Spent and early morning at the DMV…. I mean the visa office. They open at eight which is usually when I catch the bus. In theory I was only going to go in and drop off my passport, and then catch the 8:30 bus… was going to be late to class, but I had emailed my media teacher and she was ok with it.
Well theory and practice are two very different animals. Supposedly they opened at 8, but Egypt standard time dictated that they mosey in at least 15 minutes late. From there socializing and making tea was a must. Finally, I was acknowledged only to find out they had misplaced my paperwork from the day before… it took them an hour to find it.
Finally I was able to turn in my passport and scurry over toe to the bus stop. I just barely made the 9:30 bus and was off to school. I missed all of the media class, but I went to my professors office and she was understanding.
Went to Formal. We covered some new grammar material. Mostly, the use of verbs as nouns. It’s mostly old material, but the way she presents it helped my understanding of the topic. After Formal we continued to cover the use of ‘despite’.
From writing I made my way to conversation class. I talked to Prof White and explained that my passport was going to be ready this afternoon but had to be picked up before 3. She agreed to let me go a little early so I could catch the two o’clock bus home. In conversation we worked with partners where one would tell a story and the other would retell it to the class. Good use of new vocab and memorization.
I left at 1:45 and booked it for the bus. We departed and were on our way to Tahriir. I finished Leviticus on the bus ride… We also ran into horrendous traffic. I shouldn’t have been to surprised with the big game happening tonight. It was a little frustrating, however, when you need the bus to go faster and the traffic in front of you is bumper to bumper.
I decided to get out and walk (ironically traffic cleared as soon as I got to the sidewalk..). 15 minutes later I was in the visa office trying to get my passport back. It was just before closing time and everyone was packing to get out. Finally, two other guys and I were able to convince someone to help us. I got my passport and was out the door… very happy to leave that place.
Walked back to my apartment and called Mike to confirm plans for tonight. Tonight Egypt plays Algeria in a rematch of last saturday. The winner qualifies for the world cup. There is a nervous tension spreading throughout the city. Mike, Ben, Max, and I had discussed going to the Hard Rock and taking advantage of their all you can eat wings and all you can drink beer deal.
We figure it will get crowded quick and decide to meet at 6 to get a table for us and our friends. That left me a little time which I used to do homework. At 5:45 I changed, grabbed my flag, and hit the street. The Hyatt (which contains the Hard Rock Café) is only a few blocks from me, so I decided to walk. It was amazing the responses you get when you are carrying a gigantic Egyptian flag. I got more high fives in that short walk than my entire life.
We met in front of the Hard Rock and got a table for 30 people. We also immediately started on the wings and beer. We need to get our 120 pounds worth. By game time our table was completely full and we also occupied the two adjacent booths. If American support counted for anything than Egypt was sure to win…
The game turned out to be a disappointment. Egypt played better soccer, but couldn’t find the goal. Algeria, however took advantage of their one look on goal. They got a lucky bounce in a crowd and slammed it home when the goalie couldn’t see. Egypt searched for the equalizer all game but couldn’t find it. Too bad.
Halfway through the game Ruben and Wills showed up. Ruben was missing his eyebrows, which according to Annapolis tradition means he had been selected for Navy Seals. A huge congrats to Ruben who has been working his tail off to get this selection.
After the game Evan and I walked back to our apartment. I finished my homework for the next morning and went to bed early (surprisingly).
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