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!
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