Day 27: September 20

Everyone woke up slowly this morning. We were supposed to be up at ten for our trip to Blue Hole. However, some quick talking by Ben convinced the owner of the hotel to have a separate trip for our group at 12. We all rolled out of bed and went downstairs to get some food before snorkeling. Sam, Jasmine, Jake, and Corley met with us and we all jumped into our swimming suits to go to Blue Hole.

The hotel owner coordinates allot of trips and this was one of them. He got us two jeeps to take us out to Blue Hole. One of the premier diving spots in Dahab. We got there and went to get our gear (which is included with our trip). The gear was not as nice as the stuff we got a few days ago. However, it still served our purpose and all of us were excited to get out and see some great reefs.

I made sure to apply a healthy amount of sunscreen after getting a little burned the other day(despite using sunscreen..). Then it was time to go snorkeling. We split into two groups. Evan, Mike, and I stayed together for the most part. We swam around the gorgeous coral reefs taking in the awesome sights. It astounds me how much color and variation there is in fish. Absolutely gorgeous.

After about an hour we met up with the other group and explored another area of the reef. Apparently they had seen a turtle while we were split. I’m a bit bummed, but I’ll survive.
I really wish I had an underwater camera. There is absolutely no way to describe how beautiful it is out there under the water.

Anyways we finished snorkeling and came in out of the sun. We sat in the café where we were renting our gear. We got hastled by the owner for not buying food despite renting our gear.. We decided it wasn’t worth our time arguing with him and left to hang out back home. We got in the jeeps and headed back to the Jasmine.

We arrived and our group decided to get a nap because we were going to climb Sinai later that night. I slept for three hours and then went down to the café to play some backgammon. We slowly congregated in the café. Once the six of us were awake we made our way to a restaurant we had seen called meya meya. The other four met us there and we got dinner together.

I got the Pizza. It was good, but nothing out of the ordinary. I did however get an excellent milkshake. We ate and talked until nine. At that time we decided it was time to head back and prep for our night excursion. Evan and Jesse took another short nap while the rest of us hung out and relaxed.

At eleven we met in front of the Jasmine and got in the bus to Mt. Sinai. Ben chose not to join us because he had done it earlier this summer. We all slept on the bus ride over. We were awoken after an hour and a half ride to show our passports and buy tickets into Sinai. Five minutes later we arrived at the foot of the mountain.

From here our bus driver introduced us to our guide up the mountain. His name was Dehab and he was a Bedouin from the area. He led us through the check point and we started our trek up the mountain. There were 15 people in our group total. Mike and Jesse are both former cross country runners like myself, and wanted to do this at a fairly good pace. Needless to say we were all a bit disappointed at the slow pace set by our guide. After about half an hour of his stop and go Evan, Mike, and I decided to break off from the main group so that we would make it up by sunrise. The guide gave us allot of static about going off in front of him, but soon enough he was far behind us.

The walk was long and dark. However, the cold wasn’t noticed due to the fast pace set by Mike. It was fun to go up and see the long line of lights both above and behind you. We estimated nearly 400 people were on the mountain at the same time as us.

Near the top there is a long set of 700 stairs. We got there and tackled the stairs with a few short breaks in between. Once at the top we rented a blanket and tried to keep warm until the sunrise. I was really happy I had my sweatshirt otherwise I would have frozen.

After a half hour wait we started to see light coming up over the mountain. We watched in awe as the silhouettes gained shape and light flooded across the mountains. It was truly remarkable to see. I was reminded of the sunrise I saw from on top of one of the Volcanoes in Hawaii. We spent awhile on top of the mountain taking pictures and taking in the scenery. However, eventually we had to join the mob heading back down the mountain. Dodging and weaving we made our way down the mountain in good time.

We eventually ran back into Jesse and Cyndis. From there we made our way over the Saint Katherine’s Monastery. However, It was did not open till 9am and they would not admit guys who were wearing shorts like us. We decided to walk around the outside and enjoy the grounds even if we could not get inside. After poking around we went back to the parking lot to await the bus ride back.
After what seemed like forever the bus reappeared and we were on our way back to Dahab. The bus was uncomfortable but we all managed to catch some sleep on the way back. After the two hour drive we arrived back and all of us quickly passed out.

Day 26: September 19

Woke up around noon. Feel wonderful now that I’ve finally gotten a full night’s sleep.

We went downstairs and got our breakfast. Tried the ‘European Breakfast’, grilled sausage, tomatoes, and peppers with toast. Real tasty way to start the day. Ben taught the rest of us how to play backgammon and we all played while eating. Jesse smoked all of us…. Some of us twice. We ended up looking at the time and realizing we had spent the better part of two hours playing backgammon. It was to late to make a go snorkeling at the blue hole. Decided we would just chill at the beach instead. Ben, Cyndis and I stayed at our little café by the Red Sea while Evan went shopping for Board Shorts and Mike and Jesse went for a run.

We all rendezvoused at around four and left for one of the less-rocky beaches. We walked down the shore a little ways and past the bridge. We came to a little beach with a small raft for jumping off. We all jumped off and swam around for awhile. We were at the beach until sunset and then walked back to the Jasmine hotel.

Back at the Jasmine we all showered up and got dressed to go grab some dinner. We went to a local place called King Chicken. If you couldn’t guess by the name they specialize in Chicken. We all ordered the quarter Chicken, which came with salad, rice, soup, and flatbread. It was allot of food. We all left stuffed and waddled back to the hotel.

Tonight is the last night of Ramadan and the start of the Eid Holiday. There are two Eid parties tonight going on at the bars around Dahab. One at the Tree Bar and another at the Black Prince.
We met up with another group from AUC. Jake, Jasmine, Corley, and Sam. We all cruised down to the Tree Bar to see what was going on down there. Despite being advertised as free entry till 12 only half our group got in because we didn’t bring enough girls with us…. Needless to say we didn’t stay too long. We did however do some crazy techno line dancing. That’s a new twist on both I have never seen.

Anyways we decided to stay as a group, so the ten of us made our way south along the beach towards the Black Prince. Everyone got in fine. We found the Black Prince to be much more inviting and a much more vibrant atmosphere. We all danced around and had a few drinks. Our small group decided to try the ‘Busket’ of Long Island Ice Tea. It was pretty much a fishbowl full of Long Island Ice Tea with 6 straws. Absolutely hilarious. Mike and I shot some pool with the Owner of the bar and then mingled until it was time to leave.

We left at around 1:30 and made our way back towards the Jasmine. Got back and went to bed.

Day 24/25: September 17/18

Slept in on my first day of what students are calling ‘Swine Break 09’. Rolled out of bed at 1pm. Read some in Dune Messiah and then did some vocabulary studying.

At around four we got a call from Jesse telling us they were painting and hanging out at their place. Seeing as nothing else was going on we gladly headed over. A short taxi ride later we were in Zamalek. And a few minutes of walking took us to Mike/Jesse/Ben’s apartment.

We went on up and found the three of them finger/brush painting a Pyramid landscape. They had it on a 3 foot by 8 foot piece of paper and plan on putting it up in their living room. It was actually really well done and a fun way to spend the rest of our afternoon.

At around eight we all decided we were starving. The three from Zamalek decided to take me and Evan to a place they had recently found. We walked for five minutes and arrived in the commercial district of Zamalek. We ended up at this outdoor restaurant that specialized in grilled chicken. We all got the chicken meal and were not disappointed. It was really really delicious.

From there Evan and I left to go back to our apartment. We arrived and immediately started to pack for our trip. I called Sara to say hi quick. We finished packing and left to meet at the bus. We took a taxi to the old campus and met up with Mike/Ben/Jesse/Syndis. From there we are going to catch a bus to Dahab for the weekend.

Dahab is small city located in the Sinai Peninsula, on the Red Sea. It is world renowned for its diving and snorkeling. It has apparently become a tourist hot spot over the past few years but is not as commercialized as Sharma Sheik. Supposed to be gorgeous and I can’t wait to see it.

We got on the bus for our 8 hour drive. It was a small bus with rows of three and a jumper seat. We filled all the seats except for two. Talk about ‘cozy’. The seats weren’t very comfortable but we all tried to make the best of it. On the way we stopped for one bathroom/food break and one passport check. As good as sleeping sounded it managed to evade most of us. Ben got the most sleep by far. Although that was probably because he climbed up on the bags and used them as cushions. The rest of us slept an hour to two hours max.

The drive was gorgeous at times. Often going through some real beautiful areas of the desert and canyons. We arrived a bit frazzled and exhausted, but managed to pile off the bus and into the middle of Dahab. We walked a little way through the small city to the beach and followed the beach to our hotel.

With little effort we found our hotel, The Jasmine Pension. It is located right off of the beach and has a restaurant/café located in between the rooms and the beach. The Café is set up in the Bedouin style. Rugs set up with tables set up and cushions surrounding them. A really comfortable place to relax.

We arrived at the hotel at around 9am and were told our rooms wouldn’t be ready until around noon. We decided to park ourselves in the café and chill. It was real relaxing to sit under the awnings in the shade and enjoy the breeze. We had breakfast and enjoyed the view of the ocean. We also made an attempt to go down to the ocean, but the beach is rocky and none of us were ready in swim suits. We spent the next few hours chilling while we waited for our rooms.
We got our rooms. The girls were in one the guys in the other. Our room has a second floor entrance with a bathroom and then a staircase up into a loft with 2 twin beds and a double bed. A rock-paper-scissors game later I had a single bed and was setting up camp. From there we left to check out the town.

We walked along the main street and soon were in the shopping district of the town. Walking further we came back to the beach and the marina area. There are many restraints and dive shops located all along this area. We eventually ran into a group of friends and decided that we should all go snorkeling. We rented gear at a local shop and then Ryan and Tory (two of the people we had run into) took us to one of their favorite spots to snorkel, Eel Canyon. They had both lived in Dahab so we took their advice and went to Eel canyon.

It was only a short walk away and soon enough we were in the water snorkeling over the coral reefs. Absolutely gorgeous. It’s amazing how serene and calm the ocean is. It is teaming with life yet everything is so still and seems to have a natural flow. The fish and reef were amazing to observe. I think my favorite fish to watch was the lion fish. They are so crazy looking.

After snorkeling for two hours our group exited the Red Sea and met back on the beach. We were all tired from not sleeping the night before and the two hours of swimming. We decided it was time for a nap. We headed back to the hotel and up to our rooms.

A few hours later we emerged more rested and ready to hit the town. We went to a local restaurant, The Funny Mummy, which was suggested by our guide book. We got there and were offered salad, desert, and free sheesha (hookah) for the price of our main course. That was an offer we couldn’t refuse and went on in.

I ordered the Shish Kabob and was not disappointed. The meal lasted nearly two hours. We talked and ate, enjoying the beautiful scenery and company of friends. As the meal progressed Ryan, Tory, and their friend Mike joined us. Our party continued to grow as more and more friends joined in. By the end we had 13 people eating with us.

After dinner we walked through the city enjoying the cooler weather. We eventually ended up buying a few beers and heading back to the café outside our hotel. We sat there and talked for the next few hours. We had seen some dance clubs and decided to check them out. We tried two of them but found them to be empty. Apparently it will be more crowded as the weekend progresses, but tonight was a dud.

We headed back to our hotel and Mike, Ben, and I watched some Always Sunny before falling asleep.

Day 23: September 16

Woke up today at 7:15. Was running late getting ready so took a taxi to the bus. Slept on the bus.
Today is the long day, we have all our Formal Arabic Classes followed by colloquial. Pretty much runs back to back from 9am till 2pm. Had all the formal classes then our short 20 minute break. Walked with Max and Collin to grab a drink. Ran into one of Max’s roommates who informed us that classes were canceled starting tomorrow. We were all shocked and quickly went back to find out if the news was true.

Apparently the rumors were true. Due to the swine flu scare all schools in the Cairo area are being closed until October 4th. This, they hope, will allow them to quarantine all sick kids so that it won’t be introduced into the busy university campuses. It seems kinda stupid to us… but whatever. Most of the people I have talked to have mixed feelings. We are spending allot of money to come here and learn the language, and now we are missing two weeks of instruction. However, it does offer some time to travel… Anyways finished class and headed to the bus to plan my newly acquired break.

Got home and did some reading. Evan and I had been talking about buying guitars here in Cairo so once he got home we left to find a guitar shop. We had heard there was a street where there are many music shops so we got on the metro and headed towards that part of town. After some searching we found the street and found 20 music shops all lined up. Cairo seems to be like that with many of the same business types being in the same area. Anyways we went in and out testing the quality and checking the price. It seemed that a decent guitar goes for 400-600 LE. Neither of us had that much cash on us so we decided to put it off for a few days.

We were near the downtown and decided to walk to our old hostel and get food around there. We went to the foul shop and ate there. It was as delicious as I remembered. Afterwards we walked to Tahriir Square and caught the metro home. I got home and watched some TV then studied.
Our friend, Ellen, turned 21 today so we went to go celebrate with her. A group of our friends rented a falooka and brought some beer on board to celebrate her 21st properly. It was a fun two hour falooka ride. There were about 30 of us just dancing and hanging out on the Nile.

After the falooka ride we went to Metro Towers, an apartment complex in Zamalek. Max was having some people over and we went up to hang out. It was a decently sized apartment party and we stayed for an hour. It’s really interesting being on Zamalek with other Americans. It has a very different feel than downtown or Garden City. The entire area surrounding the dorms is much more westernized and touristy. Nice to visit, but I’m glad I don’t live there.

Anyways we caught a taxi back. Called my family and talked for an hour. By this time it was getting to be afternoon in the states. That means that my parents and family were home. It was nice to talk to them and hearing about things at home. After talking with my family I called Sara and talked with her for awhile.

It was getting late so I called it a night and went to bed.

Day 22: September 15

Got to sleep in today. Class doesn’t start till ten so I don’t have to wake up until 8:15.Got ready, Caught the metro and the bus as usual.

Got to school and went to class. No media today… hence the late start. Grammar and writing were the same as always. Did some writing exercise and talked about case endings. Real exciting stuff..

Went to lunch and decided to try the McDonalds on campus. Thought it would be nice to get a taste of home. I’ve never had a burger that actually tasted like cardboard until today. And the fries where drenched in salt. Very disappointing. Colloquial, then bus back home.

Got home and called Sara. Talked for awhile before I started to study. Around 8 Evan and I decided to go get some food. We decided to try and go for American food take 2.

We went to the Pizza Hutt at the Tahriir Square. It’s funny to see their varieties of Pizza. They have the generic American Pizza and then others such as Hot Dog and Tuna. We decided to stick with American. We got the Combo. It was delicious. A much better taste of home than McDonalds.

It was a good break from studying but both Evan and I had to get back and hit the books. I have all my classes on Wednesday which means the heaviest homework load on Tuesday.

Got back and studied until just after midnight. Took a shower and went to bed.

Day 21: September 14

Woke up feeling better but not perfect. Decided that it wouldn’t be good to miss two days in a row…. Metro… bus… school.

Went to class and talked my professor about missing yesterday. She was very understanding and gave me the handout I missed yesterday. Did listening exercises in media class. I think that media class is perhaps the most challenging but the most interesting too. It is really hard to keep up with the torrent of new vocab, but so cool that we are learning useful stuff. Stuff that you would read in a newspaper or see on television. I guess the getting around knowledge is useful as well, just much more boring.

After media we had grammar and then an hour and a half break. I spent most of the break at the medical clinic getting a exemption for missing the day before. It took forever because most of the doctors were in a meeting for some new illness called H1N1… like that’ll ever catch on…. Oh wait….

Anyways got it done and then went back for colloquial. Same song and dance in colloquial. Talked about stores and ordering stuff.

Took the bus home. Got up to my apartment and started studying. Monday and Tuesday are the hardest days for homework. Got all my classes on the next day which means that I have everything due. However, today I was able to get my homework done fairly quickly. Was done by 9:30 pm.

Took a break at around 7 to get dinner with Evan. Got some Koshri. It’s so good but so filling. After homework was all done I got a nice cold shower and started watching The Shawshank Redemption. Don’t know why but that movie has been on my mind allot lately. Really good movie. Got halfway through and decided to refocus.

Called Justin, Chris, and Sara. Reached 2/3. Chris was unable to pick up. Anyways it was good to talk to some friends from back home.

After making the calls I studied for a bit more and did some grad school research. Then went to bed.

Day 20: September 13

Woke up at 5 this morning feeling really bad. Went to the bathroom and barely kept myself from throwing up. Fought the urge to barf for the next two hours. Finally gave in. Felt a little better afterwards and fell back asleep.

Needless to say I skipped school today. Slept on and off for the next 12 hours. I woke up at five and watched a little TV. Then tried to study. Did some studying but found it hard to concentrate. Ate two pieces of bread. Fell back asleep.

Woke up and studied for a few more hours before showering and going to bed.

Day 19: September 12

Woke up at 8 and am stoked to see one of the ancient wonders of the world. I have always wanted to see the pyramids and today that wish will come true.

Took a taxi to the old campus. The guy heard my American accent on my Arabic and tried to rip me off. Told me 20 LE, I laughed and walked away. He followed and consented to 5. Got to the old campus and met Mike Airosis at the bus.

Got on board and soon we were off. Sat with Mike, Mikey, Natalie, Henry, and Collin. On the way over one of the professors leading the trip gave us the history and significance of different parts of the city. It was really interesting because it gave us more meaning to the different parts of the city we walk through daily.

After about half an hour we arrived at the pyramids. We got off and were given our tickets (I love free trips!). We then proceeded towards the pyramids. We got a brief overview and history by the professor and then were given time to walk around and check it out. It was crazy being on the pyramid. I was standing on stone used to build a few thousand year old tomb.

After walking around the Pyramid of Cheops (larger of the pyramids) we were led on by our guide to three smaller pyramids. Every pyramid apparently has three smaller pyramids nearby to house the queens and families of the pharaoh. We got to have a tour of these pyramids and check out one of the burial chambers for the nobles. Pretty cool, but I woulda preferred to go in the big pyramid. Unfortunately, you have to come before 8 and pay extra to see that. Maybe, before I leave.

After the tour of the ‘Queen’s Pyramids’ we walked towards the Pyramid of Khafre. The second smaller pyramid. In between the Cheops Pyramid and the Khafre Pyramid is the sun boat. The sun boat is one of the boats put in covered pits surrounding the pyramids. These boats where left near the pyramids so that the pharaoh could use them to ride into heaven in the afterlife. This particular boat was discovered less than a hundred years ago in the only untouched pit. It was then rebuilt and put on display.

After the sun boat we went to a view point that offered a great panorama of the three pyramids. Took some pictures and then moved on to the sphinx. The sphinx was smaller than I expected. It always looks so large in the pictures. Still cool to see though.

Anywho that concluded the tour and we took the bus back. Talk with Mike on the way back about grad school. He has very similar ambitions as I do. Not sure I’ve mentioned this but he was telling me the other day that applications are due at the end of December which is much sooner than I thought they were due. I really need to get on that it I’m going to apply this year.
Got back to downtown and went to get food with everyone. Went to falafela. It was good, but I still feel it is way to Americanized. After lunch took the metro home.

Once I got home it was time to hit the books. Gonna be another tough week of school. Studied until late. Ate some foul as a snack. Called Sara. Went to bed.

Day 18: September 11

Today is the 8 year anniversary of the September Eleventh attack. I would like to take a brief moment to thank those who have served and who are serving our country. May God look over you, bless you, and keep you.

Slept in today. Got up around one in the afternoon. Watched some television and then did some homework. We got a call from Mike telling us that they were planning on going to Al-Azhar park later in the afternoon to have a picnic/iftar. We told them we’d meet them there.
We decided to go grab some food to supplement the picnic. We went to the local market and bought some foul, bread, rice pudding, and juice. We took all of our food back to our place and hung out until 5:30. We then took a taxi from our apartment to Al-Azhar Park.

Al-Azhar Park is a large park located in old Cairo, in between the Citadel and Khan El khilili. It is located on a hill that overlooks a large part of the city. Evan and I arrived first and paid our 5 LE entry fee. The park was gorgeous with many fountains, grass slopes and trees. It’s a shame that there is an entrance fee because that means that some people are not able to enjoy the park easily.

We met with Mike, Jesse and a few of their friends. We walked into the park and found a good spot to sit down and eat. We ate our iftar and watched the sunset. It was a good meal. There was tahini, bell peppers, sandwhiches, foul, falafel, flatbread, and juice.

After dinner we walked around the park. We found our way up the hill and found a good vantage point from which to view the city. It was breathtaking to see all of Cairo laid out before you. After a few minutes the final call to prayer started sounding around the city. One by one different mosques picked up the call. It was amazing to hear all the different calls blend together into a cacophony that swept across the city.

At this point Mike and Jesse’s friends had to go back to Zamalek. This left Mike, Evan, Jesse, and one of Jesse’s friends from her school, Syndis. After watching and listening to the city for awhile longer we decided to head out. We caught a taxi and made our way downtown.

Once in downtown we walked towards our old hostel and the area we had first fallen in love with. We stopped by one of the local juice stands and talked with the owner who we had become acquainted with. After that we showed the other three around downtown. We eventually stopped at a café and got a few rounds of tea. We talked politics and school for the next hour. I find it interesting to hear other people’s opinions, but seem to always find myself the underdog in many conversations… this time it was on healthcare. Oh, well still a fun discussion.

We decided to walk towards the Nile and try to catch a Falooka. The falookas are boats ranging from small motor boats to medium yachts. Many are decorated with bright flashing lights. They are similar to taxi’s but on the Nile and can be hired to take you on mini-Nile tours.

We paid 50 LE and got a personal falooka for an hour. The drivers took us out on the Nile and drove sailed up and down. They had an IPod dock so we were able to connect an IPod and listen to music. It was to hang out with the breeze blowing through the boat, enjoying the Nile. After our hour Falooka ride we got off and took a taxi to Zamalek.

We hung out at Mike and Jesse’s apartment. Jesse had bought a watermelon and some mango’s which she cut up and served. The five of us ate and talked for another hour and a half. Evan and I decided it was time to head home at 2 am. Exhausted we caught a cab and headed for home.

It was a fun day and I can’t wait for the pyramids tomorrow!

Day 17: September 10

Alarm went off at 7:15. Out of bed by 7:20. On My Way by 7:30. On Campus by 9.

Went to my first media Arabic class. I was a bit intimidated by the topic because it’s so broad. Additionally Evans Media Arabic class sounds extremely hard. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find out how easy going and relaxed our teacher was. She gave us some articles and worked through them with us, explaining vocabulary and making sure we understood what we were reading.
This class was followed by grammar which went smoothly. Had lunch after class with my classmates. Nothing to exciting to report there. After lunch we had colloquial. Not as enjoyable as the day before, but still a preferable structure to the formal. I much prefer the relaxed conversation style and feel I learn allot more talking than being talked at.

After class I headed to the bus stop and back home. Tried getting off the bus early at one of the ‘stops’. There are set stops but they are rarely stopped at. What happens is people walk up and ask the bus driver if he could pull over. If he is feeling nice enough he’ll do it. We were stopped at an intersection so I gave it a shot and was let off a block from my apartment. Sweet!

Got to my apartment and did some studying. Evan got home later than I did and we ate some dinner. He picked up some figs from the market nearby, and they were delicious. After dinner we both studied some more. Later we packed up the studying and decided to enjoy our Thursday night (equivalent to Friday back home…).

We headed into Zamalek and called a few of our friends on the way. We found out that Ben, Mike, and Jesse where having people over so we headed to their apartment. After a short taxi ride to Zamalek we got off near the dorms and started looking for their apartment. They live off campus so it took us a little while to navigate our way through the side streets and find the correct one… we did however find it and make our way up.

Their apartment was pretty nice. The three of them split the place which has three bedrooms 2 bath and a few make-em-what-you-want-em rooms. We were the first to arrive and hung out and talked. Got to know the three of them better. We had all met before but this was the first time I had talked to them outside of school. All really great people. After talking for awhile we decided to make a small group to go to Dahab over Eid(Holiday) together. Looks like some of those trips I wanted to take are finally materializing.

Anywho.. people trickled in by ones and twos from the dorms. Sooner or later we looked around and realized there were upwards of 50 people standing all around us. Our little kick back had turned into a full blown party. Stayed and socialized until the dorm kids had to return for curfew. After that it was just the five of us again.

Ben had to be up early for a trip to the desert the next morning. However, Evan, Jesse, Mike, and I had nothing planned and decided to go out to Khan El Khalili for sahoor. Sahoor is the meal eaten during Ramadan before the sun rises. It is the last food they will eat for approximately twelve hours. We took a taxi and headed over to Khan El Khalili to share in that meal.

We arrived and walked around, wading through the thick crowds of people out and about. We finally found a place to sit down at a small restaurant near the heart of Khan El Khalili. We ordered our Sahoor and socialized with the locals. We got 2 plates of Kabab, salad, and foul. The kabab was lamb and really tasty (albeit a bit pricy). We ate and talked, made some new Egyptian friends on the street. After an hour or so we decided it was time to head for home. We got in a cab and headed back to our apartment.

Our cab driver got horribly lost but we were able to direct him home with little trouble. He then attempted to charge us extra for the time spent in his cab…. We politely declined. Gave Mike and Jesse a grand tour of our place. Made some tea and watched the sun rise from the balcony of our apartment. The four of us decided it was time to call it a night. Mike and Jesse left to catch a cab while Evan and I withdrew to our separate rooms. I finally got the chance to call Sara and see how the MCAT went. She says it went decent, I think she is being overly modest.

Got off the phone and was in bed at 7am (for those keeping count that 24 hours awake).

Day 16: September 9

Woke up at 8 today. Metro… bus… school. Went to class early so that I could talk to my classmates and see how they felt about the homework. There are two kids from Berkley that I had gotten close to. Both of them felt similarly about the homework as I did. We talked to the professor and she told us that the reason the homework was so hard was because it was new vocabulary and she did not expect us to know it already.

I decided to sit through and see how I felt after another class. Class went well and I feel really comfortable when I am in class. The kids are about my level and all seem really nice. Max transferred into this class as well so I can use him as a resource for any help I may need.
After another day of MSA I decided to stick it out in the Intermediate Formal.

Went to lunch with Max and Henry (another guy from my class). We went to the Egyptian place in the food court. A foul sandwich is so cheap yet so good. Ate and talked about possible trips around the Middle East over our various breaks. We have three long weekends and the general consensus is that we should all try and see Dahab/Sharma Sheikh, Alexandria, and Luxor/Aswan. We’ll see what materializes as we get closer…

Ran back after lunch to take colloquial. It went well and our class had grown by two people. The six of us had our conversation class. We talked about apartments and took turns describing our apartments and what our ideal apartment would be. I really enjoy working with this group of people and look forward to colloquial much more than formal.

Took the bus/metro home. Got home and folded my laundry while watching some Arabic TV. After this I hit the books so that I could possibly get ahead of the curve. For dinner I ate some foul with Evan and then took a walk to break the monotony of constant studying. On the way back we picked up some eggs to hard boil. Figured that would make a good quick meal on the way to school.

Got back and finished my homework. After homework I started to hard boil my eggs. Had a little extra time so I called Sara and wished her good luck on her MCAT. Went to bed.

Good luck On The MCAT

For those of you that don't know Sara is taking the MCAT today, wish her well and send her your love.

Good luck Sara I know you'll do well.
-Mike

Day 15: September 8

Woke up to make class at seven. Did the same routine as yesterday. Walk to the metro, metro to bus, bus to school…. Went into the intermediate formal class. The class was very quick paced but the teacher seemed very understanding and worked with all the students to ensure they were on track. All the students seemed to be about my level. Both classes seem to be fine and the students assure me that they are about my level.

During the break I went to the bookstore and picked up my books. I also went to pick up my bus pass.

After the hour break I went to my first intermediate colloquial class. It was really good because they knew what they were doing and we could actually converse in Arabic. Really enjoyable.
After class I went to the print shop to get the two books that I needed from there. I went with Mikey another kid from ALI. Afterwards we got some foul from the cafeteria and walked to the bus stop. I took the bus/metro back home. Once at home I called Sara. Talked for awhile before I decided to hit the books.

I got a call from Kevin and him and I decided to meet up and get some dinner. We went to Abu Shocka a place in between our apartment and his. Service was horrible but the meals where ok. I tried the stuffed pigeon. Very interesting flavor, but not much meat. Kevin and I talked for awhile and he is having second thoughts about his job teaching at a local school. Apparently there is allot of red tape to work around and it is really starting to bug him. Went back to my apartment

Also did laundry for the first time at my place. Really weird machine and hard to get used to. You have to press a button to drain the water; otherwise you will get a torrent of water gushing out onto your feet. It made doing the laundry much more exciting… Have no dryer so I put the laundry on a drying rack on the balcony.

In between loads of laundry I started to do the homework for formal. Oh man! It is really really tough. I felt fine in class today but this homework is making me have second thoughts. I hope it isn’t all like this or I am in big trouble. I’m gonna have to talk to some people tomorrow and make sure I’m not the only one feeling this way… otherwise I may need to drop down.

Went to bed.

Day 14: September 7

Today Is my second day of class. Woke up at 8 for class at 10 o’clock. Left by 8:30. On the metro and to the bus stop by 9. To school at 9:45. It’s a long commute to campus, but I have plenty of time to either sleep or study on the bus..

Got to class and entered to find that a few more students had moved up into our formal Arabic class. One was a kid from Seoul who had taken Arabic but seemed to have a poor grasp of the concepts. Another was a girl who was a little better but not by much. Additionally the other students that were more advanced had moved up. It was at this point I decided that I should move up another level. I went to the advisor and got moved up. I decided to move all the way up to intermediate. It’s a big jump but I think I should be able to handle it.

Went to colloquial. It went allot better, but there were still some people who had not taken colloquial. After class I went to check my schedule and discovered that I had gone to the wrong colloquial class. This explains why the class seemed a bit easy. Tomorrow I’ll go to the actual intermediate class… oops.

After class I went to the bus stop. The bus had just left as I arrived and so I had to wait. The next bus didn’t come for forty five minutes. I got on the bus and headed home. From Tahriir Square I caught the metro and then walked home. Got home at around 5 and started to study so that I will be ready for the Intermediate classes tomorrow. To be honest I’m a bit nervous about the move up.

Evan and I decided to get some dinner around seven. We took the metro into downtown and stopped at a small place called Tom and Basil (translated is onion and garlic). They served Koshri which we both got. It was good but not as good as the place near our hostel.

After dinner we rode the metro home. From there I studied till I fell asleep.

Week 2 in Review

Religion: It’s crazy to see a culture that is so build upon religion. Walking down the streets during a time of prayer is absolutely fascinating. The alleys and side streets will be filled with praying Muslims prostrated on their mats. They show a crazy commitment through their month long fast. It really makes me re-evaluate the things I give up for my religion and wonder at my commitment (or lack thereof) by comparison. I realize some of it is culturally ingrained but sometime wish I found myself that fired up.

When Evan and I talk to people on the street the most often topics of conversation are Ramadan and the Islamic faith. They really want to convert Evan. They are also interested in what American’s know and believe about Muslims and the Arab world.

In Sha Allah/Al Hamda Allah: Two of the most common phrases you will hear when talking to people in Egypt are In Sha Allah and Al Hamda Allah. These mean ‘if God wills it’ and ‘Thanks to God’. Both of these phrases adequately sum up an entire culture. Their response to many questions of the future is if God wills it. And when asked how they are they respond with (good) Thanks to God. This further reinforces my thoughts on the religious culture. I wonder if there was ever a time when the United States was like this?

America: It is very interesting in talking with the locals to hear their thoughts towards America. Most are very positive towards America and Americans. They hold Obama in an almost reverent position. They have high hope for him and feel that he is a big improvement to Bush (they also think Bush was out to get them). I can only hope that me and my fellow classmates at AUC will be good representative of America and our culture.

Final Thoughts: I still love this city. I am glad to have moved out of our hostel and finally be unpacked. After one day of school I can truly say I am excited for class and to improve my Arabic. Time will tell if that remains. It sounds like it’ll be hard. Please keep the messages and prayers coming. -Mike

Day 13: September 6

The morning came way to fast. Had problems sleeping because we are right of a main street. Hopefully I’ll get used to the noise soon.

Woke up at 7:30 and was out the door by 8. Evan came with and we took the metro to the bus stop. From there we took the bus to campus. We got to campus by 9:15 and I made it to class just on time.

At ALI the first half of the day is taught in formal while the second half is in colloquial. Within 5 minutes of being in my formal class, my fears about being improperly placed where confirmed. Another girl and I tested out and left to go talk to the advisor.

We both got moved up a level and went to go find our new class. We arrived a few minutes late but without any problems. The new class feels allot better because the kids in there seem more at my level. The grammar seems a little behind where I was at UCSD, but I also felt a bit behind at UCSD. At the accelerated pace of this class the teacher told me we would end up beyond where we previously where in my old class. This sounds good to me because I can review the subjects I am weaker on before moving into the harder areas.

The formal class is divided into three sections: grammar, vocabulary, and media. I have grammar and vocabulary on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday; and media on Monday Wednesday. So far my grammar and vocabulary professors seem really nice and into our education. In vocabulary we all took an assessment quiz to gauge our breadth of knowledge and the teacher seemed pleased that we all placed around the same level.

After Modern Standard (formal) we had a brief break before colloquial. Myself and one of the girls from MSA where in the same colloquial class and headed over together. I was really excited for the colloquial class because I feel like I have been learning so much colloquial on the streets. However, I was really let down when I was the only one who had previously taken colloquial and none of the students had bothered to learn the differences. What was supposed to be an intermediate course ground to a sudden halt.

By the end of the class it was clear to me that I needed to switch into an intermediate section with other people that had taken colloquial. After class the professor called me over and apologetically told me that he didn’t think we would be getting as far as he had hoped. He suggested that I switch sections so that I would be more challenged. I readily agreed and headed back to the advisors office. She matched me with a more appropriate intermediate group and I look forward to our discussion section which meets tomorrow and Wednesday.

After meeting with the advisor I walked to the bus stop and caught the bus home. As the bus was exiting the parking lot I got a call from Evan wondering if I wanted to catch the bus home together. Apparently he had waited for me and I didn’t know it. I felt like a jerk because I assumed he had already left… oops.

Anyways slept on the bus home and then took the metro to my apartment. Evan arrived 20 minutes after me where we both discussed our classes. He is a little disappointed with his MSA class but has heard wonderful things about the professor. He has till the end of the week so he’ll wait and see if it gets any better. He started studying and I called Sara. We talked for an hour about life and the upcoming MCAT. I know she’ll do fine (love ya babe).

Got off the phone and started to study and do homework. The people I have talked to who previously took this course suggest you study at least 4 hours a day if not more. At orientation the student speaker said she studied from the time she got out of class till she went to sleep. Sounds scary, huh?

After some studying we left to find some food. We found a restaurant a bit north on Kasr El Eine. I got some shish tawook. It came with rice, bread, and hummus. It was really good. We talked with some of the employees of the restaurant while eating. Walked back and got some juice on the way.

After we got back Evan and I studied until bed.

Updated/Pictures Added

Sorry got a bit behind. I added the past few days. I also added pictures on the Smug Mug Account. The link is http://dyehard47.smugmug.com

Day 12: September 5

At ten I rolled out of bed. Did some studying and had breakfast. Called Kevin and decided to try the Egyptian Museum. Walked down Kasr Al-Eine (our street) to the cross street that Kevin lives on. We met there and walked the rest of the way to the Egyptian Museum. We arrived and went through a long security process.

They don’t allow cameras in the museum and due to this I went through three metal detectors, was patted down, and had my bag x-rayed twice. It was nuts. We did find out that it was lucky I overslept the day before. This is because the museum is closed on Fridays because it’s the Muslim holy day.

We finally waded through the security and found ourselves in the expansive Egyptian Museum. We spent the next 4 hours making our way through all the exhibits and seeing all there is to see. I thought it was a interesting museum… however, it could have been organized. Both Kevin and I felt that there were very few signs describing what we were seeing. I think this may be so that tourists have to pay to get guided tours…

Luckily, Kevin is a history major and new allot of info about Egypt and its history. As much as I enjoyed the museum I feel like it got repetitive after three hours. I can only see so many sarcophaguses before I start to lose interest. There was a very wide assortment of artifacts and it was very enjoyable to see such old sculptures, paintings, and tools. Overall I’d give the museum an 8 out of 10. My only complaints are the lack of info and the occasional redundancy. My favorite part was definitely the exhibit displaying Tutankhamen’s burial mask and sarcophagus.

I was supposed to meet some guys on the AUC club Frisbee team and play with them at 5. I left at 4:45 and headed over to Hardies (Egyptian Carl’s Jr.) to meet with Mido, the organizer of the club. They practice twice a week. On Saturdays in Zamalek and Sundays in Maadi. I met with Mido and he showed me how to get to the fields they play at on Saturdays.

I was stoked to be playing ultimate again and thought it would be cool to play with some Egyptians. It turns out the club team isn’t quite the same as it is in SD. At AUC they play co-ed and there are very few experienced players. It was still fun to run around, but wasn’t the practice I was looking for. I did run into Nick (from Georgetown) again and met his roommate (Mike) who plays for Louisville. I also met a chick (Jessie) who played for Michigan.

Played for two hours and was able to work on my throwing, however it was frustrating playing with people who didn’t understand holding a force or the basic offenses. It was also unfortunate that I was on the opposite team as Mido who felt he had something to prove to the guy from SD… lame. He came of very cocky and would continuously cut deep and call for it because he was open… he wasn’t. He also pointed constantly like I couldn’t see it. It kinda took away from the fun of the game. I hear that the crew that plays Tuesdays in Maadi is a bit more experienced, with any luck that will be better.

Afterwards Jessie and I walked back to Tahriir Square where we were both going to catch the subway back to our respective homes. I called Charles and told him to meet me at Tahriir so he could take the subway back to my place where we were hosting a small dinner. We all caught the metro and made our way back.

We got back to my place just as Evan returned from retrieving Saeed. A bit later Natalie and a few girls arrived as well. Saeed then showed us where we should do our local shopping and we bought food for dinner. We got back and Saeed showed us how to properly prepare for an Arab dinner. Dinner consisted of cheese, pastrami, eggs, fool, and flat bread. Real simple but really good. We all sat and talked for a few hours.

Everyone left at around 10:30 and I took a shower. I then wrote this and called Sara. Tomorrows the first day of school so it’s off to bed early.

Day 11: September 4

Woke up late today… 1:30 pm. I had planned on going to the Egyptian Museum today. Looks like that isn’t happening. Did some studying instead.

At 4 I called home to talk to my parents. It was 7 am there but it was the only time I knew I could catch them before they got busy. It was good to hear everyone’s voice again and hear stories from back home. It wasn’t enough to make me homesick, but a bit nostalgic. It’s also good to know that people are thinking about me back home. After I got off the phone with my parents I gave Sara a wakeup call to say good morning.

Evan and I decided that we needed groceries so we headed out to the local market to see how we could do for ourselves. We found a place selling bread and bought enough flat bread to last us a few days. We then also found a local take out shop and got the typical bread toppers. We bought babagunush, fool, falafel and Tahini. It cost us less than 15 pounds. Super inexpensive. We walked back to our place and made a small snack out of the groceries.

We got a call from Natalie who wanted us to show her and some friends a good place to eat downtown. However, by the time Evan and I caught the metro and headed downtown they had already found a restaurant. There was about a group of 10. We joined them and got fried chicken. It was a good fried chicken, but not my favorite food so far this trip.

From there we walked them back towards where our hostel had been showing them downtown. We stopped at an outdoor café and ordered some tea and a few sheeshas. Evan called Saeed who came to meet us. We introduced Saeed to our friends and we all talked for the next few hours. Charles, who also speaks Arabic, hit it off with Saeed pretty well.

After some time we decided to depart and headed back towards Tahriir Square. Some of the group decided to go back to their dorms in Zamalek. The rest of us proceeded to Café Riche to get a few beers. We stayed at Café Riche till it closed at midnight, each of us trying a few of the local beers. The best by far is the Stella brewed locally. It reminds me a little of Heineken. Its drinkable but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s good.

By the time the café closed we were joined by more AUC students who wanted to go to a local outdoor café. They are everywhere, in case you were wondering. We found one and stopped there for awhile. We got way overcharged for the tea and sheesha. I guess that’s life.. It was fun to meet more students though and I feel like I am making allot of connections.

Around two we decided to call it a night. Evan and I said our goodbyes and headed for the metro. Caught the metro back to our place. Took a shower and fell asleep.

Day 10: September 3

The night before we decided we should leave our hostel at Eight so that we could get to the bus stop by 8:30 and have some cushion. I woke up at 7:45 giving myself the more than enough time to get ready by eight. While I’m getting ready Evan headed down to grab a quick bite of food. A few minutes later he runs back in the room telling me that apparently we had only paid until the night before… oops. As a result we both had to pay for the extra night and needed to remove our bags from the room before we left for orientation. Luckily, we had become good friends with the manager, Mahmoud, and he let us keep our bags in their storage room while we went to orientation.

So we left a bit late but got out with little incident. We got to the bus stop and jumped on one of the 5 waiting busses. After about fifteen minutes of waiting the bus departed and we were on our way to campus. I don’t believe I’ve mentioned it yet but these busses are nice. They are charter busses with comfy seats and AC. Allot nicer than the city busses and make me feel a bit pampered. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering the fact I’m going to an American University..

Anyways we get to campus and join up with some acquaintances of ours who we knew were also part of ALI. We spent the next fifteen minutes looking for the Mary Cross Hall which they told us was in the University center. Well it turns out that ALI is not very good with maps because it is in the upper campus in an entirely different building.

We finally find it and take our seats in a small auditorium style classroom. We then sat through five hours of lectures from ALI. It was boring for the most part, however we did get free lunch out of it and I did get to meet more people from ALI and expand my social network at AUC. The lectures where your typical what to expect in Cairo and AUC. We did get some useful info regarding student visas and found out about free trips that are offered as part of the university. Some of the trips sound pretty fun and I would definitely like to see some of the sights offered (Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria).

We also found out or placement for classes. I was placed in Intermediate in colloquial which is where I wanted to be but was placed lower in formal… I this is mostly due to the fact I had an hour to take the three hour placement test…. However, they told us we can move if we feel improperly placed so I’ll be looking into that when I go into class on Sunday.

Orientation ended but the next bus wasn’t scheduled to leave for another 30 minutes. So we stayed to talk with a few of our classmates and exchange phone numbers. The bus finally arrived and we were on our way back downtown.

We arrived and walked back to the area of our hostel. We killed some time on the streets until it was time for fattar. We ate at the fool place but decided (at the waiters suggestion) to try something new. We got the fish dish which was being served that night. It was a deep fried white fish served with rice. Both were well seasoned and delicious. We still had another half hour to kill until we could move into our new place so we stopped to get juice and tea.

Eventually we made our way back to the hostel and picked up our bags. From there we took a taxi to our new apartment. We arrived and where helped in by the boab (door keeper who is hired by most apartment owners). Our boab is a 60 or 70 year old lady who insisted on taking some of our heaviest bags and carrying them on her head. I thought she was going to snap in half.

We made it to the apartment and went in. We signed the contracts after checking all the appliances. We then proceeded to unpack. It’s really weird to have all your belongings in two duffel bags and I’m glad to finally be unpacked.

We got a call from Evan’s friend from Natalie who told us that some students from the Zamalek dorms where going to a café on top of the Nile Hotel. We decided it would be fun and a great way to meet some new people. We took a cab over and got thoroughly lost. Apparently nobody actually knows where the Nile hotel is. After much looking we found it and went to the roof. We found Natalie with a few of her friends and started talking. We ordered some beers and enjoyed the awesome view of the city and the Nile from on top the hotel. Over the next few hours more and more students started to congregate and eventually there was a group of 20-30 of us talking and hanging out.

It was really fun and I got to meet allot of cool people. One of which was a guy named Max who stayed in Lebanon for the summer. He is from Colorado and had allot of useful insight about the area after being here for an extended time. He had also spent a few weeks living with some Bedouins which produced some great stories. We stayed until the café closed and headed down to go home. Before we could leave we were told that a few people were going back to their apartment to hang out and we decided to join.

Turns out the guys we were heading back with were from the Naval Academy and here studying Arabic on the Naval Academies dime. The Naval Academy also was paying at stipend for their living expenses. Because of that they had an awesome place. It was a humongous three bedroom apartment shared between two guys. There was a pretty sizable crowd at the apartment and we mingled for awhile. I actually met a guy who plays for Catholic Justice (The Georgetown ultimate Frisbee team). He has been playing with a group of guys that play ultimate around Cairo. I had heard of the group but had been unable to get in contact with them. I exchanged numbers with him (Nick) and am looking forward to playing some ultimate in Egypt.

After awhile Evan and I decided to head for home. We took a cab and arrived at around 4:30. I then called Sara and gave her the skype tour of the place. Went to bed at 6.

Day 9: September 2

Went to bed late last night due to my phone calls. So I slept in again today. Although I guess eight hours of sleep isn’t really sleeping in. I woke up at 10:30 and read allitle more Dune before Evan and I went down to get breakfast. Over, breakfast Evan and I discussed the places we had looked at and narrowed it down to the one located downtown for 3000 LE or the one we had seen yesterday near Garden City for 3000 LE.

We discussed the pro’s and con’s of both places. I decided that it really didn’t matter to me which place we got and left the decision up to Evan because he’ll be staying for five month more than me. I figured that it should be a place he’d want to live in after I’m gone. The discussion turned into a choice between location versus cost (extra fee’s). In the end we we’re leaning towards the place that was a bit further away. We decided to walk to it and check out the surrounding areas to make sure we liked the area.

On the way we called the guy to see if he would be willing to meet us later to discuss possibly signing a contract. We voiced our concern that it was far away. He told us that it might be in our interest to try the metro and see if that cut the time down. We thought it sounded like a good idea and went to the metro station located near the old campus and the bus stop.

At Tahriir square we descended into the cities underbelly. We continued down and came to an open area with different signs pointing us to platforms and destinations. We found the ticket center and joined the crowd surrounding the window reaching to be the one whose money is taken. It was a bit crazy wading through the ‘line’ to pay but we finally got our ticket and headed to the correct platform

We walked through the turnstiles and waited for the next metro. While we waited, we saw the north bound train arrive and leave. I could only think of sardines packed into a small can as I saw them cram as many bodies as possible into the cars. After a few minutes our train came and we pushed our way in. Luckily it was less crowded going south, but still a full train.

Two stops later we got off and found ourselves a block from the hospital near our prospective apartment. Convenient. We proceeded to walk around the area heading south. We found nice neighborhoods but little in the way of food or groceries. Feeling a little discouraged we started to walk north. Luckily, we passed a side street which we decided to take on a whim.

It led into an open air market which included many small restaurants. Having found authentic food nearby, both Evan and I felt better about the area. We called the owner who agreed to meet us in front of the building. From there we went back to the apartment and talked about the contract. We decided that it would be best for us to sign it tomorrow so that they could clean the place and make sure all was in order.

We left the apartment and took a cab back to Tahriir square so that we could gauge the price of a taxi to the bus stop. It cost us 5 LE, but both Evan and I think we could get a better price if we seriously negotiated. From Tahriir square we walked back to our hostel where Kevin was to meet us for dinner.

Kevin met us just before fattar and we decided to take him to the koshri place we found earlier in the week. It was just as good as I remembered, if not better. Afterwards we decided to walk to the nearby juice stand. For part of our walk we were following a little girl who was carrying a small box or what appeared to be trash. As she walked she threw the contents of the box over her shoulders without regard of where they landed or went. For me this just solidified the difference in culture with regards to trash and pollution.

We arrived at the juice stand and tried the sugar cane juice as suggested by Sarah A. It was good and although a bit sweet for my tastes.

We then went walked back towards Tallat al Harb and a local café called Café Riche. This café is well known because it was one of the spots that Nasr met and planned his revolution. As such it is known for being somewhat counterculture and is one of the few places that serves beer during Ramadan. Evan, Kevin, and I stopped in and had a few beers (Kevin didn’t drink because he is fasting).

After this we headed back to our hostel and fell asleep early in anticipation of orientation the next day.

Day 8: September 1

Today I got hit by a car… hooked yet? Read further to find out

Got to sleep in again today. Felt great to wake up naturally without an alarm. Woke up at around 10:30 and got ready for the day. Woke up Evan at around 11 so he could get ready for our meeting with Honi. I started to read the second book in the Dune series, Dune Messiah, while he got ready. We headed out and towards Tahriir square. Ten minutes down the road we get a call telling us to come by at 1 instead of twelve. We decide to backtrack and go to a local bakery to kill the extra hour.

The logical thing to buy at the bakery was of course a kilo of a coffee cake/bread. We took it back to our hostel and ate out of sight of the fasting Muslims (we thought that was better than doing it in front of them). After eating our fill of breakfast bread we went back on the road toward Honi’s. We arrived expecting to be shown a new place. Turns out he just wanted to convince us that we should pay 3500 LE for the same one. He showed it to us again and to be honest it looked worse during the day time. The paint was peeling and the kitchen and bathroom were really dirty. We explained that we weren’t interested in paying anything more than 3000 LE for the place and that even that was a stretch in our opinion. He then spent the next 30 minutes trying to convince us why it was a good deal... we weren't convinced. We left and walked back to our hostel.

There we checked our email and saw to responses from owners we had contacted. This means no finder’s fee. We called both owners and made appointments to meet them. One agreed to see
us immediately and we made our way back out onto the streets of Cairo. This one was advertised as a five minute walk from the old AUC campus. It was a 50 minute walk from the hostel and a 20 minute walk from the campus. In my opinion a little far from the bus.
Evan, however, really liked the place. It had everything we would need including things like a television, wireless internet, and a balcony. In personally thought it would work fine just didn’t like the look of the furniture. It was styled to look antique which isn’t really my thing… I prefer the more modern look that the others had. However, seeing as I will only be living in the place for 4 months I am willing to defer to Evan’s opinion as long as it has the basics. It starts at 3000 LE and has no finders fee, so isn’t too bad.

We started our trek back and called Saeed to confirm where and when we were to meet him for fattar. We didn’t have time to walk back to the hostel and change so we walked straight to the coffee shop where we were to meet. Met Saeed at five and walked around for an hour while we waited for the sun to go down.

We ended up at one of many areas we had seen people eating fattar earlier in the week. It was one of many communal eating areas set up for Ramadan in the residential sections. There were tables set up and set for eight. We sat down at one and where joined shortly by five others. As the sun set the call for prayer was played across the city and Muslims throughout the Middle East broke fast, taking their first drink of water and first bite of food for the day. We then proceeded to eat our meal with them.

The meat consisted of rice with beans and tomatoe sauce (similar to Koshri). Chicken. A onion, tomatoe, cucumber salad. And flat bread. It was really good food eaten with people who enjoyed it because it meant something special to them. We had allot of small talk with those around us but nothing in depth.

After dinner Saeed took us on a tour of the surrounding area We walked around and he explained the significance of certain areas and statues. As usual the conversation dealt allot with Islam, however, Saeed was also very interested in Americans and American culture and had allot of questions. It was interesting to me to hear his questions and notions of what America was like. However, from what I have seen and heard from him and others people in Cairo have a very positive outlook towards America and Americans, they just don’t necessarily like the government or the army. They do, however, love Obama and can’t wait for him to bring peace to the Middle East. He sure has big shoes to fill.

Anyways about halfway through the tour we were walking on the shoulder of the road to avoid walking through the large crowd gathered to window shop and talk with local store owners. I was the one closest to the road and looking toward Saeed as he was talking. Up ahead a cab tried to pass a car it thought was going to slow. In the process he managed to clip me with his mirror. He didn’t stop but he did manage to honk. I wasn’t hurt but I sure was shocked. It did however manage to scare the cop that was nearby and Saeed to death. Both wanted to know if I needed to be hospitalized. I explained that I was perfectly fine and that no I did not need to be hospitalized. Funny yet scarry.

Our tour ended at an apartment he had found for us because he knew we were looking. It was a small apartment that was in fair shape. It was not overly glitzy but it would serve our purpose. It was on the market for 2500 LE but if we wanted we could probably get it cheaper. I dunno what will happen but the gesture was nice.

We went our separate ways after looking at the apartment. Evan and I headed to a restaurant which we heard serves beer to foreigners during Ramadan. However, we called Kevin and he was unable to come so we decided to postpone till later. This was probably good because both Evan and I were exhausted from all the walking we had done during the day (4-5 hours worth).

We got back to our hostel and I am now writing this entry (doing it early… who knew that was possible) and planning on calling my parents and Sara.

Day 7: August 31

Evan had to be up and out the door earlier than myself this morning. He was up before 8 while I enjoyed sleeping in till 10. I finally rolled out of bed and got dressed. Once ready I headed to the bus stop to go to campus. Got there around ten thirty and left shortly thereafter. Arrived around 11:30 and went to the library to find Evan. Hung out with him and some other students while they waited to get their ID’s. Nothing too interesting just the normal chit chat about Egypt and being abroad.

After Evan got his ID, he and I proceeded to the ALI office to take our oral placement tests. After being sent back and forth we finally found the correct offices where they were administering the test. We got admitted at the same time and entered two rooms next to each other. My test was administered by an elderly woman who asked me where I was from, where my parents lived, how big my family was, why I studied Arabic, and what I had eaten… pretty basic stuff. I left feeling pretty good about it. Evan got out shortly after me and had similar feelings. There wasn’t another bus leaving for awhile so we went back to the library to research some apartments. We emailed few people and left for the bus stop.

At the bus stop we ran into two girls we had met the day before through Nour and discovered they were going to meet another broker when they got back into Cairo. They invited us to come along and we agreed. According to them the broker fee given to us by Nour was a bit pricey but not out of line… So maybe we weren’t being cheated. We later confirmed this with the owner of the hostel and Kevin’s GF’s dad.

We arrived in Cairo after the hour long bus ride and headed off to meet the broker whose name was Honi (pronounced honey). He had his office near Tahriir Sqaure. There we exchanged information and told him what we were looking for. We left and walked back to our place to get some dinner. We stopped by the hostel to drop our stuff and asked one of the managers where we could find a dish called koshri.

Following the managers direction we ended up near the fool place and got koshri. Koshri is an Arabic pasta dish. In it is macaroni noodles, spaghetti noodles, rice, beans, ground beef, and a tomato based sauce. It was really good especially when you added the hot sauce. We decided to walk around some more and ended up at a local outdoor coffee shop. We sat down, ordered some tea, and started to converse in Arabic. Soon we were drawing stares from the locals who couldn’t believe there were two white guys sitting on a bench speaking their language.

Soon we were surrounded by 1 waiter, a family of 3, and a couple. The topic of choice was again Ramadan and religion. We got grilled on what we knew about Muslims and the Muslim faith. Another question we are often asked early on is our religion. So far everyone has been fine with me being Christian. However, because Evan claims no religion he quickly becomes a target for conversion. I think we spent the next 30 minutes drinking tea and being told about Allah and Mohamed.

After some time the crowd dwindled leaving just Evan, myself, and two older gentlemen. The more businessman looking of the two was Hassan and the older one was named Saeed. We talked about religion, politics, Egypt, America, and the differences between the two. I’ll be honest I felt way out of my league. My head felt like it was going to explode as they quickly threw questions our way. Luckily for me Evan was able to quickly understand and translate what I didn’t understand. He truly shined and I was happy to have him there because he definitely has a wider vocabulary than me. Inspires me to study some more. I feel the hardest part was keeping up with the pace. I understood 80-90 percent of what was being said just the pace felt like just short of a blitz whereas my speaking comes allitle slower and with some processing.

Either way I managed to communicate and it was a great learning experience for both Evan and I. After about two hours of conversation we got a call from Honi, asking if we could meet and look at a place nearby. We thanked Saeed and Hassan for the conversation and prepared to leave. However, both were so happy to meet Americans that spoke Arabic that they asked for our numbers so we could meet again. We even got invited to share Fattar with Saeed tomorrow. We gladly accepted.

We arrived at the meeting place after a few misdirection’s and headed to the apartment. It was a flat locatged near Tahriir Square. It was decently sized with a balcony and all the normal amenities. However, the owner was asking for 3,500 which we decided was more than we wanted to pay.

We went back to Honi’s office and had some tea. He introduced us to some Nubian music which reminded me of regae. Kinda, weird hanging out with him because his body language seems very stiff and its clear we are only business to him. Not at all like hanging out with Saeed and Hassan earlier. We left after making an appointment to come back to Honi’s office tomorrow at noon.

We walked back to our hostel and both Evan and myself passed out soon thereafter (around 2).