Hi everybody!!!
There is so so so much to write about I don't even know where to start!!!
Sorry I've been a bit bad about updating my blog in the past week or so... The main reason I haven't been responding to anything is that my friend Christina (a graduate student at AUC) and I have moved into an apartment near the dorms on Zamalek and don't have internet set up yet - we keep coming back to the dorms to bum internet access... Hopefully within the next couple of days, we will figure out how to get wireless service. :P
Our apartment is totally awesome!! I guess you could say it has a lot of character... It has a huge living area, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two sort of sketchy washing machines, a kitchen with various random old dishes and an oven that you have to light with a match, and some very *interesting* paintings hanging on the wall that I will post pictures of at a later time. We named one of the subjects of the paintings Janet Jackson.
The process of getting the apartment was especially interesting.... We first tried to find someone who could actually speak Arabic to go with us, but nobody wanted to come. So, basically we walked over to some towers where we knew a lot of students had been living (before the revolution scared everyone away), and told the door man that we were looking for an apartment. As expected, he spoke a total of about two words in English - a great complement to my ~20 actually useful words of Arabic. I ended up calling one of my Egyptian friends and passing the phone back and forth with the doorman. We saw three apartments - the first was pretty run down and crappy, the second (which we ended up taking) was much nicer, and the third was in a different building and was filthy (not to mention the fact that there was a family living in it already - Grandma was in the bed...) haha. It was a memorable search, and like most aspects of life in Cairo, there is no way to do things other than just jumping in and committing fully to the experience.
Anyways.... on the note of the political situation here in Egypt:
As most of you hopefully heard, the Egyptian president stepped down last night!!!!! It is hard to describe the infectious amazing amounts of joy that filled the streets. My friends and I went downtown to Tahrir Square to join the celebrations, and it was one of the most exceptional things I have ever experienced. Everyone was there - men, women, children, rich, poor, etc. We actually ended up randomly running into some of our other friends in the middle of the square - what are the chances... It was so packed full of happy people that we were holding onto each other in order to not fall over! There was singing, dancing, chanting, honking, zagareeting, etc! I got some video footage, I'm not sure how great it was, but I might try to post it later if it's worth it.
As far as I know, the military is now in control of things, and is working to facilitate the people's wishes to create a better government for themselves.
Today, walking around Zamalek, things were festive... shops that haven't been open in weeks were re-opening... The fruit stands were all fully stocked with delicious produce, boys were back to their usual cat calls at us blond ladies, traffic was full of its beautiful chorus of honks.... I love love love love love it here so incredibly much!!
Please hear this, dear world.... dream of the good and the impossible, because if you have the guts and perseverance, it might just become possible!
Christina and I on our rooftop terrace, above ~17 stories of apartments and up some sketchy rusty ladders:
There is so so so much to write about I don't even know where to start!!!
Sorry I've been a bit bad about updating my blog in the past week or so... The main reason I haven't been responding to anything is that my friend Christina (a graduate student at AUC) and I have moved into an apartment near the dorms on Zamalek and don't have internet set up yet - we keep coming back to the dorms to bum internet access... Hopefully within the next couple of days, we will figure out how to get wireless service. :P
Our apartment is totally awesome!! I guess you could say it has a lot of character... It has a huge living area, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two sort of sketchy washing machines, a kitchen with various random old dishes and an oven that you have to light with a match, and some very *interesting* paintings hanging on the wall that I will post pictures of at a later time. We named one of the subjects of the paintings Janet Jackson.
The process of getting the apartment was especially interesting.... We first tried to find someone who could actually speak Arabic to go with us, but nobody wanted to come. So, basically we walked over to some towers where we knew a lot of students had been living (before the revolution scared everyone away), and told the door man that we were looking for an apartment. As expected, he spoke a total of about two words in English - a great complement to my ~20 actually useful words of Arabic. I ended up calling one of my Egyptian friends and passing the phone back and forth with the doorman. We saw three apartments - the first was pretty run down and crappy, the second (which we ended up taking) was much nicer, and the third was in a different building and was filthy (not to mention the fact that there was a family living in it already - Grandma was in the bed...) haha. It was a memorable search, and like most aspects of life in Cairo, there is no way to do things other than just jumping in and committing fully to the experience.
Anyways.... on the note of the political situation here in Egypt:
As most of you hopefully heard, the Egyptian president stepped down last night!!!!! It is hard to describe the infectious amazing amounts of joy that filled the streets. My friends and I went downtown to Tahrir Square to join the celebrations, and it was one of the most exceptional things I have ever experienced. Everyone was there - men, women, children, rich, poor, etc. We actually ended up randomly running into some of our other friends in the middle of the square - what are the chances... It was so packed full of happy people that we were holding onto each other in order to not fall over! There was singing, dancing, chanting, honking, zagareeting, etc! I got some video footage, I'm not sure how great it was, but I might try to post it later if it's worth it.
As far as I know, the military is now in control of things, and is working to facilitate the people's wishes to create a better government for themselves.
Today, walking around Zamalek, things were festive... shops that haven't been open in weeks were re-opening... The fruit stands were all fully stocked with delicious produce, boys were back to their usual cat calls at us blond ladies, traffic was full of its beautiful chorus of honks.... I love love love love love it here so incredibly much!!
Please hear this, dear world.... dream of the good and the impossible, because if you have the guts and perseverance, it might just become possible!
Christina and I on our rooftop terrace, above ~17 stories of apartments and up some sketchy rusty ladders:
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