I'm 21 today. It's pretty crazy, I don't really feel that grown up, although I guess you never really do. Anyways, I think turning 21 in Egypt is a bit anti-climactic due to the significant differences in law (i.e. there are no laws here), but I am still excited. Have my big fusha (written Arabic) final tomorrow, so will have to do the main celebrating tomorrow, but am planning to go eat Indian food (thank God!) tonight with some friends.
Funny thing that I will remember always is that I turned 21 while watching an Arabic movie in Cairo. Last night I went with a couple of friends to see this movie "Morgan Ahmed Morgan" in one of the oldschool cinema halls downtown. The movie was supposed to be at 10 PM, but it started at 11:15....standard. The movie was pretty good, it was basically a comedy like Billy Madison, in which an old and successful business executive (played by famous Arab star Adel Emam) who is very corrupt and good at blackmailing decides to go to University to impress this woman professor who he likes. Shenanigans and hilarity ensue. The movie was completely in Arabic and no subtitles, so it was hard to follow always, but I got the general gist. It shared a lot in common with Bollywood, though was much shorter and had only one song-and-dance routine (ha!).
So while most people turn 21 while blackout, I was watching an old Arab man on screen hit on cute young Arab girls. How can you beat that?
Tuesday, July 24
Tuesday, July 3
If Aliens came to Earth...
I met this British guy Lou the other day who is a freelance film producer here in Cairo. What I remember most from my conversation with him was him telling us how teachers in Cairo are paid about 500 Egyptian Pounds per month, and that this is so little that they withhold teaching some subjects at school so they can teach private lessons for more money. When I got back to my room that night, I thought about 500 pounds a month, and that astounded me. I just can't see how it's possible for any individual, let alone a busy teacher, to be able to live in Cairo, rent an apartment, pay for food and transport, for 500 pounds a month. Then you look at the Egyptian students who are at AUC, the way upper class of Egypt who come to school chauffeured in BMW's and Audi's, and the concept of "income inequality" really becomes clear. While all the economic indicators show that there is a ridiculous income gap in the US, it is just so much easier to see such things in a country like Cairo (or India, Kenya, etc.).
Since I've been here, I've really thought about how strange this world might seem to aliens who randomly visited Earth. Teachers, perhaps the most important if not one of the most important groups of people in society who are primarily responsible for allowing us to progress, learn and innovate, are being paid less than a living wage, not only in Cairo, but even back home in California. On the other hand, there are people on Wall Street who take money from really rich people, invest it into an arguably "imaginary" system of ownership and equity markets, and through some series of events I don't understand become among the wealthiest in the world. The rewards just never go to the people or groups that are directly trying to help other people and groups. It just seems quite weird---I don't really know what to do about it or what one can even do about it, but I'm sure the aliens would probably be like, "later earth we're going back to our planet" (obviously if they can come to earth they are more technologically advanced, so they would probably like their own planet better anyways since it would have all types of awesome video games).
Since I've been here, I've really thought about how strange this world might seem to aliens who randomly visited Earth. Teachers, perhaps the most important if not one of the most important groups of people in society who are primarily responsible for allowing us to progress, learn and innovate, are being paid less than a living wage, not only in Cairo, but even back home in California. On the other hand, there are people on Wall Street who take money from really rich people, invest it into an arguably "imaginary" system of ownership and equity markets, and through some series of events I don't understand become among the wealthiest in the world. The rewards just never go to the people or groups that are directly trying to help other people and groups. It just seems quite weird---I don't really know what to do about it or what one can even do about it, but I'm sure the aliens would probably be like, "later earth we're going back to our planet" (obviously if they can come to earth they are more technologically advanced, so they would probably like their own planet better anyways since it would have all types of awesome video games).
Streets of Doom
Traffic in Cairo can be summed up in one word: out-of-control-madness-insanity-fun (hyphenated words count as one word!). I think the only place I've ever seen anything close to comparable is in Delhi, but as I have only traveled there and never lived there, I didn't really experience the craziness from the pedestrian vantagepoint. Essentially, there are no such things as lanes, traffic lights, street signs, right of way or even headlights in Cairo. Of course, all these things do "exist". Yet they mean nothing. On a three lane road, you will have 6 amorphous lanes of tiny fiat taxis (at night these taxis are lit up with neon glowsticks, but for some reason don't turn on their headlights!), old soviet era cars, out of control microbuses, and mercedes benzes all trying to get in between the gap up ahead of them. At many intersections, I see the traffic light is red, but cars continue to turn right, left, go straight through and even reverse (on a one way road) without regard to the red light. The only time these traffic lights are "on" is when the municipal police (who number approximately 1 
bazillion) are on the street directing traffic.
Aside from driving, perhaps the scariest (and coolest) thing about the traffic here is life as a pedestrian---its a thrilling, life-or-death adventure every time you cross the street. Pedestrian crosswalks, though they exist, have no function. As noted above, cars don't follow traffic signals, so in downtown Cairo, a road can be full of cars for three hours straight. So you have to just walk through the insane traffic to get to where you need to go. You wait for the tiniest gap, then make your move and then just cross slowly, staring down drivers who're coming at you. These drivers never stop, they just masterfully change their speed and alter their angle a bit so they drive right past you.
After a month here, I've learned that there are actually rules to this madness. Drivers honk at you from far away to let you know they're coming (difficult to catch sometimes since everyone is just jamming out on their horns, creating some phat beats sometimes), and at night they flash their headlights if someone is coming around a turn. The most fundamental (and life-preserving) rule of pedestrian crossing is always cross the street slowly, without stopping or running, as you throw off the people in cars who are trying to avoid you. When you stop in the middle of the street, don't expect cars are going to stop for you. In the first week I was here, I definitely stopped in the middle of the street and stood there for like 45 seconds as cars on both sides from me (I could probably touch them if I moved my arms out just a bit) drove past me at 30 mph, it was scary as hell ! The cardinal rule: NEVER start going, then turn back---basically assures sudden death and mutilation by another car who assumed you'd be out of there like any good Egyptian pedestrian.
My flatmate Colin posted a video of crossing a street in Cairo on YouTube, check it out for real-life footage woohoo!
bazillion) are on the street directing traffic.Aside from driving, perhaps the scariest (and coolest) thing about the traffic here is life as a pedestrian---its a thrilling, life-or-death adventure every time you cross the street. Pedestrian crosswalks, though they exist, have no function. As noted above, cars don't follow traffic signals, so in downtown Cairo, a road can be full of cars for three hours straight. So you have to just walk through the insane traffic to get to where you need to go. You wait for the tiniest gap, then make your move and then just cross slowly, staring down drivers who're coming at you. These drivers never stop, they just masterfully change their speed and alter their angle a bit so they drive right past you.
After a month here, I've learned that there are actually rules to this madness. Drivers honk at you from far away to let you know they're coming (difficult to catch sometimes since everyone is just jamming out on their horns, creating some phat beats sometimes), and at night they flash their headlights if someone is coming around a turn. The most fundamental (and life-preserving) rule of pedestrian crossing is always cross the street slowly, without stopping or running, as you throw off the people in cars who are trying to avoid you. When you stop in the middle of the street, don't expect cars are going to stop for you. In the first week I was here, I definitely stopped in the middle of the street and stood there for like 45 seconds as cars on both sides from me (I could probably touch them if I moved my arms out just a bit) drove past me at 30 mph, it was scary as hell ! The cardinal rule: NEVER start going, then turn back---basically assures sudden death and mutilation by another car who assumed you'd be out of there like any good Egyptian pedestrian.
My flatmate Colin posted a video of crossing a street in Cairo on YouTube, check it out for real-life footage woohoo!
Saturday, June 23
Mt. Sinai
Just got back from climbing Mount Sinai, definitely one of the most intense and amazing experiences in my entire life. Before I went I was sort of hesitant and tired to do such a long hike so late at night, thinking that climbing this mountain would be like climbing any other mountain. For some reason, not easily explainable, it was completely unlike any hike I've ever done and a hundred times worth it. This post is going to be pretty long, but it's gonna be awesome so keep reading!
After celebrating Olivia's birthday at dinner in this cafe in Dahab (like all cafes in Dahab you just sit on the floor its awesome!), we left for Mt. Sinai from our hotel at midnight. We got there at 1:30 AM, and I had a funny experience on the way at the checkpoints. Since the Luxor and Dahab terrorist bombings in 2005-2006, there is an intense police presence in the Sinai, so on the way to Mt. Sinai we were stopped like 4 times (in the middle of the night!) at checkpoints where police and troops checked peoples' passports. The really interesting and weird thing is that no one cares about foreigners--they are just waved in--the cops are on the lookout for locals, and basically views any Egyptians coming to these "touristy" places with suspicion (reverse of the American experience, where the foreigner is viewed as a threat). Anyways, whenever we got to these checkpoints the driver was like "I have 3 Americans, a British and a Canadian" and the cops wouldn't check our passports. But at 2 of the checkpoints, the police guy outside the van started pointing at me and talking to the driver, calling me "Masri" or Egyptian, and they had a long discussion. It was really funny, and the driver kept laughing, because at every checkpoint they thought I was Egyptian and at first hassled us. At the final checkpoint, the driver actually made joked with the cop (in Arabic), saying something like "this is our American friend who pretends to be Egyptian".
We reached the foot of Mt. Sinai, where there is located the oldest Christian monastery in the world, St. Catherine's, from like 331 AD. Everyone is required to have a Bedouin guide, so this super chill dude named Jamal came with us five and we began the climb of Mt. Sinai at 2 AM!!! There are two ways to get up the mountain: we, like everyone else who does the night climb, took the longer but less steep route, i.e. the camel trail. This area of the world is desolately beautiful and awe-inspiring--there is no vegetation, just forbidding rock and granite on all sides of you, and the sky is completely clear, as you can see thousands of stars and even the arm of the milky way. Climbing the trail at night, looking up the mountain and seeing the snaking trail of twinkling lights that were people's flashlights, was an extremely surreal experience.
Probably the most surreal, and almost creepy, part of the climb was near the beginning, where we were walking the trail through the valley which is dotted heavily with large rocks and boulders. We were walking on this trail when it got narrowed, and there seemed to be more rocks around. However, when you started to focus, you realized that many of the rocks weren't rocks at all, but camels sitting down! It was really weird, we were walking through this desolate area surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of camels sitting in the darkness, illuminated only by starlight, who were staring at us while we walked. Adding to the weirdness were that there were all these Bedouin guys sitting on the edge of the trails who you could only see by the light of their cigarettes, who quietly said "you want camel, nice camel ride" when you walked by. It was out of this world...the camel situation also became a hassle as we were climbing higher up the trail, where it became quite steep (and where my oh so fit body began to feel hella tired). Since a lot of people try taking camels to near the top, which makes you just as sore if not more than walking, they would continuously be passing us. However, when the trail was really narrow, these camels didn't care if they were knocking into you, and it sometimes felt as though the camel would push us off the path and the mountain.
Another really cool thing about the ascent were these tiny "teahouses" run by Bedouins that were located about every half-hour or 45 minutes on the trail, although near the top there were a lot more. These tiny huts, made of rock and straw roofs, had one room full of wool blankets where people could rest, and they also sold water and snacks at ridiculously expensive prices. The coolest thing about these teahouses was that while most of the climb (except for the top) you weren't really near the other groups going up, at these teahouses were large crowds of people just mingling and talking at like 3 or 4 in the morning! It felt like those stories of Kathmandu in the 60's, where hippies, backpackers and travelers would meet in these traveler lodges randomly scattered throughout the mountains. Right near the summit of Mt. Sinai, these teahouses also rented mattresses and blankets so you could rest before the sunrise.
The camel trail ended before the summit; we had to climb 700 steps etched into the highest parts of the mountain to reach the top. These steps were really difficult, especially as it was nearing 5 AM! We finally reached the top while it was still dark, and where an ancient church had been erected. Lots of people were up there, and me and 2 of my friends (Alex and Anna) climbed up on this rock that basically hung over the cliffside of Mt. Sinai (about a 2000 foot drop) because it was the highest point and would have the best view of the sunrise. The summit was really awesome, because there were hundreds of people lying down on these rocks waiting for sunrise, and there were a couple very adventurous people who were walking around and climbing up some crazy rocks that were precipitously dangling over the edge.
Our main goal for the trip was to see the sunrise at the summit of Mt. Sinai, and it truly exceeded my expectations. It was seriously one of the most beautiful images I have ever seen. Everyone was so excited when the disc of the sun became visible, and it illuminated the entire mountain and valley in an amazing way. It is easy to see how Moses, or anyone following him for pilgrimage or just visiting, could be moved to holy wonder in this place. I felt like the whole experience was a mix of contradictions: we were extremely tired, but energized for the sunrise; the mountain was devoid of life, but yet so beautiful; there were crowds of people at the top, but pure silence. Basically an experiences that is completely impossible to put into words.
On our way down we took the alternate route, called the Steps of Repentance! This path, comprising of 3,700 steps, was created by one monk as a lifetime penance centuries ago. It was a really beautiful and dramatic descent from the summit, and also quite a bit faster than the camel trail. Apparently some people climb the mountain using this route, which seems to me as ridiculously difficult and terrible for your knees. We finally got down the mountain around 8 AM, which was so disorienting because I had been awake at this point since 10 AM the day before (except for a two hour nap yesterday afternoon). Finally got back to the hotel around 11 AM, and I slept till about 4:30 and now feel great.
Sorry for the incredible length of the post, but I wanted to share with my family and friends this amazing and never-forgettable experience. I really urge anyone who is going to be in this area of the world (and doesn't have knee problems!) to climb Mt. Sinai...it is, in the words of a famous man, "a narniatingly awesome death start domination" experience.
After celebrating Olivia's birthday at dinner in this cafe in Dahab (like all cafes in Dahab you just sit on the floor its awesome!), we left for Mt. Sinai from our hotel at midnight. We got there at 1:30 AM, and I had a funny experience on the way at the checkpoints. Since the Luxor and Dahab terrorist bombings in 2005-2006, there is an intense police presence in the Sinai, so on the way to Mt. Sinai we were stopped like 4 times (in the middle of the night!) at checkpoints where police and troops checked peoples' passports. The really interesting and weird thing is that no one cares about foreigners--they are just waved in--the cops are on the lookout for locals, and basically views any Egyptians coming to these "touristy" places with suspicion (reverse of the American experience, where the foreigner is viewed as a threat). Anyways, whenever we got to these checkpoints the driver was like "I have 3 Americans, a British and a Canadian" and the cops wouldn't check our passports. But at 2 of the checkpoints, the police guy outside the van started pointing at me and talking to the driver, calling me "Masri" or Egyptian, and they had a long discussion. It was really funny, and the driver kept laughing, because at every checkpoint they thought I was Egyptian and at first hassled us. At the final checkpoint, the driver actually made joked with the cop (in Arabic), saying something like "this is our American friend who pretends to be Egyptian".
We reached the foot of Mt. Sinai, where there is located the oldest Christian monastery in the world, St. Catherine's, from like 331 AD. Everyone is required to have a Bedouin guide, so this super chill dude named Jamal came with us five and we began the climb of Mt. Sinai at 2 AM!!! There are two ways to get up the mountain: we, like everyone else who does the night climb, took the longer but less steep route, i.e. the camel trail. This area of the world is desolately beautiful and awe-inspiring--there is no vegetation, just forbidding rock and granite on all sides of you, and the sky is completely clear, as you can see thousands of stars and even the arm of the milky way. Climbing the trail at night, looking up the mountain and seeing the snaking trail of twinkling lights that were people's flashlights, was an extremely surreal experience.
Probably the most surreal, and almost creepy, part of the climb was near the beginning, where we were walking the trail through the valley which is dotted heavily with large rocks and boulders. We were walking on this trail when it got narrowed, and there seemed to be more rocks around. However, when you started to focus, you realized that many of the rocks weren't rocks at all, but camels sitting down! It was really weird, we were walking through this desolate area surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of camels sitting in the darkness, illuminated only by starlight, who were staring at us while we walked. Adding to the weirdness were that there were all these Bedouin guys sitting on the edge of the trails who you could only see by the light of their cigarettes, who quietly said "you want camel, nice camel ride" when you walked by. It was out of this world...the camel situation also became a hassle as we were climbing higher up the trail, where it became quite steep (and where my oh so fit body began to feel hella tired). Since a lot of people try taking camels to near the top, which makes you just as sore if not more than walking, they would continuously be passing us. However, when the trail was really narrow, these camels didn't care if they were knocking into you, and it sometimes felt as though the camel would push us off the path and the mountain.
Another really cool thing about the ascent were these tiny "teahouses" run by Bedouins that were located about every half-hour or 45 minutes on the trail, although near the top there were a lot more. These tiny huts, made of rock and straw roofs, had one room full of wool blankets where people could rest, and they also sold water and snacks at ridiculously expensive prices. The coolest thing about these teahouses was that while most of the climb (except for the top) you weren't really near the other groups going up, at these teahouses were large crowds of people just mingling and talking at like 3 or 4 in the morning! It felt like those stories of Kathmandu in the 60's, where hippies, backpackers and travelers would meet in these traveler lodges randomly scattered throughout the mountains. Right near the summit of Mt. Sinai, these teahouses also rented mattresses and blankets so you could rest before the sunrise.
The camel trail ended before the summit; we had to climb 700 steps etched into the highest parts of the mountain to reach the top. These steps were really difficult, especially as it was nearing 5 AM! We finally reached the top while it was still dark, and where an ancient church had been erected. Lots of people were up there, and me and 2 of my friends (Alex and Anna) climbed up on this rock that basically hung over the cliffside of Mt. Sinai (about a 2000 foot drop) because it was the highest point and would have the best view of the sunrise. The summit was really awesome, because there were hundreds of people lying down on these rocks waiting for sunrise, and there were a couple very adventurous people who were walking around and climbing up some crazy rocks that were precipitously dangling over the edge.
Our main goal for the trip was to see the sunrise at the summit of Mt. Sinai, and it truly exceeded my expectations. It was seriously one of the most beautiful images I have ever seen. Everyone was so excited when the disc of the sun became visible, and it illuminated the entire mountain and valley in an amazing way. It is easy to see how Moses, or anyone following him for pilgrimage or just visiting, could be moved to holy wonder in this place. I felt like the whole experience was a mix of contradictions: we were extremely tired, but energized for the sunrise; the mountain was devoid of life, but yet so beautiful; there were crowds of people at the top, but pure silence. Basically an experiences that is completely impossible to put into words.
On our way down we took the alternate route, called the Steps of Repentance! This path, comprising of 3,700 steps, was created by one monk as a lifetime penance centuries ago. It was a really beautiful and dramatic descent from the summit, and also quite a bit faster than the camel trail. Apparently some people climb the mountain using this route, which seems to me as ridiculously difficult and terrible for your knees. We finally got down the mountain around 8 AM, which was so disorienting because I had been awake at this point since 10 AM the day before (except for a two hour nap yesterday afternoon). Finally got back to the hotel around 11 AM, and I slept till about 4:30 and now feel great.
Sorry for the incredible length of the post, but I wanted to share with my family and friends this amazing and never-forgettable experience. I really urge anyone who is going to be in this area of the world (and doesn't have knee problems!) to climb Mt. Sinai...it is, in the words of a famous man, "a narniatingly awesome death start domination" experience.
Monday, June 18
Plumbing Problems
I just had a fun and interesting experience with the bowwab that also lets me talk a bit about the housing setup here. The bowwab, or guard/doorman, is a dude (well in our apartment there are 2) who is provided free housing by the landlord of a building or house in exchange for spending most of his time at the entrance of the building. I guess an official part of the job is to guard the building, but our bowwabs are like 70 year old men so I dunno about that. Their main role is basically to be the person who you go to when you need someone to fix something in your apartment, or you need to buy something hard to find --- you ask them, and they'll do it for you or find someone else who can. Basically a chokidar in India. They are also the "eyes" of the landlord. We are lucky to live in a building with a very liberal landlord who leaves us to live independently, but I have heard of some people who have landlords that get the bowwabs to check in on the tenants and make sure they don't violate any of the landlord's rules, which in some cases can be very strict (no noise, no visitors/guests of the opposite sex, no alcohol, etc.).
Anyways, we've been having a leak in the downstairs bathroom that has been spilling through the wall onto the floor of my flatmate Sandra's bedroom. A plumber was supposed to come today, but he never showed up. Apparently, the water started to leak down through the ceiling of the apartment below us, and when I was at class today the tenant downstairs came and complained. Just half an hour ago, the bowwab came up to our room (I was taking a nap) and started scolding Sandra in Arabic. She doesn't really understand Arabic well, and Rob (our resident Arabic specialist) was out, so she called me to come down and talk to him. My spoken Arabic is not very good but after him getting angry at me for a bit and also completely forgetting the word "fix", I think I was able to tell him that we called a plumber and to come back later and talk to Rob...I also definitely won't ever forget "fix" again, sallah. (Spoken Arabic is very different from country to country and also is really different from the written Arabic we learn at school. So the stuff I've been studying at Harvard has helped me read newspapers, but barely helps me at all when I need to talk to regular people).
Ok, have been planning to post some thoughts on my trip to Alexandria over the last weekend, but haven't been able to load the pictures right. Hopefully I'll get to put it up soon.
Peace from the Middle East...
Anyways, we've been having a leak in the downstairs bathroom that has been spilling through the wall onto the floor of my flatmate Sandra's bedroom. A plumber was supposed to come today, but he never showed up. Apparently, the water started to leak down through the ceiling of the apartment below us, and when I was at class today the tenant downstairs came and complained. Just half an hour ago, the bowwab came up to our room (I was taking a nap) and started scolding Sandra in Arabic. She doesn't really understand Arabic well, and Rob (our resident Arabic specialist) was out, so she called me to come down and talk to him. My spoken Arabic is not very good but after him getting angry at me for a bit and also completely forgetting the word "fix", I think I was able to tell him that we called a plumber and to come back later and talk to Rob...I also definitely won't ever forget "fix" again, sallah. (Spoken Arabic is very different from country to country and also is really different from the written Arabic we learn at school. So the stuff I've been studying at Harvard has helped me read newspapers, but barely helps me at all when I need to talk to regular people).
Ok, have been planning to post some thoughts on my trip to Alexandria over the last weekend, but haven't been able to load the pictures right. Hopefully I'll get to put it up soon.
Peace from the Middle East...
Monday, June 11
Food update
So here's a quick Egyptian food update: Just tried last night this Egyptian street food called kushary. It's a dish people eat in a hurry, a bowl of macaroni, lentils, rice, fried onions and tomato sauce. It sounds really random, and it basically is...the best thing though is that it is topped with this spicy chili oil which is amazing (and causes mad heartburn). It was pretty good, though I don't really see how some people are obsessed with it.
Today for lunch I had an AMAZING dish at this small hole-in-the-wall restaurant by AUC. It's called fatir (picture below) and it's essentially a flaky, pastry pancake stuffed with different things. I had one stuffed with veggies and gebna baidh (a cheese similar to feta) while my friend Alex had one with egg and fried onions. SOO good, and there are others like stuffed with mincemeat and also dessert fatir. By the way, the vegetables are hella better here (like in India)---they are a lot smaller and less perfect looking, but have ridiculously better taste. Also, the variety of fruit is crazy: every street corner has a fresh juice stand making juice from fresh apricots, peaches, mangoes, oranges, pomegranates, strawberries, lemons, etc. So refreshing and narniatingly good...
Today for lunch I had an AMAZING dish at this small hole-in-the-wall restaurant by AUC. It's called fatir (picture below) and it's essentially a flaky, pastry pancake stuffed with different things. I had one stuffed with veggies and gebna baidh (a cheese similar to feta) while my friend Alex had one with egg and fried onions. SOO good, and there are others like stuffed with mincemeat and also dessert fatir. By the way, the vegetables are hella better here (like in India)---they are a lot smaller and less perfect looking, but have ridiculously better taste. Also, the variety of fruit is crazy: every street corner has a fresh juice stand making juice from fresh apricots, peaches, mangoes, oranges, pomegranates, strawberries, lemons, etc. So refreshing and narniatingly good...
.
el Maadi
yo homeslices, how it be?
yesterday I went to this woman's house named Ginny (who is a teacher at the American high school here). My connection to her is soo random...basically she is an extremely close friend of my second grade teacher, Ms. Anthony, and one day last week my mom was talking to Ms. A and she told me to get in touch with Ginny. Anyways, I went on the metro to her house, which is in the Cairo suburb of El-Maadi. It's such an interesting place, as its basically a suburb where all the expatriates (especially American, British and Australian) live who work in Cairo. The place is so different from Cairo proper - quiet, clean, everything in English and ridiculous amounts of American chains, i.e. Baskin Robbins, TGI Friday's, Chili's, RadioShack. Not really a place where I'd want to go this summer much haha....
Dinner was pretty nice at her house though, and her daughter (who just graduated from the American high school) and a lot of her friends were there. I went with these guys to this cafe/sheesha place called Bander after dinner and hung out a bit. It was soo funny hanging out with all these kids who had just graduated, I felt like I was at a high school back home, could barely tell you were in Cairo. They were all making fun of me since they knew all the new music on the radio even though they were in Egypt (I obviously had no idea what they were talking about!). Also, it was really crazy to me that most of them barely knew any Arabic, like a lot less than me, even though most of them had been here for like 4 years at least. Anyways, it was a fun experience overall, though I don't think I'll be frequenting that area often, as not only is it very American in experience, but also in prices!
yesterday I went to this woman's house named Ginny (who is a teacher at the American high school here). My connection to her is soo random...basically she is an extremely close friend of my second grade teacher, Ms. Anthony, and one day last week my mom was talking to Ms. A and she told me to get in touch with Ginny. Anyways, I went on the metro to her house, which is in the Cairo suburb of El-Maadi. It's such an interesting place, as its basically a suburb where all the expatriates (especially American, British and Australian) live who work in Cairo. The place is so different from Cairo proper - quiet, clean, everything in English and ridiculous amounts of American chains, i.e. Baskin Robbins, TGI Friday's, Chili's, RadioShack. Not really a place where I'd want to go this summer much haha....
Dinner was pretty nice at her house though, and her daughter (who just graduated from the American high school) and a lot of her friends were there. I went with these guys to this cafe/sheesha place called Bander after dinner and hung out a bit. It was soo funny hanging out with all these kids who had just graduated, I felt like I was at a high school back home, could barely tell you were in Cairo. They were all making fun of me since they knew all the new music on the radio even though they were in Egypt (I obviously had no idea what they were talking about!). Also, it was really crazy to me that most of them barely knew any Arabic, like a lot less than me, even though most of them had been here for like 4 years at least. Anyways, it was a fun experience overall, though I don't think I'll be frequenting that area often, as not only is it very American in experience, but also in prices!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
