Adventures In Egypt

My Favorite things about Egypt

2009-12-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

*Taxi rides are about $.50 to anywhere in Ismailia
-In Cairo they can be a few dollars.
*J walking- Believe it or not, it is really fun. While I have almost been hit by a car many times, I also have almost hit cars several times(While on foot).
*Tameya sandwiches- at $.20 each, they are a lovely meal right before Arabic class after a long school day. Essentially they are falafel in a mini pita bread with veggies and hummus
*Nothing needs to be planned ahead- running late? No problem!! However, on the flipside, if you are on time, you have a long wait ahead of you.
*People assuming that I know actors because I am from California. Because everyone in California is blonde an famous...right?
*The weather- it is still a balmy 75 degrees F during the day, and it is December.
*Having a bad hair day? Just stick on a head scarf. Not only can you hide your funky hair, but you will fit in better!
*The fact that it is totally ok to receive a phone call at anytime...well, besides school. Then you have to hide your phone and hope the teacher didn't see.
-On the same note, 95% of the population takes part in awkward situation phone calls- If you aren't comfortable talking to anyone at whatever event you are at, just whip out your phone and call someone! And if no one wants to talk to you, just pretend like there is someone on the other line.
*Night life-where else do you know where nothing opens until 7pm and closes at 12am, and it is considered weird to go out during the day for anything but food?
*Soccer is life. In fact, people are killed over it, and I think a war almost started between Egypt and Algeria due to a recent match that Egypt lost.
*Akon and Rihanna- do not venture into Egypt without knowing the full lyrics to at least 2 of their songs and having familiarity with the rest. Also, you must know the lyrics to Celine Dion's My heart will go on.
*Movies- I just watched the Lord of the Rings on TV in Arabic, as well as Harry Potter, She's the Man, Twilight, A Walk to Remember, and countless others. Egyptian Soap Operas are also fun to watch- essentially you will see a whole lot of crying, several gun scenes, and a young couple that is split up because the boy isn't rich enough. The other story line is that there are multiple boys pursuing one girl, and on one occasion, it just so happens that the 3 boys are identical triplets.

I think that is it for now, I will update the list if I think of anything else!!

2009-11-27T11:14:00.001-08:00

Today was the first day of the second Eid(feast). It will last 4 days.
If you were to walk out to the street right now, you would discover
large quantities of blood running everywhere. Don't be alarmed, this
is normal!! Okay well not really, but during Eid people slaughter
either a cow or a goat, and eat its fresh meat.
Last night I went to the country where my host fam has extended
family, and we slept there, and killed a sheep with them this morning.
I loved the country, and the family there. I made fresh bread outside
over an open fire while laughing and talking in arabic, sitting on the
ground with 6 Muslim ladies, all of us in full dresses and head
coverings.In the morning, I woke up, went outside and sat by fire on a
mat on the ground, and ate the bread that I made the night before. I
would have to say that this was the place that I have been most
comfortable in so far in Egypt. I think the difference is that these
people lack the same exposure to the west as the city dwellers, and
thus they don't have the same bad interpretation of western culture
that you find in Egyptian cities- country men just seem less creepy
than city men, and the women seem much more genuine, and are so much
more beautiful because they don't cover themselves in layers of
makeup! Anyways, that was an amazing trip for me, besides slitting the
goats throat and watching it suffocate, and I think I will probably go
back to visit in the near future.

On Wednesday, me and the other 3 NSLI kids here made Thanksgiving
dinner for all our host families and friends!! We did find a
turkey(even tho it was US $40), and we roasted it perfectly! After
cooking for 3 days, and on Wednesday cooking from 8am-5pm, and clean
up until 10pm, we pulled it off perfectly. Some of the highlights
include: an exploding oven that caught sarah's hair on fire, 2 nasty
pumpkin pies made out of who knows what kind of squash, making a large
quantity of mashed potatoes in a laundry vat( we still haven't decided
if it was for clean or dirty clothes, and no, we couldn't find
bleach), pomagranite sauce, dressing made out of baked bread cubes and
fried chicken seasoning, fresh rolls(thanks mom for the recipe!),
gravy that looked like dog food but tasted wonderful, and lastly, the
perfect turkey stuffed with apples and onions!

Besides this, my life has been pretty "normal". I go to school(when
I'm not sick, so about 50% of the time), Arabic class (100% whether
I'm sick or not), and sleep(as much as I can!). Okay, well maybe not
just sleeping, I do like to go out some nights with friends, but
normally I'm exausted after a long day.

I would say that I am fully adjusted to my life here, and content.
This being said, it is hard for me to write about my 'ordinary' life
because nothing in particular stands out to me!

I think my one remaining frustration is Arabic. It is coming very
slowly because we aren't moving fast enough in class. Every one of us
here is capable of working on a very intensive program which requires
a lot of study, yet we haven't even got our textbooks yet! I'm just
hoping things pick up soon, we are going to talk to our teacher about
it, because time wise, I'm on the downhill side and leave in a month
and a half! Time flies.

Alf Saalem for now,
Happy black Friday!!(I don't miss that chaos too much...just a little)

2009-10-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Photo#1
My Egyptian friend and I at a point that overlooks all Cairo
#2 NSLI-er Estephani and I at the pyramids for Race for the Cure
#3Some of the NSLI crew and I in front of the Sphinx
#4More of the NSLI crew in front of the pyramids
#5 in front of the Suez Canal at sunrise at 6 week orientation

2009-10-25T13:38:00.001-07:00

Well it has been so long since I updated, that there really is no way that I can fill you in on everything that happened!

I will try my best though,

I began school on October 8. I am in a class of 7, 2 of us are American. There are 2 girls and 3 boys. The school itself is pretty torn up, graphiti all over the walls, carved up wooden desks and benches, and doors that don't work. In fact, just the other day, the door got slammed shut, and broke. So we were all stuck in our classroom for half an hour while they tried to knock down the door. Eventually the English teacher managed to break it open, and we were freed!

Yesterday I went to Cairo to do the Breast Cancer walk around the Pyramids. It was a very hot day, but enjoyable. Me and another NSLI student were traveling there on our own, and were impressed with our skills at navigating a city we didn't know, with minimal Arabic skills. Cairo truely is the craziest city on earth, and I have come to realize exactly how happy I am that I was not placed there.
There are always people trying to harass you or rip you off. I still love Cairo, I just don't want to live there. It is a feeling of always being on your guard, clutching your purse close to you, and trying to avoid any wandering male hands.
The difficulty of the Cairo trip was getting home. We were late to leave, and it was getting dark,then we took the wrong Metro station exit. We ended up walking around for 45 mins before we realized this. A very kind Egyptian girl ended up walking with us for another 45 mins, until we found the bus station. In those 45 mins, I explored some parts of Cairo which I do not want to revisit. However, the overall adventure was great, we got home safely, and I slept for 16 hours straight.

Next weekend I will head off to Cairo for Friday and Saturday. Lets hope we don't get lost again!

Arabic is coming along slowly, at least I can read and write now though. My teacher is amazing, in my class are only me and another NSLI student, Ernest. We have class 5 days a week, 2 hours each. Between school and Arabic class, my days are very long. I am gone from 7.30am-6.30pm. When I get home I usually need a 3 hour nap, then I get up and study, and go back to sleep. A crazy schedule, I know, but it is pretty typical Egyptian.

My host family is good, I have far more freedom than any other girl in this whole program. I think this is due to the fact that there is no male in the house. For example, I have no curfew, and am allowed to go out whenever I want. This is not simply because I am American; my host sisters do the same.

I think that is all for now, I'll update again when I can!

Please pray for me trying to balance Arabic, school, College apps, and studying SATs. I'm going crazy!!

Love Ya'll!
Renee

2009-09-13T02:20:00.000-07:00

Where to Begin- I am unsure.

I arrived at my host family about 2 weeks ago, and have been settling
in nicely. I have 4 host sisters,(one speaks English) and host mother
living in a small flat in Ismailia. The city itself is very small
compared to Cairo. Despite the population of about 7 million, it has a
very small town feel. All the teenagers here know eachother, or at
least know of eachother, which makes it easy to make new friends.

I have been keeping busy, I go out everyday, whether to a cafe to meet
friends, or to someones house for Iftar(breaking of the fast during
Ramadan). I have been fasting, mostly because it is too uncomfortable
to eat in a house where no one else is, but also just to experience
it. The truth is that it really isn't difficult. During Ramadan,
people's schedules are reversed, so they stay up all night, maybe
sleep at 5 or 6 am, and not wake up until 6pm, which is when they can
eat again. I have been following that schedule, but now that I need to
get some studying for SATs done and complete college apps, I decided
to sleep at 12, and wake up at 8, so that I get some quiet time while
everyone else is sleeping. A difficulty is internet- it is very
unreliable at my house. Being a girl, I am not allowed to go out by
myself, especially not so early on. I will have to figure out an
internet cafe that is close, for those times when I can't access it at
home.

As for my Arabic, I am picking it up. Arabic lessons have not yet
started, the new projected date is Oct. 1, however, this is Egypt and
things are very subject to change. I am starting to pick up basic
words, I haven't figured out very many verbs or phrases yet though. It
is a tough language, simply because there is no comparison to any
sounds or words that I know in English, which makes memorizing a
challenge. There is hope! I met some German exchange students who just
finished up a year here, and they are completely fluent. While I will
only be here 6 months, I feel that I will be able to get a good base
in the language, but not be fluent.

So far I have made two trips to Cairo, both of them at night. That
city really never sleeps, so shopping at 4 am in the morning is
totally normal. Both times I also got to take a cruise on the Nile. I
still want to see it by day though! In the US when we say we are going
horseback riding, we usually mean that we are going to ride a senile
old horse, which no matter how hard you kick it, it will not do
anything faster than a walk. In Egypt this isn't true... I rode a
horse with some of my Egyptians friends by the pyramids. I should have
suspected that something was off when no girls wanted to go. Only 5 of
15 people fell off their horses, and I was not one of them! My horse
thought that he was in the Kentucky Derby, and if he had been, he
would have won by several minutes. I was only slightly traumatized,
and the view of the pyramids was worth every second of terror on the
horse.

Here are some details:
Weather- It is very hot, it never cools down. Only one room has A/C
in my flat, and it isn't mine.
Clothing- I do wear a hijab sometimes. My host family appreciates
it, and it decreases the amount of attention I get while I'm out. At
home,we wear shorts, tank tops, anything goes.
School-Wont start until October 15! originally it was to be Aug27,
but it keeps being pushed back. I will be attending a private
Christian school called Saalem.
Food- Lots of pita bread, beans, cheese, and yogurt. We sit on the
floor and use our hands a lot.(Sorry mom)
Transportation-My family doesn't have a car, we take taxis
everywhere. However they cost about 3 egyptian pounds, so only $.60.
Religion- My family is Muslim, and yes they pray a lot. I haven't
made it to church yet, it is hard when the church won't tell you what
time their services are. I didn't think it would be a big deal living
with a Muslim family, but it is harder than I anticipated. There are
no conflicts, it is just that when they are all praying, I have a
weird feeling inside. So of course, then I go pray to God. I can't
really explain the feeling, but I will just say that it is not a good
one.
Homesickness- Not too bad. Of course I miss home, and my family, but
I just remind myself that it is only 6 months, and I will be home
soon.

Thats about it for now, as always, feel free to ask if you have any
specific questions!

2009-08-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

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.

The start of the beginning

2009-08-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

As I am busy preparing for my departure on Tuesday, I can't help but feel a few hints of butterflies in my stomach. The journey which I am about to undertake feels so foreign that I can't imagine what I am most afraid of. However, I also know that this is going to be a great learning experience, and despite all my fears, God will be protecting me.

Just some info for those of you that don't know: I fly to Washington DC on Aug 25th for a 24 hour orientation, then it is on to Egypt.
I will be living in Ismailia, Egypt with a family that has 3 daughters(I should fit right in).
I don't know what school I will be attending yet.

I'm not sure how often I will be updating this, it depends on my access to the internet. But feel free to email me, myspace me, facebook me, or even try the old fashioned snail mail. I would love to hear from you!!