I'm not a tourist; I live here!

I now know I’m officially in Egypt. I visited the Pyramids/Sphinx! Once we were at the pyramids, our taxi driver pulled over to let us off, but as soon as we opened the door we were assaulted with a guy trying to sell us camel rides. Unable to get out of the taxi, we kept trying to tell him no, but he wouldn’t leave. My friend in the front seat tried to shut the door, but the guy just hoped in (basically on his lap), shut the door and told the taxi driver to drive somewhere. And then were dropped off in ghetto where we were again tried to be persuaded to take a camel ride. Sells people here a quite aggressive :). But we finally got away and had a blast exploring around the pyramids and taking pictures. I did end up taking a camel ride with my friend Sharon along with our guide Moses (haha).I also got called Shakira/Queen about 5 times (as well as the other girls in my group). Afterwards a group of us ate at a Pizza Hut where we could see the pyramids from the window. Who would’ve thought?

Later that afternoon a group of 4 of us explored Coptic Cairo a bit and went inside some old churches and one synagogue with relics and interesting stories. There is so much to explore here.

That evening we had three Egyptian girls over for women’s night. We were able to ask them questions and talk about what it was like to live in Egypt as a woman. It was great to talk to them and learn about their culture and convictions.

Random Facts:

I'm sitting in an internet cafe right now listening to "My Humps".

I love it when people who recognize you as an English-speaker spit out any and all the English words/phrases they can think of. An example would be, "Hello.How are you? Yankee Doodle Dandee!"

I've found the world's best chocolate covered peanuts. They're now a weekly necessity.

We leave Thursday after classes for Luxor Insha'allah !! Until then! :)

When Everyday is an Adventure

Salaam!

Today was my first day of class! The reading looks a little overwhelming, but I'm excited about the material and know I'll enjoy the work. Here's a brief summary of what I've been doing since my last post!

Monday we took a bus down to Garbage City-a place where many Coptic Christians live. Their income comes from recycling all the trash in Cairo and using it to make and sell amazing things. While there we were able to check out two amazing churches that they’ve carved into stone (check out some pictures on facebook!) and we visited the Sisters of Charity Orphanage that was started by Mother Theresa. This is actually the place where I’ll be doing my service every Tuesday. Yesterday while I was there I helped with the babies. They are understaffed and any extra pair of hands that can hold a crying baby is appreciated.

Yesterday I did some shopping. I felt ridiculous as all I could come up with in Arabic is "how much?" and "thank you." What a foreigner. Despite the frustration and slight embarrassment, I ended up with food! I tried to make macaroni for my flatmates, but the cheese was weird and they all quickly learned that I am not the cook in the bunch haha. BUT I am opting to take an Egyptian cooking class! Maybe that will help?

Last night a few of us decided to take a walk downtown along the Nile and ended up in a marriage celebration! The bride and groom and their family members were on the sidewalk where we were walking and they literally pulled us in to take pictures with them and dance. It was quite an experience, and we had a blast. You never know what will happen here in Egypt!

Random Facts:

1. As our interns like to tell us, we as girls have "undergone a change." We all get told everyday that we are beautiful. In fact, we are distracting enough that we have managed to stop traffic AND a football (soccer) game.

2.It rained in Egypt yesterday. There are a few puddles. Everyone thinks it's flooded and freezing.

Thanks again for your prayers! I am excited to see the things God is going to teach me this semester. I'm learning new things everyday!

Taking It In

It’s been about a week since I arrived, and it’s all been an amazing blur so far. So much has happened in such a short amount of time, there is no way I can give you an accurate description of everything I’ve done. Here are the basics. I live with 7 other girls in a beautiful, large apartment flat with a great balcony/view (pictures to come on facebook!) very close the villa where we have our classes. Thursday we got a crash-course in survival Arabic and toured the city a bit where we caught a glimpse of all of the places we will be discovering in the future. We’ve been learning our way around our neighborhood and learning the basics of living here, including where to buy groceries, how to take a taxi and how to take the metro. I couldn’t help but get a feeling of accomplishment when I bought my first kilo of fruit at a local fruit stand. Starting Tuesday, my roommates and I will have to buy all of our own groceries (!). On Friday all of us girls were shown how to veil ourselves with higabs and we were able to attend the mosque and observe the women in their worship. There’s something powerful in watching a whole culture (of all social classes) unite together in prayer. Saturday(yesterday) we took a felucca ride on the Nile (awesome!), and walked around Kahl Al Khalili which was simply GORGEOUS. Cairo has some amazing historical buildings/mosques with architecture that literally makes you gasp. None of my pictures do them justice. Today we went and got our 6 month visas and practiced using the metro-taking it to anywhere we felt like and exploring. People here are very hospitable and one man even bought us our lunch today.

Here are some random facts you may like to know:

Cairo is generally safe; Cairo traffic is NOT…

Sexual harassment is a serious issue in Cairo. I as woman must avert my eyes on the street and not make eye contact or conversation with males that I pass.

Cairo has the world’s worse air pollution-even worse than Beijing! We blow black out of our noses…

Even people without any knowledge of English can communicate one word to us- OBAMA! They like him very much.

We start service projects on Tuesday and our classes begin on Wednesday. I’m excited to be here! Thank you to all of you are praying for me. I appreciate you very much! I will try to update once a week, but no promises!

Love,
Danielle

7 Days and Counting

Who never watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and wished to be Indiana or Marion off adventuring in Egypt? In one week, my wishing is becoming REALITY. I'm not planning on warring with any Nazis, but I am pretty certain that I'll still have some great stories to tell. I will be studying at the American University in Cairo and will be learning the language, culture, politics, etc. I'm also going to be traveling for three weeks in April to other countries such as Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Israel (depending on the politcal climate at the time). Let's just say I'm excited. And if I'm being honest...a little anxious. Butterflies hit my stomach over the weekend when I drove past the airport, but my excitement still outweighs any fear or anxiety. I'm not sure how often I will have internet access, but I will be sure and update when I can! You can't send any packages, but if you would like to send a letter, the address is below :). Love to you all!

Danielle Wingfield
c/o Middle East Studies Program
P.O. Box 213
Zamalek
Cairo, EGYPT