Walk Like an Egyptian

"Now I know how Mexicans feel." -Senna

2009-05-24T17:18:00.004+03:00

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

2009-05-16T19:51:00.002+03:00

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!

2009-05-10T15:35:00.002+03:00

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

2009-05-06T10:24:00.002+03:00

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

2009-05-03T14:40:00.002+03:00

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

2009-05-01T11:43:00.002+03:00

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.

2009-04-28T21:35:00.002+03:00

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

2009-04-26T13:46:00.002+03:00

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

2009-04-24T23:56:00.002+03:00

"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

2009-04-24T10:58:00.003+03:00

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

2009-04-21T01:26:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-19T22:44:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-18T08:15:00.001+02:00

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

2009-04-17T10:13:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-15T22:24:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-14T22:39:00.003+02:00

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

2009-04-13T22:44:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-12T23:07:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-12T01:03:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-09T16:09:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-07T23:22:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-05T13:33:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-04T01:56:00.004+02:00

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

2009-04-02T16:13:00.002+02:00

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

2009-04-01T11:15:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-29T23:04:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-28T23:57:00.003+02:00

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!

2009-03-26T15:45:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-25T14:36:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-23T00:21:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-21T23:24:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-18T00:27:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-16T23:38:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-15T23:48:00.003+02:00

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

2009-03-15T23:00:00.002+02:00

(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

2009-03-14T02:13:00.004+02:00

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

2009-03-11T23:45:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-09T21:15:00.003+02:00

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

2009-03-06T21:15:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-04T23:39:00.002+02:00

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!

2009-03-02T23:15:00.002+02:00

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

2009-03-01T23:45:00.002+02:00

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

2009-02-28T20:21:00.003+02:00

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

2009-02-26T11:36:00.002+02:00

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

2009-02-24T23:01:00.002+02:00

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

2009-02-23T19:54:00.002+02:00

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

2009-02-22T23:17:00.003+02:00

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

2009-02-22T13:06:00.004+02:00

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

2009-02-21T10:12:00.002+02:00

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!

"Cairo-82 degrees and sand" -weather.com

2009-02-20T09:58:00.002+02:00

My friends, that is how weather.com described the weather here. Not cloudy, sunny, rainy, just sand. I can't explain to you how appropriate that was. Sandstorms are zero fun. When I walked out of my dorm room I about blew away and my face was instantly covered by a beach. Apparently that was mild, so class wasn't canceled, but I am not looking forward to it getting worse. I guess at the end of winter each year, Cairo experiences a sandstorm for about a week, and then it rains for a day to calm the sand down. It is to signify the beginning of spring. I could do without the sand to tell you the truth. I can only describe the wind as scratchy. The sand settles and piles up in corners like really dry snow. It is all very interesting.

I am a little disappointed in you guys, because none of you have commented (for 2 days). When this happens I get paranoid that it is boring, and everyone has stopped reading. But in the case that you are still reading, I'm putting a guilt trip on you. Please answer my question? My blog feels insignificant today.

I must tell you a story that happened the night before we had a mouse. I was so worked up about the mouse, I forgot to tell you. (Background): In our rooms, our beds are lofted. It makes for more room, but for a dangerous ladder. But that is beside the point. All you need to know is, when the heat is on, it remains on top of the beds for the most part. You also need to know that our heater is not on a sensor, you just have to switch it on and off. (Story): Tuesday night, Jamese and I were doing homework and our heat randomly came on. We got excited thinking that maybe the sensor works now, because it was a little cold in our rooms. WRONG! After about an hour of it being on, we were beginning to sweat. I got up to turn it off, but it wasn't on sensor, it was just possessed. By this time it is about 1 am, so I venture out to our RESlife office to get assistance. They tell me no one will be available until 3 am. I said fine, have them knock on our door.

5am: I wake up sweating to death and dehydrated. I look over and Jamese has moved to sleeping on her desk (it is a very large desk). I travel back to RESlife, and they tell me that they came but we were asleep...duh! It was the middle of the night! I tell the guy it is 28 degrees celcius in my room, and someone MUST come fix it. He tells me 15 min. I am sitting at my desk by the window when I hear the faintest knock ever. By the time I got out of my chair and walked 7 ft. to my door, they were leaving. SERIOUSLY?! I caught them before they could escape in laziness again. The guy came in my room, flipped our switch 3 times, tried to convince me that it was off. I started getting really angry and yelled at him in Arabic that it wasn't, and it needed to be fixed. He responds, "Open the window." I wanted to throw something.

I finally got someone on day shift to care when I had a break from class at noon, so it is fine now. I was so mad! Open a window? Please. For those of you who don't want to do the math 28 degrees is 82.4. Mind you this is the temperature below the beds. Somethings here are too frustrating.

Today I am going to lunch with my advisor. When I get back I hope to see some comments. Have a happy Friday!

"Apparently on my birthday I had a party that I wasn't invited to." Senna

2009-02-18T23:21:00.004+02:00

The funniest story I heard all day was about this girl Sinna's birthday. (sidenote...I don't think I'm spelling her name correctly) Apparently her birthday was the first week we were here, and a rumor began about her party. The "party" was at Sequoia, and a great time was had by all, except for the birthday girl, because no one thought to invite her. I find it so amusing that a rumor can be so effective. LOL! I thought you might enjoy this little antecdote.

Another great story...we had a mouse in our room. I wasn't here for the action, but I will try to portray the events to you as best I can through second hand knowledge. Jamese discovered the mouse climbing her desk and headed toward the bed. What followed was a piercing scream awakening one of the girls on our hall and alerting the security guards. At first, the mouse was lost and Jamese proceeded to destroy her entire side of the room to find the interloper. Once out in the open, Bonita (girl from hall) trapped the mouse under the trashcan. The janitors disposed of it somehow. Sounds like the mouse was no bigger than a thumb. I'm glad it is out of our room, but I am sad for it.

One bonus from all of this, our room is now the cleanest it has been since we moved in. Now, I know you are all thinking it is my fault, but honestly it is not. Shreya, you would die if you saw how Jamese "organizes" her stuff.

On a different note, I need suggestions/reflections. If it weren't for the sudden mouse incident I would be lost as to what to write tonight. I can only whine about the amounts of Arabic homework I have so many times. What have I done that is interesting? What was, well, not so much? Please let me know. I figure you are the ones that have to read it...I'm just along for the ride. Happy Wednesday!

"weooweooweooweoo" -Doria, my Arabic professor

2009-02-18T00:29:00.001+02:00

There is something so amusing about your respectable professor imitating police sirens in Arabic class. It was a really exciting start to a really great class...really (lol). When I entered class this morning, my professor approached me about going to Duke. Turns out she has a job offer at UNC. Now, I am against UNC, but I love this teacher and it would be super cool if she came back to w/me to N. Carolina. I am going to try and help her look for apartments if she accepts the job, so if anyone knows of anything, let me know. I talked to her after class about what it is like to live in NC, and about how I'm still a little intimidated about speaking in class, esp. about topics so intense. She is very encouraging...I love this woman.

On another note, Arabic is so over my head right now. I am just not ready to read about the Islamic movement in Arabic. Then you mix that in with the Egyptian dialect and I get so confused. The only positive is I find myself even thinking in Arabic...it is all so new. I need to rant a little bit though about the user-unfriendly nature of AUC. First of all, the library is only open until 9...2) you can't print 2-sided...3) food options are unhealthy...4) THE TABLES ALWAYS FLIP OVER!!! Okay, I'm done ranting.

The hardships don't really alter my opinion of the experience, but they certainly do make me appreciate/miss Duke. I hope my trivial complaints will help you all appreciate the little things. Happy Tuesday!

"You never say, 'Ahmed, how is your day going?' I always have to talk first." -Ahmed at Mercado Italiano

2009-02-16T22:43:00.002+02:00

It is a sad, sad day when the guys at the restaurants begin recognizing you and striking up conversation. Ok, it is not necessarily a sad day, but rather hilarious. The guys at this particular restaurant like to flirt with my friend Mika and I (and I'm sure numerous others). The other day this other guy there told me I looked like an American actress (I never found out which one), and today I was scolded for not initiating conversation. Mika and I wonder if we flirt enough, will they start giving us free food? We think it might be worth a shot...lol (Justin, what happens in Cairo, stays in Cairo...j/k).

My life is quickly becoming consumed with Arabic. I'm not sure if that is good or bad, but I can tell you, it is HARD!!! Today we read an article about how Islam is not compatible with democracies. The teacher asked for my opinion. I don't even know my opinion in English, how am I supposed to communicate it in Arabic. Sheesh! I have found myself inserting random Arabic terms into my everyday conversation to create a confusing language I call Arabish. We joke in our class that we are not good enough to express ourselves in Arabic, but we are losing our English abilities as well.

Things are pretty good here these days though. I am not sick anymore, I got to talk to friends and family a lot yesterday, and tomorrow is hump day here. Things are looking up. I hope you all are having great Mondays, I am going to hit the sack. Goodnight!

"I go desert now. You want come with?" -our land cruiser driver

2009-02-15T20:23:00.003+02:00

I know, I know...it is about time I posted for all of you to hear about my latest adventures in the Sahara, but you should all be happy to know that posting has been delayed due to an afternoon spent uploading pictures for your viewing pleasures. If every thing works as planned, clicking the title of today's post will take you to my photo slideshow. Please be jealous of the beauty, because it was totally fabulous!

After I woke up at 5:15 Friday morning to Mika and Kelsey banging on my door (we were supposed to leave at 5:30), we caught a cab and headed to the bus stop. The bus was surprisingly pleasant. I was tired enough to sleep for the majority of the 5 hours. The part I didn't sleep I read my book until it got too sad. The one rest stop on the way had 3 stalls, apparently I picked the only one with a real toilet, not a hole in the ground...lucky me! Of course this marked the end of all porcelain accommodations.

The guide and his crew met us at the bus stop with 3 land cruisers. I somehow ended up in the Land Cruiser with supplies duty...we stopped for food, we stopped to pray, we stopped for gas, and we changed guys in the passenger seat 3 times...lol. When we finally got on the road, we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. A quick bite to eat and a cup of tea later, we headed out to the white desert. We drove bouncing around on a straight, endless paved road until suddenly we off-roaded it. It happened so fast the 2 guys in the back bounced to the front; it was hilarious.

For those of you who don't know, the Sahara desert was once under water, so beyond sand, there are miles and miles of eroding mountains and corals. The white desert is full of forms made of a substance that has to be chalk. In case you are wondering, in the one picture I am climbing on the chicken part of mushroom and chicken...lol. We found our camp just before sunset, and we all got to climb on different rocks to watch the colors fade from the sky. Later, with one pot and one kettle, the bedouin guides cooked the biggest, most wonderful meal ever of chicken, rice, and vegetables.

Campfires are essential in the desert. It gets COLD and FAST! I was amazed at how quickly the temperature can drop 20 degrees. The foxes took an interest in our camp, but they were harmless. We slept under the stars that were abundant...well, that doesn't even describe it. The moon was so bright, you could read or write w/o a flashlight. We rose with the sun, packed up camp, and headed to the black desert.

The black desert doesn't really have black sand. It is really a bunch of black volcanic rock covering the sand from past volcanic activity. There are no volcanoes now, or even traces beyond the rocks...it is just so hard to imagine what it was like. We also saw crystal mountain which is made of quartz. The most random part of our journey was when we visited this hot spring. A man jumped in with his approx. 1 1/2 year old son. When the son began crying, he handed the naked, wailing baby to a girl in our group...lol! Luckily the girl was more like a mother than a confused 20 yr. old. She cradled the boy until it was time for us to leave. It was precious and absurd at the same time.

We made it back all grumpy, tired, hungry, and cramped. Our 15 passenger van did not really accommodate 14 of us with all our bags. A 5 hr. journey followed by 2 hrs. of traffic in city does not bode well for those not showered who have been using sand as a toilet. But we made it back safe, and I saw some of the most beautiful sights in the world. I hope you enjoy the pics. Happy Sunday.

"I loved the line, 'the poplar and ash breathe' even though I have no idea what it means." -Girl in Creative Writing

2009-02-12T18:01:00.003+02:00

So, I am sorry, I am being hassled, for good reason. It has been a crazy two days of homework, class, birthday parties, meeting advisers, and planning a trip to the desert. I feel like I have let you all down. It is especially bad because you had to keep looking at the article about Allison. I am not going to tell you about a person today because I have some exciting things to talk about, and I'm afraid it might be boring for you. Feedback please.

So my favorite class so far is my creative writing class. Today the professor read us a poem that describes a setting because we have to start creating settings. One of the lines referred to the silence of poplar and ash breathing. I of course was so excited by the mention of trees in my brown desert surroundings, but the Egyptians had no idea what a poplar or ash was. It is amazing what we learn from what we see. My last assignment in there was to take the plain descriptions of a shell and use them to describe something I am scared to talk about. I described failure as a shell in a poem. What an adventure!

Some exciting developments, I saw an Egyptian with braces. I mean, they all have nice teeth on AUC's campus, so I assumed, but seeing it was surprising. So far I have only seen one girl. It rained the other day...well more like a brief sprinkling. I could pretty much dodge the raindrops, but it was water. I got a mentor today, she is really nice. We talked for like 2 hrs. She introduced me to people, and told me about volunteer opportunities. I'm really excited.

This weekend I'm headed to the desert. The white, black, and crystal deserts to explore! I attached the link to our guide's website. We have been referred by a friend, so he is legit. I must be prepared to use the bathroom behind sand dunes and sleep under the starry sky, but I have decided it is a small price to pay to experience such an amazing part of God's creation. I will take lots of pictures! I won't be able to give you updates while I'm gone. So look for a mass update on Sunday. I miss you all! Have great weekends. Don't spend too much time mourning Duke's loss. I'm sad too, but life moves on.

"You are missing the point, Allison." -Professor Nelly Hanah

2009-02-10T11:52:00.002+02:00

Today, I am sorry to say, but you get to meet Allison. She is an unfortunate character that has arrogantly shoved her way into the lives of all students in ARIC 323 Marriage and Family in the Middle East. I think I have mentioned her before (the girl that talks down to everyone, even the professor), but after my class yesterday, I feel it is necessary to describe to you this young woman who grades on my nerves. I have tried hard not to let her get to me, but yesterday, I failed miserably.

First thing you should know, she is as white as I am, speaks with an accent that sounds like she grew up in Michigan but has spent enough time away to conceal her accent for the most part, and she has this irritating laugh that follows most things she says in 3 raspy bursts. hahaha...ALWAYS 3! Second thing you need to know, she wears a veil, only not like Middle Eastern girls wear the veil, wrapped around to cover the neck as well. No, she wears it tight around her head, draped long in the back like a silk ponytail. I think this girl has an identity crisis.

I am sorry if this offends anyone or sounds too awful, but this girl conducts herself using all my classroom pet peeves. I think her performance in class yesterday will serve as a window into why I have become so annoyed with this individual. The professor asks if the class has ever heard the term Oriental Despotism, she raises her hand. She proceeds to use large words that seem to relate to the terms, but when put together really just serve as words, not necessarily descriptions. To an untrained ear, she sounds extremely intelligent, but to a student who spends her time at a university where most everyone is smarter than her and knows how to speak intelligently, this girl makes no sense! The professor looks at her and says, "I think you are missing the point, Allison. At least I don't really know what you are talking about." OMG! I wanted to laugh out loud, but then I felt ashamed for wanting to laugh at someone else's humiliation. She responded promptly, as if she were offended, with, "Well, that's how I would describe it."

I HATE when students pretend to be smarter than their professors who have been studying the topic for sometimes longer than the student has been alive. In this instance, I don't think that is too far off. I am going to have to spend the majority of this class not calling Allison out on the "facts" (or reality as she refers to it) that she misguidedly portrays. I agree with most of what she says, except for she always says it as if it is the only right answer and only she knows it. UGH!

Ok, enough venting. Other than that, yesterday was mainly full of homework. I spent literally 6 1/2 hours doing Arabic homework yesterday. Fun, fun! But so far, today (besides being cold) has been very pleasant. I hope you all will wake up and have happy Tuesdays as well.

"The father of my child better be in there seeing what I have to go through for that baby!" -Kelsey

2009-02-09T13:59:00.002+02:00

The quote is completely irrelevant to the day really, but it was the hardest I laughed yesterday. I said I wasn't going to make it a habit to post in the morning rather than the night, but I realize I can make it a habit. It is my blog and I can write on it whenever I want. I think the main reason this is better for me is because by the time my homework is done and the adventures have ended, I'm so exhausted, I can't put my best effort into writing a blog. So for quality and convenience purposes, you will have to wait to read my blog in the morning with your coffee rather than before you go to bed with your cookies you snuck out of the kitchen.

Since my week days are becoming more and more monotonous, I have decided to start adding the characters of my daily life into my blog. I think you should know the people I know, even if you have never met them. I should probably start by telling you about the people I have become closest to in Egypt, but I have never really been one to do what I should but rather what I want. Since I have already established a trend today of making up my own rules, I am going to start by telling you about my Arabic professor.

She is a beautiful Egyptian woman, probably in her late forties, but smiles like she is 14. She speaks beautiful فصحة (Standard Arabic), but her Egyptian habits of making the "j" sound like a "g" sneak in every once in a while. Half the time in class none of us 5 students understand what she is saying, but she finds a way to explain it, and we love the class anyway. She tries so hard to keep it interesting. Today we had to listen to a piece about the beach, instead of just making us listen, she brought in seashells and model boats to decorate the table in front of us to put us in the mood, as she puts it. Her kindness is overwhelming, yesterday she bought Mika another orange juice, because her's was tragically lost to the always collapsing tables of AUC. I don't know if I'm great at speaking Arabic, but she makes me feel confident.

Just a small portrait of one person affecting my life here in Egypt. I don't have much else except to ask if anyone knows how to diminish the swelling of mosquito bites. I have one on each cheek and one on my right earlobe :(. I'm constantly afraid people think I have HUGE pimples. They are itching constantly, but don't worry I have one on my leg I can scratch when the others itch. Oh well, Have happy Mondays!

"What are they trying to do, starve us." -Mika

2009-02-08T00:00:00.002+02:00

So today was lock down. It wouldn't have been so bad, except they didn't have any way for us to get food. Seriously, all day, how did they expect us to eat. Luckily the resourceful people of the group had snacks and we all scavenged what we could find. I think next they are going to come in and interrogate us. At least that is what we imagine happens when they try to break people down, lock them in a confined space, refuse them nourishment, and then grill them for details. Of course, they are not really going to interrogate us, but for those of us used to 3 meals a day, today was close to torture. I guess yet again it reminds me how blessed I really am.

The lock down was good for getting work done. I have accomplished a lot today. I even did some searches for an internship. My boyfriend Justin has helped by trying to get me a job close to him for the summer, and he found a great organization that helps resettle refugees in Indianapolis. I have sent them an e-mail inquiring about opportunities. I realize that the job seems like something I would really enjoy, so I have searched for other organizations. I found possible internships in Aurora, Illinois, Decatur, Georgia, and Washington D.C. But I absolutely have my fingers crossed for Indy. And don't worry, it is not just for Justin, I love spending the summers close to home. I miss Indiana too much when I'm gone for a semester, I can't imagine being gone a year.

I am feeling slightly better today, but I don't know if it is because of the continual drugs I am feeding into my body, or if I'm actually better. Hopefully I'm actually better. Well, tomorrow is a school day, I should be getting my beauty sleep. And because Duke eked it out today, we can all have happier dreams. Happy Saturday!

"You sound like an alien." -Max

2009-02-07T08:51:00.002+02:00

Folks, I'm so sorry. This is not going to become a habit, me waiting until the next day to write you, but I was really, really sick last night. I got back here at around 10 with a fever and a very achy body. This is all following the fact that I have no voice at all. The Americans think I sound like an alien, and the Egyptians laugh at me. I think they are trying to decide if I always sound like that. Mika had to order my food for me, I was hoping the waiter thought I was deaf instead of incapable. Anyways, this is going to be short, just know I am taking preemptive drugs for my fever, and I am not going anywhere today. I hope the warm weather is finally hitting Indiana. Go soak up the sun. Happy Saturday!

I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

2009-02-06T12:16:00.002+02:00

First I have to apologize to the readers that were missing my blog last night. It was a really late night here, and I thought my writing skills may improve with some rest.

This has been my favorite Bible verse since I had to memorize it in Bible school, but since my time in Egypt, I have come to understand it in a new light. Everything is more difficult here: going to the store, riding in a car, even breathing as smoke and pollution fill your lungs every time you inhale. While things are so much more difficult, I realize that I have survived, only losing my voice. Every moment of success feels like a gold medal. I have learned that all small tasks deserve the praise and glory of God.

Last night I was really blessed by God's opportunities. I came here specifically to do research on the Coptic Christians. As of yet, I haven't started my research, but on the bus last night I talked to a guy that is here from Orange County, California. Turns out most of his family lives in Cairo, and they are Coptic Christians...YAY! What a revelation! Okay, well I need to get food. Happy Thursday/Friday!

see below for quote

2009-02-05T00:10:00.003+02:00

Once again i said my goodbyes
To those i love most
My heart feels that familiar pain
As i long for hope
Cause this road is hard
When i feel so far
-BarlowGirl, "Here's My Life"

I don't think this song is literally talking about a physical journey far from home, but that's how I hear it tonight. For the first time since I have left home, I truly feel homesick. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm also physically sick for the first time today. My stomach hates something I ate, and my throat and nose hate the dry, dusty, polluted air. Between the sore throat, nose bleeds, and...well...you know, it is one of those days that you just want your mom to take care of you.

Of course it might have something to do with the fact that while I'm enjoying my time here, I still have yet to become friends with an Egyptian. So much for fully experiencing the culture. As I sit here in the middle of the desert, making more and more American friends, I'm beginning to wonder how to become a part of the culture I came to experience. I'm sure I am overreacting because I haven't even been here 2 weeks yet. But making friends with the Egyptians here has proved very difficult. Tonight we had a welcoming party, the music was so loud you could hardly speak to anyone, and the room was self-segregated. I just don't know how to approach a group of 10, standing in a circle, speaking in Arabic, and introduce myself. It still is way to intimidating.

It may also have something to do with the fact that I talked to a couple of my friends today. They all talked about how they missed me. I miss them all too. I think the hardest part is realizing all the memories I'm not going to be a part of when I get back.

Now, I don't want you all to worry too much. I have dealt with homesickness many times before, and I know it passes like most emotions. I still really like my classes here, and I feel like I really am learning Arabic now. You would think with 5 semesters prior to coming here I would be well on my way, but this is the first time I've ever believed I could actually speak the language. I find myself thinking in Arabic after class in normal conversation. It is all very exciting. I hope you are all enjoying the winter weather of the states, tomorrow promises to be sunny and 83. Happy Wednesday!

"I've never felt so noticeable in my entire life." -My creative writing professor

2009-02-04T00:27:00.004+02:00

This sentence, I have decided, perfectly defines how I have been feeling here in Egypt. While I am loving it here so far, and I am so excited to get to experience all of these new things, there are certain things about being here that I find most annoying. #1) I'm pretty sure everyone is staring at me. When I'm out on the street I know everyone is staring at me because they all comment on me or try to strike up a conversation. On campus, I don't think everyone stares at me, but I am very aware of how much I stand out. Of course I'm not the only white girl on campus, but I feel so self-conscious.

I'm thinking I will get used to this attention, but there are a few things that I will never get used to. #2) All of the smoking. Everything constantly smells like tobacco...blah! #3) All systems are unreliable. Will the bus come? Does the taxi know where he is going? Did they lose my form...again?

Other things I just find ironic. #4) Why do I get lectured about conserving water, but they insist on washing all the walkways everyday. #5) Why do you cover your head, but wear leggings and a long shirt. I can't see your hair, but all of your curves. It is all very interesting. I think I will just leave you to think about that. Happy Tuesday!

"Kicking cans and holding hands." -Megan

2009-02-02T23:54:00.003+02:00

So my friends Kelsey and Mika decided that this is a good definition of the Egyptian culture. LOL! It may just be because we are delirious and think anything that rhymes is clever. But, then again, holding hands is something I have really noticed here. The amount of affection displayed here is very different from what I experienced in Saudi Arabia. While I didn't expect Egyptians to adhere to the crazy strictness of complete separation necessary in Saudi, I didn't really expect to see the openness of relationships here.

However, displays of affection are not only common between a couple, but greetings between friends are full of love. Cheek to cheek kisses are common, even between men, and today we saw two policemen walking down the street holding hands. Judging by the stigma placed on homosexuality, I doubt that they would be walking around in the open.

Today has been better than yesterday. I have decided I love my Arabic class, and that is saying a lot because Arabic was miserable for me last semester. I have a class on marriage in historical middle east, and the professor was really great. I'm super excited about the class, except for that girl. You guys know the girl that thinks she knows so much she can even talk down to the professor. The one who talks just to hear her own voice. She may ruin this class for me...God give me patience.

I'm sad that I missed what has been called the best game in a while. I miss you all. Happy Monday.

"You are pioneers here, so you are going to have to suffer some setbacks along the way." -referring to our housing

2009-02-01T23:05:00.002+02:00

Today was the first day of classes at AUC. For those of you wondering, yes we do have classes on Sunday. The Muslim holy day is Friday, so our weekend is Friday and Saturday. Also for those of you that have asked, the weather here is very mild right now. highs around 70 and lows in the 50's. Those temperatures seem much colder here than they do with humidity...I can vouch for that. It won't get hot until April and May.

The first day of classes was pretty uneventful. I was able to find and attend both of my classes. I think they will be ok, but I already have an Arabic assignment. I could definitely do w/o the homework. I hated wandering around so lost today. I didn't know any of the students that are on campus. With the international contingent making up less than 20% of campus population, I was in a mob of strangers for most of the day. I didn't know where my classes were either. I felt like a freshman all over again. I am hoping that a week of newness will be enough to get this out of my system. I want my confidence back.

I'm sad that all of you are preparing to watch the Super Bowl, and I'm preparing to sleep, but I guess 4 mos. in Egypt is a decent trade off. I miss all of you. Go Cardinals! Happy Sunday.

"My dad will flip when he comes here." Mika (referring to cab rides)

2009-01-31T20:40:00.006+02:00

I have just returned from my adventures in the far away land of Alexandria. Of course for me it was only an hour bus ride, 10 min. taxi ride, and 2 1/2 hour train ride, but for most of you it is half the world away. Like most things in Egypt, the trip began with the typical Egyptian run-around, and only by God's protection and support we were able to make it to our destination. Moral of the story, with God's help, a little Arabic, loads of patience and perseverance, and a couple of bribes two white girls from the US can do whatever they what.

We began our adventure by catching the bus into downtown Cairo from campus. This was pretty uneventful and after a quick meal at McDonald's we caught a cab to the train station. Our cab driver, while still a crazy Egyptian driver, was helpful and didn't try to rip us off. When we got to the train station, we went to 3 different windows, only to be turned away and told there were no tickets for the day. We sat down distressed and ready to decide a plan B. I guess the tourist police recognized our despair, because in approximately 30 sec. 2 of them were by our sides explaining that they may be able to "hook us up" so to speak.

First, they asked for $, which we refused until we had tickets in our hand. After about 15 min, and a scary Egyptian cat rubbing on my leg, we were told that they had 2 tickets if we had 50 pounds (the equivalent of $10). My theory is that they phoned to the station 20 min. away to see if they still had tickets, but the more cynical Mika suspects foul play and scamming. Whatever the means, we ended up with 2 tickets and only had to bribe the police with 20 pounds...lol. I was so thirsty after our drama. I got this Sprite from a vendor that had enough black soot on it to paint my face. I sanitized it as best I could and tried to pop it open...and the tab BROKE OFF!!!! Now I have a half sanitary, unopened Sprite and I am SOOOOOOOO thirsty. I guess a man saw my distress, and to save me, he pulls a 2 ft. knife (no protection, just a knife out of his coat) and pops open my drink. It was so ridiculous and suprisingly in kind. In the US, no one would have even noticed, my small, but tragic problem. Otherwise, the train ride was cold, but otherwise pleasant enough. However, as the only foreigners, we attracted many confused stares.

After arriving in Alexandria, the first thing we discovered was cab drivers are far more kind there than in Cairo. Because the driver got lost, he didn't want to take our money. We figured it was more important to him and his family, so we paid him anyways. The only unfortunate thing is, Alexandrian cab drivers still insist on driving the wrong way on a one way street in reverse instead of driving around the block.

Our hotel was cheap, we were the only foreigners, and we pretty much got what we paid for. I have to give you a picture of our shower, because it was so ridiculous. Needless to say, we didn't take a shower while we were there. It doesn't matter though, college students are supposed to rough it while seeing the world.

Friday began with a hotel breakfast of bread, jelly, and tea. Mika and I decided to begin our morning by purchasing our train tickets for the next day so we wouldn't have the same problems we encountered in Cairo. We then headed to the National Museum, which we got into with $0.20. It was ridiculous. There was some really neat things to learn and see in there too. We spent the rest of the day seeing the Roman ampitheater, the Bibliotheca Alexandria, and taking a carriage ride along the Mediterranean Sea.

The trip home was much less eventful, and I am happy to report, that I now feel confident traveling around Egypt. I feel excited to do more exploring while I'm here. If I can spend a 3 day weekend in another city for $60, I can't wait to have new adventures. Don't worry, I will report them all to you, just in case you are living vicariously through me. I hope you are all having great weekends. Class starts tomorrow.

"Now is the best time to dance, nobody here has any rhythm." -Jamese

2009-01-29T00:30:00.003+02:00

This is a video of the dancing we experienced tonight at our cultural party. I must admit, it was way more fun than I expected it to be. We ate, we watched a group of child whirling dervishes, and we danced. Luckily Egyptian dancing doesn't require a lot of skill or rhythm, and there are very few here that have either...lol. Overall it was a great night.

I finally got to sign up for my classes today: Modern Standard Arabic, Colloquial Arabic, Creative Writing, Palestine in Literature, and Marriage in the Middle East. I'm pretty excited, and since I don't really need the credits, I plan on taking it pretty easy this semester. Now if I could only get a notebook before classes start...lol.

I am super excited because Mika and I have planned a weekend trip to Alexandria. We are going to leave tomorrow. While I am really excited, it is worse news for you. I probably will not have access to the internet, so I won't be able to blog until Saturday. Don't worry, now that I have figured out how to upload my pictures, I will have plenty to show you when I get back. You should also check out my Nile cruise post, because I added some pictures to it. Happy Wednesday!

"Simple tasks in Egypt are always 2 hrs. and 5 u-turns away." -Guy in the van...I have got to learn names

2009-01-28T02:14:00.002+02:00

So I am having a serious crash course in patience around here. Everything here turns into an adventure. I mean EVERYTHING from getting a student ID to going to the market. The ID system here has been down for 2 days, and we can't get into our rooms without them. So an RA has had to let everyone in their room whenever. When the system gets back running of course we all want ID's. It took me 2 hrs. to get through a line of maybe 50 people to get an ID. Not to mention that Egyptians have no qualms about cutting everyone in line. Then I had to find the room to get my card activated, another experience. But now I have an ID and access to my own room. It is freedom in a card!

The biggest adventure of my day was going to the market. My roommate and I had the wrong time, so we missed the bus. We opted to take a different bus from campus and just grab a taxi for the rest of the trip. The cab driver of course tried to rip me off, but I am getting pretty good at this haggling in Arabic. Then this man was showing us which direction to go to find the items we set out to find, and the tourist police got the wrong idea.

Have you ever been questioned by a police officer carrying a large gun in Arabic? Well I have! It was intimidating. I was trying my best to explain that this man was only helping and that there was no problem. But I only speak formal Arabic, the police officer only responded in rapid fire Egyptian Arabic. I think the man ended up having to pay off the officer, but I turned my head to that sort of activity (lol). Well I guess I at least didn't pay off the police officer just paid my way out of customs.

We were able to take the bus back. Even with a van load of AUC students and an RA, the bus driver got lost and had to back up on the interstate the wrong way twice and make 4 U turns. I'm telling you, each journey I wonder what story will I have to tell next. I think my brain has taken in a month's worth of experiences already, because I feel like I have been here a month already. I am having a great time though. I miss you all! Happy Tuesday!

"Do you know Shakira?" -Jake

2009-01-27T01:42:00.004+02:00

So tonight was not really what I expected, but it was still fun. I went on a cruise on the Nile River. It was a lot like going on the Belle of Louisville. However, there was a band with a belly dancer and a whirling dervish. The belly dancer was not very good. She mostly moved her boobs instead of her belly, and I'm not going to lie, it was hard not to stare at her barely covered, lavishly embellished chest. She pointed at several of us to go dance with her and I was one. Not really a great experience. I am a terrible dancer, I don't think I could ever be confident doing these things. I must say, in my embarassment, my attempt was little more than a feeble shimmy.

The singer was actually terrible. He kept singing songs in English and Spanish instead of Arabic. Jake cheered him on by asking if he knew songs by Elvis, Shakira, Michael Jackson, and Enrique Iglesias. It was over all a fun night. If I can get my computer to work with my camera, I will upload the pictures tomorrow.

I have met my roommate now. Her name is Jamese. She is more talkative than I am, confident in everything she does, highly amusing, and does her own thing. So far so good. We have already started a ridiculous list of roommate responsiblities. I must know what she has eaten in case she dies from poisoning. If she is singing, let her sing, she has to let it out. Tell her 20 min. before time to go and she will only be 5 min. late. LOL! She must give advice on all wardrobe decisions. Tell me if there is something in my teeth or a booger in my nose. She must kill any spider within a 10ft. radius of our room. I hope things continue on this happy first day.

During the day today I signed up for my Arabic classes. Wednesday I have an appointment to sign up for my other classes. The university has successfully lost almost all of the records to the courses we signed up for, and the ladies today were frustrated by the number of students needing help registering. Go figure! I also was able to take a nap. That was great except for now I'm awake while everyone else is sleeping. I am going to have to force myself to sleep. Happy Monday.

"We may die." -Me

2009-01-25T23:48:00.002+02:00

I have decided that if something happens to me in Cairo...it will definitely be in a car...not wars, not late night street walks...definitely in the car. Lane lines mean nothing here...once today our cab drove the wrong way backwards because he missed a turn. You must also honk at everything you see. It is essential. I also determined today that I am scared of Egyptian cats. They definitely look like they need to eat something and they look at you like they want it to be you.

I made a friend today. Her name is Mika. We had adventures in Cairo together, our cab driver got lost, and we are in the same level of Arabic. It is nice to know someone around here. We took a bus to a place we knew nothing about, bought cell phones that will work in Egypt (for safety purposes), ate dinner at a random restaurant, got a toothbrush and water, and got a cab. It was fun to wander around and get to know the city without looking for anything in particular. It was great.

Tomorrow is a big day. First I have to meet my roommate which I still haven't seen, but her stuff is here. We have breakfast at 9 am, followed by various preparatory activities. We get to finish off the night with a cruise on the Nile. I'm pretty excited.

So far I can tell you: Egyptian men can speak enough English to hit on you, Cairo's polluted air makes my hair feel like straw, Cairo's streets feel safer than Durham's, Sprite here has more of a lemon flavor, and you can buy 6 L of water for less than $2. I miss you all, but am already having fun. Happy Sunday!

"Oh my gosh, there is a mouse in my room." -girl next door (I need to learn her name)

2009-01-25T13:05:00.004+02:00

That is how I woke up today. Granted it was 11 am, but I didn't get here until 3 and I didn't get settled until 4. Things are already adventurous here and I haven't even left my dorm this morning. I woke up to the neighbor girl bringing housekeeping in because she saw a mouse in her room...great news. Better news, they never found it. I'm hoping she was crazy, but I believe her. The dorms here are brand new and really nice, but you can tell they are still in the construction process, not to mention with the looks of the grout in the bathroom and the drywall of the ceiling in there, I wouldn't buy it if it were a house.

The airport was an experience. God blessed me with a couple sitting by me on a plane. They live in London for a month and then Cairo for a month for the husband's job . They have a daughter and a son around my age. When we got off the plane they told me to buy my visa for $2 more from this man. I trusted them and it turns out since I did, I didn't have to go through customs. He kinda just guided me through the airport...lol. I had just gotten to the country and already paid a guy off.

I could totally drive in Egypt. All you have to do is speed up ridiculously fast, slam on your brakes to slow down and honk your horn at all times. It is pretty nuts. Well, I'm off to begin my adventures for the day. When I get my room set up, I will post some pictures.

"Kyle is a closet bag dancer." -Taniesha

2009-01-24T16:35:00.003+02:00

Apparently Kyle, like the dancer's at Tell City once danced with his head and upper body inside a pillowcase to show school spirit. I think he was a little embarassed that I was going to write about him on my blog, so I decided to make him the main event.

Of course what you all really want to know is where I am and how I am doing. I am in the heart of the international terminal of Heathrow airport in London. I was bored out of my mind, so I payed 2£ to sit on this uncomfortable chair at this internet kiosk to write to you (the sacrafices I make for you...lol). Not to mention the keyboard has keys in all the wrong places, and the spacebar is terribly inefficient. I think this will take me three times longer to type my blog.

If my calculations are correct (which it is quite possible that they are not), I am in my 18th hour of travel. And during my time in Heathrow, I have created great list of wonderings: 1)Why do Americans always dress like slobs compared to everyone else, 2)How does a Punjabi man develop such a brilliant British accent, 3) Why do European women insist on wearing shorts, tights, and high heels 4) When did fanny packs come back into style?

I have met some interesting characters along my journey. A Hungarian gentleman, 75, traveling back to Hungary to bury his sister. He told me stories of Atilla the Hun and his immigration from Hungary, to Germany, to the US. He says, do not speak to others louder or slower to help them understand. It will not work.

I met woman going home to see her mother in India for the first time in 3 years. It has been an interesting journey. Only 8 more hrs. to go. I miss everyone already.

"I'm leavin' on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again." -John Denver

2009-01-23T15:35:00.002+02:00

Well, I will be back again, but today is the day. My flight is set to depart at 4:35. With the weather predicted to be very mild for late January. It is actually possible that even flights traveling through Ohare will be on time. I still can't decide if I am nervous or excited. I think right now I am just a little stressed to get everything done. The Shelton's have to hit the road at 1 pm. I have 4 hrs. and 20 min. to tie up all loose ends here.

Yesterday was pretty stressful. Between luggage drama and AUC's technological failures, I was in meltdown mode on a couple of occasions. However, I am now packed, temporarily signed up for classes and am still in shock that I am leaving.

The best news about yesterday is we finished our puzzle! YAY! There is a piece missing (we are pretty sure Arena our cat stole it) and there is a piece that looks suspiciously out of place, but it fits. So by our standards on this puzzle, we are done. Justin, dad...we told you so!

I probably won't be able to write you again until Sunday because I am embarking on a 26 hr. journey. But I hope you all have Happy Fridays and Saturdays!

I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends. -Walt Whitman

2009-01-22T06:12:00.002+02:00

I have decided to dedicate this blog to friendship for several reasons. 1) Our family and our church lost a dear friend today 2) I got to spend the evening with Tiffany and Braden (love that kid) 3) I got to talk on the phone with my girlfriends @ Duke...God has his way of reminding you what is important.

We got a call today that the lady at my dad's church who teaches Sunday school passed away. It was so sudden. She taught Sunday school on Sunday. Her name was Mae Lee, one of those names you just have to say together. When we first attended I thought her name was like LeeAnn or Anna Mae, but turns out Lee is her last name. The church is so small there is only one class, so in 5th grade I attended it with my family. I remember thinking, "This lady makes Sunday school w/old people fun." If you didn't know her, you would have loved her. Everyone did.

I got to spend my evening with Tiffany. I forget how much I miss her, until I with her again. Of course Braden is precious too. He sat across from me tonight telling me he loved me and saying "Aaaahhhh" after every drink. I got to help him take his bath, read him a story and say goodbye. It is sad to leave, but I'm glad I got to spend time with them before I go.

The conversations I have had with my friends at Duke, whether it is e-mail, im, or phone have made me very happy. I am sad because I miss them all so much, but just knowing I have friends missing me makes me realize the blessings in my life.

I love you all! Happy Wednesday!

"Yes we can!"

2009-01-21T06:01:00.003+02:00

I thought since today we got a new President, I should use something political as my quote. Truth is, I am trying to use it in my daily life as my mom and I struggle to piece together this HORRIBLE puzzle! We sit for hours rejoicing over every piece we put together, because they are so few and far between. My mom frequently clenches her fists and shakes, imitating my frustration release methods of childhood. We have not given up hope yet. We will not accept defeat, because "Yes we can!"

It was nice today to watch the inauguration festivities as we worked. No matter who you voted for, the emotion of the day was palpable even through the TV in Indiana. Today, we witnessed history. It is one of those moments you feel like you are living during something really important. It always makes me feel special and accomplished. I can't explain it really, maybe you feel the same way.

I also got a haircut today and packed. WOOHOO! At least that is out of the way. I hate packing. I don't care how exciting it is where I am going, I wish wiggling my nose would put it all in the suitcase, because I HATE packing. Oh well, one less thing to do. 2 1/2 more days and I am on my way.

PS. All of you enjoying the NC snow...I CAN'T BELIEVE IT SNOWED WHEN I LEFT!!! I am jealous and angry, and I miss you all so much. Much love and Happy Tuesday!

"The same car was wrecked three times by three different people by 11 am." -Jerry Benham

2009-01-20T16:55:00.002+02:00

I apologize for not blogging last night, but I had technical difficulties. I am not sure if it was the computer or the internet, but I couldn't get the blog to work. For those of you who have already tried to read my blog, I am sorry. For those of you who didn't even notice, ignore what I just said.

Nothing extremely exciting happened yesterday, but I spent my last day with Justin before I leave :(. It was sad when he left, but we really had a perfect day. Of course I can't tell you about the day without explaining my quote. In southern Indiana we got between 1-2" of snow which is no problem for the main highways to handle, but Justin lives down a winding backroad at the top of a very steep hill. Since he is home and running low on cash, he went to work for his dad. On the way to work his grandpa drove the car into a ditch because he missed a curve and slid on the snow. Later, Justin was driving home and tried to make it up their hill that was so covered with snow, kids were sledding down it. Needless to say, he also ended up in a ditch. When his father came to help him get it out, he exited the ditch, only to slide into the ditch on the other side of the road. That is how the same car ended up in 3 ditches, by 3 people by 11 am.

Sadly that story was way more interesting than the rest of my day. I found it very enjoyable, but it was pretty low key. The good news is, I beat Justin, his mom, and his sister in Yahtzee! Now I have to get packing. I will write you all again tonight.

"Love you lots like tater tots!" -Victoria

2009-01-19T05:07:00.002+02:00

So, I'm sorry about skipping out on blogging yesterday, it totally was not in my mind when I got home last night. Nothing spectacular happened yesterday anyways. Although, the most exciting thing is happening right now...IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for a good snow since I got home 1 mo. and 4 days ago.

My mom says I'm going to make it snow on Friday which will only cause me delays and pain. Ted tells me I'm going to scare away spring. Justin tells me I should move to West Lafayette, all they have is snow. I say, this snow is wonderful, not too much, but everything will be pretty. Weather will clear up by Friday, and sorry to everyone in Indiana, but I'm going to the desert. I don't think spring even exists in Egypt. Snow has lightened my mood significantly.

I have been a little sad today. Today was the last day I got to go to church. I would like to find someplace in Egypt, but I'm guessing my options would be slim and very inconvenient. I hate realizing that I left a church family in Durham, a worship service at Duke that lights a candle for me every week, 2 churches in Indiana, and support that most Christians could envy. I hope I find the same Godly love in Egypt.

Thanks to all who support me. Happy Sunday!

"Taniesha, I voted for you, but you've lost six times." -Tully

2009-01-17T05:59:00.002+02:00

Poor Taniesha, well I guess you shouldn't feel too sorry for her. Tonight was homecoming, and she was in the homecoming court for the 6th time. Sadly, she lost for the 6th time. Now normally I would say feel sorry for her, but in reality, everyone loves her enough to nominate her 6 times. We have been joking that she is Susan Lucci. Besides, she looked gorgeous. In my opinion, she was the prettiest out there. And her purple dress made me wishing I was skinny enough to wear it (in my dreams). I think her friends are starting a petition to help her actually win prom queen. LOL! Don't worry, she isn't offended, she is laughing with us.

Today I knocked things off my list to do before I leave. I have gone to the dentist, visited my favorite teachers, and seen just about everyone at basketball games. I can feel Jan. 23 getting closer. I have 3 more days to see Justin, 7 to chill with my family, and 5 days to pack (too bad I haven't started that). I'm nervous, I'm excited, and I'm anxious. I think I'm having emotional overload. One thing is for sure, after wind chills below zero for 3 days now, I CANNOT WAIT for 70 degrees and sunny! Look out Egypt, here I come (cheesy I know, but go with it)!

Happy Friday!

"I better say bye now, because I may not see you again" -Everybody :(

2009-01-16T05:59:00.002+02:00

So, I have NEVER liked the word "goodbye," because it always seems so final. I prefer, see ya later, or talk to ya soon. Even if it isn't true, I find myself saying it, just because it is better than saying goodbye. I realize that going to Egypt has made this even worse. I realize as more and more people ask when I'm leaving, or why am I still home, they also end the conversation by saying something to the effect, "Well, I better say goodbye now, because I might not see you again."

Now I know that everyone means well, and they just mean see me again before I leave, but sheesh. It always makes me feel like I'm falling off the face of the earth. I think I probably will see them again. Now I find myself making excuses like, "Oh, I'll see you on Friday." or "Surely I will see you again; I'm here for another week." I would rather make up this lie to avoid saying goodbye than actually have to face the fact that I'm leaving people I care about. Of course if I had it my way half of Indiana and Duke University would be headed to Egypt with me. But since that isn't happening, I suggest that for my sanity, everyone please avoid approaching me with phrases like, "I may not see you again."

I hope to see EVERYONE again. Happy Thursday!

"Pretty sure all I need for my wedding is a good cake." -Taniesha

2009-01-15T05:16:00.001+02:00

As you can see, my sister has never been one of those girls planning her wedding her entire life. (We are SO different sometimes.) The funny thing is I talked about weddings twice today, once because of nails and once because of CSI. I never thought that blood and forensics would ever end in a conversation about weddings, but TV does strange things to reality and logic. But I have just skipped major events of my day, so I'm going to back up.

My day started well before sunrise at 6:15 am. I showered, put on the warmest clothes I could find (I am ever indebted to my parents for my lovely purple UnderArmor sweatshirt), had a bowl of cereal, and headed out into the frigid outdoors. Of course I was up entirely too early, I had to drive entirely too far for the 2nd time in 3 days, and it was entirely too cold, but God created the most beautiful sunrise this morning. The sky was a wonderful plum color this morning, and the sun was a vibrant orange, but the combo filled the horizon with all shades of melon and periwinkle. Sometimes getting up early is worth it...SOMETIMES!

First I got a Hep-A shot. Beware, those things HURT! Then I headed to the hospital for an HIV test, so I can stay at AUC. I thought it was no big deal. I didn't have to wait too long. I'm pretty sure it was my nurses first day administering the test on the job, but she had someone with her, so I wasn't too panicked. She stuck my arm, and it didn't hurt one bit, but the blood wouldn't come fast enough. Both nurses apologized, and they had to do the other arm. I can honestly say it didn't bother me at all. Both nurses were nice, they didn't hurt me at all, I think it was one of the most pleasant needle experiences I have ever had...UNTIL...

I PASSED OUT! Can you believe it? Only 2 stupid vials! It didn't even hurt for cryin' out loud! The nurse says, only one more vial, you are doing great, and then I realized otherwise. They made me drink Coke, I about threw up, I had to eat crackers, and the poor new nurse was so flustered. I had to be one of her very first patients and I was a mess. I had to hang out there for a while because I was driving my self. But all and all it was a productive morning. By noon I had an immunization, given 2 vials of blood, passed out, picked up my new glasses, paid for my car loan at the bank, driven close to the width of Indiana, and was having lunch with my dad.

I finished my day by getting my nails done with Tiffany, our Christmas treat to ourselves/each other. Then I ate chili (w/noodles) w/my family and settled down to watch DUKE! It is very lonely to watch a Duke game by yourself, I miss you fellow Dukies! At least we won!

Tomorrow promises to be in the single digits for the high, snowing :), and lazy! Happy Wednesday!

“Most of American life consists of driving somewhere and then returning home, wondering why you went.” -John Updike

2009-01-14T06:37:00.003+02:00

I chose this quote for today for 2 reasons, 1) I didn't hear a quote funny enough, and 2) I realize that while I'm home I spend more time in the car in one day than most average people do in a week. The good news is, I didn't have to go back to the doctor to get my HIV test today. The bad news is I have to do it tomorrow, among other errands. Tomorrow I will put almost 200 mi. on my car. Yes, tomorrow alone. Sigh, the joys of living the rural life. If only more populated areas kept the familiarity present in rural areas.

Since I didn't go anywhere today, I spent the day reading and working a puzzle with my mom. We are starting to lose our patience on this impossible puzzle, but we can't and won't give up. Although we worked a long time today and made an insignificant amount of progress. Even the cats tried to help. Hmmm...maybe that was part of our problem.

I spent my evening at a high school girls basketball game. It was not a very enjoyable game to tell the truth. We should have slaughtered the other team, at least we still won. The refs were bad...both ways bad. Justin's sister didn't play 1/2 the game because she had 4 fouls. And when we left the game, we froze our butts off in the 14 degree BITTER COLD! Cold is NOT worth it if there is no snow :(.

Wow, I need to sleep because I have a jammed packed day tomorrow. I hope you all had HAPPY TUESDAYS!

"MY SOUP IS BETTER" -Me

2009-01-13T06:00:00.002+02:00

See Mom, it is writing. That makes it the ultimate truth. I'm sure you are all very confused, but you need to understand only one thing, my soup was better than my mom's. You see it has become not only a small dispute, but also the theme of the day. Ask anyone who has come in contact with my mom and I today. Kyle and Justin heard it over the phone, and poor Dad and Taniesha can't escape the battle in their own home.

My day started like any normal day. The alarm went off at 8 am, I took a shower, put on my favorite green sweater, printed off my immunization records, and went to get my TB test checked. Now I didn't want to alarm anyone, but I was concerned about my TB test. It was red, swollen, and itchy on a spot about 1" on my arm. I was nervous about my trip to the health department, but no fears. Turns out the swelling has to be a pea-shaped bump to be positive. I wish someone would have told me that before I had myself believing I had tuberculosis.

When I got home and shared the good news with my mom, we headed to the doctor. I wasn't even in the doctor for an hour, which is quite the feat at our doctor. Then I got some super nice sunglasses for $100 off! SCORE! Then the battle began when Mom and I headed to Panera Bread for lunch. I got the Chicken Tortilla soup (which is better) and Mom got the Creamy Tomato soup (which is not better) to go along with our half sandwiches. After tasting each others we began the battle, "My soup is/was better!"

We finished up our productive day with a shopping spree for shampoo, contact solution, etc. I had to stock up for the things I would need in Egypt. All and all, Mom and I were convinced that the day was productive and that we each had the better soup. At least we thought it was productive until we made it home and the doctor called to inform me that I needed and HIV test and another Hep-A shot before I head to Egypt. Now I have to go back to New Albany tomorrow. Do these people not understand that I have to drive 45 min. on the interstate just to get this crap done. GRRRRR! I just wish I would have known before I had soup at Panera Bread. Sigh!

Hopefully tomorrow will finally end my health preparations for the trip. In the words of Forrest Gump (sorta), "That would be one less thing." I need you all to take away from this blog that "My soup was better." Happy Monday!

"I would love to live in a castle...we could live together and not even have to see each other." -Katie Kimrey

2009-01-12T04:04:00.005+02:00

So today's quote is not technically from today, but Lindsey's comment reminded me. Besides, it is one of the best quotes of all time. For future reference, I LOVED having a comment on my blog. So props to Lindsey being my first, and note to everyone else, continue to share the love.

I chose this quote because it reminds me of all the inside jokes, the support, and the friendships I have surrounding and filling and seeping out of the corners of my life. I went to church today and was overwhelmed by the comments of how much they missed me while I'm away, how nice it is to have me home, and how they will all have me in their prayers as I go abroad. I get home and get a call from Lindsey. We talked school talk, boy talk, friend talk, young child talk, and I realized how great my friends are all over.

Since I decided to go to college hundreds of miles from home, I am faced with a dilemma that is not necessarily completely unpleasant. I have people I love and miss all over, but I am never with them at the same time. Now somedays I understand the blessings of having so many people who love me, but others I lament the confusion and sense of loneliness I feel for those people in my heart. When I'm at school I miss home, and when I'm at home I miss school. I only pray that I can find a place for myself in Egypt that will cause me to have a new place to miss while I'm away.

Thanks to everyone who loves me enough to cause me to miss them. Happy Sunday!

"Don't believe me, ask the dishes..." -Beauty and the Beast

2009-01-11T07:17:00.003+02:00

I love to quote movies, I love Beauty and the Beast, but most of all...I love to quote Beauty and the Beast. I often find myself believing I'm in the story as Belle. She is smart, independent, stubborn, slightly manipulative (in a good way), and she finds happiness in places she never expected. The best part is, the story has a happy ending. The "unfortunate" part is, my story doesn't have an ending yet. Not that I want my life to be over, don't jump ahead of my thought process, but I would like to know if I actually get the Disney princess ending I have always hoped for.

You see I place these magnificent ideals in my head about how exciting my life could be. EX: (Senior in high school) What if I really could get in to Duke? (Freshman year @ Duke) How will I ever survive this place? I think I have learned that fairytale endings are always a little messier than they portray in Hollywood. But thinking about all of this makes me even more nervous about heading to Egypt. I have created the fantasy plethora of opportunities awaiting me across the ocean, but I'm biting my finger nails anticipating the messes awaiting me.

Don't get too concerned, I understand that not all is lost. It's all because of my day today. I woke up to my mother yelling at me to wake up and something about pancakes and t-shirts. The pancakes were delicious (I hope you are reading this Andrew), but we didn't have our normal syrup...generic syrup is not worth the money saved, TRUST ME! I took a shower and only changed outfits once before Tiff met us here. It was a girls' day out. Mom, Taniesha, Tiff and I went to see Bride Wars. Now I know that it got terrible reviews, but I thought it was a decent movie, and of course it ended happily.

I think that is where my hope started to return. Those women really screwed up, and their lives didn't necessarily turn out to be the fantasies they envisioned, but they were fairytale endings nonetheless. After lunch at Pizza Hut (Taniesha's choice), Taniesha and I spent 30 min. w/a 91 year-old shut-in. It was entertaining and I found my self fantasizing over the stories I would tell when I turned 91.

I quickly headed to Justin's house to have dinner with him and his family. The pot roast was delicious...it almost made losing Phase-10 (again) easy to swallow. Don't worry it was Justin's mom who won, which is a lot easier to handle than if Justin or his dad won. Afterwards I got to spend some quality time with Justin since he goes back to school tomorrow :(. I guess I will have to spend my time without him fantasizing about my princess ending.

I think I have lived with Disney and chick flicks too long, but I want to believe that all of us get a fairytale ending of our own. Hope your Saturday's were happy too!

"There's only one problem here...I don't know what is going on!" -Tiff

2009-01-10T06:50:00.003+02:00

14 days until I'm leaving on a jet plane, and somehow Tiff's quote seems appropriate. Even though she used it in reference to Phase-10 (which she ended up winning), the anticipation of my trip seems filled with too much unknowing for my liking. Who is my roomate, what should I pack, what should I pack in, what classes will I take, how will I survive in a world of only sand? Everytime I get excited, the fear of the unknown comes in a crashes the party.

At least I got one more thing out of the way today. After breakfast, a shower, and only one outfit (it was laundry day, so I didn't have many options...the glory of sweatpants) I headed to the health department to pick up my immunization records and get a TB test. I HATE NEEDLES!! The thought of something piercing my skin makes me tingle all over. I definitely avoid watching, but I always realize what is happening, and I picture it in my head...BAD NEWS!

My mom and I spent 2 hrs. of our day working on what seems like the world's hardest puzzle, Chocolate, all brown with pieces all the same size and shape. We only succeeded in getting the edge pieces and two small chocolates together. We are not even sure if those are right. I will keep you up to date. We have to finish before I leave, to prove Dad and Justin wrong.

This evening Justin and I headed to our friend Tiff's house. We hung out with her, her boyfriend, and their beautiful 2-year old Braden. Braden is the best behaved 2-year old I've ever seen. He spent most of his evening mimicking every word and action we said or did. He also tasted all 4 colors of Play-Doh to make sure they didn't taste different. He proceeded to tell us all of them were yucky! Tiff made us lasagna, which was delicious. Even though I lost in Phase-10, the night was pretty wonderful.

I hope your days were equally enjoyable. Happy Friday!

"The music moves me...It just moves me ugly." -Justin

2009-01-09T06:21:00.003+02:00

I have decided to title each entry with my favorite quote of the day. It may be serious, it may be ridiculous. It will probably tell you my mood and the tone of the post...ENJOY!

15 days until I get on a plane, 16 until I arrive. I can't decide if I don't have enough time or I have too much. The truth is I have forgotten the monotony of living in a small town. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my family, being able to see Justin everyday has been great, and my trip to the bank today proves that life in a small town is the only way to go, but activity opportunities are minimal these days.

Today I woke up at 9:22 am. I had a dream that my sister's boyfriend Kyle proposed to her and her ring was a diamond set of antlers. For those of you who don't know Kyle don't understand how "appropriate" this is, considering he loves all things camo and hunting. I at least thought it was amusing.

After breakfast, a shower, and trying on 3 outfits I headed to the bank to figure out my loan for my car. W/O an income for the semester I had no way to pay. GOD IS WONDERFUL, and so is Rodney Nicholson. After only 5 min. in the bank, I was told that because he knew and trusted me, Rodney was going to hook me up with a 6 mos. extension on my payments, resulting in no payment until July and only a $54 interest penalty. One more thing checked off my pre-Cairo list.

I spent my evening at Justin's sister's basketball game. Even with her 25 pts. we still lost. Sad day :(. I do love Indiana basketball...nothing could be better.

I'm sorry if you find this all terribly boring. I plan on droning on daily about my random activities and thoughts. If this wasn't your cup of tea, I'm sorry to hear it, and suggest you find something more productive to do with your time. However, if my random babbles tickle your fancy, you now have something to look forward to every day! Happy Thursday!