hello again

It has been so hectic around here! Wowie...what a city. I don't have any pictures really right now that I can post, and also I am without laptop internet access. Sad sad. I am in the Arabic institute's computer room right now. It's so crazy how much my life changed without internet! I feel like I can barely get in contact with anyone! haha. Haha. I'm a nerd...well, I guess I'm not a nerd, I'm just in the 21st century, people!

Anyway, enough about my lack of internet. I got an apartment with a really nice Italian woman who is also going to the Arabic school. We're spending kind of a lot of money compared to most people, but it's worth it because some of the other apartments we saw were gross (it was really crazy finding an apartment...SOOO stressful, and the people here really know how to pressure you and pretty much try to rip you off...we looked at 6 apartments before we found one that we actually liked). It is a REALLY big apartment in an area of town called Mohandiseen. It is in a really good mantaga (area in Arabic), lots of shops and restaurants and things going on...the traffic is really light in the mornings so it doesn't take us long to get to the institute with a cab, but at night the traffic is crazy because it is such a popular area for people to go.

Oh man, I still get a little bit nervous driving in a cab...and I already know a few people who have been in accidents. My friend Zeina's (who my friend from UCF Reham introduced me to...thanks, Reham! she's great!) boyfriend and brother both were in accidents recently. Luckily nothing too bad, but still. People get within inches to other cars (they even put their side mirrors away so that they can squeeze more closely to other cars), honk incessantly, and jam into intersections. I think I have seen a couple of traffic lights, but they are not obeyed. There are men in the middle of the streets "directing" traffic, but really it is madness. One of our cab drivers was having a GREAT time, laughing the whole way. He really loves his job! Haha. Crossing the streets is still scary because you have to time it so perfectly...the drivers very very rarely stop for you, and if they do it is likely that they will get rear-ended. Hahaha. It is a lot of fun even though it's scary.

I've met some very nice people here! Zeina is one, and she has been great showing me around and taking me to cafes and things like that. There are so many nice cafes here. The first one I went to had a view of the Nile and I got the best frappe. Mmm. Zeina also introduced me to another Egyptian, Reem, who I am probably going to Sharm el-Sheikh with with a bunch of other people from a rotary club when I have my break in between courses (instead of going to Turkey...sad sad).

I have also met a bunch of people at the institute. There are a ton of Europeans here...many from Northern Europe and the UK. I met a few Scottish guys today who are very cool, and there are also quite a few people from Sweden, Switzerland, France, England, and the like. It is awesome! There are also Americans, but much fewer than I expected actually. I like that there are so many people from around the world. Most of the people at the institute are younger, still in college and about 19-21. I don't feel too old though. :) I feel like a little 5 year old kid at heart, even though my roommate said that I'm very mature for my age...oolala, that is a new one! Hahaha. The Scottish guys said that I might be able to go to this oasis out in the desert with them in a couple weekends! I am looking for a few girls to go with me so that I won't be an outcast...but it sounds awesome. It takes about 8 hours to get there and you take a jeep and then you camp out under the stars in the middle of nowhere. I want to go really bad. Hopefully I'll be able to.

I still haven't seen the pyramids or any of the touristy things in Cairo! I guess I'm still kind of just getting adjusted to living. Time flies so fast...by the time I get home from class, it is about 3:30-4pm, and then eating lunch and doing homework, it is already time to go to bed! Barely have time to eat dinner! Haha. I don't know why time flies so fast, but it really does here. It's such a different atmosphere... very very laid back but extremely hectic...how is that even possible? Haha, well it is.

The food tastes SO GOOD here. And not the cooking, really, but for example fruit smoothies (really popular here) are AMAZING! And I had one of the best burgers I've had! Haha. The food is really better than anything in the U.S. It has so much flavor. It is not bi-maze (Farsi for Daddy) like so much of the food in the U.S. Fruits and veggies and meat have so many chemicals that it just is different. I was so happy when I tried this stuff and it was like a new experience! Haha. But the food here is definitely not healthy. Lots of fried stuff, lots of meat, and even their rice is made with some sort of lard (it is thick rice that is sticky like Chinese except heavier & salty, not like Persian or Indian rice). I haven't gotten sick yet, and inshallah I don't think I will as long as I'm careful.

There are also SOOO many European-style cafes it is unbelievable...there's even a French cafe right below our apartment and I went there one night and met the manager who is from Paris. Seems like a nice guy, and he lives in our apartment too. The difference between Europe/US and here is that there are tons of sheesha cafes EVERYWHERE. It is so much fun, and people just stay up until all hours of the night smoking and drinking tea and hanging out. The city doesn't really come alive until after about 8pm or so when everyone goes outside.

Next to my apartment is a mosque, and the loudspeaker for the prayer is RIGHT next to our bedrooms. Every morning they wake us up at 5am. I don't mind the call during the day, but when it's so quiet it startles me! I wish I could record it though, it is such a unique sound. Like churchbells except...different. Hahaha.

I am surprised at how few people really speak English here. It is not like Europe at all. There are a few people who speak English SO WELL but the majority don't. I am picking up a few things, and there are some things that people say all the time, even when they are speaking English. Like "yani"...it is almost like "like" or "ya know" in the U.S. where people just say it every other word. Yani yani yani...it means "i mean" or "it means" or something. I've almost started saying it. Haha.

The music here is soooooo good. I already have favorite songs. Unfortunately our apartment isn't picking up any Arabic tv though (just English and 1 Egyptian soap operan channel because the person who lived there before us was American), but I love the music videos. Soooo good. I almost want to quit my PhD program and become an Arabic singer....man oh man that would be fun! You should look some up on youtube. My favorite song right now is by Haife Wahbe (controversial Lebanese singer who is barbie-doll beautiful and wears very skimpy clothes) and it is called Ma T’oulch Lhad. Check it out. It's an older song, but hey, I have to catch up.

Most women here wear the headscarf, but I don't feel weird not wearing it. I am wearing pretty much the exact same stuff that I was wearing in the U.S. except if I have lowcut shirts I just put on something underneath. Even though I dress like this people still think I'm from Egypt...apparently it is what wealthier/less religious Egyptians wear anyway so that's good. I don't stand out too much. The Scottish guys said I look more Latin than European though...so like I said, I look like everything. hahaha...it is pretty easy to tell where everyone else is from though. Europeans are very obvious... Americans are obvious too...just the way they interact with people is a little different. If you smile at someone and they don't smile back, usually that means they are NOT American. Just little things you pick up with the different cultures...it's pretty funny.

My classes are good, but hard. I definitely need to do some studying on my own because in my standard Arabic (fus'ha) class I am a little bit behind...and I'm only in level 1! I am picking up some Egyptian colloquial (a'amaya) pretty quickly...that's not too hard compared to fus'ha.

Ok, well, I suppose that's all!! Long post! But I tried to write as much as possible because I don't think I will be writing again for a while since my internet isn't working (bleeeeeh). I'll email people as much as possible though... Miss ya'll!