12, June 2004

AUC Youth Hostel: Zamlek, Cairo

Melissa In front of the Great Pyrimid
At Giza

Riding camels and horses

Muhammad Ali Mosque in Islamic Cairo

Today we went to Giza and the pyrimids! It was so exciting. The cab driver got lost getting there (I don't know how. I even knew the route! But alas, we forgot to stratagize and put an Arabic speaker in both taxis (even though they got lost too).) and tried to get us to pay for Camel rides from the car. We had none of it of course. After firmly stating our position, we arrived at the pyrimid complex. We beat the tour buses to Giza by about 5 minutes, and got our tickets for the pyrimids first (they only sell 150 in the morning and 150 in the afternoon). We didn't go into the great pyrimid, but instead visited the second largest. From there we wandered around a bit, and the gaurds let us climb the bottom to steps of the great pyrimid (only cause we were european/american tourists I think.). Inside the Pyrimid I acted as a tour guide of sorts for my group. I knew a lot of info they had never heard about before.
After wandering around for a while we got a lunch of hummus and pita bread. From there we went riding. On the way out I rode a camel with one of the other girls, but on the way in, I rode a horse alone! Despite never having ridden a horse before, I managed it pretty well, and everyone in my group was surprised when I told them it was my first time.
From there we visted the Cididel and saw the Mohammad Ali Mosque. It was beautiful, but other tourists were being very disrespectful by showing their shoulders. You shouldn't do that in Egypt anyway, but at a mosque is just sacreligious. It is odd how suddenly we have all become concious of what we show and what we don't, at least to a degree. We are really appalled that people would be showing shoulders or wearing shorts to a Mosque. The girls had on long dresses, and we even brought head scarves with us just in case. Even Phillup noticed it with a little disgust at the disrespect, and as a boy, he just worries about not wearing shorts. I felt bad simply for wearing short sleeves (I didn't bring any long sleeved shirts, as I should have for these situations), which is acceptable, though probably not the most polite.
We are all worn out from our adventures today, and I cannot wait for bed - even though it is only 9:30 here, and normally I would still be at dinner.

11 June 2004:

AUC Youth Hostel: Zamlek, Cairo

The pineapple sheesha

View from the Nile

A flouka and the coast
Sunset on the Nile

The outside of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Melissa, Jade, and Neeveda on the flouka

Well, a lot has happened in the last few days. Cairo is wonderful, and though it can be daunting and scary, is a very safe city. I live in Zamalek (Zah-mah-lik), which is a placed filled with embassies, bars, upperclass resaurants, and a variety of shpping. Because of all of the embassies, Gezira island, where Zamalek is located, is chalk full of security. They apparently are there for "our protection." They all have machine guns, but I don't find it scary or disturbing at all, like I thought I would. They don't do much besides stand there, talk to their friends, and look at you. I don't mind them, but don't exacltly cheer their presence either. Though the sidewalks are pretty bad and crumbling, it is apparently a good neighborhood. One can only afford to live there if they are rich, or an american.
In Egypt I am rich. Every American is. I eat at restaurants that cost between 12 and 60 egyptian pounds per meal. That is a lot, especially consdiering that most egyptians make less than 30 pounds a month. 60 Egyptian pounds is a little less than $10 US.
While I like enjoying this lifestyle (and for the first week the reasturants are a neccessity to get adjusted properly), it all seems too americanized. I dont feel in touch with the common egyptian at all. This life here seems so far away from the masses. Hopefully I will get to know more of the real egypt soon.
This evening I actually got to meet an Egyptian not associated with the Univerisity. He was a friend of a friend, so to speak. He owns two shops in a ritzy mall for rich (very rich) egyptians. Even though he is rich too, like the egyptians I've been hanging out with, he was older, and seemed to be more in touch with the country. He didn't go out to clubs or drink (very rare in this society) like the other Egyptians I've hung out with. It is a start.
Lately, it has been party-party I suppose. Classes haven't started yet, and everyone has been lonely and wanting to go out and experience some of Cairo's infmaous night life. On the evening of the 9th, I went to "Cuba Cabana's" to have american and mexican food. They apparently have the best Sheesha around (that is a tobacco water pipe, not hashesh). At one point they drilled a hole into a pine apple and stuck the pipe into it. Apparently this is a novel idea, and everyone who smoked sheesha loved it. They have a new trick to bring home to the states. We hung out with three egyptians who taught us bad words as well as compliments. The only thing I remember is how to say I want you to a boy.
Yesterday we had orientation, which was pointless. To celebrate the weekend (Friday and Saturday) I went to the Cairo Jazz club (after eating at a lebensese restaruant - I have yet to have egyptian food in Cairo), and then to a hopping nightclub off the nile. The Jazz was so cool, and I ended up going with some law graduated students. Jessica, I'll drop your name!
Today I went to the Egyptian Antiquities Museum with seven people from my summer program. It was a lot of fun, and apparently they liked the fact that I knew so much about the stuff we were looking at. The mummies were so cool.
From there we wandered around Cairo somemore. Before we made it to the museum, we actually got acousted by Hussaayn, who tried to convince us to buy his perfume after showing us his picture of Muhammad Ali from his stay in Texas. It was interesting, a little scary, but a good experience nontheless.
Today we also traveled on a flouka, or a specific kind of Nile boat. It was great fun and very peaceful. To finish off the night we went to a mall, which is nicer than some in Michigan. Certainly it is for the rich egyptians.

09 June 2004:

Location:AUC Youth Hostel: Zamlek, Cairo

Room 321 (mine)

Well, I got into Cairo yesterday afternoon (local time) and met Phillip from Chicago right off the plane. He is in the summer program at the American University as well. It is nice knowing someone is just as clueless as you are. Right now he is my only real friend, though I haven't met anyone at school yet.
Actually I just made it down to the University today. It was a good thing too, because how else would we have known that orientation is tomorrow.
The thing about the AUC and Cairo, no one tells you anything. I didn't get a sheet saying when orientation was or what I would have to do. Instead, reception sent me to another student (she had been here a week) who didn't have any information for me. She did invite Phillip and me to dine with some of her friends. So we went (a big group of noisy, raucous Americans) to a Korean place. The food was good, and so far so good with adjusting to it. It was good to go out with others who have been here a while, we learned how much to tip, what the tip is (not the %17 service fee), and where to buy stuff.
Phillip and I actually went to the al Kahlil bazzar today. We had nothing else going and thought we would take a cab down there. It is weird, I have to give Phillip the directions and the money to pay the driver, cause that is what is done here.
The toilet situation was a little weird to begin with, but now it is all straightening out. I found out that yes, there is toilet paper, you just have to ask for it - or buy it from a local pharmacy.
The rooms here are much bigger than Michigan's, with tall ceilings to let the heat rise. My roomate is a law grad student from Toronto, not exactly Egyptian... but that is ok.