Well, it's been too long.

After a week of writing papers, it seems like the last thing I would want to do is write. But I find myself, a week until I leave Egypt, filled with the desire to write something substantial about my time here. And what better place to put it then my blog.

A blog that when I began it, I was sitting in the basement of my house, on the couch, next to my parents, not having the faintest idea of what I would be facing for the next nine months. Making it, thinking I could dutifully record all of my expierences, and have everyone live this trip with me.

I made a valient effort. But in the end, Cairo was so much more than I could've imagined that day. I've been here for nine months. A long time. And that grand question looms: what have I learned?

Well, what have I learned?

I've learned that Egypt at first is just as scary and confusing as I imagined it'd be. Walking off the plane and into the desert heat in the middle of August, facing a terminal filled with people dressed in everything from suits to gallabayias, I wanted to turn right back around and run back to America. I learned that first day, when I was waved past the customs man without even a glance at my passport, the nature of Egyptian bureaucracy.

I learned that the desert can be humid. That hell must be like sitting in a taxi, in traffic, in 110 degree heat. That one can sweat through three different outfits in one day. That air conditioning is not a luxury, but a necessity. That there is no such thing as a refreshing breeze of the Nile. That there is no such thing as a refreshing breeze in Cairo, period.

I learned that tap water can be one's mortal enemy for the first three weeks. That all food, for the first three weeks, is deadly. After that hump however, I learned that food here is the cheapest food available in the world. That koshari is an 87 cent gift from the gods. That fettah is one of the most satisfying meals. I also learned that man cannot live on tamayyia and foul alone. I learned that Euro deli, with no actual locations in Europe, is really as pure and delicious as their sign says they are. I learned that Applebee's not only exists in Egypt, but that they can make a decent margarita.

I learned that tea is a way of life. No Egyptian can imagine a problem that cannot be solved with a glass of mint tea and a cigarette. That there is a job that exists here that is literally the tea man-- you walk around the streets carrying a tray full of tea for the men sitting on the streets. I learned that I kind of want to grow up to be an Egyptian old man, who sits on the street in a roomy gallabayia, giving taxi drivers directions while drinking tea and selling chocolate and cigarettes.

I learned that the pyramids really are a wonder. And that even though I've seen them what feels like a hundred times, they still take my breath away when I pass them on the highway. I also learned that one can overdose on ancient Egyptian antiquities-- I can now pass by 6000 year old sarcophogi without even a spark of interest.  

I've learned more about Middle East politics than I thought humanly possible. I've learned that what is called a democracy is actually a dictatorship, and what is referenced as an Islamic state is actually secular. I've learned what governmental corruption really is. I've learned that Saudi Arabia really is as screwed up as most people think it is, and that Israel doesn't exist here. I've learned that almost every cab driver in Cairo has an opinion about George Bush-- and its never good.

I've learned how to appreciate the perfection that is a peach flavored shisha. I've learned how to slow down, and not to rush. I've learned that there is always time to talk, to inquire about health, children, etc... even if there really isn't time. I've learned that being 10 minutes late to class is a way of life. That Egyptian professors don't follow their syllabi. That everything is negotiable.

I've learned that a 5 lane highway will actually be seven. That horns are used to communicate rather than turn signals. That headlights are not obligatory. That crossing the street is less of an art than it is dumb luck. That looking both ways will paralyze you. That after living here for six months, I could do it while talking on the phone and smoking.

I've learned that travelling is hard. That one can spend an hour and a half at a military checkpoint because there are too many white kids shoved in one minibus. I've learned that one can wait six hours for a 1 and a 1/2 hour ferry trip that only traverses 12 kilometers. I've learned that the stock answer for any question involving time is "Made up answer... Inshallah". I've learned that I will never stop wondering why God's will is involved in me making it to my dorm room.  

I've learned that I can be an emotional drama queen. That boys can mess up friendships. That drunken admissions do not help. That hearts can be broken and mended, and then broken again. I've learned that I can find a family in Egypt. That a blonde from New Jersey can be my soulmate. I've learned that I'm stronger than I thought I was. That I can survive on my own. That I can navigate Petra, Jordan, with nothing but a friend and a German map. That I can climb mountains.

I've learned the entirety of the "Taliban Song" by Toby Keith. That two white girls can walk into a resturaunt, and the music will invariably change to Celine Dion. That I can spend over a half hour in a cab screaming Celine Dion songs at the top of my lungs with my cab driver.

I've learned that one can drink in a Muslim country during Ramadan. I've learned that the cheapest beer you can buy costs just over a dollar. I've learned that Egyptian bar tenders don't understand the concept of a shot, or of a mixed drink. I've learned that kareoke and the Marriott is a good time. That if you put American college students anywhere in the world, they will invariably find a way to play beer pong. I've learned that Bedouins learn quickly when it comes to drinking games. I've learned that a night out isn't a night out unless you hear morning prayer.

I've learned Arabic! I've learned that it's proper to praise God at least four times a day. That it's never proper to nod your head to an Egyptian.. there must be a "Good evening" and a "how are you?" That I'm afraid to refer to the future without following it up with a quick "Inshallah." That hand gesturing is universal in attempting to bridge language barriers. That my hand held approximately a foot above the table will forever mean "bottle of water" to me. That a square drawn with my fingers means dorm.

I've learned that Cairo, Egypt-- a city filled with pollution, cats, lecherous men, insane traffic, blistering heat, noise, smoke, sandstorms, buildings, convoluded streets, and 16 million of the craziest, nicest, and most well-meaning people you will ever meet-- can truly feel like home.

I'm ready to go home-- but I'll miss it here. Mom and Dad-- I can probably never fully thank you enough for this amazing opprotunity that you gave to me, without question. Thank you Thank you THANK YOU.   

Well, since it's been a MONTH since I last updated this thing, I better get on it.

Life was boring for a while. My mom came to visit, which was of course, rockin'. Even though she got sick either from the koshari I forced her to eat, or the shisha she smoked...

Bwhahhahahhaha.

Then, it was on to Alexandria with my roommate...

That's the inside of the Maktaba Askandreya, the Bibliotecha Alexandrina... The Alexandria Library.

Ms. Armrawy in the library.

Me, outside the library.

Yasmin and I outside some castle thing, the name of which eludes me at the moment.

The castle-thing.

Fancy ass bridge built by King Farouq by his GIGANTIC palace.

Me freezing to death in front of the Mediterranean.

The cold winter sea.

Yasmin trying to be tall, and failing. This is in front of the Montaza, King Farouq's palace.

Yasmin's mom and dad.. and me.

A cute one of me and the roommate in her apartment.

Soooo that's been my life. Classes started two days ago.. they're all okay, except I think Islamic Law may be the most mind-numbingly boring topic in the history of the world. Perhaps I'm exaggerating.. but only a little.