle of the Nile with International cuisine.
The following day we took it easy again and enjoyed the sun by the pool, and I returned to Alex early by train so that I could study for my test on Saturday. I didn’t want to leave, and cried even though I was seeing them in less than twenty-four hours.
On Saturday my parents came to Alex, we went to dinner with three of my friends, Andi, Molly and Esra. We were supposed to go to a restaurant by the Citadel, but there were minor cab complications with my parents and we ended up eating at the hotel. I always feel anxious when I am in a country and I don’t speak the official language, and this only confirmed my sentiment. Egypt is a difficult place to be with my basic language skills, so I can’t imagine being here without them. The dinner was great though, and I am thrilled they got to meet some of my friends!
Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day! I went to school from 9AM-4PM (UGH), and they relaxed by the Mediterranean, and then went to the Alexandria Library and took a tour. We met up after the tour, and they met Liz, Nehad and Shurouq! They were so warm and welcoming, and I was thrilled that they all got to know each other a little. We talked about the program, and my experience specifically, as well as my daily life here, and their lives here as well. It was actually uncanny for them to all be in the same room at once, it was like two worlds colliding.
After the school, we went to the dorm (Dad had to wait downstairs), and met Eman. She was a little nervous, but very excited to meet them!
We left the dorm, and found the restaurant by the Citadel, called the Greek Club. It turns out that they were RIGHT in front of it but had no idea, yet again proving my theory on traveling and native languages. Dinner was delicious and peaceful as we ate outside, overlooking the Mediterranean.
My parents definitely feel more comfortable in Alexandria. The weather is beautiful, the air is clean and the traffic is much more tolerable. However they were surprised and a little concerned by how far the school is from my dorm (a ten minute walk), and how sparse the dorm itself was (I guess they were expecting something akin to my sorority house on Walnut Street). Hearing their concerns and opinions helps, even though they are somewhat negative, because it validates lengthy adjustment period I went through. I am SO happy they made it here, and I hope they are too! I know they (especially my dad) would NEVER have come here if I weren’t here. Even though it is only for ten days, and they are staying in beautiful hotels and seeing the country and the culture from a more comfortable point of view, I actually pride myself for pulling them out of THEIR comfort zones.

Nefertari and Nubian Nights

Abu Simbel was absolutely incredible! To get there, you must travel in a convoy. There are three convoy times from Aswan: 3:30 AM, 4:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Andi and I booked a private tour to leave with the 11:00 AM convoy. What does traveling in a convoy entail? It means that all of the tour buses and cars on their way to Abu Simbel wait in a designated location until the appropriate time and then drive in a line to the site. It was bizarre, and comical to say the least, and in high tourist season (December and January) there are sometimes over five hundred busses in a convoy, while ours only had forty.
Upon meeting our guide and our driver we inquired about the tour, and made sure that lunch was included as promised. Our guide had NO idea about lunch, and I showed him the conformation email on my BlackBerry (thanks for the worldwide service Mom!), which clearly stated we had paid for lunch amongst other things. He had a quick and heated exchange with his boss, and assured us everything was sorted out. I am relaying this to demonstrate that just because something is promised, or stated does not mean it will come to fruition here. It is imperative you inquire about something multiple times so as to ensure you will get what you paid for.
The drive to Abu Simbel is three hours long through barren desert, and we slept most of the way. When we arrived at the temples our guide talked to us about them and we were free to walk around. The temples at Abu Simbel were built by Ramses II. He had over one hundred children, forty wives and reigned for sixty-seven years, to mark his territory and demonstrate his power to all southern enemies. He also built a smaller one beside his for his primary wife, Nefertari, dedicated to the goddess Hathor (the cow goddess of fertility, life, family and music). Because of the construction of the Aswan Dam in 1962, the temples had to be moved about two hundred meters, to ensure they would not be submerged by Lake Nasser.
To say the temples were majestic would be an understatement. It is incredible how precise they were. The four statues of Ramses II outside his temple are identical. The reliefs inside are massive, beautifully decorated scenes of his war victories (he signed the first peace treaty to ever exist with the Hittites after the battle of Kadesh). And once agan, “Land of the Pharaohs” (my Egyptology class from last Spring) proved to be useful, as I knew so much about the temple from the class. Nefertari’s temple was just as lovely, but on a smaller scale. I am so thrilled we took the time out of our short trip to visit these two temples, because they are by far the most incredible works I have ever seen, and I honestly don’t know when, if ever, I will be back.
Upon returning to Aswan, we decided to try traditional Nubian food for dinner. The restaurant was just outside the main part of the city, and up on a mountain. The view was spectacular and we sat in an open-air tent and enjoyed the amazing (and cheap it was LE20 or $3.50 for a chicken dish!) food. Tagine, slow cooked meat or vegetables in a spicy tomato based sauce (different than Moroccan tagine), is commonly eaten so we tried it and were really impressed.
At the restaurant, we also found some American travelers who we had met on the train from Luxor. They are three women from New York who go on one girls’ trip a year. They informed us that after dinner they were going to a Nubian wedding they had heard about from the receptionsit at the hotel, as it is apparently believed to be good luck to have foreigners at a the celebration. We decided to join them and it was a really interesting experience! Despite the fact that they wanted us to go dance with them, we decided to be spectators. Women and men danced separately, and sat separately with a tissue paper wall separating them (does this seem like a mechitza to anyone else?). We got back to our hotel and crashed.
The next day we checked out, and walked over to the Nubian Museum. It was absolutely massive, and extremely well organized. Nubians have an entirely different culture and language from Egyptians, and that dates back to Pharaonic and even Pre-historic times. Because of the building of the Dam, a lot of Nubians were forced to resettle, and ultimately this is what led to the construction of the museum. My favorite part of the museum was the exhibition that explained how they moved all of the temples and monuments, complete with pictures and written testimonies.
After the museum we went to the souk and got a few t-shirts as souviners as well as some dates. I first discovered my affinity for dates in Morocco, when I decided to just eat dried fruit for an entire week. Upon arriving in Alex, I was extremely disappointed with the selection of dates. Apparently, because of the warm, dry climate, dried dates are only indigenous to Upper Egypt. We got to try a few different kinds (there were over ten different kinds…who knew?), and settled on the sweetest ones.
We did some homework, and then had our final meal in Aswan before heading to the train station for our eighteen hour trip home. Thus far, the train had been a really positive experience, however we were aware there could be problems. Technically, foreigners are not allowed on the regular trains beyond Cairo. However because we are students and an Egyptian university and have resident visas, we were told it wouldn’t be a problem. We were asked several questions by the police at the Aswan station before we were even allowed on the train, however after a quick debate in Arabic they decided there was no harm in letting us on. Once we finally pulled out of the station I was extremely relieved.
I slept for most of the ride, and wasn’t even bothered by the length of the journey. I had to wonder if this was a side effect of my month in Egypt, or the Benedryl I had taken around 1 AM. I was surprised to find myself happy to return to Alex. Returning to somewhere familiar is always somewhat comforting after time away, but I won’t be here for too long, as I am going to Cairo on Wednesday to see my parents!

A LUXORious Break

We left Alexandria at 5PM on Tuesday, and arrived in Luxor at 7AM the next morning. Why in the world would you voluntarily sign up for this you ask? The train was actually enjoyable. I slept for eight hours, and got to avoid all of the hassle of traveling to Cairo to catch a plane and dealing with security etc. While the actual plane ride was definitely faster, the group of kids from our program spent almost the same amount of time en route as they left Alex at 3PM and arrived the hotel a little after midnight. Needless to say, we were thoroughly pleased with ourselves when we stepped off the train in Luxor, and found a driver from our hotel waiting for us!
Being the ambitious and nerdy travelers we are, Andi and I decided to have full, but reasonable days while we are traveling. We started our day by having a horseback ride through the countryside. I know, I know, I hate animals. But it sounded really nice. Despite the fact that the horses were less than super (read: old and sick) and that neither of us will be able to sit down for a while, it was really beautiful and fun.
We returned to the hotel and promptly passed out. We woke up to our alarms and headed downstairs to our 3PM tour (LE 50 or $10 per person). We met our tour guide Mark went in an air-conditioned van to the Karnak Temple. The temple is an amalgamation of additions and changes by different pharaohs starting as far back as the Old Kingdom all the way through the New Kingdom(thousands of years of history). As we walked deeper into the temple we were looking further and further back into history. One the highlights included us walking around a statue of the sacred Scarab beetle three times counter clockwise for good luck. I took an Egyptology course at Penn last Spring, and I was thrilled to be in front of the monuments I had studied all semester!
Next we went to the Luxor Temple, which was conveniently located a block from our hotel. Karnak Temple is bigger and has more to see, but Luxor Temple has a more quiet dignity. There are less colors, and more simple designs. There is also an open air museum, where artifacts are placed around the temple in chronological order with detailed descriptions.
After the tour we met up with Molly and Esra who are also in Luxor for the break. We ate at a “basha (there is no “p” in Arabic) style” restaurant, meaning ornate chairs, low tables and elaborate decorations, and relaxed before heading to the souk. During my time in Morocco in 2007, I discovered my hidden talent for bargaining. Alexandria doesn’t have a traditional Arab souk, which in my opinion is a negative trait, because the souks are great places to buy things as well as practice your language skills! We had a ball walking through the touristy Luxor souk as people tried to show us their wares, and we bargained a lot. Esra got a traditionally galabeyah, and Andi got a mother of pearl and wood box for her sister. A common thing for the people here to do is to say something is outrageously cheap like LE 1, and then when you take out your wallet they immediately jack up the price. The shop owners were shouting at us as we walked by, and my favorite line of the night was when one particularly persistent man shouted, “Ladies! Please! No hassle in my castle!” as he followed us through the souk…yeah no hassle.
Andi and I returned to our room and passed out, exhausted from our long day.
This morning we went on a guided tour of the West Bank. We saw Valley of the Kings, Dier El Bahri (Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple) and Valley of the Queens. In the New Kingdom, pharaohs began to cut into natural rock formations to build their tombs, in order to avoid a lot of grave robbery. The Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens are not impressive from the outside, as they look like holes in the side of a mountain. However walking into them is truly an incredible experience. All of them are comprised of long hallways that are decorated intricately with scenes from the life of the pharaoh, as well as his journey to the afterlife. The colors are still vivid, and the tombs are incredibly well preserved despite the fact that the oldest ones date back to the sixteenth century B.C. Cameras were not allowed, and honestly I am happy about that because it would be impossible to capture their splendor on film.
Dier El-Bahri was equally as impressive. I have wanted to visit this temple since I was ten years old, in the fifth grade, and we learned about Hatshepsut. Although she obtained her throne by less than admirable tactics (basically assumed the throne in the name of her step-son who was also her nephew, and sent him to military school), and portrayed herself as a man while on the throne, her twenty-year reign was one of the most peaceful and prosperous in Ancient Egypt. It is a grand, three tier structure, with the dry desert mountain as a backdrop. There are massive statues of her, as well as scenes depicting the successful campaigns throughout her reign. Archeologists are still working on recovering and restoring the remainder of the tomb. After the tour we got a quick lunch, and relaxed at a café before taking a 6PM train to Aswan from Luxor (a three hour trip).
We had a great evening in Aswan. It is much more urban than Luxor, and there is definitely active life outside of the tourist industry. This makes walking around relaxing and easy, as we were bothered significantly less. The city isn’t overwhelmingly large, but it definitely has a pulse. We had a snack at a restaurant on the Nile, and walked through the souk. The souk was extremely organized and really impressive, and while people hassled us a little they were really receptive to our lack of interest in their wares, and left us alone after one or two tries. The culture down here is different from anywhere else in Egypt, as is the dialect. In Egyptian Arabic, the “kaf” (a cross between a “q” and a “k” sound that comes from the throat) is entirely omitted from the spoken language, and replaced with a glottal stop. However they use it here, and the taxi driver didn’t even understand Andi and I until we lapsed back into MSA, our old comfort zone! I am really excited to spend a few days here and learn more about the culture.
Today we are going to Abu Simbel!

Haifa, Merna and Hathor

In my last post I forgot to mention that we went to a Haifa Wahbe concert last Sunday. Haifa is a famous Lebanese singer who is mostly known for her scandalous music videos (a cross between Pamela Anderson and Britney Spears). I was surprised when I saw her, as I expected her to be in her twenties and she was almost fifty. Her leopard print, floor length dress could not have been tighter. I left after one Haifa song, as the concert started at 9 PM and she didn’t come on until after midnight. We were the only women there, and it was really obvious. The cameras that showed the crowd continuously panned over us, people stared at us, and even went as far to touch some of us. Personally, I wasn’t shocked at all by this, I seem to have developed a level of tolerance for harassment, but a lot of the girls were upset.
Thursday night was the tea with my Religion teacher, which was nice. Josh, Elsa and I took the tram to his neighborhood, where he and his son George (who is eight) were waiting. We met his wife and his daughter, Merna (who is ten) as well as his mother who lives with them. They proudly showed us around their apartment, which was comprised of two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, a den and a huge balcony. They are on the fifth floor of a building with no elevator, so they use a basket to get things from the street or from their neighbors. For example when a deliveryman comes, they lower the basket down with the money in. and he puts the food in it. They had quite a spread of desserts and tea, and we spent about four hours with them, telling stories about our lives and laughed a lot. They were extremely gracious hosts, and I felt totally at ease in their home, and it was really a wonderful experience.
I spent the majority of Friday doing work at Clay Café, a café a few tram stops away that has great Wi-Fi and serves really good American coffee and food. The week was pretty uneventful, just classes and work and time in the dorm. Monday we had our bi-monthly meeting in English to discuss the program. Little did we know there is a BIG problem in the boys’ dorm. There is another American program staying on the same floor as the Middlebury guys, and they speak English all the time. The guys on the program were outraged about this, and we spent the better part of an hour dissecting this issue and attempting to find a solution. I am only relaying this story to demonstrate how serious this program is about the pledge.
I am really excited because today Andi and I are going to Luxor! We are taking a train overnight and arriving at 9AM tomorrow morning. We have an East Bank tour booked for 3PM tomorrow and a West Bank tour booked for the following day. Luxor is a bevy of Ancient Egyptian archeology, and I have always wanted to go. On the seventh we are taking a train to Aswan, and from there we will be going to Abu Simbel for a day on a private tour. Abu Simbel is where Ramses’s famous temple is, as well as the temple he dedicated to his wife Nefertari and the fertility goddess Hathor. We are then going to spend a day in Aswan and relax by the pool at our hotel and head back to Alex on Saturday night. The weather is going to be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but we are going to play tourists and wear shorts so it shouldn’t be too terrible. It’s going to be an adventure, and I am going to take a ton of pictures!

One Month Down

The week has been relatively uneventful as far as seeing new sights. My classes are interesting, but I am not used to such a small class size! I haven’t been an active participant in a class since high school, and I am finding it exhausting especially because of the language component. My one on one class was the highlight of this week, as I learned in depth about the five pillars of Islam, including how Muslims pray, and perform abolutions (the systematic and specific way to clean your body before you pray). Along with this came a lot of fun facts like, a menstruating woman cannot read the Qur'an, and that if it was a life and death situation it would be ok to eat food that is not Halal, like pork products, as long as one doesn’t indulge and just eats enough to stay alive. My first class on Islam (two weeks ago) was really long and it was difficult to focus because it was just the teacher and I for two hours. This time I made a conscious effort to have a dialog instead of a two-hour lecture and we fell into comfortable discussion, which was a great improvement from the first meeting’s stiff lecture.
My other teacher for my one on one is a little more extroverted, and we clicked immediately on our first meet. At the end of the lesson he invited me over to his house for tea, along with the other students who are studying the same topic! We are going over tonight to meet his family and I am so excited!
Going out in Alexandria is definitely a feat. Most of the women in the dorm don’t leave except to go to class. Additionally, there aren’t a ton of places for women to go at night, and some of the Ahwas (cafes) don’t even allow women inside. All of the bars and clubs are tucked away in alleys, and you can’t ask anyone on the street where they are because then you are automatically assumed to be a prostitute. It is important to know the location of the place and some of the landmarks around it. For example, Andi and I found an ex-pat bar after looking for half hour. We went into the Sofitel and asked the receptionist there, who told us to look for Partners Loyal Hotel. We inquired on the street about the hotel, but very few people knew of it despite the fact that it was a massive hotel, and only one street over. Finally we found the bar, a little hole in the wall that looked like it was out of an Ernest Hemingway novel and it was really fun! After that, we met up with the rest of the group at a local haunt that has an upstairs with music. Tuesday nights are the first nights of our weekends, but nobody else is off, so usually we have most places to ourselves, which is really nice. Wednesday was pretty uneventful. It is still over ninety degrees here everyday, and it that makes walking around and exploring really difficult. I personally cannot stand the heat, and when I am in jeans and a sweater and a scarf it is even less fun. But I just did my homework and relaxed in my air-conditioned room. After dinner we met up with some of the boys and hung out along the Corniche. All in all it has been a low key, but not boring, weekend. Tonight we are going to try a fish restaurant and then I am going to my teacher’s house.
I am still definitely processing life in Egypt, and I may be processing it until I leave (only 74 days, 11 hours and 4 minutes…but who is counting?). It is hard for me not to feel like an orientalist at times, especially when my Internet shuts off in the middle of a conversation, or when people on the street or in a tram car who have really extreme body odor (Egyptians do not take the same measures for personal hygiene as Americans do...deodorant is not a necessity, they change your clothes once a week and showers are infrequent). I am making an honest effort to be more relaxed, and even if I don’t want to embrace the differences here, I can just accept them. September is almost over (TOMORROW) and October is going to be crazy! I am going to Luxor and Aswan on the fifth, my parents are coming on the thirteenth and we are doing a group trip to Marsah Matrouh (a beach town two hours away) on the twenty-seventh, so hopefully this month will move by a little faster.

Weekend Rollercoaster

The past few days have been an emotional rollercoaster. I knew exactly what I signed up for, and Middlebury definitely delivered. I am bombarded by the culture and language in every aspect of my life, and it definitely took its toll on me. After countless nights of insomnia, I finally cracked, and begged my parents to buy me a ticket home (a part of me is surprised I lasted this long before asking them for one). After a lot of complaining and tears we all decided my number one priority should be sleep, so I have been actively trying to sleep more, and have been somewhat successful.
Fueled by Tuesday’s breakdown, I went to Cairo with Andi and Stephanie (a girl from GWU). The trip was interesting, and it was definitely nice to get away. The train was punctual (one point for Egypt!) and rivaled Amtrak in its quality. We took second class which totaled to be LE70 round trip (about $13). We found a clean hostel in a great area (thank you hostelworld.com) for a whopping $15 a night for three people, and set out to meet Stephanie’s friends at a Yemeni restaurant.
Last time I was in Cairo was during Ramadan. Strangely, the city was LESS hectic on a normal day. We took the subway, and it was fantastic! It looks a lot like the Underground in London (it was built by the French when Egypt was under their occupation) and was cheap, efficient and air-conditioned! There are also special women’s cars just like the tram in Alexandria.
Stephanie’s friends were great to chat with, and the restaurant was awesome. We ate salat mushakl (a soupy meat dish) fasah (very similar soupy, cheese concoction but with beans) and fusholeyah (a rice and meat combo). No utensils are provided, and you are given massive (maybe two feet in diameter) pieces of bread that look kind of like Indian naan bread to scoop up all the food. It was a totally awesome experience, all for LE12 (about $2). I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture, so I guess I will just have to go back!
We met up with some more Americans (and may have broken the pledge to talk to them, but oh well) and it was really great to hear a range of experiences. All of them were in different programs, from different American colleges, and knew different degrees of Arabic before coming here. Hopefully they will come visit Alex and we can show them around.
That night I had some more insomnia…ugh…I think it’s rooted in the anxiety spurred from basic daily life in Egypt. I am a major control freak, and 95% of things here are absolutely out of my control. I am working really hard in losing any expectations and just rolling with the punches, but that saying about old dogs and new tricks really stands true here.
The next day we ventured out across Cairo to an ex-pat neighborhood that has an authentic American diner called Lucille’s. To say we were in heaven would be an understatement. I got a fajita (which was awesome) and the other girls got pancakes. We each got diet cokes (the fountain soda kind not cans!) and there were free refills. It was so much fun! While the restaurant was run by Egyptians, almost everyone in there was speaking English, and we were the only table speaking in Arabic.
Full and happy, we went to the old location of the American University in Cairo (it recently moved to Heliopolis a suburb of Cairo), to meet up with some of Andi’s friends. They both just graduated from Duke, and are incredible at Arabic. They were really patient with us, and not once while talking to them did I feel like they were condescending, a stark contrast to some of the more advanced speakers in the Middlebury program. We had a great time, and told hilarious stories in Arabic! It is extremely rewarding when you get your point across, even if it takes a while.
The train back was even better than the one to Cairo because it arrived early! I did some work and a load of laundry and promptly passed out, commencing my first full night of non-codeine induced sleep!
This morning, when I was watching a Criminal Minds episode before starting on the rest of my work, one of the characters quoted Eleanor Roosevelt, and it was particularly inspiring. She said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this, I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Now she was probably referring to World War II, but I definitely can relate this to my life at the moment. I can do this, and I will do this. It is definitely not easy, but it is worth it.

Three Strikes and….?

I haven’t updated since Saturday, because nothing really positive has happened, and I have spent the past few days being a big Negative Nancy.
Sometime last week I noticed that I had small, chicken pock-like bites all over me. They itched. I came to the conclusion that I had a mild case of bed bugs, and I was right. I was bummed to the extreme. Eman helped me change my sheets and fix the problem, but I couldn’t use my bed all day on Yom Kippur (ugh). Strike one.
To continue my rant, I have been having issues sleeping and I am not totally sure why, but I think I can attribute some of it to my bed. I come from a MAJOR “princess and the pea” family. We never sleep properly, and are constantly replacing our mattresses (Mom and Dad…I learned that we do this much more frequently than the average person). We go on vacation and stay at beautiful hotels, but have issues sleeping because the beds are "uncomfortable". We have changed mattresses, rooms and even hotels (insert something about an apple and a tree) in search of a better bed. However, Egyptian beds take the cake. Mine is by far the best out of all of them in the dorm, but still nothing like my fantastic mattress in 4044 Walnut Street. They are basically two large pieces of cotton stacked on top of each other. Inevitably, there is a massive dip in the middle of it that is unavoidable. Some people get back injuries by doing crazy, drunken things in college. I will be forty years old and still talking about how that bed in Egypt really messed up my back. Strike two.
My awkward sleep rhythm came back to haunt me right after Yom Kippur as I passed out at 8PM only to wake up at 4AM. After two episodes of Criminal Minds (thank you Megavideo and Raquel) I decided to go for a run and get my life together. Feeling somewhat better I jumped in the shower. We had yet to get hot water, but its so hot out that I didn’t really care. I turned the knob a little bit, just to check, and was promptly scalded by BOILING water. I don’t think my shoulder will ever be the same. Strike three.
What in the world was I thinking signing up for this? I can’t even articulately complain because I have the language capacity of a ten year old (if that). Daily life is dismal…and I just want to shout: I PROMISE I AM WITTY AND INTERESTING IN ENGLISH IT JUST DOESN’T TRANSLATE, but that’s not allowed…great.
The cultural differences may even be more trying for me than the language differences. Women don’t really go out at night, and when we are out with the guys and their Egyptian friends I feel like they may be semi uncomfortable. We spend most of our nights in the dorm, doing work and it can definitely be less than exciting.
A few of us decided to go to Cairo for a day, just for a change of scenery, so I am excited for that.
I guess the most important realization that I have had so far is that I don’t have to like it here. I appreciate everything about Egypt and I am enamored with the culture and daily life from the position as a spectator. But at this point in time, being an active participant sort of goes against the grain of everything in my life so far, from punctuality to manners to social interaction. And regardless of how positive or negative my experience is, I am still learning a lot about the world, and about my self.

Yom Kippur

I have never been a particularly spiritual person. I was raised to be a conservative Jew, and after some time at a semi-WASPy boarding school, I was happy to be at UPenn, and get involved in the Jewish community (on a social level). It was fun that we were all in the same boat, and had religion, and the culture that comes with it, in common (yes the SDT chef cooks K for P meals). Throughout my time in high school and college I have started to gravitate more toward my religion, finding comfort and sometimes even a haven within it. But Yom Kippur in Alexandria took my personal spirituality to a whole new level.
I have spent the past three weeks in a Muslim country. The athan (call to prayer) can be heard from any point in the city, as mosques are ubiquitous and there are always people ready to pray. The cultural aspects of this religion, like the prohibition of alcohol and the veiling (and sometimes total covering) of women are also prevalent.
A group of Jewish students in my program decided to check out the old synagogue of Alexandria because one of them heard there was a make shift service there for Yom Kippur. I had very little faith in this, but was willing to go see. We arrived at the gates, only to be asked several times if we were Jewish. The guards were shocked, and kept asking if we were ALL Jewish or just some of us. When we finally convinced them we were all Jewish they showed us around to a back entrance past armored vehicles and guards. We were then searched and asked for multiple forms of identification. Finally we were admitted into the courtyard.
To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. The courtyard was something out of a storybook, with the synagogue facing a once affluent street. The synagogue itself was palatial, and when we went inside we were in awe. There were vaulted ceilings and limestone pillars. I don’t really understand why modern synagogues don’t mimic this architecturally, and instead favor the strange art deco minimalism. The pews were massive and wooden, and there was an enormous balcony on the periphery where the women formerly sat. I say formerly because there are no regularly functioning services in this synagogue. There were all of fifteen congregants for Yom Kippur (including the six of us) despite the fact that the building seats five hundred.
The other congregants welcomed us warmly. They couldn’t believe that we were Jewish students from America studying in Alexandria. They also looked like long lost members of our extended family (the Sassoon side). It was so moving to talk to them about their lives, and the service and Judaism in general. Most of them live in Israel part time and Alexandria for the rest, and make it a habit to be here for Yom Kippur as their families were before the diaspora. However they have not had a minyan (ten Jewish male adults are required for certain religious obligations) on Yom Kippur for over ten years. They couldn’t contain their excitement when we told them we would bring a few other Jewish guys from the group for the services the next day. At some point during the service, maybe it was when they had one of the guys from our group do hagbah (lift the torah for everyone to see) or maybe it was when the ardently thanked us for coming, I felt both saddened about the lack of Jewish presence in Egypt but also proud to be a member of such a long history.

Weekend One

The past few days have been really low key. My class on Tuesday was great. The teacher goes at a good pace, I am learning a lot of history as well as great new words and phrases and the work is totally manageable, enjoyable even. After class Molly (from Smith) and I went to another neighborhood called San Stefano and walked around. Before we went back to the dorms we grabbed some Starbucks and sat outside. The Starbucks was delicious (a taste of home!), and as we were sitting one of the employees approached us and began to talk to Molly. She said we were Norwegian (nobody speaks Norwegian here and if we say we are American people just speak English to us) and gave us fake Arabic names. At first the exchange was friendly and light, but then he got aggressive. He demanded to get our numbers. She said she was married, and I said I didn’t have a phone, but I would get one and maybe return. He demanded to know when, where, and what time I would return. We tried to be evasive, but he was persistent. Finally we said we had to leave and walked away. This is by no means an uncommon occurrence, and we have to keep in mind that it’s not rude to refuse to speak to someone or publically scream at someone if they are bothering us.
That evening about fifteen of us met at a bar on the corniche. Yes, alcohol is forbidden by Islam, and therefore sort of taboo in general here, however beer is pretty accessible while hard liquor and wine are more expensive and less safe to drink (there are a lot of cheap Egyptian made versions –Johnny Waller anyone?- that are dangerous). They played American music and we hung out and had fun. It was nice to have a break from Egyptian life.
Wednesday was the weekend (my classes are Saturday-Tuesday), and it was relaxing. Andi and I ran to Starbucks in the morning (its not nearby the dorm) and encountered some Americans. They saw my “Million Dollar Cowboy Bar” t-shirt from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and started chatting with us. They worked in Qatar (which they pronounced “cutter”) and were clearly not immersed in the culture, they didn’t know a word of Arabic despite the fact that they traveled with a team of native Arabic speakers and live in an Arab country. For the rest of the day, I did work and got lunch and then we went to a café at night. I tried to work in McDonalds because I’d heard they have the best Internet, to find that it was out of commission only after I bought my massive, expensive Diet Coke…oh well.
Today I woke up late, which I was thrilled about as I haven’t really been sleeping well, and did work. Molly and I took a lunch break and got some juice. They didn’t have mango, so I decided to be adventurous and pick a random juice. I picked one and it was like saccharine, you win some you lose some I guess. I looked it up and asked Eman and neither of us could figure out what it was in English. I will most definitely avoid it in the future.
At 5:30 we had a scavenger hunt! It was SO much fun. We split up into random groups and I was with Sam (from Middlebury), Allie (from Davidson) and Molly. We had to find as many places as we could (and take a picture in front of them) on the given list and be at a restaurant at 7:30. We stratigized by visiting my friend Ahmed, the fruit man, and he told us which places were the closest and which were the farthest. We then set off. We had such a great time and worked well together! We ended up getting six out of eleven of the places, and were the first at the restaurant. WE WON! It was so exciting, and honestly nice to make a new friend, as I hadn’t really spoken to Sam before. After dinner, we went out to a bar, and Molly and I took the tram back. When Egypt goes my way, it is a really fun place to be. But at times, when everything is working against you it is so frustrating. Tomorrow I am going to run with Andi and finish my homework, and on Saturday a bunch of us are going to try to go to the synagogue for Yom Kippur. There isn’t a working congregation there, but it is open if anyone wishes to see it or pray there. We shall see how that works out!

Eid Mubarak!

I have been in Egypt for two weeks now, and I definitely feel more comfortable here. The past few days have been pretty low key. On Saturday the highlight was definitely eating at an authentic fish restaurant. I ordered a “small, white fish, grilled, without the head.” Additionally we went to a public concert at the Library of Alexandria, which started four hours late…oh Egypt.
On Sunday, a large group of us went to a student’s house to have an Eid meal. He lives in the countryside, very similar to Rasheed. We walked around the area for a while, and then went to his house. The hospitality here is unmatched. He and his siblings wanted to know everything about us and take pictures with us.
Its hard not to feel like a tourist attraction because EVERYWHERE we go no matter what we are wearing or how we are walking we get hissed at or harassed in some way. I now know what it feels like to be a character at a theme park and have people constantly wanting photos with you, but I don't have a costume to take off at the end of the day, its part of my daily life.In the past two weeks alone I have been shouted at in English, Spanish, Arabic and French. Additionally, I have been called “asal” (sugar cane) and “ishtaa” (cream), and asked if I “wanted sex”. It can definitely be trying on ones nerves to say the least, especially with the persistent ones.
Today was the first day of classes (YAY!). My first class was my Arabic language class (MSA) and is a literature class of sorts. We have a special book that’s a collection of articles from academic works with drills and writing exercises. The class is small (six people) and moves quickly, I just hope I can keep up!
My second class was my history class. My teacher is an adorable man who looks like an Egyptian W.B. Mason. He went over the syllabus, and explained we will not be having written tests just oral ones. He then proceeded to give a lecture on the beginning of the 16th century in the Middle East, and after an hour he had us summarize the lecture. It’s a fun group (just four students) and should be interesting!
I then met with my one-on-one professors. All of the students in the program work directly with a professor for three hours a week on a topic of their choice. My one-on-one is “Religious Life in Egypt”, and I have two professors. I meet with the Dr. Saeed for two hours a week to learn about Muslim life in Egypt, and Ustez (teacher) Imad for one hour a week to learn about Christianity in Egypt.
My ECA class was great. My teacher, Heba, is hilarious. She mouths words in English to us if we are absolutely confused, and it’s a big class (about ten people) but a really fun group.
All of my teachers gave us their cell phone numbers, and assured us that we should contact them if we have any problems at all. This opportunity is so different from ANYTHING I have found at Penn, where lectures have sixty people at a minimum and three hundred at maximum, and professors have two hours of office hours a week.
After class I studied with Allie (from Davidson) and Ariana (from Tufts) and the Library of Alexandria. There is free wifi, and a considerable amount of security, but it was absolutely incredible to be studying below sea level. The building is amazing (even rivals Huntsman Hall), and it was a great place to get work done!
After dinner a few of us went to the Citadel with Andi to celebrate her birthday! We got ice cream and walked around a little.
I have a lot of work for Saturday, but I only have one class tomorrow at 2PM, and then the weekend!

Min gheer Ingleezeyah (Without English)

Today was day two without English. It is absolutely exhausting. One would think there would be a lot of quiet time, but we manage to chat in a funny broken way. It was also Rosh Hashannah today and yesterday. Unfortunately, there are NO synagogues in Alexandria that are functioning, and few in Cairo, and the holiday went by without any celebration. We spent the past two days in Rasheed, and they were interesting to say the least.
The claims to fame of Rasheed are few, as I said before the Rosetta Stone was found nearby. Another exciting thing is that it is one of few places surrounded by both the Nile and the Mediterranean. We had minor complications at every step because of language issues, and I think that traveling the first day of the pledge was brave of us. There were 11 of us, so navigating the microbuses was our first adventure. After being hassled at the entrance we found a bus with a good price. A few funny anecdotes from that ten minutes of the day include us knowing they were trying to rip us off and trying to communicate we knew. Esra (from Wellsley) whipped out a pen and paper and showed him we knew how to multiply (that LE3.5 time 11 did NOT equal LE60 for all of us) and we won that bargain. What we couldn’t understand is why they were pointing to the boys and then the driver over and over. Finally, one of the men opened the door to the microbus (like a minivan) and pulled out a boy and put him in the front seat, and said, “Free Arabic lesson.” We laughed, and we were off.
Our first altercation in Rasheed occurred when we learned that foreigners all need passport copies to check in, and we didn’t all have them. That was resolved with a quick call to Nehad, and we stuck to Arabic no matter how hard the clerk tried to speak to us in English.
Rasheed is a small village with no tourism, so we got a lot of stares. Additionally, in Egypt (except in Cairo) foreign tourists in groups bigger than four people are assigned a police escort (ours was an entourage of sorts comprised of four or five officers). I was happy about this because they acted more as tour guides than anything else as we didnt exactly need protection.
We visited the museum, which was done up like an authentic house. The houses in Rasheed are famous for their intricately carved wood shutters. It was beautiful, and very similar to houses I had seen in the old cities of Fez and Marrakesh. We also took a ride on a private felucca down the Nile and saw a beautiful, small mosque. After a long nap, we explored the town (with our entourage of course) in smaller groups. We visited a café by the Nile and walked around the streets of Rasheed. Finding little to do, we returned to a room and played charades in Arabic for a while which was hilarious.
Around 4AM it became apparent from the noise from the streets that Ramadan was over. The exact date is never definite, as it depends on the situation of the moon. There was cheering in the streets and people with bullhorns all over. In the morning, everything was open and people were walking around in their best clothes. We visited the citadel in Rasheed (which is made from limestone taken from ancient pharonic monuments), as well as the famous houses (very similar to the museum but not restored on the inside) and the Turkish bath there. From the citadel, you could see the whole city and a lot of the Nile. It was sad to see about 100 feet of garbage between the land and the Nile. Clearly there isn’t a functioning sanitation department, which contributes to the pollution of the Nile.
We also had a photo op at the place where the Mediterranean meets the Nile, it was beautiful but surprisingly vacant. I would have thought that would a great resort location. We asked all of the local guides to speak to us in Arabic only, so we had to pay specific attention to get everything they were saying, but we confirmed with each other.
I was very happy to come back to Alexandria. I definitely appreciate it more now that I have seen the countryside. After dinner in the dorm a few of us went out in search of kunafah, a traditional Eid dessert. We found it, and were overwhelmed with the choices (raisin, cream, chocolate, nuts, chocolate and nuts, ricotta cheese), and tried the chocolate. After that we walked along the Mediterranean and found an Ahwa (café) and relaxed there. A lot of the night life in Egypt is about sitting and drinking tea and smoking shisha, a great contrast to the bar hopping of America. I am absolutely ready for classes to start.