Hello!!
I am currently in Cairo, finishing up my last day of orientation. Tonight I will take a bus to Ismailia with a couple other student to meet our host families. There are 4 of us living in Ismailia, the rest are all in Cairo, or suburbs of Cairo.
I found out that I will be attending a public high school with 1 other AFSer. They say that the teaching is done in English, however from what I have heard about Egyptian public schools, it may not be entirely true.This begins in about a month at the end of Ramadan. I will also be tested and placed in either a language institute for 8 hours a week, starting in about 10 days.
Orientation both in Washington DC and here in Cairo has been very informative, and has helped all us exchangers bond as a group. Probably my favorite session here in Cairo was "Discovering the City". Basically, we were given money and told to buy 4 specific food items. Then we were turned on the the streets and trained how to cross through the crazy traffic without being hit. It is actually a very fine art which involves 'talking' to drivers with your eyes. All very complex, I know. T
Muslim countries are a little different during Ramadan(which it is right now) because people are more tired, hungry and grumpy. Almost all of us exchange students have decided to fast for Ramadan, simply as a show of respect and just for the experience.
I am very excited to see what is to come. So far I have absolutely loved Egypt. The people are so welcoming and helpful. The majority of young people also speaks English, which is good for me now, but in the long run, it won't be good for my language learning.
I will share with you my favorite phrase so far: fil mish mish. Literally, this means in the season of apricots. Its use however is basically when h*** freezes over. Very useful phrase in bartering.....
Well, time for my next orientation session! If you want to know something specific, just let me know.
I am currently in Cairo, finishing up my last day of orientation. Tonight I will take a bus to Ismailia with a couple other student to meet our host families. There are 4 of us living in Ismailia, the rest are all in Cairo, or suburbs of Cairo.
I found out that I will be attending a public high school with 1 other AFSer. They say that the teaching is done in English, however from what I have heard about Egyptian public schools, it may not be entirely true.This begins in about a month at the end of Ramadan. I will also be tested and placed in either a language institute for 8 hours a week, starting in about 10 days.
Orientation both in Washington DC and here in Cairo has been very informative, and has helped all us exchangers bond as a group. Probably my favorite session here in Cairo was "Discovering the City". Basically, we were given money and told to buy 4 specific food items. Then we were turned on the the streets and trained how to cross through the crazy traffic without being hit. It is actually a very fine art which involves 'talking' to drivers with your eyes. All very complex, I know. T
Muslim countries are a little different during Ramadan(which it is right now) because people are more tired, hungry and grumpy. Almost all of us exchange students have decided to fast for Ramadan, simply as a show of respect and just for the experience.
I am very excited to see what is to come. So far I have absolutely loved Egypt. The people are so welcoming and helpful. The majority of young people also speaks English, which is good for me now, but in the long run, it won't be good for my language learning.
I will share with you my favorite phrase so far: fil mish mish. Literally, this means in the season of apricots. Its use however is basically when h*** freezes over. Very useful phrase in bartering.....
Well, time for my next orientation session! If you want to know something specific, just let me know.
