So mentally, the second week is tougher than the first. I got what I’ve been referring to as ‘traveler’s guilt’ because I haven’t been to the big sites yet. I have, however, been eating a lot of great food and trying to make connections here at the university. I’ve also experienced my first pangs of homesickness.
I finalized my schedule. I’m in Arabic for 11 hours a week, and my other classes are Economic History of the Middle East, Islam, and Islamic Philosophy. I was in Sufism, but I thought 3 classes specifically on Islam might drive me a tad batty. I thrive in diverse environments.
This weekend I’m going up to Alexandria and hopefully hit most of the sites there. I have an open invitation from my roommate to stay with her family there, so I’ll hopefully venture back before my time here is done, inshallah.
Last week there was a Fakhfakhina, which was basically a big party, I got to employ my Middle Eastern dancing learned this past summer at Middlebury. I’ll probably join the Folkloric Dance Club to foster my interest and make some Egyptian friends. Also thinking about Scuba Diving, because they take you to Sharm al-Sheikh for your dives.
Other than that, I’ve been a bit tired and under the weather as I try to acclimate to the air quality. The smoke and pollution aren’t exactly agreeing with me.
If you didn’t know, the business week here is from Sunday through Thursday, so tomorrow is my last day of classes for the week. Hopefully I’ll do something fun in the afternoon, and I’ll be able to report back on new and exciting things.
2 Comments
February 8, 2008 at 3:41 am
Hey pretty lady,
I’m really enjoying reading your accounts of Cairo. I don’t think you should be experiencing traveler’s guilt yet, considering you’ve only been there a few weeks and your accounts tell me you’ve done so much already. I can’t believe you’ve gotten to see where Jesus slept, that’s so cool. I wish I could see a sign that said that on a building as I walked by it. It would probably make my day.
I highly recommend taking scuba diving; it’s fun and relaxing, not to mention breath taking to see the sights underwater.
I hope that you begin to acclimate to the air there soon so that you feel better. I’m also glad to see that you’ve been salsa dancing (!!).
Miss you mucho and can’t wait to read more.
February 8, 2008 at 3:32 pm
“I got to employ my Middle Eastern dancing learned this past summer at Middlebury. I’ll probably join the Folkloric Dance Club to foster my interest and make some Egyptian friends.”
Ooh! You are going to dance for me when you get back!
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