Something very strange occurred last weekend. We had it free! With nothing scheduled for us to do, a small group of us decided to take a train up to Alexandria. We spent most of the time in the ENORMOUS Alexandria library. It took us about an hour to get in the first time because we had to 1. Buy a ticket. 2. Turn in our bags. 3. Register our laptops. 4. Go through a metal detector and inspector. It was pretty intense, but once we were there I managed to finish my paper on the western influence in the history of the Middle East. We didn’t spend the whole time being studious though! We had some pretty great adventures. Here are just a few:
*Stayed overnight in a hostel that cost us each only $6 (with beds of boards and a fun elevator you could ride without shutting the door)
*Ate at some great restaurants and drank the world’s best fresh fruit juice
*Enjoyed some time at a Brazilian coffee shop and taught “rock, paper, scissors” to observing business men beside us
*Got swarmed by Egyptian men beside the Mediterranean that took some time to get rid of
*Ran into a mid-westerner who was backpacking to Morocco (!) and also met a really neat, older couple from New Zealand that we decided we want to be like when we got older
It was a great weekend! Sunday we went to Al Ahzar – a nearby school which is very much like the Johnson Bible College of the Arab World. We heard from the director (though nothing of substance was said) and then ate lunch with the students. It was interesting. It was especially interesting to compare that experience with the experience of meeting with students from the Dutch-Flemish Institute a few weeks back. Talk about different worldviews.
Well, now that we’ve all made a home in Cairo, it is almost time to leave it. This week we have two more papers due and two finals in Arabic and Islam. Then it’s time to pack our bags and head to Istanbul, Turkey where we’ll be for the first week!
Random Fact:
To me, the nicest thing about living here is that everything you could possibly need can be found right outside your door. If you’re hungry, you can walk down the street and buy from various produce sellers, or you can walk into the bakery or order from Mr. Koko who makes Chicken Schwerma, rice, French fries, etc. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, the sweet potato man will be coming down your street with his cart. Walking down the same street, you also pass pharmacies, a clothing store, a stationary store…anything you need!
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