So, it's been a couple of weeks. Just enough time to settle down and really situate myself in Cairo. Things started looking up after Tom came. After a few exhausting days of searching, we found an apartment in the middle of downtown. It's very small, but we love it. Great air conditioning. And after weighing all our options about where to live--whether to live a little bit close to the AUC by living in a suburb, or embracing the chaos that is downtown--I believe we made the right choice. It's noisy, dirty, crazy, but it's where all the action is, and I think Tom and I would have deeply regretted leaving downtown. Also, most of the people from the CASA program live downtown or close to downtown, so it's easier to meet up with them. I love having my own kitchen, for the first time in my life. It's started to really hit me that I am no longer an undergraduate, I am living a more adult life.
As many of you have heard, the start of my classes was delayed for a week after two American students from the AUC got swine flu. Unfortunate of course for them and everyone involved, but the delay did give me a chance to find the apartment with Tom and get settled before starting classes. Finding an apartment and making the necessary trip to Carrefour to buy all the necessary furnishings (bed sheets, pots and pans, trash cans, pillows etc...) is a very overwhelming and stressful process. I don't think either Tom or I could have done it on our own.
What I love most about our apartment, is the neighborhood. It's only a ten minute walk from my bus stop and midan tahrir, the center of downtown with tons of Western coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes. But the neighborhood itself isn't touristy. There is a wonderful souk right behind our building with vegetable stands and sweets shops. We've made friends with some of the men in the cafes on our street, who always offer us tea and a chance to chat in Arabic when they see us. They refuse to let us ever pay. Also, we live right next to a shed that sells government subsidized bread. It's pretty crazy to leave the apartment in the morning and walk right out into a chaotic line of poorer Egyptians waiting to buy bread.
The worst part of my daily routine, is the commute to school. A year ago, the AUC moved its campus from downtown to outside of Cairo in the middle or nowhere. No one seems happy about the move. While the new campus is impressive, it's just so far away from anything. You can only buy expensive American fast food on the campus--think McDonalds and Cinnabun. Gross. In the morning, my commute on the AUC bus takes 45 minutes. But coming back it takes about an hour and twenty minutes. I hate it. So I leave my apartment at 8:10 in the morning and don't get back until five. It's a very long day.
My classes are great so far. Really incredible hard, but wonderful. The program is very well organized, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it. We have about 4 hours of homework every night, which isn't that fun after I've been out from 9 hours. But I knew to expect that it would be a tremendous amount of work. It's blood, sweat, tears, and many hours of homework if I am to ever learn Arabic.
That's it for now. I am looking forward to a couple friends from Brown visiting for my birthday weekend. It's going to be a blast. I hope all is well at home, and I deeply miss everybody.
-Andrea
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Beginning: Cairo, May 4-May 6
After a couple of frustrating days dealing with tooth problems and what is always a miserably long journey, I arrived back in Cairo on May 4. I am ecstatic to be back, but being back and being alone has been both thrilling and tough--a reminder of what life is really like in Egypt. Never dull.
I arrived totally exhausted. I had not slept a wink on the journey over, and much to my dismay, the airport had lost one of two large bags in which I had stuffed half my life. It took me two hours at the airport to file a report. Aghh. Then, while I expected to be picked up by a CASA representative like I was told in an email, they had just sent a driver who know nothing about where other students were staying are doing. Moreover, he couldn't find the hotel I wanted to stay in, so I was eventually forced to have him pull over and put my bags in crummy hotel downtown in which I had stayed before, but really had no interest in actually staying in again. Desperate to stay somewhere else, I headed off without my bags to Zamalek, a very nice region of Cairo which I know very well. I needed to call Tom and my mom and ask for their advice. But my converter had been in the bag that the airport had lost, so I needed to buy another one before I went to an internet cafe. Because Obama had spoke in the Cairo that day, I soon discovered that most Egyptians were treating the day like a national holiday, so most of the stores and cafes were closed. As a result, I spent a frustrating two hours trying to find a converter to buy and an internet cafe that was open. When I finally found a small electronics shop that sold converters, I had to hold myself back from hugging the owner with joy. Eventually, I was able to call my mom and Tom who both suggested that I stay in a nicer hotel in Zamalek, at least until my bag was found. (Thankfully, my bag arrived last night.)
So, I ended up moving my stuff to the Hotel Flamenco, a very nice, but not overly pretentious hotel. Staying there has been wonderful. I have a big room, great air conditioning, and I have met a lot of nice ex-pats and travelers in the hotel lobby, which has helped me feel less lonely. It's hard to be here alone. I miss having the support and problem-solving skills of Tom. I love being independent, but at the same time, it's easier for both of us to deal with the challenges of living in Egypt when you have a partner-in-crime. I am really relieved that Tom will be sooner rather than later. Counting down the days makes everything much easier to handle.
But even though I had a rough first day, I do love being back. Love it. There are so many things that I have desperately missed about Egypt without even knowing that I have missed them. I have missed the sounds of the city, the cars, the people out and laughing until early in the morning, I have missed the kindness of strangers, both Egyptian and foreign, always willing to help and make friends. I have missed the sunsets over the Nile. Contrary to what I expected, the weather hasn't been too bad, especially in the evening, prompting me to take wonderful walks along the Nile when the sun is setting. (My hotel is only fifty feet from the Nile promanade!) I have missed my favorite places in Cairo. On the first night, after an exhausting and stressful arrival, I treated myself to dinner at my favorite restaurant in Zamalek, Abu El Sid. This was the first resturant Tom took me to when we first came to Cairo almost two years ago, and it was the first resturant I took my parents to. It has wonderful Lebanesse food, a funky oriental interior, and a kind staff of whom I recognized many of the waiters. After two orders of my favorite appetizer, eggplant spread, which both crispy and soft flat bread, I felt much better and remembered that unlike in Alexandria, there is a countless number or wonderful resturants in Cairo serving every kind of food on the planet. Thanks be to God!
But most of all, I have missed speaking Arabic. Cairo has a bad reputation for being a place to practice Arabic. Foreign students complain that Egyptians here speak English to them, even when they try to converse in Arabic. And it is true that unlike in Alexandria, English is ubiquitous in Cairo, and one could probably get by speaking only English. But, it has been my experience that people are very willing to speak Arabic to me, and very encouraging about my ability to speak the dialect. I have spoke more Arabic in the last couple days than I have spoke in months, which is wonderful and reassuring. Even just hearing Arabic every day on the street has been wonderful for dusting off the cobwebs in my brain. I can't wait to speak more and more. Also, my knowledge of the dialect, a knowledge which I was fundamentally lacking the first time I came to Egypt, is profoundly helpful. I feel so much more independent and capable because I can speak the dialect, and I think that is part of the reason that people are so willing to converse with me in Arabic.
Last night, one of the cultural assistants from my program had a party, so I got to meet people from my program for the first time. I was nervous, but everyone was really nice and there seemed to be some wonderful, interesting men and women in my program. Almost everyone is older than me, but there are few students who have just graduated from undergraduate school. We had a lot of fun, and I can tell I am going to make some great friends. It's a al ot easier having 25 people in my program than only 7 which were in my Middlebury program. The party went late into the night, and there was a lot of laughing, eating, and drinking.
So, tomorrow is orientation. I have to get up early to meet everyone downtown at 8:30 at which point we're going to go as a group to the new campus. I am excited, but also just can't wait until Tom comes and we find an apartment and get settled in. I want kitchen, and I want to be able to cook for myself. I met a girl at the party who has been living for a couple years in the region in which we want to live, and she offered to help me find a place and connect me with her realator. Hopefully, we will be able to find a place sooner rather than later.
Well, that's all for now. I am hoping that writing this blog will help me stay in touch with people better, but I also promise to write personal emails and call. I also want to say thanks to my parents and to Tom who have been very helpful and supportive these first couple of days, and I have really appreciated talking to them. Masalama!
I arrived totally exhausted. I had not slept a wink on the journey over, and much to my dismay, the airport had lost one of two large bags in which I had stuffed half my life. It took me two hours at the airport to file a report. Aghh. Then, while I expected to be picked up by a CASA representative like I was told in an email, they had just sent a driver who know nothing about where other students were staying are doing. Moreover, he couldn't find the hotel I wanted to stay in, so I was eventually forced to have him pull over and put my bags in crummy hotel downtown in which I had stayed before, but really had no interest in actually staying in again. Desperate to stay somewhere else, I headed off without my bags to Zamalek, a very nice region of Cairo which I know very well. I needed to call Tom and my mom and ask for their advice. But my converter had been in the bag that the airport had lost, so I needed to buy another one before I went to an internet cafe. Because Obama had spoke in the Cairo that day, I soon discovered that most Egyptians were treating the day like a national holiday, so most of the stores and cafes were closed. As a result, I spent a frustrating two hours trying to find a converter to buy and an internet cafe that was open. When I finally found a small electronics shop that sold converters, I had to hold myself back from hugging the owner with joy. Eventually, I was able to call my mom and Tom who both suggested that I stay in a nicer hotel in Zamalek, at least until my bag was found. (Thankfully, my bag arrived last night.)
So, I ended up moving my stuff to the Hotel Flamenco, a very nice, but not overly pretentious hotel. Staying there has been wonderful. I have a big room, great air conditioning, and I have met a lot of nice ex-pats and travelers in the hotel lobby, which has helped me feel less lonely. It's hard to be here alone. I miss having the support and problem-solving skills of Tom. I love being independent, but at the same time, it's easier for both of us to deal with the challenges of living in Egypt when you have a partner-in-crime. I am really relieved that Tom will be sooner rather than later. Counting down the days makes everything much easier to handle.
But even though I had a rough first day, I do love being back. Love it. There are so many things that I have desperately missed about Egypt without even knowing that I have missed them. I have missed the sounds of the city, the cars, the people out and laughing until early in the morning, I have missed the kindness of strangers, both Egyptian and foreign, always willing to help and make friends. I have missed the sunsets over the Nile. Contrary to what I expected, the weather hasn't been too bad, especially in the evening, prompting me to take wonderful walks along the Nile when the sun is setting. (My hotel is only fifty feet from the Nile promanade!) I have missed my favorite places in Cairo. On the first night, after an exhausting and stressful arrival, I treated myself to dinner at my favorite restaurant in Zamalek, Abu El Sid. This was the first resturant Tom took me to when we first came to Cairo almost two years ago, and it was the first resturant I took my parents to. It has wonderful Lebanesse food, a funky oriental interior, and a kind staff of whom I recognized many of the waiters. After two orders of my favorite appetizer, eggplant spread, which both crispy and soft flat bread, I felt much better and remembered that unlike in Alexandria, there is a countless number or wonderful resturants in Cairo serving every kind of food on the planet. Thanks be to God!
But most of all, I have missed speaking Arabic. Cairo has a bad reputation for being a place to practice Arabic. Foreign students complain that Egyptians here speak English to them, even when they try to converse in Arabic. And it is true that unlike in Alexandria, English is ubiquitous in Cairo, and one could probably get by speaking only English. But, it has been my experience that people are very willing to speak Arabic to me, and very encouraging about my ability to speak the dialect. I have spoke more Arabic in the last couple days than I have spoke in months, which is wonderful and reassuring. Even just hearing Arabic every day on the street has been wonderful for dusting off the cobwebs in my brain. I can't wait to speak more and more. Also, my knowledge of the dialect, a knowledge which I was fundamentally lacking the first time I came to Egypt, is profoundly helpful. I feel so much more independent and capable because I can speak the dialect, and I think that is part of the reason that people are so willing to converse with me in Arabic.
Last night, one of the cultural assistants from my program had a party, so I got to meet people from my program for the first time. I was nervous, but everyone was really nice and there seemed to be some wonderful, interesting men and women in my program. Almost everyone is older than me, but there are few students who have just graduated from undergraduate school. We had a lot of fun, and I can tell I am going to make some great friends. It's a al ot easier having 25 people in my program than only 7 which were in my Middlebury program. The party went late into the night, and there was a lot of laughing, eating, and drinking.
So, tomorrow is orientation. I have to get up early to meet everyone downtown at 8:30 at which point we're going to go as a group to the new campus. I am excited, but also just can't wait until Tom comes and we find an apartment and get settled in. I want kitchen, and I want to be able to cook for myself. I met a girl at the party who has been living for a couple years in the region in which we want to live, and she offered to help me find a place and connect me with her realator. Hopefully, we will be able to find a place sooner rather than later.
Well, that's all for now. I am hoping that writing this blog will help me stay in touch with people better, but I also promise to write personal emails and call. I also want to say thanks to my parents and to Tom who have been very helpful and supportive these first couple of days, and I have really appreciated talking to them. Masalama!
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