So, I've been quite busy since Laura got here and haven't been able to post, but since I've finished packing and everyone else is still running around like chickens with their heads cut off, I thought I'd take a few minutes to catch you guys up while I'm still in Egypt.
Laura had a bit of trouble getting here from Suez. The microbus she was on from Cairo threw a fit over five pounds and they had to turn around and drive to a police station to get it settled. So she did get here, it was just 5:30 Wednesday morning. But all the waiting gave me time to write my media presentation, so it was okay.
We spent some time catching up, I took her down to breakfast, and then we went over to the second dorm building to pay the head of the complex for Laura's two night stay. It's ten dollars a night, including food, which is only a little more expensive than you average hostel, and a lot cheaper than one of the same caliber as the dorms. So it was a pretty good deal.
She stayed in the room while I went to my final, but I gave her directions before I left so she could meet me at the University when it was over. She did swimmingly with those, and after the exam we went out to lunch with my entire media class to say goodbye to and treat Ustaaza Nahla.
The restaurant she chose was amazing. It's called Coffee Roastary, which kind of speaks for itself. They have every kind of food that I've ever loved in the world and it was sooo hard to pick. Salad or pasta or chicken fried steak or what? Eventually I settled on fettuccine alfredo and a minted mocha coffee. They were both spectacular.
So we sat, and we chatted, and only after lunch was I alerted that there was a surprise party for Robyn going on in the dar at the same time. We were too late to make it, which upset me because Robyn's been so good to me while I've been here, what with the hospital and all. But it was after the fact, so Laura and I headed back to the dorms so I could drop off my stuff and then we headed off to see the catacombs because no one else has been willing to go with me.
Only problem was Laura wanted to walk even though the catacombs are about as far away as it gets in Alexandria. I completely support her wanting to see the city, but in a place where they tell you to never pay more than five pounds for a cab ride, the catacombs are a ten pound trip away. Still, I kind of wanted to see the city to, so we tried.
A few hours and a lot of poor, dirty neighborhoods later, we were lost. Not in a bad way, 'cus even the worst parts of Alexandria are safer than 90% of American cities, but we had no idea where we were in relation to the catacombs. So she finally let us get a taxi only to find out upon arriving at the catacombs that they were closed. So we got in another taxi and I took her to Qaitbey, the big fortress where everyone always goes to just hang out. Mostly I just wanted her to see it, and she wasn't too impressed, so we didn't stay long.
After that, we wandered the marketplace under Abu Al-Abbas Mosque because I knew for a fact they had some of the souvenirs I'd been looking for. It was a successful trip and afterwards we called Megan and Tamar and met up with them at Silsila where we smoked and watched the sunset. Yay Silsila.
We did eventually make it back to the dorms, but Tamar, Megan and I all had a big Modern Standard Arabic Exam the next day, so we hung out in my room studying for a while. And then we got bored, and Laura and I realized we'd skipped dinner, so we went to McDonald's where I ordered a McArabia for the first time. It's freaking amazing. I didn't know McDonald's could do Arab food. And to be fair, they can't, but just because it isn't Arab doesn't mean it isn't delicious. It's kind of like a grilled chicken salad on pita bread: chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, and this spicy mayonnaise like sauce. Either way, I loved it.
When we got back from McDonald's we went to our respective rooms. And mind you, it had been quite a while since I slept, so I didn't study much longer before turning in.
The next day was my Formal Arabic Exam. It went pretty well, despite my exhaustion. I felt like I should have done something with Laura afterward, but I was dying, so I took a nap and while I was sleeping she wandered a little. She said she enjoyed it. It still felt guilty.
That night I woke up and we went to the Flagship farewell party. Unfortunately, we were horribly late thanks to getting lost. Twice. I won't bore you with details of the wandering, 'cus it really wasn't exciting. Mostly I took Laura to Muhammad Ahmed for dinner and then we walked. A lot. The best lesson of the night, however, was that if you're trying to find a hotel, ask other hotels. They know everything.
An hour and a half after the party started we made it. We danced for a while with everyone else. Eastern dance, which I suck at. It was all great fun until it came time to say goodbye. I'm going to miss all of my professors dearly. There was a lot of hugging and picture taking and some teary eyes. Sharouk, my Formal Arabic TA even got me a gift: these adorable little earrings.
After the Flagship party came the unsponsored student party. Every last one of us turned up at Mermaid to dance Western dance and have about as American of a going away party as it gets. I'm not gonna lie, there were a lot of hangovers this morning, but I think everyone believes they were worth it.
Mostly thanks to the hangovers, no one felt much like doing anything today. I spent most of the morning/early afternoon packing, and we took a short shopping trip for a few last minute gifts and snacks for the bus trip to Cairo. When we got back from shopping we ate dinner, then Laura packed up and left. I got her a taxi to the train station, but she's on her own from there.
I all of a sudden realize this is a little late in coming, but for those of you who don't know Laura is my friend from America. She studied a bit in Damascus over the summer, decided the University there sucked, and has since been using her college fund to backpack across the middle east. She has some awesome stories, but she's about to leave Arabic land for Turkey, Greece and Italy where things are (a), a lot more expensive, and (b), in a language she does not speak. Still, I have faith in her. She can handle herself in a sticky situation.
I was mostly packed by the time Laura left, so Hannah came over and we watched a bit of A Very Potter Sequel before she left to do her last minute packing and I was left alone. So, I decided to write to you lovely people. I haven't decided if this is going to be my last post. There's nothing much left, but if something exciting happens on the twenty-four hour trip back I'll let you know. Otherwise, thank you for reading. I hope you were entertained. And to most of you, I'll be seeing you soon!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Days 58 & 59: Shopping Spree
So, I did things yesterday, but I didn't write. Mostly because I was so tired. I haven't been sleeping well. I'm not sure why. I'll go to bed exhausted and still not fall asleep for ages.
But anyway, I'm finally well enough to start going out again in earnest, as in for more than a sandwich from a little fast food place. I even stopped at the Alexandria Library with Tamar yesterday on my way back to lunch. I didn't pay the outrageous prices to go in, but I bought an interesting looking book from the gift shop, as well as a souvenir or two.
In the evening, Tamar and I wanted to make the most of our last days in Alexandria, and she needed to buy a second suitcase for her souvenirs, so we decided to go out for dinner and then go shopping. Before we left Texas, Ustaaza Radwa told us about an amazing little Italian Restaurant right next to the Opera House, and I'd been anxious to try it out, especially after two months of nothing but repetitive Egyptian food, so we decided to go there.
I didn't know where it was exactly, so we went to the Opera House and started wandering from there. Eventually we had to ask for directions, but it was a nice part of town, and when we asked we were nearly on top of it anyway. Problem was, for some reason it was closed. Disappointed, we started heading back to Muhammad Ahmed, which is always a good back up, but got hungry along the way. So when we passed a Little Caesar's, we ducked in there instead. It almost counts as Italian, right?
Anyway, the Little Caesar's was very similar to those in America. We got two medium veggie pizzas that we nearly finished because we'd skipped lunch, and a small order of bread sticks. The pizza was almost exactly the same, the bread sticks were entirely different. They looked like thick bricks when they came, but they were very light and fluffy, and covered in these flavorful spices that no American pizza place has ever come close to. Still, it was a very American meal.
Afterward, we took the tram to Ibrahimiyya, one of the big shopping districts. There's a general store there that takes credit cards, and Tamar wanted to use it to buy her suitcase. On the way to the store though, we passed the Ibrahimiyya Mall, which I knew to have some of the souvenir items I was still in need of. Tamar indulged me while I ducked in an bought out the entire mall, and then we continued on our way.
At Fathala, the general store, there wasn't a great selection of suitcases. All the big ones had hard shells, and were therefore pretty heavy to begin with. Eventually, Tamar settled on a bag that looked like a mini-hummer, mostly because of it's cute factor more than its functionality.
I on the other hand bought a few more souvenir items. Gifts, as well as a toy Ramadan Fanous (lamp). It needs batteries, but I figure I can get those when I get back to the U.S. I also stumbled upon the Harry Potter books in Fathala's book section, but they only had numbers 2-5, and I can't buy them for Habiba out of order. I got her two and three anyway, and I'm hoping to find one before I leave.
After shopping, we returned to the dorms. It was pretty late, and we had a final to study for. Still, I didn't get started right away. Instead, I made plans for Laura's arrival and planned my packing strategy for the next few days. When I eventually did get down to studying, I realized something terrible.
I didn't have any of my notes.
A lot of restaurants in Alexandria are very cafe like, meaning it would be appropriate to study in them. As such, Tamar and I had planned ahead and brought study materials with us in her purse for the Italian restaurant. When out plans got side tracked we forgot all about them, and by the time I remembered late that night she was already asleep.
I didn't want to wake her, so I tried to go to bed instead. It didn't work. I finally got a few hours of sleep, woke up, showered, put a band aid on my still open wound, and went to class. I'm almost glad I didn't study, because the final was simple. There was one question I wasn't too sure on, but studying wouldn't have helped with it, so I think it was better I rested anyway.
I had my OPI scheduled for today at 2:00, and because getting back to the dar by 2:00 after lunch can sometimes be cutting it close, I decided to skip lunch and work instead. The OPI went fine, and I napped in the dar afterwards. Hadir texted me last night saying she'd be stopping by, so I had the same hang ups about waiting around the room as last time.
I set my phone alarm for six, woke up, and walked back to the dorms for dinner. At dinner, I made plans to go out to a hookah shop with Meghan because I still needed a few pieces for the set bought for the Arabic House. It's lucky I had plans though, because just as I was finishing up eating, Hadir called. She didn't have her key and needed me to let her into the room. So I did, but then I had an excuse to leave.
It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because she didn't stay. She was just dropping off her suitcase for tomorrow, when she really intends to pack. She brought me another gift too. A book from a conference she went to. It's in Arabic, so that's good, but it's all sciencey and I'm a bit worried I won't understand any of it.
Anyway, I went to the hookah shop, got what I needed, and returned pretty quickly. I then proceeded to sit in my room and procrastinate. I have a presentation tomorrow for my final exam in Media Arabic that I haven't started, but at the very least I've gathered the vocabulary words I intend to use in it, so that's something.
On a side note, I made a big mistake today. Before I left America, Mom bought me this gorgeous pair of black slacks, and as of yet I hadn't had a chance to wear them in Egypt, mostly because they're long and require heals. Today, considering I only have a few days left, I decided to wear them with the only pair of heals I have here.
I don't know if it's because I lost weight or what, but the shoes fit differently than they did the last time I wore them, and the short walk to the University rubbed my feet raw. I went barefoot in the dar, but that's definitely not an option in the street, and after the walk back after my nap, I'm pretty sure there's more skin off my feet than on. I changed my shoes before I went shopping of course, but the damage had been done. Oh blisters...
That's about it for the last two days. I should really try to get that presentation done before Laura gets here. The dorm administrator is letting her stay here for ten dollars a night, including meals, which is a pretty sweet deal. Anyway, I'll try to write for you all tomorrow or the next day or something.
But anyway, I'm finally well enough to start going out again in earnest, as in for more than a sandwich from a little fast food place. I even stopped at the Alexandria Library with Tamar yesterday on my way back to lunch. I didn't pay the outrageous prices to go in, but I bought an interesting looking book from the gift shop, as well as a souvenir or two.
In the evening, Tamar and I wanted to make the most of our last days in Alexandria, and she needed to buy a second suitcase for her souvenirs, so we decided to go out for dinner and then go shopping. Before we left Texas, Ustaaza Radwa told us about an amazing little Italian Restaurant right next to the Opera House, and I'd been anxious to try it out, especially after two months of nothing but repetitive Egyptian food, so we decided to go there.
I didn't know where it was exactly, so we went to the Opera House and started wandering from there. Eventually we had to ask for directions, but it was a nice part of town, and when we asked we were nearly on top of it anyway. Problem was, for some reason it was closed. Disappointed, we started heading back to Muhammad Ahmed, which is always a good back up, but got hungry along the way. So when we passed a Little Caesar's, we ducked in there instead. It almost counts as Italian, right?
Anyway, the Little Caesar's was very similar to those in America. We got two medium veggie pizzas that we nearly finished because we'd skipped lunch, and a small order of bread sticks. The pizza was almost exactly the same, the bread sticks were entirely different. They looked like thick bricks when they came, but they were very light and fluffy, and covered in these flavorful spices that no American pizza place has ever come close to. Still, it was a very American meal.
Afterward, we took the tram to Ibrahimiyya, one of the big shopping districts. There's a general store there that takes credit cards, and Tamar wanted to use it to buy her suitcase. On the way to the store though, we passed the Ibrahimiyya Mall, which I knew to have some of the souvenir items I was still in need of. Tamar indulged me while I ducked in an bought out the entire mall, and then we continued on our way.
At Fathala, the general store, there wasn't a great selection of suitcases. All the big ones had hard shells, and were therefore pretty heavy to begin with. Eventually, Tamar settled on a bag that looked like a mini-hummer, mostly because of it's cute factor more than its functionality.
I on the other hand bought a few more souvenir items. Gifts, as well as a toy Ramadan Fanous (lamp). It needs batteries, but I figure I can get those when I get back to the U.S. I also stumbled upon the Harry Potter books in Fathala's book section, but they only had numbers 2-5, and I can't buy them for Habiba out of order. I got her two and three anyway, and I'm hoping to find one before I leave.
After shopping, we returned to the dorms. It was pretty late, and we had a final to study for. Still, I didn't get started right away. Instead, I made plans for Laura's arrival and planned my packing strategy for the next few days. When I eventually did get down to studying, I realized something terrible.
I didn't have any of my notes.
A lot of restaurants in Alexandria are very cafe like, meaning it would be appropriate to study in them. As such, Tamar and I had planned ahead and brought study materials with us in her purse for the Italian restaurant. When out plans got side tracked we forgot all about them, and by the time I remembered late that night she was already asleep.
I didn't want to wake her, so I tried to go to bed instead. It didn't work. I finally got a few hours of sleep, woke up, showered, put a band aid on my still open wound, and went to class. I'm almost glad I didn't study, because the final was simple. There was one question I wasn't too sure on, but studying wouldn't have helped with it, so I think it was better I rested anyway.
I had my OPI scheduled for today at 2:00, and because getting back to the dar by 2:00 after lunch can sometimes be cutting it close, I decided to skip lunch and work instead. The OPI went fine, and I napped in the dar afterwards. Hadir texted me last night saying she'd be stopping by, so I had the same hang ups about waiting around the room as last time.
I set my phone alarm for six, woke up, and walked back to the dorms for dinner. At dinner, I made plans to go out to a hookah shop with Meghan because I still needed a few pieces for the set bought for the Arabic House. It's lucky I had plans though, because just as I was finishing up eating, Hadir called. She didn't have her key and needed me to let her into the room. So I did, but then I had an excuse to leave.
It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because she didn't stay. She was just dropping off her suitcase for tomorrow, when she really intends to pack. She brought me another gift too. A book from a conference she went to. It's in Arabic, so that's good, but it's all sciencey and I'm a bit worried I won't understand any of it.
Anyway, I went to the hookah shop, got what I needed, and returned pretty quickly. I then proceeded to sit in my room and procrastinate. I have a presentation tomorrow for my final exam in Media Arabic that I haven't started, but at the very least I've gathered the vocabulary words I intend to use in it, so that's something.
On a side note, I made a big mistake today. Before I left America, Mom bought me this gorgeous pair of black slacks, and as of yet I hadn't had a chance to wear them in Egypt, mostly because they're long and require heals. Today, considering I only have a few days left, I decided to wear them with the only pair of heals I have here.
I don't know if it's because I lost weight or what, but the shoes fit differently than they did the last time I wore them, and the short walk to the University rubbed my feet raw. I went barefoot in the dar, but that's definitely not an option in the street, and after the walk back after my nap, I'm pretty sure there's more skin off my feet than on. I changed my shoes before I went shopping of course, but the damage had been done. Oh blisters...
That's about it for the last two days. I should really try to get that presentation done before Laura gets here. The dorm administrator is letting her stay here for ten dollars a night, including meals, which is a pretty sweet deal. Anyway, I'll try to write for you all tomorrow or the next day or something.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Day 57: Plodding and Planning
It wasn't a very eventful day today, but I did a few things.
Class came first, obviously. I had an exam, and then a review for an exam. After classes I didn't really want to go eat dorm food, and the dorm has stopped catering to Kaylea, who's vegan, so I decided we were going to go to Muhammad Ahmed for ful sandwiches. Problem was, I didn't remember where it was.
I had a general idea, so I got us to the neighborhood and then started going off of things that looked familiar. We were just about to stop and ask for directions when we stumbled up upon it. I'm going to miss ful sandwiches. They're so simple and yet... delicious. I always get mine with hummus.
I wasn't sure I was going to get a nap today, which was unfortunate because I was up all night last night finishing a project. I found two hours before dinner.
At dinner, I met with my Egyptian class group. We have a major presentation tomorrow that we hadn't started because no one's ever free at the same time. We managed to divide up the work and we're mostly going to wing it tomorrow. I'm not terribly worried. It's just about our experiences in Egypt, so we threw a bunch of photos on a powerpoint and tomorrow we'll talk about them.
After dinner, I expected Habiba to come find me to go out. She'd said we were going to tonight. That, however, didn't happen. I sat around studying for a bit, avoiding a nap, and finally went and knocked on her door. She wasn't in, but I didn't want to miss her when she came back, so I stayed up.
As I was waiting, doing just about everything to keep myself awake, a got a phone call from Laura. For those who don't know, she's spent her summer in Damascus and the Levant in general, and now she's traveling around the rest of the Middle East for a bit before heading back to America. Turns out she's getting into Egypt tomorrow and will probably be an Alexandria on Tuesday. I'm going see if I can't get her a bed in the dorms for a few days. She's heard that Egypt is horrible, but from what she said everyone was telling her about Cairo. I'm determined to show her that Alexandria is awesome. Because it is.
That's about it for today. Habiba and I never did go out. She got back around 11:30 and I was pooped. Still am. It's all I can do to get this out, and now I'm going to bed. I do believe I will have proper time for a nap tomorrow though, so at least there's that. Someone remind me I need to go to the ATM and find time for a shopping trip in the next few days...
Class came first, obviously. I had an exam, and then a review for an exam. After classes I didn't really want to go eat dorm food, and the dorm has stopped catering to Kaylea, who's vegan, so I decided we were going to go to Muhammad Ahmed for ful sandwiches. Problem was, I didn't remember where it was.
I had a general idea, so I got us to the neighborhood and then started going off of things that looked familiar. We were just about to stop and ask for directions when we stumbled up upon it. I'm going to miss ful sandwiches. They're so simple and yet... delicious. I always get mine with hummus.
I wasn't sure I was going to get a nap today, which was unfortunate because I was up all night last night finishing a project. I found two hours before dinner.
At dinner, I met with my Egyptian class group. We have a major presentation tomorrow that we hadn't started because no one's ever free at the same time. We managed to divide up the work and we're mostly going to wing it tomorrow. I'm not terribly worried. It's just about our experiences in Egypt, so we threw a bunch of photos on a powerpoint and tomorrow we'll talk about them.
After dinner, I expected Habiba to come find me to go out. She'd said we were going to tonight. That, however, didn't happen. I sat around studying for a bit, avoiding a nap, and finally went and knocked on her door. She wasn't in, but I didn't want to miss her when she came back, so I stayed up.
As I was waiting, doing just about everything to keep myself awake, a got a phone call from Laura. For those who don't know, she's spent her summer in Damascus and the Levant in general, and now she's traveling around the rest of the Middle East for a bit before heading back to America. Turns out she's getting into Egypt tomorrow and will probably be an Alexandria on Tuesday. I'm going see if I can't get her a bed in the dorms for a few days. She's heard that Egypt is horrible, but from what she said everyone was telling her about Cairo. I'm determined to show her that Alexandria is awesome. Because it is.
That's about it for today. Habiba and I never did go out. She got back around 11:30 and I was pooped. Still am. It's all I can do to get this out, and now I'm going to bed. I do believe I will have proper time for a nap tomorrow though, so at least there's that. Someone remind me I need to go to the ATM and find time for a shopping trip in the next few days...
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Days 55 & 56: Getting it Out of the Way
So, the title says it all. I'm mostly posting this to get it out of the way. I never knew Egypt could be boring, but when I'm taking it easy, it sort of is.
I barely left my room all weekend, because while I'm feeling much better, I didn't want to over do it and relapse. That means all I did was lay in bed, do homework, and watch True Blood.
Tonight I wrote and recorded my final presentation for Formal Arabic. Tomorrow I plan to go out with Habiba. That's really it. In detail.
But at least now I won't have to bore you with the beginning of my next post that would have said "nothing happened for two days."
I barely left my room all weekend, because while I'm feeling much better, I didn't want to over do it and relapse. That means all I did was lay in bed, do homework, and watch True Blood.
Tonight I wrote and recorded my final presentation for Formal Arabic. Tomorrow I plan to go out with Habiba. That's really it. In detail.
But at least now I won't have to bore you with the beginning of my next post that would have said "nothing happened for two days."
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Day 54: Tra La La
Today doesn't really feel like today anymore, but I'm going to write about it anyway.
Classes today were somewhat better than yesterday. I was more focused, if in more pain. Laying on the wounds made them feel better, like it was holding things in place, so I thought that wearing normal pants might do the same thing. And I was wrong. And it hurt. But I lived.
It was my first day back in Egyptian, and everyone was very welcoming. I missed the trip to the monastery last weekend, thanks to the surgery, so Ustaaz Immad had bought me a souvenir fan at the gift shop. I love that man. He's just too thoughtful for words.
In Formal we just read and discussed the essay I stayed up writing all of last night. It was worth it though, because the guy who read mine spent the first bit of his presentation about it raving about how it sounded like it was written by an Arab. That was my goal, of course, but it's nice to know I might have achieved it.
After class, we had pizza for lunch. I love pizza day. It's a bit of a celebration around here, and not only because it's on Thursdays. Egyptian pizza isn't like American pizza, but it's the same general idea. Cheese on bread. They just add a lot more. Olives and onions and spices and the like come standard. It's delicious, even if there isn't really any sauce.
And then I went to bed. Because I was exhausted. And slept. But not as long as I wanted to. At eight o'clock or so, some girls decided to start being obnoxiously loud in the hallway. It woke me up, and kept me up, and was just late enough that I didn't even make it to dinner. I was peeved. And now I'm tired again, but not quite tired enough to sleep over my stomach. And I feel like I should be doing homework. Oh well.
I caught Habiba a little while ago and we might watch a movie in a bit. I have a couple good ones with decent sound saved to my computer. It's gonna be a slow night, but at least I have to entire weekend to rest up. And work on projects and study for finals, but I'm trying to not remember that right now.
Oh, and for those who were worried, I think my intestines are almost back to normal. I won't go into details, but it was touch and go there for a while and now everything's back up and running properly. So, there's some good news.
Classes today were somewhat better than yesterday. I was more focused, if in more pain. Laying on the wounds made them feel better, like it was holding things in place, so I thought that wearing normal pants might do the same thing. And I was wrong. And it hurt. But I lived.
It was my first day back in Egyptian, and everyone was very welcoming. I missed the trip to the monastery last weekend, thanks to the surgery, so Ustaaz Immad had bought me a souvenir fan at the gift shop. I love that man. He's just too thoughtful for words.
In Formal we just read and discussed the essay I stayed up writing all of last night. It was worth it though, because the guy who read mine spent the first bit of his presentation about it raving about how it sounded like it was written by an Arab. That was my goal, of course, but it's nice to know I might have achieved it.
After class, we had pizza for lunch. I love pizza day. It's a bit of a celebration around here, and not only because it's on Thursdays. Egyptian pizza isn't like American pizza, but it's the same general idea. Cheese on bread. They just add a lot more. Olives and onions and spices and the like come standard. It's delicious, even if there isn't really any sauce.
And then I went to bed. Because I was exhausted. And slept. But not as long as I wanted to. At eight o'clock or so, some girls decided to start being obnoxiously loud in the hallway. It woke me up, and kept me up, and was just late enough that I didn't even make it to dinner. I was peeved. And now I'm tired again, but not quite tired enough to sleep over my stomach. And I feel like I should be doing homework. Oh well.
I caught Habiba a little while ago and we might watch a movie in a bit. I have a couple good ones with decent sound saved to my computer. It's gonna be a slow night, but at least I have to entire weekend to rest up. And work on projects and study for finals, but I'm trying to not remember that right now.
Oh, and for those who were worried, I think my intestines are almost back to normal. I won't go into details, but it was touch and go there for a while and now everything's back up and running properly. So, there's some good news.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Day 53: Bah, Schoolwork
So, I made it to classes today. Yay for me. Not yay for my stomach.
I got up really late yesterday, took a nap until midnight, and then did my homework from midnight until six o'clock this morning. At that point, I showered and got ready for my day and so on and so forth.
I wasn't really having problems until I, trying to make this a mostly regular day, took the stairs down to breakfast. One, I was going down, two, it was only for flights, and yet I still got there feeling nauseous. But I ate anyway. And it stayed down, it just wasn't pleasant.
A half hour and eight hundred milligrams of ibuprofen later I was making my slow and steady way to the University. I gave myself a little extra time, and I took it slow, but there's no elevator in the TAFL Center, and the dar is on the third floor. I don't know why stairs suck so much right now, but I was miserable by the time I got there.
Still, I muddled through.
Classes weren't to bad. I couldn't really focus, but I finally performed my skit for media class that's been due for a week, and we had a lecturer about what makes Egypt an Islamic Nation even though there's a freedom of religion clause in the constitution. What I caught was interesting, but I kept zoning out because of either the pain or the pain pills. Ugh.
I skipped lunch to get all my insurance papers together. By that point I wasn't the least bit hungry. Besides, after lunch was the weekly Flagship meeting at the dar and I really didn't fancy a trip back and forth from the dorms. I managed to scan in all of my forms and receipts and E-mail them to a representative of my insurance company. Hopefully he or she will get back to me soon about whether they need anything else from me so I can submit the official claim. The surgery ate up pretty much all of my alloted summer spending money.
Nothing interesting happened at the weekly meeting. There's going to be an end of summer going away party. There are some trips going on this weekend. Etc. etc. I would have liked to participate in some of the trips, but I really don't think I'm up to it. I'm already skipping a visit to Silsila this evening because if I leave the dorm again I'm going to die. Not really. I'm being over-dramatic. But you get the picture.
I took a cat nap after the meeting, went to dinner, came back to my room... and now it's mostly homework. Woohoo. Yet again, I can't seem to get myself motivated, but I have a major essay due tomorrow as well as a bunch of make up work I haven't completed. Bah. Hence the title.
I'm going to go get to that now. Hopefully I get some halfway decent sleep tonight because after today I need it. And that catnap was not enough. I even looked miserable enough that Robyn tried to convince me to go home early. But at that point I only had an hour of class left, so I didn't really see the point. In sha' Allah tomorrow will be better.
I got up really late yesterday, took a nap until midnight, and then did my homework from midnight until six o'clock this morning. At that point, I showered and got ready for my day and so on and so forth.
I wasn't really having problems until I, trying to make this a mostly regular day, took the stairs down to breakfast. One, I was going down, two, it was only for flights, and yet I still got there feeling nauseous. But I ate anyway. And it stayed down, it just wasn't pleasant.
A half hour and eight hundred milligrams of ibuprofen later I was making my slow and steady way to the University. I gave myself a little extra time, and I took it slow, but there's no elevator in the TAFL Center, and the dar is on the third floor. I don't know why stairs suck so much right now, but I was miserable by the time I got there.
Still, I muddled through.
Classes weren't to bad. I couldn't really focus, but I finally performed my skit for media class that's been due for a week, and we had a lecturer about what makes Egypt an Islamic Nation even though there's a freedom of religion clause in the constitution. What I caught was interesting, but I kept zoning out because of either the pain or the pain pills. Ugh.
I skipped lunch to get all my insurance papers together. By that point I wasn't the least bit hungry. Besides, after lunch was the weekly Flagship meeting at the dar and I really didn't fancy a trip back and forth from the dorms. I managed to scan in all of my forms and receipts and E-mail them to a representative of my insurance company. Hopefully he or she will get back to me soon about whether they need anything else from me so I can submit the official claim. The surgery ate up pretty much all of my alloted summer spending money.
Nothing interesting happened at the weekly meeting. There's going to be an end of summer going away party. There are some trips going on this weekend. Etc. etc. I would have liked to participate in some of the trips, but I really don't think I'm up to it. I'm already skipping a visit to Silsila this evening because if I leave the dorm again I'm going to die. Not really. I'm being over-dramatic. But you get the picture.
I took a cat nap after the meeting, went to dinner, came back to my room... and now it's mostly homework. Woohoo. Yet again, I can't seem to get myself motivated, but I have a major essay due tomorrow as well as a bunch of make up work I haven't completed. Bah. Hence the title.
I'm going to go get to that now. Hopefully I get some halfway decent sleep tonight because after today I need it. And that catnap was not enough. I even looked miserable enough that Robyn tried to convince me to go home early. But at that point I only had an hour of class left, so I didn't really see the point. In sha' Allah tomorrow will be better.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Days 49, 50, 51 & 52: Surgery
So... for being gone four days I don't really have that much to write.
I'm fine, first of all. I know some of you were waiting pretty anxiously for that update.
Saturday morning I went into the hospital with Robyn, Habiba, and Eman. The Doctor wasn't there yet, but I had blood work that had to get done. So I did that. I've get a pretty dark bruise from being stuck in the arm twice in such a short span, but I'll live.
The doctor showed up sometime around 8:30, said we'd only have to wait another quarter of an hour, but as Habiba pointed out that could mean anything. Around 9:15 a nurse came to get us and take us to the nicest hospital room I've ever seen in my life. It was nicer than most of the hotel rooms I've stayed in an Egypt.
The sign on the door said "Presidential Suite," and it had a living room in addition to the usual bedroom and bathroom. Both main rooms were furnished with a television and plush couches and armchairs, as well as a refrigerator in the bedroom. It was a corner room, so there were wide windows with a spectacular view on two walls of the bedroom, and the drapes and stone walls were done in calming blues and grays instead of the sterile white I'm so used to seeing.
We took some pictures together in the room, but there wasn't much time before a nurse came to give me my surgery clothes. I got dressed and headed down to the operating room. The anesthesiologist was the first to greet me. I liked him just as much as I liked the specialist I met. He claimed he thought I was Egyptian when I first started speaking, but I'm skeptical. He might have just been being nice.
Either way, we chatted while he put in my IV for the anesthesia and then let me lay back and relax for a few minutes while the other doctors started setting up other things. When it was finally time for the anesthesia, he didn't ask me to count back from a hundred, but instead to recall what monuments I'd seen in Alexandria so far. I got as far as Abu Abbas Mosque before I could feel myself going out cold.
A few hours later I came to in the elevator, but I was only semi-conscious of them rolling me into my room and transferring me to my bed. I only barely managed to make a phone call to mom to say I was alright before passing out again. I don't know how long I slept. There was a lot of dosing in and out. I could hear Habiba watching movies on my laptop in the living room every now and then.
Sometime that evening I woke up a little more alert. There were a lot of doctors and nurses coming in and out, checking up. Eventually Robyn left to attend to some other business. Habiba and Eman only stayed a little longer, and then I was left alone.
It was hard to sleep. I was tired, but in a good deal of pain too. I have issues sleeping on my back, but my side where all the surgery had been done was out of the question. I got some sleep, eventually, but it didn't help that there was still a steady flow of nurses and house keeping coming in to sweep, or bring me jello and custard and rice pudding. I wasn't hungry, not at all, When I asked for it they brought me tea too though, which was nice. I hadn't drank anything in a day and my mouth felt like the Sahara.
The next day two or three doctors came to check on my and declared me okay for release. I managed to struggle out of bed and into my street clothes before Robyn helped me downstairs and into a taxi. The taxi was unpleasant. I could feel the new space in my stomach with every bump in the road, and there are a lot. When we got to the dorm, I had to climb a flight of stairs before we made it to the elevator, and that was a little trying, but make it I did.
When I got to my room, Robyn ordered me a light lunch of bread and cheese and fruit from the kitchen. They brought it up to me, I ate, all the girls in the dorm made sure I was okay, and then I slept. All day. Even though my bed isn't very comfortable. It was glorious.
Since then, I've mostly been napping, doing a little homework, and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Everyone keeps asking after me though, and stopping by my room to check up. I haven't made it to class yet. I wake up every morning and feel like the walk to campus is taunting me. Yesterday I finally started taking the elevator down to meals again instead of them bringing food up, but my wounds always hurt more afterward.
I took a shower yesterday, which meant redressing my wounds. Most of them aren't too bad. They went in through my belly button, which I can't see far enough into to judge. Then there's one I didn't even put plaster on a second time because it mostly just looks like a healing cut. One directly above my belly button is all puckered and ugly looking, but it seems to be healing fine. The only one that really bothers me is on my right side.
They had a bile bag hanging out of it for my time in the hospital, and it's the only wound that continues to bleed and ooze a bit. When I redressed it it's just a gaping hole. Not like they slice me open, but like they drilled into me. I'm not exactly sure how that's supposed to heal. I imagine it will take a while. But it's definitely the cause of most of my superficial pain. Internal pain is another story, but... I'm managing. It's not that bad.
I'm really hoping to get back to classes tomorrow. I feel like I've missed far too many, but I have a long night of homework ahead of me if I want to accomplish that. Everyone's telling me to take it easy, and I'm trying, but I'm here to learn, not to sit in my bed and watch television.
Anyway, I'll be fine. I'm already feeling a lot better than I was a few days ago. It's just a matter of when better turns to good. I love you all!
~~~~~
The Same Story in Egyptian Arabic:
طبعا ما كنتش موجودة في الرحلة إلى الدير في نهاية الأسبوع إللي قاتت لكن كان عندي سبب كوايس، يعني كنت في المستشفى عشان عملية المرارة ومع أن العملية كانت كوايسة بدون مشكلة لسه بأحس بإني ما عنديش بطن بس إن شاء الله هيسيبني الوجع بسرعة.
وصلت إلى مستشفى السلامة الساعة تمانية بالصبح في يوم السبت وبدأت فورا تحليل الدم. ما جاء الدكتور لسه فبعدين كان لازم أستنى له لكني ما كنتش بالملل عسان كان عندي أصحاب معي. بالإضافة إلى روبن كانوا بنتين من المدينة الجامعية عايزين يروحوا معي، اسمهم إمان وحبيبة. إمان هي في كلية الطب وجاءت معي إلى مواعيدي الماضية وحبيبة هي مشاركتي اللغوية والإتنين صاحبتين كوايسين جدا. كانت بنت تاني من دوري في المدينة، اسمها زينب، عايزة تجيء معنا كمان لكنها رجعت إلى بيت العائلة في العطلة وما كانتش موجودة لما سبنا المدينة.
أخيرا جائت ممرضة لتجيبنا إلى أوضتي وبجد كانت أحسن أوضة مستشفى شوفتها في حياتي يعني اسمها كانت الجناح الرئيسي وكان موجود فيها أوضة المعيشة مع مقاعد مريحة قوي وفي أوضة النوم كان عندي دولاب وتلاجة وشبابيك واسعة فيها منظر جميل قوي وكان عندي منيو لأطلب أي أكل كنت عايزته. حسيت بأني أميرة لفترة لكني تذكرت بعدين عن العملية.
يدأت العملية تقريبا الساعة عشرة ونص وكان عندي دكاترة وممرضين كتيرين يركزوا على حاجات مختلفة. نمت طوال كل العملية وقمت بعدين وكنت بردانة قوي وبالوجع الشديد لكن كنت عارفة إنو كدا كان عادي فاتصلت يأمي وحاولت أنام. نمت شوية بس مش كوايس وما كانش مفيد إني كنت لازم أقوم كل ساعة عشان الحمام. أخيرا بعد سابوا روبن والبنتين بالليل نمت شوية أكثر بس لسه كانوا ممرضين بيجيئوا وبيروحوا مع أدوية وأكل وكدا فقمت كتير وفي الضبح لسة كنت تعبانة قوي.
عاسن أكلت بدون الترجيع بالليل قال الدكتور إني ممكن أرجع إلى المدينة بس لازم أستريح فجاءت روبن وركبنا تاكسي إلى المدينة الجامعية فين طلعت إلى أوضتي واتغديت شوية عيش وفكهة ونمت كل اليوم. دلوقتي لسه صعب إني أحرك كتير بس إن شاء الله هأرجع إلى الصفوف بعد بكرة.
I'm fine, first of all. I know some of you were waiting pretty anxiously for that update.
Saturday morning I went into the hospital with Robyn, Habiba, and Eman. The Doctor wasn't there yet, but I had blood work that had to get done. So I did that. I've get a pretty dark bruise from being stuck in the arm twice in such a short span, but I'll live.
The doctor showed up sometime around 8:30, said we'd only have to wait another quarter of an hour, but as Habiba pointed out that could mean anything. Around 9:15 a nurse came to get us and take us to the nicest hospital room I've ever seen in my life. It was nicer than most of the hotel rooms I've stayed in an Egypt.
The sign on the door said "Presidential Suite," and it had a living room in addition to the usual bedroom and bathroom. Both main rooms were furnished with a television and plush couches and armchairs, as well as a refrigerator in the bedroom. It was a corner room, so there were wide windows with a spectacular view on two walls of the bedroom, and the drapes and stone walls were done in calming blues and grays instead of the sterile white I'm so used to seeing.
We took some pictures together in the room, but there wasn't much time before a nurse came to give me my surgery clothes. I got dressed and headed down to the operating room. The anesthesiologist was the first to greet me. I liked him just as much as I liked the specialist I met. He claimed he thought I was Egyptian when I first started speaking, but I'm skeptical. He might have just been being nice.
Either way, we chatted while he put in my IV for the anesthesia and then let me lay back and relax for a few minutes while the other doctors started setting up other things. When it was finally time for the anesthesia, he didn't ask me to count back from a hundred, but instead to recall what monuments I'd seen in Alexandria so far. I got as far as Abu Abbas Mosque before I could feel myself going out cold.
A few hours later I came to in the elevator, but I was only semi-conscious of them rolling me into my room and transferring me to my bed. I only barely managed to make a phone call to mom to say I was alright before passing out again. I don't know how long I slept. There was a lot of dosing in and out. I could hear Habiba watching movies on my laptop in the living room every now and then.
Sometime that evening I woke up a little more alert. There were a lot of doctors and nurses coming in and out, checking up. Eventually Robyn left to attend to some other business. Habiba and Eman only stayed a little longer, and then I was left alone.
It was hard to sleep. I was tired, but in a good deal of pain too. I have issues sleeping on my back, but my side where all the surgery had been done was out of the question. I got some sleep, eventually, but it didn't help that there was still a steady flow of nurses and house keeping coming in to sweep, or bring me jello and custard and rice pudding. I wasn't hungry, not at all, When I asked for it they brought me tea too though, which was nice. I hadn't drank anything in a day and my mouth felt like the Sahara.
The next day two or three doctors came to check on my and declared me okay for release. I managed to struggle out of bed and into my street clothes before Robyn helped me downstairs and into a taxi. The taxi was unpleasant. I could feel the new space in my stomach with every bump in the road, and there are a lot. When we got to the dorm, I had to climb a flight of stairs before we made it to the elevator, and that was a little trying, but make it I did.
When I got to my room, Robyn ordered me a light lunch of bread and cheese and fruit from the kitchen. They brought it up to me, I ate, all the girls in the dorm made sure I was okay, and then I slept. All day. Even though my bed isn't very comfortable. It was glorious.
Since then, I've mostly been napping, doing a little homework, and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Everyone keeps asking after me though, and stopping by my room to check up. I haven't made it to class yet. I wake up every morning and feel like the walk to campus is taunting me. Yesterday I finally started taking the elevator down to meals again instead of them bringing food up, but my wounds always hurt more afterward.
I took a shower yesterday, which meant redressing my wounds. Most of them aren't too bad. They went in through my belly button, which I can't see far enough into to judge. Then there's one I didn't even put plaster on a second time because it mostly just looks like a healing cut. One directly above my belly button is all puckered and ugly looking, but it seems to be healing fine. The only one that really bothers me is on my right side.
They had a bile bag hanging out of it for my time in the hospital, and it's the only wound that continues to bleed and ooze a bit. When I redressed it it's just a gaping hole. Not like they slice me open, but like they drilled into me. I'm not exactly sure how that's supposed to heal. I imagine it will take a while. But it's definitely the cause of most of my superficial pain. Internal pain is another story, but... I'm managing. It's not that bad.
I'm really hoping to get back to classes tomorrow. I feel like I've missed far too many, but I have a long night of homework ahead of me if I want to accomplish that. Everyone's telling me to take it easy, and I'm trying, but I'm here to learn, not to sit in my bed and watch television.
Anyway, I'll be fine. I'm already feeling a lot better than I was a few days ago. It's just a matter of when better turns to good. I love you all!
~~~~~
The Same Story in Egyptian Arabic:
طبعا ما كنتش موجودة في الرحلة إلى الدير في نهاية الأسبوع إللي قاتت لكن كان عندي سبب كوايس، يعني كنت في المستشفى عشان عملية المرارة ومع أن العملية كانت كوايسة بدون مشكلة لسه بأحس بإني ما عنديش بطن بس إن شاء الله هيسيبني الوجع بسرعة.
وصلت إلى مستشفى السلامة الساعة تمانية بالصبح في يوم السبت وبدأت فورا تحليل الدم. ما جاء الدكتور لسه فبعدين كان لازم أستنى له لكني ما كنتش بالملل عسان كان عندي أصحاب معي. بالإضافة إلى روبن كانوا بنتين من المدينة الجامعية عايزين يروحوا معي، اسمهم إمان وحبيبة. إمان هي في كلية الطب وجاءت معي إلى مواعيدي الماضية وحبيبة هي مشاركتي اللغوية والإتنين صاحبتين كوايسين جدا. كانت بنت تاني من دوري في المدينة، اسمها زينب، عايزة تجيء معنا كمان لكنها رجعت إلى بيت العائلة في العطلة وما كانتش موجودة لما سبنا المدينة.
أخيرا جائت ممرضة لتجيبنا إلى أوضتي وبجد كانت أحسن أوضة مستشفى شوفتها في حياتي يعني اسمها كانت الجناح الرئيسي وكان موجود فيها أوضة المعيشة مع مقاعد مريحة قوي وفي أوضة النوم كان عندي دولاب وتلاجة وشبابيك واسعة فيها منظر جميل قوي وكان عندي منيو لأطلب أي أكل كنت عايزته. حسيت بأني أميرة لفترة لكني تذكرت بعدين عن العملية.
يدأت العملية تقريبا الساعة عشرة ونص وكان عندي دكاترة وممرضين كتيرين يركزوا على حاجات مختلفة. نمت طوال كل العملية وقمت بعدين وكنت بردانة قوي وبالوجع الشديد لكن كنت عارفة إنو كدا كان عادي فاتصلت يأمي وحاولت أنام. نمت شوية بس مش كوايس وما كانش مفيد إني كنت لازم أقوم كل ساعة عشان الحمام. أخيرا بعد سابوا روبن والبنتين بالليل نمت شوية أكثر بس لسه كانوا ممرضين بيجيئوا وبيروحوا مع أدوية وأكل وكدا فقمت كتير وفي الضبح لسة كنت تعبانة قوي.
عاسن أكلت بدون الترجيع بالليل قال الدكتور إني ممكن أرجع إلى المدينة بس لازم أستريح فجاءت روبن وركبنا تاكسي إلى المدينة الجامعية فين طلعت إلى أوضتي واتغديت شوية عيش وفكهة ونمت كل اليوم. دلوقتي لسه صعب إني أحرك كتير بس إن شاء الله هأرجع إلى الصفوف بعد بكرة.
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