So the trip was fantastic. It was a little costly so at first I was questioning it in general, but it turned out to be totally worth it.
The only downside is the fact that actual planning was done quite poorly. Typical AUC event--not very organized. We left at 1 am, and due to delays and other unfortunate events (getting lost) we arrived in Aswan at 8 am having not slept. Then, we went to an ancient temple! I have never appreciated anything less. We got there by boat and it should have been an amazing experience. Instead we were all deathly tired, dirty, and hot.
The weather in general was probably the only real downside about the trip itself. It was nea 115F, and we were out in the sun touring sights. Like when we saw the valley of the kings, which was amazing, we were sweating through our clothes, and all wanted to get into some shade (that wasn't muggy, underground, and filled with mummies).
We went to the Luxor temple, temple Kom ombu, edfu, valley of the kings, and this beautiful Nubian village.
I was blown away every day. We went also during different times of the day (6 am, 12 pm, sunset, 9 pm), so the beauty of the sights in nature alone was magnificent. I'd actually have to say my favorite was the Nubian(community of native Africans who built up a community in southern Egypt) village. It was slightly touristy, but mostly authentic. They had their own outdoor school in their village, and all the children were adorable. There were camels just chilling and also being used for work (love camels). And most interestingly, many of the residents owned crocodiles... We were invited into one household, served tea, and got to hold the pet baby crocs.
On the way back (after tearing ourselves away from yhe children screaming "hello! Obama!" we were told we could sit on the top of the tiny boat (never would happen in America) and we got to watch the sunset on the Nile as we passed mountains of sand and palm trees. Breathtaking.
There was a dance party on the boat that we were asked to dress up in traditional Egyptian costume for, which was of course a lot of fun. The cruise ship itself was great, good food, nice rooms, a pool and sauna on the deck, and nightly entertainment.
Trip was a good mix of sights, culture, and relaxation, which was good.
I found that it reminded me why I came to Egypt: to experience the culture, language, and amazing history. So I came back to school rejuvenated and inspired to learn and live here.
Added bonus? Ramadan is over so everything is working now. Kinda. There's a way different standard of living here. But still, it seems that outside of fasting sunrise to sunset for 30 days, Egyptians can get stuff done.
Still planning my trip to Dubai for my birthday, hopefully will have that sorted out by the end of this week.
I have lots more to write about, but sadly my roommate is going back to America, so I want to spend as much time with her as possible. We've been sightseeing this past weekend, going out to dinners, and I'll drop her off at the airport on Tuesday. We're trying to pack in as much of Egypt as possible, while also letting her say goodbye to her friends. It's gonna be kind of tough for me. She's my closest friend here, and we've really bonded. She knows me better than anyone here. Plus, it's someone to come home to, someone to go to dinner with, someone to look out for me and make sure I'm coming home at night. I wish she weren't, but I'm trying to think positively about it. She'll be a lot happier, which is good. Also, I'll get to experience egypt more on my own, having my own room and all will push me out of the room more, and hopefully to meet even more wonderful people and see even more things. Also, I love having a single. Especially for the reduced price of a double!
Either way I still have much to catch up on here, like this morning I went to a Yom Kippur service! It was amazing. Will update more later, hope everything/one is good at home.
Lots of love, and I hope Yom Kippur is good for those who observe it! Love!
Halima
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Luxor and Aswan trip commences
Off to a cruise to Luxor and Aswan for 3 days.
We'll be taking a plane (at 1 am...) to the boat, then cruising from Luxor to Aswan. Very excited.
Will be safe. Will take pictures. Hopefully will have fun!
Also, it's Eid, so the end of Ramadan. That means 1 more hour of time change (now 7 hrs ahead of EST), restaurants open during the day, a more alive city, and hopefully things will generally run more smoothly...
Eid Mubarak!
We'll be taking a plane (at 1 am...) to the boat, then cruising from Luxor to Aswan. Very excited.
Will be safe. Will take pictures. Hopefully will have fun!
Also, it's Eid, so the end of Ramadan. That means 1 more hour of time change (now 7 hrs ahead of EST), restaurants open during the day, a more alive city, and hopefully things will generally run more smoothly...
Eid Mubarak!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Week II
Sunday began my first week of classes. In Egypt their work/school week starts on Sunday and goes until Thursday, and their weekend is Friday and Saturday. The reason they do this is that there is a religious event every Friday, called "Juma" by most, in which the imam, or the head of the mosque, makes a speech or sermon, called a khutbah. It is essentially the equivalent of going to church or temple. Because of this most places are closed including banks, schools, and businesses. During the actual "sermon" even restaurants are usually closed.
So I began my classes on Sunday, pretty much doubling my Sunday blues (as it was a Sunday which acted as a Monday...). The school is very disorganized. That is an understatement. The new campus, which I attend, is just that, very new. It's only been open for about 3 years, so they haven't yet worked out many (any) of the kinks of registration and scheduling. However, since I lap the campus regularly (since one is often sent from one place to another only to get there and be sent to another place) I have gotten to know it well! Therefore AUC lies as the one and only place in Cairo that I am not lost in.
Cairo itself is a grab-bag. You never get what you expect. With that comes good and bad. For example one night, to highlight my favorite aspect of Cairo-- its sexism--a group of friends and I went to a cheap take-out falafel place for dinner. We all ordered, and, as expected, the men got served first. We continue to wait (they promised 10 more minutes) and 4 other men enter and order. After 10 minutes the four men behind us in line were served and we were told to wait another hour--they had sold out. We ended up getting McDonalds...
On the other hand, the other night we went into an old market place and were offered tea in the shop of a man who we assumed would try to profit off of our touristic ignorance. Instead he served us tea and delicious food and gave us advice for the bests sights in Cairo, and how to get around without any trouble. That is one thing about Cairo that I love-- you will always find hospitable and generous people.
I guess the thing I notice the most about Cairo is that the people seem to be generally upfront. They are rarely good con-artists, and often the bests hosts because of it. You know what an Egyptian wants from you; whether it be a friend, some money, or even a greencard... It's almost admirable, and certainly allows you to navigate through your way through the city and the people to find what/who you are looking for.
I will go on my 4-day cruise to Luxor and Aswan on Thursday (no internet access), and will therefore have a break from school (all half a week of it). The sights promise to be exciting, and I will be joined by my friends to the company won't lack, either.
For now I'm off to tackle my work...
Masalama
Halima
So I began my classes on Sunday, pretty much doubling my Sunday blues (as it was a Sunday which acted as a Monday...). The school is very disorganized. That is an understatement. The new campus, which I attend, is just that, very new. It's only been open for about 3 years, so they haven't yet worked out many (any) of the kinks of registration and scheduling. However, since I lap the campus regularly (since one is often sent from one place to another only to get there and be sent to another place) I have gotten to know it well! Therefore AUC lies as the one and only place in Cairo that I am not lost in.
Cairo itself is a grab-bag. You never get what you expect. With that comes good and bad. For example one night, to highlight my favorite aspect of Cairo-- its sexism--a group of friends and I went to a cheap take-out falafel place for dinner. We all ordered, and, as expected, the men got served first. We continue to wait (they promised 10 more minutes) and 4 other men enter and order. After 10 minutes the four men behind us in line were served and we were told to wait another hour--they had sold out. We ended up getting McDonalds...
On the other hand, the other night we went into an old market place and were offered tea in the shop of a man who we assumed would try to profit off of our touristic ignorance. Instead he served us tea and delicious food and gave us advice for the bests sights in Cairo, and how to get around without any trouble. That is one thing about Cairo that I love-- you will always find hospitable and generous people.
I guess the thing I notice the most about Cairo is that the people seem to be generally upfront. They are rarely good con-artists, and often the bests hosts because of it. You know what an Egyptian wants from you; whether it be a friend, some money, or even a greencard... It's almost admirable, and certainly allows you to navigate through your way through the city and the people to find what/who you are looking for.
I will go on my 4-day cruise to Luxor and Aswan on Thursday (no internet access), and will therefore have a break from school (all half a week of it). The sights promise to be exciting, and I will be joined by my friends to the company won't lack, either.
For now I'm off to tackle my work...
Masalama
Halima
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Egypt: More like eGipped
Hello readers!
I decided to start a blog while I'm away for the semester abroad to record my thoughts, feelings, actions, pictures, etc. I'm kinda new to this--very new to this. First, I had to get a clear definition of a Blog, then I had to have someone (thank you, person :P) to give me step-by-step instructions.
I can't promise I'll to be too good about posting, but at least I will try to record my highlights. It will be a generally public blog, so my apologies for being too PC, or not PC enough, whichever the case (my apologies to any who might find this post or others to be redundant, I did steal from some emails and messages to save myself some time. I assure you all one-on-one exchanges are personal)
As to my title, well, Egypt is not exactly what I expected it to be...yet.
I am going thru the many stages of culture shock: honeymoon phase, frusteration, homesickness, depression, apathy, acceptance, love, contentment. Right now I'm somewhere between acceptance and contentment. There's a lot of sexism here. Not a shocker, I know. But honestly, it really does extend to we American women as well. It's actually not safe to walk without a guy in most places, and never safe without one at night. I am severely disadvantaged in regards to language aquisition, because I cannot speak and roam freely on the streets, whereas my male companions can chat up really anyone without risking danger or even just a bad attitude.
However, it is really beautiful to be in a muslim country during ramadan. Strike that, to be in a muslim country in general. Everyone seems a little more at peace here, and to watch a country fasting is fascinating and beautiful. I like hearing the call-to-prayer once in a while, though for some reason I actually have only heard it around 3 times in my week or so of being here.
My roommates nice. She's 23, graduated from NYU and is a lil bit more low-key, but basically a great fit for me. She has travelled all over the world (has studied abroad around 4 times), and is generally more mature than most of the other students. We get along well and have a lot in common. For instance, we have the EXACT same beliefs about god and the afterlife and whatnot. We both are both in a similar place in life, and I guess process and socialize simliarly. We are the same kinda messy, tired, and irresponsible, and we both are addicted to caffeine.
We are doing a lot of sight-seeing in our first week of registration/orientation. So far we have been on the Nile for a traditional boatride, called a Falucca, with Arabic desserts and drinks. We also took a cruise on the nile and watched a traditional dance being done, much like the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey, and feasted on delicious Egyptian food. More recently I took a horseback ride to the pyramids, and visited Islamic Cairo, and got a private tour of the markets and a few beautiful mosques, one of which we were let into after hours, and allowed to go onto the roof and overlook all of Cairo. It was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful, and honestly looked like something out of a painting (and/or Aladdin...). We also went into the actual city of Cairo and saw so much! Zamalek, our city, is sorta lame, but we went into Cairo for the first time and it's beautiful and like huge. And at like 11 pm it turns crazy and energized, kinda like a boardwalk. Over Eid El-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, for which we get a 4-day break, we will be going on a 4-day cruise to Luxor and Aswan (modern-day Thebes). Very exciting. A few friends, my roommate, and I also plan to go to Dubai for a break we have in October, which actually includes my birthday (Oct. 5)!
Outside of the big break, AUC, the American University in Cairo, my study abroad university here in Cairo, offers us many trips, most of which are free!
The living is actually quite cheap here in Cairo. The Egyptian pound is 5 to 1 to the dollar. So many things are priced "appropriately" for an American amount, but in fact is 5 times cheaper than the actual price. For example, Shishah, or Hookah, is usually 10 LE(Egyptian Pounds), which is the equivalent of $2.00. Cabs are haggle-able, and usually cost 15 LE to most places, the equivalent of roughly $3.00, with no tip necessary. Cheap!
I am making a lot of new friends, but I hope soon to be in classes with and more closely connected with Egyptians or Arabic-speaking people. I have not yet started classes, so I'm giving myself time to adjust before I throw myself into the language. But we got our schedules today, and hard studying will be required, as well as time spent emersed in the country to boost our speaking skills.
I switched out of my normal study abroad program into the school's intensive program. Good decision. Now I'm taking 20 hrs of arabic with 5 hrs of HW. Could be worse. But no other courses but arabic, which should be fun and good for me. Whoop me into shape.
There are many students from the philadelphia area, or go to school nearby, and it's nice to have people who can relate to where I call home. Also, I met a swat alum who teaches at AUC and who also taught at villanova for a while! There are also a handful of Bryn Mawr women, which at first frustrated me, but now it seems like more of a plus. I can get a lil home and a break from new everything once in a while, but because none of them is particularly close to me, I can have my space from my home school.
Anyway, I'm feeling good now, but with big change comes homesickness. It's not too bad, it's more fear that I picked the wrong study abroad location. But I think with my change into the intensive it'll all seem worth it.
I miss you all, and I hope that life back at home is good.
Lots of love,
Halima
I decided to start a blog while I'm away for the semester abroad to record my thoughts, feelings, actions, pictures, etc. I'm kinda new to this--very new to this. First, I had to get a clear definition of a Blog, then I had to have someone (thank you, person :P) to give me step-by-step instructions.
I can't promise I'll to be too good about posting, but at least I will try to record my highlights. It will be a generally public blog, so my apologies for being too PC, or not PC enough, whichever the case (my apologies to any who might find this post or others to be redundant, I did steal from some emails and messages to save myself some time. I assure you all one-on-one exchanges are personal)
As to my title, well, Egypt is not exactly what I expected it to be...yet.
I am going thru the many stages of culture shock: honeymoon phase, frusteration, homesickness, depression, apathy, acceptance, love, contentment. Right now I'm somewhere between acceptance and contentment. There's a lot of sexism here. Not a shocker, I know. But honestly, it really does extend to we American women as well. It's actually not safe to walk without a guy in most places, and never safe without one at night. I am severely disadvantaged in regards to language aquisition, because I cannot speak and roam freely on the streets, whereas my male companions can chat up really anyone without risking danger or even just a bad attitude.
However, it is really beautiful to be in a muslim country during ramadan. Strike that, to be in a muslim country in general. Everyone seems a little more at peace here, and to watch a country fasting is fascinating and beautiful. I like hearing the call-to-prayer once in a while, though for some reason I actually have only heard it around 3 times in my week or so of being here.
My roommates nice. She's 23, graduated from NYU and is a lil bit more low-key, but basically a great fit for me. She has travelled all over the world (has studied abroad around 4 times), and is generally more mature than most of the other students. We get along well and have a lot in common. For instance, we have the EXACT same beliefs about god and the afterlife and whatnot. We both are both in a similar place in life, and I guess process and socialize simliarly. We are the same kinda messy, tired, and irresponsible, and we both are addicted to caffeine.
We are doing a lot of sight-seeing in our first week of registration/orientation. So far we have been on the Nile for a traditional boatride, called a Falucca, with Arabic desserts and drinks. We also took a cruise on the nile and watched a traditional dance being done, much like the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey, and feasted on delicious Egyptian food. More recently I took a horseback ride to the pyramids, and visited Islamic Cairo, and got a private tour of the markets and a few beautiful mosques, one of which we were let into after hours, and allowed to go onto the roof and overlook all of Cairo. It was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful, and honestly looked like something out of a painting (and/or Aladdin...). We also went into the actual city of Cairo and saw so much! Zamalek, our city, is sorta lame, but we went into Cairo for the first time and it's beautiful and like huge. And at like 11 pm it turns crazy and energized, kinda like a boardwalk. Over Eid El-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, for which we get a 4-day break, we will be going on a 4-day cruise to Luxor and Aswan (modern-day Thebes). Very exciting. A few friends, my roommate, and I also plan to go to Dubai for a break we have in October, which actually includes my birthday (Oct. 5)!
Outside of the big break, AUC, the American University in Cairo, my study abroad university here in Cairo, offers us many trips, most of which are free!
The living is actually quite cheap here in Cairo. The Egyptian pound is 5 to 1 to the dollar. So many things are priced "appropriately" for an American amount, but in fact is 5 times cheaper than the actual price. For example, Shishah, or Hookah, is usually 10 LE(Egyptian Pounds), which is the equivalent of $2.00. Cabs are haggle-able, and usually cost 15 LE to most places, the equivalent of roughly $3.00, with no tip necessary. Cheap!
I am making a lot of new friends, but I hope soon to be in classes with and more closely connected with Egyptians or Arabic-speaking people. I have not yet started classes, so I'm giving myself time to adjust before I throw myself into the language. But we got our schedules today, and hard studying will be required, as well as time spent emersed in the country to boost our speaking skills.
I switched out of my normal study abroad program into the school's intensive program. Good decision. Now I'm taking 20 hrs of arabic with 5 hrs of HW. Could be worse. But no other courses but arabic, which should be fun and good for me. Whoop me into shape.
There are many students from the philadelphia area, or go to school nearby, and it's nice to have people who can relate to where I call home. Also, I met a swat alum who teaches at AUC and who also taught at villanova for a while! There are also a handful of Bryn Mawr women, which at first frustrated me, but now it seems like more of a plus. I can get a lil home and a break from new everything once in a while, but because none of them is particularly close to me, I can have my space from my home school.
Anyway, I'm feeling good now, but with big change comes homesickness. It's not too bad, it's more fear that I picked the wrong study abroad location. But I think with my change into the intensive it'll all seem worth it.
I miss you all, and I hope that life back at home is good.
Lots of love,
Halima
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