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...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)