"Now I know how Mexicans feel." -Senna

Everything is packed, I am exhausted, and I have a lot to tell you. I actually don't remember where to start with this conversation, but until Thursday evening my life consisted of papers, studying, and more creative writing. Luckily everything got turned in on time, and I am officially a senior. I feel like everyone's facebook status is so excited to be a senior, but I'm a little terrified. I love college, and I have no idea what I want to do with my life yet, so I need time to go a little bit slower from now on.

After all my work was turned in, we went to see the opera Aida. I was so excited to see the opera written for the Cairo Opera House, in the Cairo Opera House, but I should have known that this would be an opera Egyptian style. The main character is supposed to be a slave girl/love interest of the commander of the ancient Egyptian army. She had a beautiful voice, but she was a very large girl, and I hate to admit it, but I feel like that distracted from the plot of the story. The male star was not a star at all! LOL! Sadly his voice wasn't really up to professional quality. But the best part was how bad the dancers were. You didn't even have to be familiar to dancing to recognize how off their timing was or how noticeable different leg heights were. I mean, I guess overall it was a good experience, but I think it might be better to see an opera somewhere other than Egypt.

Friday I slept in, stayed in bed doing nothing most of the day, then went into the city at night. We went to this restaurant called Abu Tarek...5 stories of the best koshery in Cairo. I love me some good koshery, so I thought it was very appropriate for one of my last meals in Cairo. Then we wandered the streets and I bought a carry-on sized suitcase...Joguar. It is a good little knock off. We also explored this market that obviously caters to Egyptians only. It was really fun. I bought some cute shoes for 15 le...less than $3. AWESOME! I love shoes.

Saturday was a whirlwind of a day. I have pictures, but I'm going to wait for the speed of American internet before I upload them...being anticipating awesomeness. We started the morning by visiting Garbage City and the Cave Church. The area was devastatingly poor, but the churches there were gorgeous. Maybe next post I will tell you more about the area and show you the pictures. Our cab driver was a Christian and stayed with us marveling the sights as much as we were. It was a great experience. We then left to explore some mosques in Islamic Cairo. I saw some rough neigborhoods, but I had the BEST banana ever! We finished with dinner out. It was an eventful and exhausting day.

Today I spent the majority of my day frustrated with the tedious bureaucracy/lack of organization here, but I'm not going to dwell on it because I am loving Egypt right now. After we packed and checked out, Mika and I went and ate dinner at the restaurant we ate at on our first night here. It was fun. Then we went to a friends apartment to hang out and eat watermelon. It was nice to have everyone around to see them before I leave.

When I think about coming home I am super excited, but when I think about leaving Egypt, I am really sad. Regardless, I will be home around midnight between Mon. and Tues. See you all soon. Happy Sunday!

"It is a fact, fat people look older." -Carrie

Moral of the story, in Cairo, we have lost our tact. Whatever comes to our minds, comes out our mouths...mostly because no one understands us. We were in a cab on Thursday night, just jabbering away like we always do. I'm sure our conversation was far from important, but we tend to talk about whatever we want in a cab because no one understands us. When I handed the cabbie our money, he said, in the best English accent I've heard from an Egyptian in Cairo, "Thanks, you have a good evening." I'm sure I had the same look on my face that Egyptians have on their face when the little white girl in front of them opens her mouth and speaks Arabic. It was funny.

So I know it has been almost a week since I last gave you a glimpse of my life, but I have been overwhelmed by finals. I still have a 10pg. paper due on Tues. and 2 Arabic finals on Wed., but then I am pretty much finished. I have from Thurs. until Sun. to edit all of my writing pieces for my final portfolio. The unfortunate thing is I have 2 10 pg. stories, 10 poems, and 5 other short pieces. At least it is work I enjoy.

Let's see, what interesting has happened to me since I last updated you. Well first I thought I should tell you about the article that appeared in the student publication called "I Hate to Love America." On an university whose brand new campus got embarrassing amounts of money from the US government, I was angry about how students here perceive us. The most infuriating thing is the students here treat the Americans as a ticking of a clock. It is always there, but no one really notices that they exist. I got hit in the face by a girl's notebook because she swung it at me, not noticing I was standing there, or worse...she did. Whatever, I will attach the link to the title. Check out page 3.

Next, I was sitting on the step on campus and I took a drink of my water. A random Egyptian came up and asked me for a drink of my water...I didn't know who he was. He says, "Oh, you are grossed out aren't you?" YEAH I'M GROSSED OUT! DUH! I have never seen you before in my life, I am not about to share your germs when there is a place to buy water right there.

Thursday night, Mika, Carrie, and I all went to the symphony orchestra concert in the Cairo Opera house that was opened for the inauguration of the Suez Canal. The concert was fabulous, but the best part about it was that we found out, starting on this Thurs., they are going to be having a performance of Aida. Aida is a very popular opera that was written especially for the Cairo opera house. We are so excited. I just wish I had fancier clothes here...small problem.

Pretty much other than that, I have studied, read, studied, wrote papers, studied...well, you get the picture. 9 more days and I will be comfortably back in the US. I'm very excited. Of course, I am sad to leave, but I just need to be home right now. I will be seeing you all soon. Happy Saturday!

HIP HIP HOORAY FOR MOMMIES!

Happy Mommies' Day! I'm going to stop apologizing for neglecting you, because I obviously don't mean it enough to stop doing it. I think I have found the heart of the reason why I have not been writing on my blog so frequently...Life here has become normal! Which is great, but also a little scary at the same time.

Yesterday I worked, and worked, and worked. Now on a normal marathon study day, I would find any excuse to procrastinate...I tell you, my room is never cleaner than when I have a paper to write. Anyways, yesterday I was working, but I didn't want to. I thought to myself, "I should write on my blog. I'm sure it has been too long." The problem was, I didn't have anything to write. Honestly, nothing of interest happened to me. I don't know how to tell you this, but the craziness of Cairo has suddenly become a little boring.

For example, I opened the door to my room and a huge cockroachy, beetle, some kind of nasty bug thing flew into my room. This resulted in me having to chase it around, swatting at it with my shoe until it was dead...felt normal. I just got "clean" sheets on my bed that look like they have a serious coffee stain (at least I hope it is coffee)...feels normal. There was a girl today in my class that was late for her own paper critique...normal.

I don't know if I can explain to you why this being normal is a little scary. You see, if I am used to all the weirdness here, chances are I have changed more than I have realized. Problem is, none of you have been here to experience this change with me. What if I come home a completely different person? What if the culture shock of heading back to the states is more than I can handle? What if I have become Egyptian, and it isn't acceptable in the States. I don't think anyone in the States finds it appropriate to be 15 min. late for class, or to wash your hands without using soap, or to push your way into "line" just to get food, or to yell to get what you want, because you won't get it any other way.

Maybe I am just being silly, but as the days I have left in Egypt dwindle, I get more excited and more nervous about coming home. I miss you all. Happy Sunday!

"We are in the teens now...19 days." -Mika

I'm so sorry for neglecting you the past couple of days, but since I last wrote to you I have had TONS to do. I have taken a huge Arabic exam, prepared a 15 min. presentation that we didn't even have time for me to give (ugh), written a 10 pg. short-story, and did 7 exercises for my Arabic class. The work is a little overwhelming right now, but I'm hoping I can get a lot done this weekend. My week is pretty calm now, so I'm already considering it my weekend.

Nothing really has happened in three days anyways, besides me losing lots of sleep. Until last night that is. I went to bed really early, and my mom called me at like 10, but I was already sleeping. Sorry, Mom. I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished this weekend, but in a relaxing way. Being so stressed with so much work really makes me hate being here. I don't want to end on such a bad note, because I have really enjoyed my time here, but I have been away from home too long. With all the work and all the things I miss from home, I'm afraid that my final impressions of Egypt will affect my overall outlook on the experience.

One good thing did happen yesterday. In my creative writing class, we had to present our latest poems to the class, and everyone really liked mine. It is pretty unusual, because I'm really bad at writing poetry, so that made me pretty happy. I chose to be the first to get their final short-story critiqued, so the whole class is reading my story and critiquing me tomorrow...I'm pretty nervous. We will see.

I'm pretty sure that is all the news I have. I think this Friday Mika and I are going to Garbage City and the Cave Church here in Cairo, so that should be fun and I will have cool pictures for you. Until then my life will be pretty boring, but I will try to keep you updated. Have wonderful Wednesdays.

"Life's not fair...Get over it!" -Dear ol' Daddy

Throughout my life, my dad has used many phrases, anecdotes, and downright crazy sayings to get his point across, but the one he uses the most is, "Life's not fair...Get over it." I think it is pretty appropriate for how I'm feeling today. It's not fair that I have to miss my dad's and my boyfriend's birthday today. It is not fair that my dad has to work, or Justin has to study for finals on their birthdays. It is not fair that I have to miss Mother's Day, and it isn't fair that I will miss my sister's graduation. But I guess that is what happens when you decide to go gallivanting around in foreign countries.

It isn't fair that I am in this amazing country, but all I can think about is how much I miss home and am ready to leave. It is not fair that I spent the first part of the semester just relaxing, doing pretty much nothing work wise, but now I'm TOTALLY swamped. Before I had lots of Arabic, but I was able to focus on it. Focusing on Arabic was why I came here. Now I have an Arabic test tomorrow, but I also have a presentation for a class and a 10 pg. short-story due on Tues. I am feeling the Duke syndrome of having too much to do, you know you can't do a great job on any of it. I'm just hoping I can do enough to suffice. Sigh...3 more weeks.

Yesterday was really fun. I went on a field trip to a part of Cairo that is not open to tourists yet because it is still being remodeled, but our professor was able to get us a special permit. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, and I am still kicking myself for that. I'm sorry that I can't share my mental pictures with you. I hope you will forgive me. Last night we went on a faluka, because it was windy, and we were actually able to sail. The captain sang me a Nubian love song, and we met a Mexican who is now living in Paris, but he was visiting Cairo. It made me realize just how small of a world it really is. I asked him how Cairo compared to Mexico City. He told me about the same except Cairo has much more chaos. LOL! I hope that can give some of you a perspective of just how insane Cairo can be.

I need to get back to work, but I hope you all have great days. Happy Sunday! Happy Birthday Dad and Justin!

"Remember that time I rode a caterpillar?" -Carrie

Last night we got back to campus, and there was a child's roller coaster/train thing that looked like a caterpillar. Apparently today is homecoming here, and no one told me. I never know what is going on here. I don't know if I'm not on a listserv that I should be, or if I'm not putting myself out there. I feel like I always find out about stuff after the fact. Oh well...25 more days.

Last night we went to see a movie. We watched Crossing Over with Harrison Ford and Ashley Judd. If you haven't seen it, it is about illegal immigration and how hard it is to become an American citizen. I thought it was fabulous. I highly recommend it, if you haven't already seen it.

The film really made me think about how much I take my US citizenship for granted. To watch how hard other people work to become an American citizen, and to see how much it means to them, I feel really blessed. Even outside of the US, I recognize how much more respect you can gain with a US passport versus one from somewhere else. In Egypt, if you are from the US and you are walking into a place with security, they will use the wands on the Egyptians and wave you right through. Even when I am embarrassed by how the US government is viewed elsewhere, I know that it is the best country to be a part of. Now I can't wait to come home. Even though I know I will miss Egypt...I can't wait to come home.

Happy Friday.

"What would you do in their shoes...I think I would be a suicide bomber." -guy in Palestine Lit.

Sorry for neglecting you. School is running my life. My friend who goes to UPenn said yesterday, "When did AUC get like school in the states?"

Today in my Palestine in Literature class we watched a film about suicide bombing called Paradise Now, which sparked some interesting discussion. First you need to know a little bit about the film. It wasn't a documentary of crazy men in turbans reciting the Qur'an, but a film about 2 Palestinian friends who have a mission to bomb a bus of Israeli soldiers. One of them falls in love with a daughter of a suicide bomber, who is completely against this form of resistance. While the film obviously criticizes the actions of the Israeli occupation, it also calls on Palestinians to question the effectiveness and justifications of suicide bombing as a form of resistance. Overall, I thought it was a fabulous film, giving insight into both sides of suicide bombing and understanding its existence but continuing to condemn them.

Anyways, so back to my story. We were discussing, after the film, how the movie gave airtime to both opinions on suicide bombing, and the difference between understanding and condoning these actions. That is precisely when a guy in our class posed the question. First of all, you don't ask people if they would be suicide bombers. Then he shockingly admitted to probably resorting to suicide bombing. Second of all, you never say out loud that you would be a suicide bomber. Then, to top it all off, he ASKED OUR PROFESSOR! Thirdly, you certainly don't ask a college professor if they would be a suicide bomber. She was speechless.

Well, that is really the only exciting thing that has happened in my life today. Just school, homework, and the like. Fun, fun. I guess end of the semester is difficult everywhere, or maybe it is just getting to be a little bit more like Duke. Anyways, I apologize again for neglecting you, but I promise I will always update when something worth writing about happens. I miss you all. Less than 4 weeks. Happy Tuesday!

"Thank the Easter bunny, BAK BAK!" -Mom

Thanks "Easter Bunny" for the wonderful candy. It actually made it to Egypt w/o even getting very smashed. Maybe just a little, but it is still completely delicious. I'm glad I got it today, because the time here in Egypt is continuing to be a struggle. So, apparently AUC decided to change its wireless network w/o informing anyone. Now we have to use the Student network. Doesn't seem like a big issue, except that you have to have an AUC email address to access it. Upon arriving to AUC, I was informed that getting an AUC email address wasn't necessary and more trouble than it was worth.

Last night, I had to have the internet to do my homework. I searched and searched, but couldn't get service anywhere. Finally I remembered I brought my ether net cord in case the wireless was too slow. I had to finish my homework in the uncomfortable chairs of the computer lab, but at least it got finished. It was really late then, so I didn't get to write on my blog, but hopefully none of you look until the morning. You are probably all getting up for church right about now anyways.

Tomorrow marks 4 weeks left. I can't wait to be home, see all of your smiling faces, go to church, drink milk, get a haircut, and just be comfortable. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Egypt, but as academics get harder, the university makes less sense, and the weather gets hotter, I can't help but want to be home. I miss you all. Happy Sunday!

"When I say Yugo, you say Slavia..." -Mika

"Yugo"...

I am hoping at this point you all yelled, "Slavia." If not, I must say, I don't know if we can be friends anymore. You get bonus points if you did it out loud in a quiet place, e.g. library, or office cubicle. Anyways, Mika and I have decided to help each other study for the foreign service exam. I'm not 100% sure that is what I want to do with my life, but I talked to Justin, and his philosophy is what will it hurt. So, tonight I have studied up on world flags to start with. I have learned a lot by taking online quizzes...who knew I was so unknowledgeable.

I have good news otherwise, I had a good evening in Cairo! Yay! Granted, Mika and I had to go to the very westernized mall to get something for Mika's computer, but it went over without any problems. The buses were on time, the food was good, the people were helpful and not creepy. It was relaxing for once. Definitely what I needed to help me realize how much fun I can actually have here. Hopefully things continue to get better.

Here are some good cultural experiences from tonight. Mika and I just happened to be the only two on the paticular bus we took, the driver was first listening to Um Kalthuum (a famous Egyptian singer), then we listened to the Qur'an, then all of the sudden he started blasting Akon...oh Egypt. Then the guy at the computer store joked about how relaxed/lazy Egyptians are versus how stressed Americans are. It is true, but at least we are productive.

I really think that is all that has happened to me. After getting up late, hearing about Jamese's journeys and a trip to the gym, I have been a lot less than productive, but at least I have had a better day. I hope your days are going well too. Happy Friday, again!

"I have had enough with AUC." -Mika

Let me just tell you right now I have kinda had it up to here (really high) with AUC. I keep trying to make myself realize that my issues right now are with the university, but I can't help but relate it to Cairo, and I have started a countdown for coming home. 31 days as of this morning. I am so sorry for not writing you in so many days. First we didn't have internet, ugh...forgot how much I was addicted to the internet. And then last night I fell asleep, when I woke up the clock said 2 am. I thought I didn't want to get up, so here it is a little late, but finally writing a little about my life.

I really haven't done a whole lot in the past few days except for walk back and forth to all the buildings on campus, getting the run around, and yelling at people in order to get what I need. It really is a long drawn out story, that just gets me angry. In short, nothing worked when I got back and it took me 3 places, yelling at at least one person. I really am afraid that I am going to come back to America really rude. The only way to get things done around here is to yell at someone. It is exhausting.

Another thing, I woke up this morning and lost an hour. No one told me daylight savings time started last night, but luckily my computer knew. I'm just glad that it didn't happen on a school day. I'm sorry this isn't very imformative, but really nothing has happened. I have to go now, because my roommate just got back and is telling me all about her travels. I hope you are all enjoying spring. Happy Friday! Check out more picks. Sorry Jim, none inside the monastery, but beautiful view from outside.

"I hate Egypt, I hate Egypt." -Kelsey

My friend Kelsey once made up a song about hating Egypt when she was frustrated about the way things were handled in the country. I don't really think I hate Egypt, but today it has been really close. I just got back from this amazing vacation in Turkey where the weather was beautiful, the sights were interesting, the scenery was green, and the company was pleasant. Enter Egypt. 1)Man overcharges me 15 LE (really only $3, but it is the principle not the price) 2)Cab driver doesn't have proper credentials, get stopped by cops twice, must take round about way, cab driver expects more money, yells when we don't agree, thrown out of AUC by security guards. 3) ID card that is the only access to my room has deactivated, can't reactivate until tomorrow morning, walk a mi. off campus through the desert to fix the stupid problem, as if 4 classes didn't make my day busy enough 4) bitten by 2 mosquitoes. So that has been my "pleasant" return to Egypt so far. Right now, I hate Egypt, I hate Egypt.

I am very tired because it is very late/early and I have a big day tomorrow. Miss you all. Happy Monday!

"Megan, I think our friendship has hit a whole new level." -Mika

Today I didn't creep out of my comfort zone, I leaped. I went to a Turkish bath (also known as a hamam) today with Mika. It took a lot of guts for me to be completely naked in front of a friend and several strangers...I don't know which was harder. We first thought we couldn't go because we forgot our bathing suits. We were reassured by the lady at our hostel that you only need your birthday suit. She called the place, and a cab picked us up (for free). Cabs in Istanbul are a far cry from cabs in Cairo...there were seatbelts!

When we got there, we were given "un"dressing rooms with clear windows...lol. The doors and walls were pretty much pointless. We were instructed to strip down to nothing and given a towel and shower shoes. As soon as we went to the other room, they literally stole our towels. This is the first time I have been naked in front of anyone outside of my family. My awkward radar hit the roof. Mika and I decided to take the tactic of feigning confidence...I'm sure I failed. I felt a little better when there was this HUGE woman wearing underwear that would have been too little for me.

Too add to the awkward scale, we got loofaed, scrubbed, shampooed, and massaged on our entire body, by half naked women. She was definitely massaging me in places I didn't think would ever be touched by a woman. I must say though, I have never felt cleaner than at this moment. I would do it again. My only relief from awkwardness was Mika was there for support, and we got to watch other women to go first. Mika's lady spanked her to get her to turn over. LOL! In the end the cultural experience was totally worth it. Definitely not for the modest or the faint of heart.

Tomorrow we head back to Cairo. Boring life of studying, but I will have time to post more pics. Hope you all are having great Sundays.

Look, that lady is being followed by a dog parade. -Me

Sorry for not writing yesterday, by the time Mika and I made it back from the cafe with live Turkish pop music it was late and I needed sleep. One thing I love about Turkey is it has cool places to just hang out. There isn't really good places like that in Egypt. This cafe had a live band, which could be in a bar, but there were old men playing backgammon alongside young couples. It was just a really fun atmosphere.

Yesterday Mika and I also finally visited the palace that we tried to twice with Ted. The guidebook said it was kinda pricey, so we decided we were just going to see one area, but when we showed our student ID's, the price dropped from 20 tyl to 2 tyl. It was amazing...I love being a student. It was well worth the trip. How would you like to live in a house with 286 rooms or a 9000 lb. chandelier? It was pretty spectacular. And there were 2 bear rugs that still had the heads and everything. They were gifts from a Russian tsar. They freaked Mika out and totally did not fit the decor.

Today I spent a fun filled day in the sun. Mika and I took a ferry to the Prince's Islands. I had the freshest shrimp ever for lunch. Just shrimp splashed with lemon juice, and it was AMAZING! I had to force feed it to Mika, because she was scared of its rawness. She liked it of course, because it was by far the best I have ever had. While we were eating lunch, I saw this woman being followed by 7 dogs all in a line. I think she was the pied piper. They followed her everywhere, and when she sat down, they all layed in the sun beside her. It was amusing. Touring the islands was fun, and we climbed the steepest hill ever to visit a Greek Orthodox monastery. It was beautiful.

While I have been staying in my hostel, everyone who was here when I got here has left, now I am alone in a room with 5 guys. The good news is they all seem pretty nice, but one of them is very socially awkward. He is traveling alone. He is from London. Mainly he is just odd. He LOVES to talk, and he loves to get in your personal space. The other guys in my room get really awkward around him, trying to avoid him at all costs. One of the guys pretended to be asleep so he would leave him alone, but he just stood beside his bed talking. Interesting. Sometimes I wonder how someone ends up acting like that; why did they never learn how to act around people?

I think that is all I have for now. My camera is locked up in Mika's room, so I can't give you photos yet, but I promise you will get them soon. Miss you all. Happy Saturday!

"My biological clock just stopped dead in its tracks." -Mika

Today (well technically yesterday for me, but you are all asleep and don't know the difference) we went on a military tour of Istanbul...lol. It was really fun. Our day started out with a goal of visiting this palace that we tried to go to on Mon. but it was closed. Guess what...it is also closed on Thursdays. LOL! It was so funny because all of us are usually really good at knowing the times to be places, but all three of us failed to check times in the guidebook. They are open everyday but Mon. and Thurs. Luckily all of us just thought it was funny rather than getting angry. Then for some reason Mika and Ted convinced me to limbo the security rope. I'm getting old...I'm just not as good at this kinda stuff like I used to be.

After we couldn't go to the palace, we discovered a naval museum near our location. The guidebook didn't say super exciting things about it, but the entrance fee for students was only 1 lira, so we decided to waste our time there. It turned out to be so cool. I don't think guidebooks were written for nerdy people like us. We loved it. They had a map on antelope skin from 1450...that is before Columbus. We also learned cool stuff like that the important people of the military here wear yellow shoes. Turns out if we follow our plans for colored uniforms...Mika is the important one with red clothing and yellow shoes.

After that we walked forever, gave up and caught a bus, walked some more, and ended up at the army museum, our second goal of the day. We got to here the military band again, and it was AWESOME! Ted ended up buying their 1.25 CD. The only sad part of the visit was it was swarmed with small children who were out of control. This is of course when Mika decided she no longer thought kids were cute and wanted one. It was pretty crazy. The museum had so many weapons...apparently the biggest collection in the world. Sadly we didn't have time to see them all before the museum closed, but we definitely got our liras worth.

Today Ted had to leave :(. Now Mika and I are going to have to figure out how to use the map on our own...I think we will be ok. We are taking a cruise down the Bosphorus River today to the Black Sea. It should be exciting. I haven't taken many pictures the past couple of days, so hopefully I will have enough after today to post some more. Enjoy your Thursdays!

"Charlie, where is your other angel?" -Restaurant owner

Guys get a lot of attention in Muslim countries when they walk around with multiple women. In Egypt they generally comment on your multiple wives, but today Ted was referred to as Charlie of Charlie's Angels. If I have the same looks as the girls of Charlie's Angels, I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Especially since today I was looking a little rough. The humidity in the air sent my Egypt dry hair into electric type shock...lol.

The day started with us headed in the direction of our destination, only to be stopped by a military band. It was awesome. They played songs that sounded like they were from Aladdin. They were wearing cool costumes too. Mika wanted to be in the red suit, Ted in blue, and me in green of course. The green guys pants were really weird though. It looked like a dirty diaper...lol. The good news, they all had SUPER cool hats.

We went shopping today, which was surprisingly not stressful. While we did get hassled from time to time, it was a far cry from the complete harassment of Khan al-Khalili in Egypt. I am obviously Spanish. Today solidified it. I would say at least 1/3 of the shops started talking to me in Spanish. I really don't think this is an exaggeration. Let me just tell you another tactic that will NEVER work. Telling me I am pretty, even though I'm short. If you want my business, you better at least comment on my beautiful eyes or something. Pointing out my obvious flaws is not helping your case at all.

I also started my quest to learn chess today. We sat in a cafe, drank tea, and I lost to Ted in chess. I may have lost twice, but I learned a lot. I figure if I'm going to claim to be intelligent, I should be able to play nerdy games like chess. Plus I got a really nice chess set...originally for my boyfriend, but it is so cool, he is going to have to share....don't worry, I already let him know. We also went to a spice bazaar. It was really cool, lots of cheese, fish, and spices. I know, weird that they would have spices. We bought some Turkish delights...a little weird if you ask me.

Tomorrow we are going to another palace and a military museum. We are pretty pumped. Then we are going to eat dinner at the place that has the biggest bread ever! I drool over the bread everytime I pass by, yesterday the guy outside caught me and told me if I ate there, I could have some, so we are going tomorrow. Mom, you should be jealous...I will take a picture. Got to get to bed to prepare for tomorrow. Happy Wednesday!

"If you don't watch it Ted, I will stick my foot in your toe hole." -Mika

Poor Ted, his shoes are falling apart. Mika is threatening to rip them to shreds for who knows what reason. I think if must have been one of those had to be there things, but it was really funny at the time. I forgot to tell you some stuff yesterday. Like the time that Mika spilled half of the restaurant's chili flakes all over the table. Or the time that I didn't understand the Turkish man and made a fool out of my self, but Mika and Ted got a good laugh. Anyways, it was fun.

Today we went to the two places I was most excited about. Hagia/Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque. Aya Sofia was by far my favorite place of Istanbul so far. I'm pretty sure nothing else will be able to compare. The most important church of the Byzantine Empire, taken over by the Ottomans and turned into a mosque, then a museum by Ataturk. It was all of my favorite topics rolled into one building. It was a little bit boring on the outside, but the inside was absolutely fabulous.

We also spent a lot of our day sitting in a park watching the corn man sell his corn wares and listening to live music. We saw a man with a silver suit (interesting), a mom feeding her baby w/o a spoon, a small child that crushed a bush by sitting on it, and a cute old couple holding hands. Asian tourists take lots of awkward pictures. European women seem to not be able to dress themselves appropriately for the culture or the age. I have learned a lot today.

Now Ted and I are watching cats fight over trash and then get chased by a dog. It is really fun. but I think I need to sleep. Tomorrow we are going shopping! We learned the numbers in Turkish so we can be cool bargainers. I'm sure I have forgotten lots, but I am sleepy. Happy Tuesday!

"Let's hug and say Ataturk." -Megan

Did you know that in Turkey you could get arrested for saying bad things about Ataturk? Ted and I plan on getting arrested tomorrow...so if you don't here from me, maybe contact the authorities. Just kidding, don't worry. But today I gave Ted a hug and we decided it was probably against Turkish customs. We decided to push our luck and tomorrow we are going to hug and say aloud Ataturk. Unfortunately I just said it aloud while typing it. I'm blaming Ted.

Today has been really fun. Istanbul is beautiful. While I love Cairo, being here has been a great break. The air is refreshingly clean, it is green and flowery, and it rained. We went to Topkapi Palace, Galata Tower, and wandered a tool market in Asia. We saw what sultans wore and other cool things. I have uploaded my pics already, so check out the link. We also had some good food. I think mine was a pita full of cheese, meat, and egg, cooked like a pizza. Interesting, but very tasty. Also Ted and I shared baklava with oatmeal in it. Not what we expected, but "yummy, yummy." Near the Galata Tower, we walked down this super steep hill. A car was parked on it, and I was pretty confident that a ladybug (or as British call it, ladybird) could have caused it to careen down the hill. Also I scary, ancient man accosted Ted on the Metro, and it caused him to trip. It was pretty funny and no one was hurt in the making of this story.

The best idea we had today was after we saw a man with eggs in a basket on a wheelbarrow and a man with bread on his head. Ted and I are to graduate, move to Istanbul, and take up these occupations. Ted wants to be the man with bread on his head, so I have to practice my wheelbarrowing skills. Eggs are fragile (in case you didn't already know), and I'm pretty terrible with a wheelbarrow, especially in speedy, oncoming traffic.

I think that is all for today. Another fun day planned for tomorrow, so get excited for more updates. Happy Monday.

"You need a ticket to check in." -security guard

Did you know that you have to have a ticket to get in the area to get a ticket in the Cairo airport. It is a novel concept. I ordered my ticket online, and I couldn't print it out because it was international. Apparently all they needed was a paper with my name on it, because when I finally handed them the paper from the airline office, they didn't even look at it. I love "security" in Egypt.

But now I'm in TURKEY! And better yet with Mika and TED! Everything here seems clean and organized compared to Cairo. This is the first country I have ever traveled to that I know absolutely nothing in the language. I don't know that I had ever heard Turkish before I was in the airport. It is weird. It makes me feel really lost. I keep wanting to speak to everyone in Arabic. I guess because it is not English, I automatically think of Arabic. Some of the words are similar tho, I learned on the metro.

I was really proud of Mika and I. Without knowing the language, we caught the metro, a trolley, and walked through the streets with our luggage to make it to our hostel. We felt really cool. And we did it for a lot cheaper than a taxi. Although, I so do not understand the money here.

Well, I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, so I'm going to sleep now. Happy American Easter! Happy Eastern Palm Sunday!

"Wow, what beautiful arm." -Man on the street

Men of Cairo will compliment any woman on anything. It is the biggest problem of crime in the city, sexual harassment. There hasn't really been anything done to abate this issue, so the matter grows worse, as the youth now take this as a game and a sign of masculinity. I have grown use to the constant attention, but Mika's boyfriend and friend were here last week, and I realized through them the problem all over again. You get noticed a lot when you are walking around with three blonds. Most times I just think what they say is funny, and ignore them, not giving them the attention they are seeking. But sometimes they are so hilarious, like a man who can compliment a woman on hundreds of things, but told me I had beautiful arms. I'm wondering if he thought he was saying a different word. Who knows?

Not all the men here are so terrible. I was in a cab last night, and I had a great conversation with a cab driver last night in my broken Arabic and his broken English about a holiday coming up here in Egypt. The driver didn't complain that he had to drive out to the middle of nowhere, he didn't insist that I pay more than he agreed to in the beginning, and he even asked if he could smoke in the cab. Sometimes I realize that I'm going to miss Egypt and its crazy experiences and opportunities to practice Arabic.

Tomorrow/today, I leave for Turkey and I'm so pumped. But I need to get some sleep because I fell asleep once while writing this. If it has a lot of errors, I can not be held accountable. Happy Saturday.

"Um is this car I'm sitting on moving?" -Marshall

I have a new great idea for parking issues in US cities. Double park, then leave your car in low gear, so anyone can move it to get their own car out. It "works" in Egypt. One thing I can say about this method, it says a lot about the safety of property here. No body steals the cars, just moves them around if necessary. Much safer than the US or Europe. Egypt has a lot of issues, but robbery really isn't one of them.

Yesterday I went downtown to get and ISIC (International Student ID Card). I should have gotten one before I left, for good discounts. Luckily everywhere in Egypt accepts my AUC card, but not in Turkey. Anyways, this is not the point of my story. Afterwards we were riding the Metro (yes, the Cairo subway is also called the Metro, like D.C.). A man got on as the train was beeping its hurry sounds, and the door shut on his elbow. Luckily it was just his elbow, but it ripped his shirt, and scared me to death. I never want to get eaten by the subway doors. I have now decided that is the scariest thing about the Metro. Also, if you pronounce it with the short e sound, no Arabic speaker will understand you. You must say it MEETROU, because that is how it is spelled in Arabic. LOL!

So I have 3 days until TURKEY! I'm so pumped. I'm a little afraid of the prices there. Maybe it will be a good ease in before I return to the US and everything is so expensive. I am also a little concerned about the conditions in our hostel. Oh well, regardless I will be living there for at least 5 days. Also, it is supposed to rain while I'm there. Looks like Megan needs to buy an umbrella when she gets there...hard to find in Cairo. Well, I have to go catch the bus. More adventures ahead. Happy Thursday!

"Ayewa...Des Moines?" -Senna

GREAT NEWS!!!! I have a place to live for the summer. I'm not going to be homeless. It was a little questionable, touch and go, but now I have a place to live. On top of that, praise God, or as we say in Egypt ahamdallila, it is only going to cost $50 a month to cover utilities. One of Justin's friend's family lives in Fishers and have allowed me to stay in their home as a complete stranger. I sent the mother an e-mail today explaining my situation, etc, but before she had e-mailed her son (justin's friend) a list of rules/expectations. It was very funny to see the difference of tone in e-mails. I think it is going to work out great.

I have so much to catch you up on otherwise...yesterday was another crazy day in Egypt. First I should explain today's title. Ayewa, or pronounce Iowa, means yes in Egyptian. However, I never noticed the entire time I was here until today. When Senna pointed it out, I felt a little dumb. Who knows. There are great things with language I experience here. Would you ever go to the emergency room of a Teaching Hopital...I know I wouldn't. Would you take your gifts to a professional gift raping store? Maybe. I need to stay awake on the bus more often just to read the signs. Did you know there are no alcoholics allowed in the park...but is alcohol? I'm sure my Arabic translations are just hilarious...now I understand why people laugh at me.

So yesterday I went to the Citadel with Mika and her boyfriend and friend that had just arrived in Egypt. Please note I am the only one in the group who has brown hair, and Louis and Carly still had the dazzled American look. We got done exploring and were very hot and tired, so we decided to sit down and drink water before heading to Al-Azzhar park. As we were sitting there, a field trip comes around and we were suddenly bombarded by 20 10-year-old girls. They wanted our pictures, wanted our names, and kept calling Louis, Lisa. It was overwhelming and hilarious at the same time. Maybe they thought we were movie stars. Wonder who they thought I was?

We had a nice evening in the park afterwards though. The city looked spectacular from the hill at night. We got a cab to leave, bargained our price, we got to the longest street of Cairo, and the cabbie pulls over and tells us in Arabic that we just have to walk and this is the street we want. I was polite at first and asked him if he could take us to our final destination (seemed logical). He told me no, he didn't have time, he had to get back to the park. I told him we didn't know where we were, and that we were going to pay him, but he needed to take us to our destination. He refused, and when we didn't pay him full price he started screaming from the taxi. It was so crazy. What kind of taxi doesn't take you where you want to go? Apparently the kind in Egypt.

I think that is all I have for today. I'm linking pictures so check them out! Happy Tuesday

"How do you get red in such a weird spot?" -Jamese

Answer: Miss one spot of sunscreen. The weather has finally turned warm and beautiful. Yesterday Mika and I decided to take advantage of our girl only dorm complex and sunbathe on the roof. It was actually fabulous. There is a certain beauty in sweat actually doing its job rather than dripping off of you along w/the humidity. I was very careful to apply lots of sunscreen, knowing my fair skin can't handle Egyptian sun. However, I missed a spot on the back of my right knee. It is kind of hilarious. There is an inch wide strip about eight inches long with three fingerprints right in the middle of it. Oh dear. I'm just thankful I didn't do something that crazy on my face. Plus, since I can't wear shorts here, no one really sees it. I am really excited about the weather finally being warm, but I am quite afraid that it is going to go from warm to HOT all too quickly. Thursday it was 72, Friday 69, Sat 84, Sun. promises to be 90+. I'm going to be longing for my tanktops and shorts really quickly.

Update, my feet are now turning purple spotted. I don't feel the need to rub them on a tree anymore, so I hope that means they are healing. They look pretty creepy though. I also just realized that it is Palm Sunday in the states, this makes me sad. I love Palm Sunday, walking through the old town of English, following a donkey. I don't even get to celebrate it in a church. It isn't Palm Sunday here until next week, by that time I will be well on my way to Istanbul. I guess the trip will be a good trade off. Hopefully I will spend a lovely Easter in Turkey. Well, I have some serious work to get done. It is crunch time. Have great Sundays.

"We're in Cairo, what isn't a trash can?" -Jeremy

I have seen it everywhere here, piles of trash heaping the curbs and sidewalks, scattered in the street, sitting on windowsills. Pretty much anywhere in Cairo, you could set your trash down and it would be beside other trash, but nowhere near a trash can. Today's quote is actually from a couple weeks ago, referencing Jeremy's response to Andrew seeking a trash can. Even though it is an old quote, I was refreshed of its relevance last night. I was riding a boat on the Nile with a mixed group of people when these two Egyptian guys threw their empty cans into the Nile. I couldn't believe it. No wonder the Nile is so disgusting. I wanted to yell at them, but it wasn't my place. I had never really talked to them before and it is their country. But I was pretty upset.

In other news, I have spent my day doing homework and scratching my feet. I told my parents that I wanted to rip them off and rub them on a tree. Nothing is helping. The benadryl just knocked me out for 4 extra hours of sleep, so now I'm wide awake at 2:30 am. It was really warm today. I think I'm getting a taste of how hot I'm actually going to get while I'm here. Not sure if I'm excited about that. I don't really have a lot to tell you otherwise. I hope you had good Fridays. Enjoy the weekend.

"It's probably a bug." -"doctor" at the health center

My feet are going to fall off. It is bad news, but I'm trying to get used to the idea. Ok, maybe it is me just being over dramatic again, but I have a very interesting rash on both feet. They are very red, very itchy, and very swollen. It is quite uncomfortable and a little disconcerting, so I decided to go to the student health center. Waste of my time. First they tried to tell me I got bit by a bug, unable to explain why it was my entire foot and both feet. They gave me benadryl cream and sent me home. I could have taken care of myself. I just want to know the source of my problem. Sigh. Rashes on my feet in Egypt just don't make me very comfortable.

Other than that there is not much excitement in my life. I signed up for classes at Duke. I had a freak out moment when I couldn't register w/o a permission #, and I was told I didn't have to have one. Even though Duke screwed up another thing, they were quick to remedy it. Now I am signed up for classes, and imagining semesters back at Duke. I really miss Duke, but I don't know if I'm ready for the academic responsibility again. I feel like it is going to be a backwards culture shock to come home. But I really can't wait. I miss you all. Happy Thursday!

"We are going to Turkey." -Mika

I first must apologize for being so sporadic with my posting these days. I have really had a lot of work this week; it is midterm time and everyone is piling it on. Not only have a been busy with schoolwork, but because I have been busy with school work, nothing exciting has happened in my life. About the most exciting thing that happened to me yesterday was a cricket hiding out in my curtains, driving me bonkers while I scrambled to put the finishing touches on my 8 pg. paper. With all this work, Egypt has become less exciting and less like Egypt to me. Mika and I constantly have to remind each other that soon we will have a long break and be in Turkey! Only 10 days, a 10 pg. paper, an oral exam, and lots of patience standing in the way.

I am constantly frustrated by the disorganization of AUC, but always try to remind myself that it is Egypt and I just need to get used to it. But yesterday I was reminded that it isn't just Egypt. I think it must be a university incompetence issue. I have been trying to get my credits from IU to transfer to Duke since early September, but the red tape of Duke has been killing me. When I was preparing to sign up for classes for next fall, I noticed that the paperwork still hadn't been processed. Thanks to my father, we learned that Duke yet again lost my paperwork, but it has been found and promised to be processed by the end of the week. As we say in Egypt, in sha allah, or God willing, or hopefully.

I don't really think I have much else to say. I think I will relax, seeing as the work for this week is pretty much over for me. I'm going to read the Turkey travel book I just got from the library. Enjoy your Wednesdays.

"I'm done with school forever." -Mika

I agree with these sentiments exactly. I think we are getting "SPRING BREAK MUST COME!" blues here at AUC. Two weeks left to go and I think I have worked harder today than I have in a while. I even took an accidental 2 hr. nap. I somehow managed to be super productive today. Good thing because on top of ridiculous Arabic homework, I have a paper due on Tuesday. I was proud of my Arabic accomplishments today. Translate poem from English-Arabic, translate an article on poetry Arabic-English...good times, or something like that.

Other than Arabic, I talked to my family for a long time, so that was good. I got to hear about basketball, prom dresses, and college options. I miss home a lot sometimes. I also decided to hand wash the scarves I bought yesterday because they smelled disgustingly of Cairo. When I got done rinsing them out in the bathroom sink, the sink was black. It was DISGUSTING. I think that is what my lungs will look like before I get home. No wonder that pollution makes me sick all the time. Some things I love about this city, other things I could definitely live without: car horns, verbal harassment, pollution, cats. (Sorry cat lovers, but Egyptian cats are frightening.)

Sorry it is so short, but I have very little to talk about. Update, I turned in my poem, who knows how it was. 2 weeks until Turkey with Ted and Mika :). 2 months until I come home :). That's all...Happy Sunday!

"You look like a constipated ostrich." -Me إ

Moral of the story, don't walk like Mika did tonight, and I won't call you a constipated ostrich. I went souvenir shopping tonight. I was actually fun and not overwhelming. I think I'm becoming an Egyptian. The first night I visited Khan al-Khalili, it was the first week I was here. I was terrified if you want to know the truth, and I got hassled at every booth. Tonight was very different. I am so surprised how I have become accustomed to the culture here. Also a group of 4 white girls, 2 of which have blond hair, somehow made it through without getting mistaken as tourists. My theory is we don't look scared anymore, we know how to ignore, and we aren't afraid to bargain. I got a bag for 30 Egyptian pounds that was originally priced 75 pounds. I got the majority of gifts for people for $40. I was proud. Oh, and I got a silver ring for myself because silver here is cheap.

I also learned tonight that when I don't look like a wide-eyed tourist, I'm Spanish. Now, don't be mistaken, this doesn't mean Hispanic (Justin), it means I'm from Spain. Repeatedly store owners would ask me in Spanish if I was from Spain. Sometimes I like to say yes, just to change it up a bit. Plus it helps me try and revive my Spanish skills. I think the funniest harassment I heard tonight was, "Come look in my store. Don't worry, I am already married, I just want your money." Also some things just don't work well. We kept recognizing how sexual some of their innocent comments sound. "Come in, I will show you my goods." But that is probably just our immaturity seeping through.

I am excited to have gifts for people now. If you are special, I probably have one for you. I hope your Saturdays were equally fun. Have fun Sundays too.

D-U-K-E!

Here we go Devils, Here we go! I'm trying to get pumped up for the game. I will have you know, I am setting my alarm for 3 am, so I can wake up to watch the game on CBS.com. If that is not dedication, I don't really know what is. I thought about painting my face blue, but my professor called me magnuna (crazy), so I realized it is not really appreciated around here. All I know is, if I wake up that early and Duke loses, I will cry. I think they have the decency to win for me, so I'm not worried.

In other news...IT IS THE WEEKEND!!!! At least for me anyways. Sorry for those of you who have to slave away for another day. I'm going to take this weekend easy. I think tonight I may go see a movie. Who knows? I might go shopping, but I don't have any money. I really just need groceries. I think that is what I will do. Then tomorrow is laundry and homework. I think we may go to the cave church this weekend for fun, but that will be on Saturday.

Not much has happened to me today. I had to give a presentation in Egyptian Arabic about a trip to the store. Not that exciting, I bought some eggs and bananas, etc. We also started practicing writing poems in my creative writing class. poetry=0 fun. I loved writing a short story, but I am not a poet. EEK! We have to write one and turn it in on Sunday. Wish me luck.

I don't think I have anything else. It has been a boring day. I hope yours are more exciting. Happy Thursday!

"Don't distract us with boring property, we want to talk about qadi adultery." -Professor Hanna

I first have to apologize for not being consistent about writing on here. I honestly have just been busy the past two evenings talking to my friends at Duke, my mom, and my boyfriend. I have no real excuse other than I am lame. I secondly have to explain to you that a qadi is a judge in the Islamic courts, and today in my marriage and family class we analyzed a case where two were involved in adultery with one woman. Very interesting topic and discussion as you can imagine.

I don't really have any exciting news from the past couple of days except for my creative writing story was actually a hit with my peers. I felt a little proud, I'm not going to lie. It was really fun to read the different stories of my peers because it showed just how different we all are. It is also interesting to see what issues non-native speakers have in writing in English. I must admit, I was really impressed with their skills. I think some of the people in my class should help write the school newspaper here because the people who do don't live up to my classmates, at least from what I can tell. The other day the article was so bad in English, I opted to read it in Arabic. Of course then I had an added sense of accomplishment.

I may not have lots of exciting news, but I do have a couple of stories about the culture here. One hilarious, one that offended me. I think I will tell you what offended me first, so I can end on a happy note. Last night I got out of my late class at 8 pm. By then the campus is pretty deserted and I was walking back to the dorm by myself. A couple was approaching me, and as we passed the man was staring at me. First of all this was weird, not because a man was staring at me, because that happens to any woman on the streets of Cairo, but because it was on campus. On campus the Egyptians for the most part ignore the Americans or a select few treat you like normal students. But back to my story, the man was staring at me. Then he started singing, "I am a terrorist, I eat Americans." Then he growled. It was so strange and infuriating at the same time. I first of all hate that most Americans see Middle Easterners as all being terrorist. Second of all, I hate that this belief has caused a bad stigma for understanding Americans like me who have devoted time to better understand the culture. I really wanted to say, "Well I'm an American and I bomb them." However, I realize this isn't really what I believe in and it was highly inappropriate. Rage does crazy things to your mind.

My funny story is, I went to McDonalds to get a hot fudge sundae, which in Egypt are called a sundae with chocolate and have become my weakness in life. So I'm standing at the counter waiting in "line" and I notice that my cashier's name is Ahmed Ali. I was thinking what a standard Islamic/Arab name. I decided to check out the other name tags. Would you believe all 3 cashiers were named Ahmed. Ahmed Ali, Ahmed Zaki, and Ahmed Mudeer. It was so funny. If you are ever in Egypt, and want a hot fudge sundae on AUC's campus, just ask for Ahmed.

Anyways, I have to get to class now. Almost the weekend. Happy Wednesday!

"What happens if you step on a sea urchin? Will you explode?" -Andrew

Nothing makes me frecklier (who cares if that is really a word) than a walk on a sunny mountain and two days at the beach. You should be proud of me though, I put on plenty of sunscreen. Two consecutive days in the Egyptian sun, and I wasn't a bit red. I'm sure some of my friends wish they could say the same. With the gorgeous sun, mountain, and sea, this weekend was FABULOUS! Check out my pictures linked to the title.

After we finished climbing Mt. Sinai, we visited St. Catherine monastery. St. Catherine is the oldest/longest functioning monastery. It also claims to be the home of the burning bush visited by God as a message to Moses. I don't know how valid this claim is, but that was one large, impressive plant. Next we hopped on a bus, and a 1 1/2 hour bus ride took us to the Red Sea.

Sadly I arrived at the sea severely dehydrated and incapable of enjoying the day. I spent my afternoon drinking lots of water and sleeping. But the next day made up for a lousy afternoon. Did you know that the Red Sea has perfectly clear blue water and the second best coral formations in the world. My friends and I swam about a half a mile out into the sea. When we looked down we saw a scary eel, some cool yellow and black fish, and a beautiful sting ray. It was so neat to see those things so far below us. I was especially glad the eel was far below us.

I definitely want to go back and snorkel. Or maybe I will try to get SCUBA certified. They actually have legit programs here for significantly cheaper than the states. We will see. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the photos. I may have more stories for you tomorrow. Happy Sunday.

"I need 2 camels, one for me and one for my bottle of water." -Senna

I am sorry to report that I do not have time to give you the full summary of my amazing weekend, or time to upload my pictures. I have an Arabic exam at 8:30 in the morning, followed by a peer editing for my 10 page short-story. I promise to have a full recap of my trip tomorrow, accompanied by beautiful scenery. For now I will tell you about the most physically trying thing I have ever done...climb a mountain in 2 hours.

Our bus started an hour late on Wed. night. Actually not surprising because it is Egypt, but it also caused problems for us when we got to Mt. Sinai. You climb Mt. Sinai at night, mainly because the Egyptian sun is too powerful to make climbing comfortable during the day. The 3-4 hour hike begins around 1-1:30 am, and you arrive at the summit at 5-5:30 to experience sunrise atop this biblical peak. Our bus arrived at Mt. Sinai at approx. 3:17. Factor in bathroom pit stop, hiring guide, and gathering group, and the sixteen of us started up the mountain at 3:27.

The "leader" of our group decided it was possible for us to make it up the mountain in order to see the sunrise. Can I just tell you, WE RAN UP THE MOUNTAIN. Now, it wasn't really a run because it is a mountain, but the parts of the trail that were relatively level, I was literally jogging, and upset, and about to pass out really. Only about 3 people in our group were enjoying the idea of booking it up the mountain for sunrise, the other 13 of us struggled to keep up in order to have a guide. Now I am the first to admit, I'm not in the best shape, but I would say I am in the best shape now that I have been since cheerleading. I really thought that I was going to faint at one point.

Once the sun started coming up and I could see the top, I got a second wind, I hurried with the rest to the top...so I thought. Just when you think you can go no higher, you are faced with about a zillion stairs! The stairs about did me in. With below freezing temperature, thin air, and exhausted legs, I think I took about 10 stairs and had to break for the entire rest of the ascent. EXHAUSTING! The only retribution was the spectacular view of sunrise and reveling in the fact that I climbed the mountain faster than most people can boast. On the trip down the mountain, our tour guide told me he has never had a group climb the mountain so fast. He was tired and impressed, so I decided not to feel bad about the fact that I about had to hire a camel to get me to the top. My legs were shaking about 2 hrs. after...lol.

"How much snot can fit in your head at once before it explodes?" -Sarah Alice

I'm sorry to report, nothing exciting has happened in my life today. And along with Sarah Alice and half of the campus, I have a seriously stuffy nose. Of course it is the kinda stuffy that will suddenly change to runny at the most inconvenient/embarrassing times. For example, I'm working out...runny nose. Ordering dinner...runny nose. GROSS! I think it is because of the weather. Fun fact, it was warmer today in Indiana than in Cairo.

I am traveling to more fun places this weekend, so you probably won't hear from me again until Sat. Good new is, I think these pictures might be the best yet. Unfortunately, I have 3 classes, an oral midterm, and a short essay standing between me and 9 pm. tomorrow. I believe that school is overrated. Study abroad isn't about the lessons I learn in the classrooms, it is about the experiences I'm having. I wish I had it in me to not care, but that is so not me.

I'm sorry this is so short, but my life was very boring today and I have a big day tomorrow. Hopefully I will have internet somewhere while I'm gone, but if not, I will talk to you Saturday. Happy Tuesday!

"I would like to offer you a place in Exodus' summer 2009 intern program" -Samantha Briggs from Exodus

YAY! This is what I woke up to this morning. I had an e-mail saying I have been offered the internship I really wanted. This is great news, but... Why is there always a but? Anyways, I can only take this internship if I find a cheap place to live, so please keep it in your prayers. If you know of any options, I will gladly take ideas on top of prayers. I really want to take this opportunity because I think it may help give me an idea about what I want to do with my life.

In other news, I got a package from my family. I LOVE MAIL! Easter candy and a puzzle book was more than enough to get me distracted, fat, and perfectly happy. I got a new supply of my favorite pens, and my dad added his own special gift. He thought since we have had a mouse problem in our dorms, I could use a mouse trap. It was pretty hilarious, because the mouse trap was even declared on the customs tag on the envelope.

Some things in Egypt just don't make sense at all. Today, I had one of those experiences. I tried to call my friend to see where I was supposed to meet her, when I got a recording in Arabic. I was quickly transferred to a man, who was speaking to me in Arabic. Too bad it was Egyptian Arabic, and I had no idea. So, I used my resources. I asked a random girl on campus to help me. Turns out my phone company wanted conformation of who I was. I could understand if I had a contact, but I purchased a phone, I buy minutes, I really have no serious ties to the phone company. They asked my name, my birthday...whatever, fine. Then they wanted my passport number. Are they crazy?! 1) I don't carry my passport around w/me. 2) I will not give out that type of info to a random man on the phone. It was an argument, and I may or may not be able to use the phone again, we will see. Crazy, pointless Egypt. You would think at some point I would stop being surprised.

I'm so excited about March Madness! I have created a bracket named Race for the Camel. You should join it on ESPN.com. The password is Egypt. The winner gets an Egyptian Camel. Happy Monday!

"Here, I will show you." -another well-meaning Egyptian

Well, get really excited! Why you ask. Well duh, you get to read two posts in one day. HAHA! Sometimes I wonder about my own capabilities. I'm sorry my post was absent for so long. I wrote it last night, but I was a failure at actually making it available to my trusty readers. Please accept my deepest apologies.

Today has been pretty good. I am becoming more and more aware of how incapable I am in the Arabic language. I'm actually quite proficient at reading, listening comprehension, and writing, but when it comes to speaking you would think I was a two year old. Who knew I would ever have trouble having things to say. I can't decide if it is because I am bad at speaking, or if I am too self-conscious and nervous. Not to mention, today I was reading an article, and this word kept coming up over and over again. I had no idea what it meant, so I asked one of my Egyptian friends. She told me the meaning, but then she asked me in shock, "Why are you reading something so difficult?" Trust me, I ask myself this everyday. I'm seriously beginning to wonder why I have learned Arabic. I feel like my skills are too good, but not good enough.

Another good story that gives a window into the personality of Egyptians: Today we had to get our cards reactivated, for who knows what reason, but without it, we were locked out. Anyways, we went to the office where we originally activated our cards, only to discover the office had moved. The guy now occupying the office had no idea where we needed to go, so he sent us to Leila. Once we finally found Leila's office, we were met with a receptionist, and he informed us Leila had just stepped out. We told him our issue and he thought for a moment and said follow me. We went on a 2nd wild goose chase out to a silver box beside a door that looked like a doorstop to me. The man swiped our cards, the light flashed red, and he said done. LOL! Egyptians want so badly to be able to help, they will make up any story or actions to get the job "done." The rule when asking directions in Cairo, ask at least 3 people and take the consensus. They will tell you any number of directions, even if they have never heard of the place.

Well, it is time for me to sleep. Good news, the few trees we have are blooming and beautiful! Happy Sunday! GO DUKE!!!!!!!

"You're annoying." -Andrew Tadros

(Author's note: I apologize. I thought I posted this last night, but it turns out I just saved it.)

Can you believe it?! Andrew said I was annoying! Why would anyone say such a thing. Well really, he said it because I was insisting on paying him back the equivalent of $5. This also happened to be at the end of our day long trip in the streets of Cairo exploring architecture and Coptic Cairo, so he was easily annoyed. It was really cool to see Coptic Cairo with a Coptic Christian. He taught me a lot of things about the structure of the church. It is very similar to the Catholic church in many respects. It was neat to hear about fellow Christians nothing like myself.

The coolest thing I learned was about the altars. There were two or three altars in every church we visited. I found out it is because Copts and their altars have to fast before partaking of the elements. If a church has more than one service a day, there has to be more than one altar so each one has "fasted." So many different customs, but we are all following the same God. It is funny how humans can create differences in such unity.

Before we went to Coptic Cairo, we went on his class field trip to various mosques, palace remnants, etc. I liked listening to the teacher's background on the history and looking at the cool sights. I tended to tune out when she started talking about the architecture though. I mean, I don't have to take a test on it or find it particularly interesting. I liked looking at architecture, but i don't feel the need to know about the history of it. I hope you enjoy my pictures from the day. Just click the title. Happy Saturday!

"You know what I'm sayin'" -donkey man

My quote really has nothing to do with my life in Egypt, but it made me laugh when Taniesha was talking about it. I'm sorry I haven't been frequent with my postings, but this week was actually crazy. Luckily I have been able to spend my day doing absolutely nothing. FABULOUS! I promise to make up for it by providing you more pictures of fun explorations tomorrow. I'm headed to Coptic Cairo for the day, so I will surely have some good stories for you.

I haven't been posting, but my life has been surprisingly boring. It has been homework, homework, homework. Yesterday I went to my professor's house again. By the way, I forgot to tell you, but she took the job at UNC...fun. She doesn't know it yet, but I think that means we can't be friends. Anyways, we spent our evening giving presentations and because of them, we spoke about the death penalty, the Palestinian crisis, Jesus, an Iranian painter, and the UN security council. It was an interesting blend of controversial topics. Not really your average over tea kind of conversation.

Really that is all that has happened in my life. Oh, I think you should know, I am writing my next short story for my class on my summer in the factory. My professor is really excited about it. We will see how it goes. Maybe it will be the first chapter (I have written) in my book about my life. Ok, time for bed. More fun stories to come tomorrow. Happy Friday!

"When did study abroad include homework?" -Zach

Can I just tell you that I am exhausted. I am sorry for the absence of posts, but since I have returned from Luxor, I am swamped with a Duke load of work. I have two different Arabic presentations tomorrow, so I'm pretty stressed and am using this short post as a procrastination tool. I figured I should let everyone know how I'm doing before I get concerned e-mails. My friend Zach goes to Princeton, and while a lot of other students have been surprised at the amount of work, other than my one Arabic class, life here has been easy sailing for those of us that go to ridiculous colleges. I don't know if it was the weekend away that knocked me off track or if this is my equivalent of a midterm week, but it's pretty crazy. I suppose I should get back to work. Hopefully I will have some exciting stories for you tomorrow, when it is finally the WEEKEND! Happy Wednesday.

"Hello, baksheesh" -children on the street

I have returned from my travels to prepare for another week of school...lame! I'm beginning to realize that I am learning more from my travels here than from actual class and have decided who needs school. Unfortunately, I don't believe quitting is an option, so mom, dad, don't burst a brain vein, I'm still doing homework. But I really did have a great time and learned a lot about Ancient Egypt, and about myself in some instances.

I think I will start by telling you the bad part of my trip, so we can get over it and focus on the good stuff. Yesterday we decided to sleep in because we had a really late night and no set plans for the day. After we woke up, showered, and got breakfast, it was 11 am and we set off on the 3 block trek to the train station. Because Luxor's traffic doesn't even come close to comparing to Cairo it was pretty uneventful except for the average hoot from some random guy about spice girls or something else unoriginal. It was sweltering hot, so we arrived at the train station sweating and regretting our showers.

We went to the window and asked for 4 tickets to Cairo on the 9:30 pm. train. (sidenote: we had visited the train station the night before to get tickets and were told we had to purchase same day only) The man says, "Two only." We thought he misunderstood us, but it turns out he only had two seats left! We were of course frustrated, and after arguing and seeking the help of the tourist police, we were forced to settle on riding a bus. OMG!!! Never, ever again! I had less room than on a plane, the bathroom was out of order or something so we had to stop every 5 feet at bathrooms that were holes in the ground and smelled worse than a bad nursing home, and the BLARED Arab movies at 1 am. 14 hours of my life in a moving torture chamber. This may be a little dramatic, but it really was miserable.

On happier notes, the rest of the trip was amazing. I will have to admit, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first day there, but I still got to see some really neat stuff (those are very academic terms). Our second day in Luxor was spent touring various tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Some of them are so well preserved with vibrant original color. It was pretty amazing. I also thought it was pretty cool because some of the tombs had Coptic inscriptions where the Copts hid in them to avoid persecution. It was interesting to see the different types of pictures they would use for the walls. Although, I must admit, after so many tombs, they begin to look the same. We also went to another temple and the Colossi of Memnon.

The last day after our bus/train fiasco we had less time than we anticipated because the bus left 3 hours earlier. We decided to take the day off and relax by the pool. The other girls tanned while I freckled, but it was very relaxing. Plus our rooftop pool had a gorgeous view of the Nile River. I hope you all can enjoy my photos that are linked to the title of the blog. I have to get to work, but happy Monday.

"Leave me ALONE!" -Me

Luxor is fabulous minus one feature, the hasslers. We took a train overnight from Cairo to Luxor, and we ended up in Luxor at around 5:30 am. As soon as we got off the train, bleary-eyed and sleep deprived, it began. A man was in my face trying to tell me about the hotel he had for only 40 pounds. I tried politely explaining to him that I already had a hotel. Even though he was speaking to me in English, I used Arabic to get my point across. If Egyptians win anything, it is the persistent award. He followed me through the train station, repeatedly asking me and trying to direct me. Finally, in my frustration, I yelled at him. I was half asleep and don't really remember it that well, but apparently it was in a strange mix of English and Arabic and the most hilarious event of the day.

The guy who runs the hostel we are staying in picked us up at the train station, and brought us back to drop off our stuff. He is really nice and helpful, not to mention his hostel is ridiculously cheap. We then rented bikes from our hostel and headed to Karnak Temple. I still cannot fathom how people buitl these things. It was so spectacular. You will have to wait for pictures until I get back, but you should be prepared to be amazed. The only downside is it was overrun with scantily clad Europeans.

After we were completely exhausted from wondering the vast temple, we decided to head down the Nile to find some lunch. 4 boys, the oldest of which couldn't have been over 11 surrounded our bikes and tried to hop on, pull us back and push us off. Normally this would not be intimidating, seeing as even I was significantly bigger than the biggest one, but we were all on these really crappy bikes. Mine didn't even have functioning breaks, so I repeatedly ran into the boy cutting me off.

We then got rid of them and stopped at the mumification museum. It had some really cool artifacts, but the one room size was not really worth my five dollars. We finally got some lunch and headed back to our hotel, on our way back Kelsey fell off her bike in the middle of the road, a taxi pulled up next to me and asked if I needed a cab (keep in mind, I'm riding a bike), and then a small child ran out in front of my bike that had no brakes. Have no fear, no one died in the making of this blog, and only Kelsey came home with a scratch. We took a quick nap and headed back to the Nile.

We took a falouka ride to a small island, called Banana Island. It was Egyptian agriculture at its best. Our guide took us all around this remote village that I'm sure few tourists ever get to see. All the children said hello and then asked for money. Then we got back on our boat and sailed around until sunset. We finished up our night by visiting the Luxor temple, another spectacular excavated sight. It was cool to see it at night with all the lights on.

After such a long day, I need some serious sleep. I hope your days are turning out to be entertaining as well. Miss you all. Happy Friday!

"I will pick you up at the train, don't worry it is free." -hostel owner

Sometimes I love living in Egypt. Well, this evening didn't really start out like that, so I guess I should start from the beginning. This weekend I am going to Luxor and Aswan, the land of the pharaohs. My friends and I had to go to the train station to get tickets. We thought the tickets were supposed to be 40 Egyptian pounds $8, but instead they have raised the price to 165 EP because of increased security after the bombing. I suppose I shouldn't complain about a 12 hr. trip for $33, but it was just significantly more than I expected. Good news is we got our tickets, and I'm sure I will have plenty stories to share with you and pictures of course.

Because I am going on this trip, you won't get an update until Monday. One of the benefits of living in a Muslim country is the benefits of Muslim holidays. Monday is the celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birth. We have successfully convinced our Arabic professor to switch our class to Thursday, so I am taking the long weekend!

I have better news than a fun trip. Our guide books recommended a hostel. I called him up, for a room for the 4 of us it is 35 EP a night. This means I will be staying in a place for literally less than $2! Then he asks me what train I'm coming in on. He is going to pick us up from the station for free! AMAZING! I love living life like a college student, cheap and adventurous.

In other news, our Arabic test was impossible and we all are positive we failed. I'm on the search for a very cheap place to stay for the summer in Indy. If you know of anyone that needs a summer roommate or doesn't mind a squater, please let me know. I think that is all for now. Talk to you on Monday. Happy Wednesday!

"SNOW DAY!" -Like every single Duke facebook status...ugh!

IT IS NOT FAIR! Sure, Duke gets snow (twice) while I'm gone, and one day it cancels class...seriously. I love snow. I would say it wouldn't be so bad, but Cairo is not sunny, it is not warm, it has not been a pleasant day. I'm SO jealous. I am really missing Duke today because of it. Not to mention Brock informed me that I was missing the best day ever. I'm not encouraged to feel happy about my absence at all. I would have rather had a, "Be glad you aren't here, the weather is terrible." Sigh!

Some days it is just really hard to be away. Today definitely classifies as one of those days. However, on a higher note, I have good news. I have solidified an "interview" with the internship I wanted in Indianapolis. I say "interview" because being overseas makes these kinds of things difficult. The lady e-mailed me a list of questions and asked me to answer them in 3 pages or less. This seems easy enough except one of them is, "Tell me about the cross cultural experiences you have had, what you have learned from it, and of that what will you be able to apply as an intern/volunteer?" I could fill up 3 pages with this answer alone. I'm debating, should I tell them about the man with a knife, or the man who rode on our taxi? LOL!

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much for this internship, but I can't help it. I feel like I'm perfect for this job and that it is perfect for me. She even told me I would be working with a number of their programs, so I wouldn't have to be doing the same thing everyday. And that is a great thing for me, because I get bored pretty easily. In fact I'm even getting bored of the Arabic language. Sad day.

Well I need some rest so I will have energy for another day. Happy Monday, happy snow day!

"Sandra, what Korea are you from?" -Doria

Just so you know, Sandra is American...Korean-American, but she grew up in New York City. The thing about Egyptians is, even the most intellectual have little political tact when it comes to talking about nationalities of East Asia. Thursday our class was invited to spend the evening having dinner with our professor in her apartment. We decided to make stir fry. Even though all of us could cook better than Sandra, our professor insisted that Sandra make the stir fry because she was Asian.

Fortunately, Sandra made a good stir fry and dinner was a success. Our professors Iraqi friend came, and his British friend. Even though we all spoke English better than Arabic, we had to speak Arabic the whole time. For 5 hours we chatted about films, destiny, war, Egypt. You name it, we talked about it. My brain hurt! Afterward, I found it very difficult to speak English. I found myself forgetting my own language. Sometimes I think I need to get out of this country.

I really am starting to get used to life here. It is funny how even the strangest things seem more normal. Even speaking in Arabic for five hours seemed normal. What isn't normal is the weather here. 55 degrees feels like 35 and it is raining. I didn't even bring umbrella! This is not what I signed up for. Please somebody remind me of this wish for warm weather when I am complaining of the heat. Well, I think that is all for now. Happy Sunday!

"I went to the pyramids and left my torso at home." -Ben

So Ben decided to were a sand colored shirt today, and from far away he just blended in with the landscape. We laughed really hard at one picture because it looked like he just had a head and arms. As with all things in Egypt, today was an adventure. I don't know why I thought visiting the pyramids would be any different. I suppose I thought that tourists visit them all the time, today will be as if I just got to Egypt. WRONG!

When our taxi got close to the pyramids, a guy stopped us in traffic on the road. He "explained" to us that one of the gates to the pyramids was closed, but he knew how to get us in. It was easy to tell that he just wanted to serve as our guide to make a few bucks. We told our drive to move on and ignore the man, but he tried to open our doors for us to get out. As our taxi finally escaped, the man hopped on the back of our car! It was ridiculous! Our cab driver tried going fast, hitting speed bumps, and swerving, but the man was persistent and obviously very talented.

When we were almost to the pyramids, the traffic was barely moving, and the guy on our car started directing the cab driver. Instead of taking us to the pyramids, it led us to this mans tour place. CRAZY! However, the Americans were crazier...LOL! After some bargaining and some poor decisions on our part, we decided to partake in this tour on camel and horse. I know, don't get caught up in the stupidity of the decision, it turned out just fine. The best part was, the man told us to wait inside, he was going to show us a map...Some map!

At this point we are highly concerned, but we are in too deep now. We finally get on our animals. Two on horse, two on camel. My horse was named Strawberry, and the other horse was Michael Jackson, but wait, it gets better. One camel was Moses, the other was....MICHAEL JACKSON! When we realized this, Bethany laugh so hard I thought she was going to fall off the camel.

When we finally made it to the pyramids, after taking a very back route, our guide instructs us to get off and follow him. He started climbing one of the small pyramids! OMG! I'm pretty sure that is not ok, but we climbed anyway. I was at the top of a pyramid. I don't know how many people can say they did that, but I can. I guess after all our trouble, it was worth the adventure.

I did ride a camel. Just in time, because they took the horses out for a run. Bethany and Ben say it was one of the scariest moments of their lives. We all made it back alive luckily.

The pyramids were as spectacular as I imagined. I do not see how any human could produce such massive constructions out of granite boulders significantly larger than me. The Sphinx is cool too, but it's size gets downplayed because of the immensity of the structures surrounding it. Make sure you check out my pics by clicking the title of this blog. To really appreciate the size make sure you really look at the one with the caption about me being the dot. That really is me, you just can't tell.

I'm exhausted and have class tomorrow, so I'm going to catch some zzz. Have happy Sundays!

"What is your faculty here at AUC?" -Sally

I'm sure you are all wondering, who in the world is Sally. Sally is my new conversation partner. She is in the program here at AUC to improve her English, and they have paired up the participants in this program with Arabic students here for weekly conversation. I'm not sure how we are going to use both languages yet, but I'm excited 1) to have an Egyptian friend 2) to practice my Arabic in a non-judgmental zone. So yesterday we had an "orientation" meeting.

Sally is my partner. Her English is obviously better than my Arabic, but she still uses words that seem inappropriate in context, but I suppose have been taught to her for this purpose. I was so confused when she asked me what faculty I was in at AUC. After some questions, I determined that she was trying to ask what department or major. I think this will be beneficial for me obviously, but for her so I can explain better usages of words.

I only met with her for maybe 10 min. yesterday, but I'm pretty sure that I'm really going to like her. She noticed that we were both wearing purple and decided that it meant we would be instant friends. That is exactly something I would say, and I had already noticed the likeness in color. She did a research project on horoscopes apparently. She described my personality based on the fact that I was a Scorpio. I'm not going to lie, she was pretty much dead on.

The funniest part of our orientation was the first slide that was titled how to pronounce your partners name. LOL! They said to give examples like, "If your name is Sue, tell them it is pronounced like suit w/o the t." Mika and I laughed forever about this because if they can't pronounce Sue, how will they pronounce suit. Mika's partner's name is Loba (spelling is probably way off). Mika has decided to remember it because of earlobe. She is going to ask her if her nickname can me EarLoba...lol. Not really, I hope.

Well I have some homework to get done, so I can have a fun weekend. I'm actually going to see the pyramids. Expect pictures. Have a happy Thursday.

"Isn't it funny how everything is interesting when you have something you don't want to do...even lint." -Jamese

I think fat Tuesday is not about Mardi Gras, it is not about pancakes, I say fat Tuesday is about procrastination. Here in Egypt, not many people recognize that tomorrow begins the Christian religious season, but on a campus full of students, we are to the point in the year when homework is the plague. Jamese in her procrastination loves to Google anything and everything, including pocket lent. I'm sure a couple of you are still thinking, sure this is natural, but it has nothing to do with fat Tuesday...that is still about pancakes. I'm here to let you know that I even caught my mother procrastinating today...and I thought I got that trait from my father.

So today I saw an oasis, a hint of green in the desert of Egypt. No, it wasn't a tree. No it wasn't even a desert bush. It was a John Deere sweatshirt...lol. In Crawford County, this is expected. At Duke, it is rare, but not crazy. In Egypt, I seriously did a double take. But there it was, bright green and yellow. The best part was, it was a HUGE sweatshirt on a tiny little girl. Now I'm sure it would be small on Justin, but it could have fit 2 of this girl in it easily. I just found that amusing, so I hope you enjoy it as well.

I'm tired, so I am going to make this short today, but I hope Tuesday for all of you is enjoyable.

"I hate rain...I LIKE CHOCOLATE!" -Mika

Mika has emotional highs and lows, sometimes almost simultaneously. However the most significant part of the quote is RAIN! It rained here today. Not just sporadic drops rain, but legitimate soak everything down rain. It is so weird. I thought I was in the desert. It has been sprinkling off and on since the first shower around 4 pm. For four hours we have had rainy weather. Last night I talked to Sarah Diehl, and she said, "Have a fun day tomorrow. Enjoy the sun." I replied, "Everyday." Little did we know sun is not ALWAYS a given in Cairo. Do not take it for granted.

I worked out today. We have a fabulous new gym. Of course it opened almost a month late, but the wait was worth it. All of the equipment is state of the art. There is also a trainer that walks around and tells you if you are doing something less effective. I was just riding the bike, so I didn't require his assistance. However, he did help the guy beside me on his crunches. I was pretty proud though. It was the first time I have worked out in...ok, so I can't remember. But I rode 5 mi. in 30 min. I didn't think that was too shabby for the first day. Hopefully I can do more each day. I didn't want to kill myself the first day. I would inevitably end up with the soreness syndrom that keeps you out of the gym for three days, and then you have to start back at square one.

As an alternative to visiting tourist attractions this weekend. My favorite professor, Ustaaz Doria, has invited the 5 people in her class to visit Arabic bookshops and cook dinner at her house. I am totally excited. She got a FedEx from UNC today...I really hope she takes the job. Well, I have serious homework to do for her class (like always). I hope you all are having great Mondays.

مقتل فرنسية وإصابة 17 بجروح في انفجار وسط القاهرة

I put my quote in Arabic to cut down on panic. So before you worry too much, just know I am safe and healthy. I debated whether or not to post this because I was afraid it would call attention to an event you may otherwise not hear about, but I decided it is better to hear from me first. Tonight there was a bombing in a tourist area of Islamic Cairo. They have arrested 2 suspects and safely detonated another bomb that was found. Reports still vary on the number injured/killed, but I am safe. Right now we have little information, but the university is taking a lot of precautions so don't panic. If you want news on the incident please visit english.aljazeera.net, because their news will be less biased and more reliable than cnn or bbc. I will link the title of this post to the web page. I miss you all.

That question accepts lines as an element of the natural order, which they always seemed to me, growing up in the US." -Jeff Howard

Lines in fact are not natural order. It is funny to watch the Americans (including me) become more adapted to the culture here. I will use standing in line (for anything) as an example. American way: Stand behind the person who got there before you. Wait patiently, unless it takes to long then you have options. 1) constantly look at watch and sigh a lot, 2)make friends with those around you, 3) get angry and make a scene. Egyptian way: blob up in front of desired destination. If you are large use brute force to get to the front. If you are tiny, use the weave and squeeze method. If Americans are waiting in line, laugh at there naivety and cut all of them. LOL!

One of the first things I had to do when I got here was get a student ID. The system was slow at best, and like most things here, you had to wait in line for up to 2 hrs. The Americans patiently sat in line, sharing stories of home and getting to know one another better. Egyptians bypassed the line, entered the processing room, and emerged 5 min. later with an ID. One month later at the cafeteria I am witnessing and participating in the American adaptation. I can squeeze and weave with the best of them, while my friend Zach has harnessed his brute force. If I am cutting you in line back in the states, I am apologizing in advanced...it is just the Egyptian in me.

Yesterday and this morning have been uneventful and full of homework. I had some ants find a bread crumb and set up camp underneath my desk. They unfortunately met their Raid fate. I found out yesterday that I can drink a 2L bottle of water in a day, but it is not a good idea. It unfortunately ends in middle of the night adventures down the rickety ladder to the restroom, dangerous for both limb and bladder. I don't really have much exciting news, so have Happy Sundays.

"We are kinda like an Italian family." -aunt in my mentor's family

Yesterday I went to Friday lunch at my mentor's house. If you can imagine what it would be like to go to a Sunday lunch in the south, you could probably understand this lunch. There was so much fabulous food and so many family members. We all sat around the table speaking in Arabic, English, and French, mixing them all so everyone could understand. We had Egyptian, Lebanese, and Indian cuisine. It was really a lot of fun. I haven't eaten that much in a long time. Then they gave me dessert...lol.

Afterward, my mentor's son who is 20 took the intern, the other mentee, and me to a coffee shop. They smoked sheesha and we drank coffee. It was nice to finally talk to some Egyptians, even though they are part American and they speak better English than Arabic really. We found out that in the formal Arabic, I was in a higher level than one of the Egyptians. Of course, I couldn't speak to the common person fluently if my life depended on it. Well at least I wouldn't understand what they said back. I have found it best to use my formal Arabic with taxi drivers and let them respond in English. That way we both get to practice.

So today I have tons of homework, and I am going to go work out in our newly opened state of the art facilities today. I hope you have enjoyable days as well. Happy Saturday!