So, the logical place to start this journey is, of course, take off. I got to DC last Wednesday night, met some people, hung out with some people, and then meetings started in earnest on Thursday. Of course we went through most of the same things in the handbook, but we learned some interesting new things too. For instance, Egyptians are not liars, they just don't like disappointing you. So even if they can't do something, or don't have something, they'll tell you they can and they do just to make you happy. Useful information to have in a dire situation.
The most commonly mentioned things in these sessions were health - drink lots of water (but not the tap water), don't get overheated, and expect to have intestinal problems, traffic - don't cross the major highway, you'll die, and self-awareness - more accurately, the fact that everyone else will be hyper aware of you. Nothing too surprising, really.
Between dinner and meetings on Thursday, we had some free time, so several of us went trekking around the capital sightseeing. We saw the White House, the Washington Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and World War II Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial. There are no pictures of the latter because round about the Lincoln Memorial it began to rain with us almost fifteen blocks from our hotel. We were soaked by the time we got back, but it was worth it, even if I am still nursing the infected blistered from walking so far in wet shoes.
Friday evening, we boarded the flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Nine hours in a cramped plane showing "It's Complicated" on repeat. Okay, so maybe there were more movies, but since I was too lazy to figure out when they began I ended up coming in halfway through, not enjoying them, and reading instead. I slept little, but finished "The Lion the Witch in the Wardrobe."
I was hoping our flight from Frankfurt to Cairo would at least have a bit more Arabic. It did, but not much. I did, however, get to see "Valentine's Day," which a few of you know I've been wanting to see, despite the terrible reviews. It lived up to it's reputation, but I'm glad I saw it.
When I wasn't watching sappy romantic comedies, I was talking to the guy sitting next to me. He's a Canadian casino bouncer, who's friends all kept talking about going to Egypt, and then never did. So he got sick of it and bought himself a ticket. He's going to be here for ten days in a tour group. I taught him how to say shukran, 3afwan, and min fudlak. As we were landing, he claims he saw the pyramids from his window seat, but the plane wasn't at the right angle for me to do that same.
In Egypt things started to actually get interesting, of course. We still had a three hour bus ride from Cairo to Alexandria. That gave us the chance to drive past the pyramids. They were still pretty far in the distance, but my camera has an awesome zoom, so I have some awesome pictures of that when I figure out how to upload from Egypt.
The closer we got to Alexandria, the more that awareness point from orientation began to kick in. Cars were pulling up alongside our bus, waving and honking, just to get the attention of foreigners. One guy even managed to get up on his knees in the seat in oder to give us a better view of his rear end. I can't think of a better way to kick off being sexually harassed. When we got to the dorms, the attention only got heavier.
In the dorms of course, the attention was all of the good kind. I have never seen a welcome so warm as the one our Egyptian roommates gave us. Sure, a couple hundred girls squeezed into a lobby trying to introduce themselves to everyone at once is a little hectic, and I was certainly overwhelmed, but I was also touched by how anxious they were to get to know us.
My roommates name is Hadir. She's a student in the college of medicine. Unfortunately for her, she has a final tomorrow, so I volunteered to stay in tonight and unpack. Everything's in it's rightful place, but I still have a list of things I need to buy. For instance, silly me didn't realize my computer doesn't plug in to the adapter I bought. My language partner, who I'll be meeting with four hours a week to practice my Arabic, is named Habiba. She's studying Arabic to teach it as a foreign language, so my helplessness should be right up her alley. We have a meeting on Tuesday after her last exam. She's already told me she hopes we become fast friends, and I certainly hope for the same.
The dorms here are very nice - clean tile floors, private AC, and yes mom, they provided a pillow. I took a shower to recover from traveling, and that's an experience I'm going to have to get used to. The showers aren't bad - big private stalls. However they don't have shelving inside or outside the stalls, so I have to throw my clothes over the door and hope they don't get wet. Also, every time I want to use the restroom I have to take toilet paper with me. The toilets here function like bidets, and wiping is not part of that equation.
A rude awakening hit me in the shower. Apparently, I swallow water while bathing. I didn't realize until I had a mouth full of World Health Organization disapproved water, I'm just hoping now that I didn't swallow enough of it to make the first victim who needs Cypro.
Getting ready for bed, Hadir brought me half a pizza from down the street. She'd never had it before either, but it was certainly interesting. There was some unidentified meat like substance on it. She assured me it wasn't meat, but she didn't the English word for it, and I didn't know the Arabic. It wasn't bad, but I'm still curious.
Just now, as I'm sitting in bed writing this, Hadir came back from visiting friends down the hall. Apparently one of the other girls in the program is already in tears. It's certainly stressful, and more than a little intimidating, but I think we're all just tired. I haven't understood half of what Hadir has said to me, but she's been wonderfully patient with our misunderstandings. The overload of Arabic, combined with the full frontal hospitality of our hosts is terribly overwhelming, especially when you add jet lag into the mix.
I for one am enjoying myself and looking forward to experiencing all Alexandria has to offer. But we all have our limits. Mine is that I'm going to have to do it on a good nights sleep. So I'm headed to bed, window open on to the dorm courtyard with everyone's clothes hanging from the windows. There's a washing machine in the dorms, but no dryer. And due to the sea breeze the weather is beautiful and the mosquitoes minimal.
TusbiH 3la kheir!
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