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Turns out I'm pretty bad at keeping blogs updated. As I still have no computer and can't upload my photos, the picture for this post has nothing to do with what I talk about. I'll fix it later.
I leave Egypt in 18 days. Terrifying. Exciting. And a bit sad. I like the country very much, but it is exhausting. I'm about ready to head home, but I hope to come back someday. Hopefully with better Arabic skills (which have improved dramatically, by the way). I will be very sad to say good-bye to some of my friends here, especially the Arabs who it's possible I won't see for a very long time, if ever again. (Okay, depressing...gonna stop now).
I will give you a rundown of things I've done, plus some reflections. I intend to post a bit more often, as I'm on a break now. Plus I want to get all the locations I've been to on my map.
-Went to an al-Ahly game and sat in the 3rd class (we had Egyptian guys who were with us). It was awesome. We saw al-Ahly win against some Nigerian club team (their fanbase was surrounded by riot police for protection) for an African Club Cup. A few of us also accidentally baksheeshed (bribed) our way in. Long story. Also, hundreds of riot police.
-Climbed Mount Sinai. Didn't get any Commandments, sadly. It was cold. But incredible. Then we went to Dahab and snorkeled. And struggled to stay awake past 8pm. As it was a few days after the Election, we were congratulated by many Egyptian shopkeepers for Obama's election. It was pretty cool.
What else?...
-Black & White Desert: AWESOME...maybe the coolest natural site I've seen. I
mean, Wadi Rum in Petra was awesome, but the White Desert is one of
the most bizarre landscapes I've ever seen. It is like right out of
Star Wars. It is a desert with regular whiteish sand, but it's mostly
limestone. Crazy limestone formations weathered by the sea that used
to be there and then wind and such. SO COOL. I will show you pictures
when we see each other next. Slash when I've gotten my shiny new
computer (one of the new Macbooks!) and can upload picturesI will hopefully upload pictures after I get home. The Black
Desert was also really cool...it is really just the regular sand, but
there are strange black mountains occasionally in the landscape that
have apparently been chipping off for eons and falling to the desert
floor. Cause there's a layer of black rock shards strewn across the
landscape. Pretty cool. So basically more desert exploring, but in far
more bizarre landscapes.
-Finished up teaching English at STAR, which was sad. We were really starting to bond as
a class, and Brian and I had finally gotten a feel for teaching. We
had to give them a test (we basically went over it together
beforehand), and then we talked for a bit and took some pictures with
them. They all wanted to take some individual pictures with me and
Brian, which was sweet. They said that they were very sad that we
wouldn't be able to teach them next semester, but they wished us luck
with our trips home and have promised to email us when they finally
make it to America. That would be incredible if we could meet up with
them when they finally make it (I know the odds are low, but one can
hope). I am so impressed with how resilient they are and how dedicated
they are to learning English. There was one, an older Iraqi lady named
Nadwa, who apparently really liked me. She kept smiling at me and
hugging me. She took at least four pictures with me and then in our
group pictures insisted that I stand next to her and then would pull
me down to hug her. It was very cute, and I hope to run into her
sometime later in life. I wish her and the rest of her family (also in
the class) all the best of luck.
-Family Visits and Thanksgiving: Meredith and Jessica (my older sisters) flew in for the
week of Thanksgiving. I was glad to have family here for Thanksgiving.
I had just reached the 3 month marker here. Which meant only one month
left. But one month can drag on and on here. But I also knew all the
stuff I had to do before I left and I knew it would fly (which it
has). So we frolicked around Cairo and I was their tour-guide. It was
actually very good for me, since I had to speak Arabic, as neither one
speaks any. I also discovered that I really like haggling and am
actually pretty good at it. They were here for six nights and it was
glorious, although I was quite unproductive. We had the dorm Thanksgiving meal (A for effort. It was actually pretty tasty) and then went to Alexandria for the day with my roommate and her family. We had lunch at the Fish Market (and ordered meat, as none of us likes fish) and then pizza for dinner, I believe.
And then my Mom, Daniel (brother) and Kate (his girlfriend) came to visit earlier this week. I had about four days to get as much work done as humanly possible before their arrival. I got the big paper done, so that was very good.
And now we've been doing all sorts of stuff. I feel bad because I'm tired and getting toured-out, but it's fine.
I hope that was informative. I should go to bed now. Ma'asallamah!
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