Back by popular demand

So, everyone keeps bugging me to update this even though I have so much to do.

Ok, so I have finally registered for all of my classes and have my ID. The past two nights I have been wandering the streets downtown, eating babaganoush, smoking shisha (hooka to Americans), drinking tea and feeling sophisticated with my roommate, Sam. Between the crazy cab rides, and running to catch the last Metro home, she has been an amazing guide. I can already tell that we are going to have a great semester. 

Tuesday night, we went to Hanna Khalilli, the oldest bazzar in Egypt. It was amazing, just like in the movies, all the vendors out selling fruit, and spices in the big cloth sacs, jewelry and everything you can imagine. It was here where I heard some of the best lines of my life thus far. For example, I was walking past this guy and he was obviously checking me out ( they all stare, I can't imagine why, it's not like red hair and blue eyes make me stick out or anything) and then he said "You looking for Egyptian husband? I worth 2,000 chickens" It was great. And later my friend Julia, from Austria was passing a shop that sold local garments and a man said to her "You should buy bellydancing outfit. Not for wear in public, just for your husband." Needless to say, she declined. 

It was amazing to see something that had been around since the time of Christ, an open market on the same street for thousands of years. And just to sit in the cafe and watch people was such an experience, you could feel the communal, neighborhood vibe between the people that was so welcoming and refreshing. 

Tonight, Monday, we had a welcome party on campus for all of the international students. It had such great food, and I got a Shakira belt! (For the older readers, or pop culture challenged, its a scarf that wraps around your waist with beads dangling off so when you shake your hips and booty, they jingle. I plan on wearing it to formal next year) There were performances by whirling dervishes, and a Nubian step group (for lack of better term) Then they played pop music, and listening to Egyptian covers of "I Will Survive" and "The Love is Gone" is truly an experience. The Egyptian and other non-American students all stood back amazed when we could all join in with the Nubian version of the electric slide. They also do not see the appeal of the "YMCA", which is a classic. To date, the list of things to cover to get Sam ready for American grad school include: The Wizard of Oz, American Pie ( the song), and the electric slide. Sam was kind enough to tell me that I should forget dancing like an Arab, but for an American I was ok. 

Oh my Goodness

Well, Thus far things have been going swimmingly. I met my roommate, her name is Sam and she is Palestinian and raised in Jordan. She is very nice and used to having American roommates so that helps. Here is a run down of what has happened thus far:

Friday: we went to this place called City Stars which is a Western mall on steroids, there were 7 floors and 5 phases and it took up 10 city blocks. Inside was all sorts of American and European stores like, Target, Radio Shack, and restaurants ranging everywhere from McDonalds to Rainforest Cafe and TGI Fridays. It was crazy, and EVERYONE smokes, even inside the mall. There where two movie theaters too, this place was enormous, the other girls and I had a great time walking around and getting lost. 

Saturday: AMAZING!! We went to see the pyramids at Giza! First, we went to the Great Pyramid and I actually got to climb inside it. There was a platform with crossbars on the floor and railings on the side but the tunnel was only 3 ft. tall so you were almost parallel to the shaft. I hit my head alot and my back is still recovering because we limbed that way practically on our knees for 5 stories. The Eiffel Tower was easier. But it was totally worth it when we reached the actual burial chamber. It was seriously something out of The Mummy, minus Brendan Frasier and the zombies. But the sacophagus was still there, without the body but still totally creepy, and there were hierogliphics on the walls. It was dark and kind of creepy, but truly awe inspiring at the same time. Next we went to the lesser pyramids, where the queens were kept, we actually climbed down into her burial chamber but that was just a room with rocks, that was too small and had too many people so it lost its charm. Next I rode a camel, no joke, a camel. My guide was about eight years old which was kind of depressing, and his name was Harrir and the camel's name was Mike. All of the camel's in the caravan are named after Michael Jackson and each carry some variation of his name. I can't explain why. After that we went to a cliff where we could take a panoramic view of the three pyramids together. Then we saw the Sphinx, and this thing was gargantuan. It's paw was at least 20 stories high. One thing to keep in mind about the pyramids is that they are surrounded by the city on three side, so when you turn around from gazing at the last surviving structure of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, you turn around and see a Pizza Hut. On the other side however, it does just lead to the desert abiss. After that long, and hot day, this took from about 12 to 5, we went to a local restaurant that was incredibly delicious,we had: fresh fruit and vegetables, rice, pasta, babaganoush, and flat bread. Then, once we were seated the brought out shoe box-sized charcoal pits with pieces of chicken on them. Here we met a young man who had a pet lion cub and although the poor thing was obviously sedated, I got to pet it but couldn't take a picture of it as we were called away by the group leaders.  

Sunday: I tried to register for classes and spent two hours in the office receiving absolutely no guidance and only have two classes right now. I understand that this is a more laid back culture with a lax sense of time but I was extremely frustrated. I finally got dragged out of the office by my new friend Samalia (she is from Philly and goes to NYU) to eat something as I had not done so for fear of losing my place in line and thus my classes. But we went out to eat, and I started my Egyptian Arabic survival course. It was very fun, I love my professor she is very kind and patient, especially since I was frustrated once again that all of my Modern Standard Arabic would be useless here as they only speak Egyptian Arabic so I'm starting from scratch. But since I can read the script, picking up vocab is very easy. And later that night I had the most wonderful time. We visited a Bedouin tribe, they told us about their history and let us ride their horses into the dessert. To get the general idea, watch the opening sequence in Aladdin during "Arabian Nights" and you get the idea. It was so beautiful, just the sand and the sky, and you could see a million stars, I even found Ursa Major. Not to brag or anything but I am an excellent rider, I was the only one in my group to get my horse to behave and go where I wanted it. Then we went back for another scrumptious meal, similar to the one we had the day before. And then, the dancing started, wearing ornate belly dancing costumes with bells and charms, the Bedouin showed us their native folk dances, and then began pulling members of the audience into join. There were six sets of dances and for some reason the dancers in each routine picked me to join them. At first it was entertaining but then it just got to be annoying as I was ALWAYS picked. But it was a fantastic time and we met wonderful new people who have a long and decadent history, who let us share in it for a night. 

Well, thats enough for now it's time for bed. I'll try to post again soon but orientation keeps us on a pretty tight schedule. Ma salama!

London

Tyler decided I needed to have a blog so here it is. We are stuck in the London Heathrow airport for the next six hours. We will arrive in Cairo about Midnight tonight or 6:00pm St. Louis time. I will keep everyone posted but please write back!