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