yesterday, today, and plans for the future

Yesterday - Woke up at 10... and I was still tired. I went over to the Belgian student's apartment the night before because they threw a party. We didn't even stay out late, maybe midnight, but had a couple of beers and that really takes a toll on the body in this country. It's a mixture of the heat, pollution, and feeling like you are constantly trapped in a cloud of cigarette ashes because people are smoking up a storm in your face and on your clothes.... and then on top of it alcohol... you pretty much cannot function. So I had class at 11:30am, like every day. I decided to forgo the aamiya classes (Egyptian colloquial) because I could not focus on two classes at once. Little did I know that it had nothing to do with having 2 classes....it's just Egypt. This place makes it very very hard to concentrate on anything substantive, other than the crazy philosophical thoughts brewing in my mind.
Anyway, woke up at 10 (I usually wake up earlier to get to school to do my homework in the morning) and my American roommate was still home....she went to the party too, and skipped her first class. So we went into school together today, instead of me catching a taxi by myself like usual. It's a little bit easier having someone that doesn't look Arab with me because then the taxi driver assumes we don't speak Arabic and knows we are going to the school... by myself sometimes I get caught in one-way conversations that I just say the usual words to: "Meshi" (okay), "Ay-wa" (yes), "lif tah-te kobri" (u-turn under the bridge), etc etc. Haha. I get by....barely.
We arrive at school after an event-less taxi ride, alhamdulillah (praise God). :) Then class.... My teacher is great and hilarious. His name is Amir and he tells us little stories in Arabic about his adventures smoking sheesha and drinking beer (he's a Christian, so no problemo). He acts out the stories with huge gestures, and I think when I get back to the States I will be the master at charades. I'm exhausted in class and barely focus. My mind wanders constantly. "I wonder what so & so would say to this & that...", "What are those loud people saying outside the window, I wonder...", "I bet the guy who collects old things hates his job...", "I wonder if anyone else is listening to what Amir is saying right now...." hahaha. Yes it's horrible. And it's not during the WHOLE class. And yesterday was especially bad. I usually focus well in class, don't worry Mom & Dad & if anyone else out there might be reading this. Hahahaha. So true.
After class, I made plans with several people to do things this weekend: go to the pool, go to downtown, go out, eat, eat some more. Then I headed home with two of my roommates, the American and the Swiss (there is a French one, as well). We got in a taxi that looked less-than-immaculate to say the least, but perhaps only slightly worse than most taxis and cars in Cairo. I got in front (usually a no-no, but he opened the door so I got in). The cab smelled a little bit funny, and my door looked like it was about to fall off. As we started driving, I heard a strange noise coming from the engine each time we had to speed up. It seemed like the car was struggling. We got about 4 blocks, and KHALAS (finished). The taxi died in the middle of the street. I look at the driver and say, "khalas?" Haha. And he looks at me sheepishly and says, "Benzine..." (gasoline). Oh boy. So at this point we are stuck in the middle of an extremely busy road in a taxi that is khalas.... A couple of guys come over and help push the taxi over to the side of the road. We get out, and the driver keeps saying sorry sorry sorry to me, and I said, "Mafish mushkel" (no problem) and we gave him a couple pounds (he obviously needs it) and found another taxi home.
There, I made a WONDERFUL PERSIAN LUNCH! Alhamdulillah! I made Persian rice and black-eyed peas. Yummmy....much needed. After lunch, my French roommate and I went to a cafe near my apartment named "Second Cup." It is my "Second Home." Ha. I spend a lot of time here (I say here because I am here right now).... Anyway, so everyone who works here knows me. Every time I arrive they try to guess what I'm going to order. And each time they are WRONG. I try to change it up, as I am not an animal of routine...wait a second...I come to Second Cup every day....hmmmm.... Okay, well that's beside the point. Haha. After spending some time writing in my journal, letting Maude (the French roommie) use the computer and using the computer myself, it was about 7pm. All of the roommies were at our Second Home, so 3 of us decided to go shopping. Maude needed a bag for her desert trip that she is currently on this weekend, and Laura (the American) needed shoes. Cornelia (the Swiss roommie) hasn't been feeling well so she decided to stay behind. We head out under a full moon -the only thing you can see in the night sky- on Shariaa (street) Gameet al-Dowal. After our shopping extravaganza, I headed home and decided that I wanted to GO OUT! So I SMSed some friends, and we decided to go to a bar called After 8. I think I've already written about it before. It's a bar/dance place in downtown Cairo and it is SO fun. I love it. It's small and cozy, but the music gets good towards the end of the night (which is 3:30-4am). To get there you have to walk down this creepy ally that is dark and narrow and just plain unappealing. It doesn't seem like a place that little Leila should go. But then you enter the bar, and the atmosphere transforms immediately to a lively, "hip" hangout for Cairenes and foreigners. I really like this place. We arrived and the Egyptian guys we were with, Ahmed & Aly, seemed to know everyone so we got a table inside and they really took care of us. We drank a few beers, ate some baba ganoug and danced the night away. At around 3:30 we left and my friend Aly took us to this place to get juice. IT WAS PACKED at 4am. Unbelievable. Cairo never sleeps, literally. There was traffic to get there, and there were cars lined up to buy the juice. But I know why...the juice is absolutely incredible. I got assab (sugarcane) and mandarin (almost like Tang...except FRESH). Wow. Then I went home, and I listened to music for a little bit and went to sleep around 5 or 5:30am.

Today - After a nice rest, I looked at my phone's time today... and it was 1:30pm. Hahaha. WOOPS. Slept the morning away. I guess that is to be expected considering the timing... I think I'm slowly transforming into an Egyptian with my strange sleeping pattern. I wanted to go to the gym today, I wanted to go to the pool today, I wanted to study today, I wanted to get coffee with my friend, and then I wanted to go to dinner. Maybe the last few are possible. Inshallah. :) Now I'm sitting at my Second Home, drinking Earl Grey and laughing to myself because there are possibly 18 workers behind the counter standing around and doing nothing. Sometimes there are more workers here than there are customers. What a waste of manpower. Honestly! My friend Elline from Sweden is coming to join me in a few minutes, and then later tonight I am going to get dinner with my Egyptian friends Reem and Marwa at a place called Sequoia on the Nile in a part of town called Zamalek (it's an island in the middle of the Nile).
Two of my roommates are away this weekend. Laura is in Alexandria and Maude is in the desert (the same White desert and Black desert that I went to). Cornelia was supposed to go to Alexandria with Laura, but she still is feeling very sick. Poor girl. I was thinking about going to Alexandria, as well, BUT... Lindsey is getting here on Sunday!!! I am SO excited! I figure I will save these activities for when Linds and Linds get here...I need to try to save money anyway. Plus I want to go to Alexandria with them on a day trip while they are here....and inshallah we will get to go to Luxor if it is not too expensive and to Dahab in the Sinai and climb Mt. Sinai. Can't wait!
Hope all is well in the USA. I know it's been hard communicating a bit so I hope everything is great. I am missing home and I can't wait to see my friends and go to The Village and go to Valhalla and hike in Colorado and eat some good Mexican food (Tex Mex, actually) in Houston again. :) Hope to hear from everyone soon. Post comments if you want, or just email me when you can. Love, Leila