Travel, languages, birthdays

It's official.... and I can say it in 3 different languages:

I'm going to Italy tomorrow / Andro in Italia domani / haru7 italy bkra!!!!!!

I will be flying into Rome, staying at a hotel for a few days until Christina arrives there on Sunday. We are purchasing EuRail passes so that we can take trains all over Italy whenever/wherever we want! We have been asking around friends on facebook and collected contacts staying in various Italian cities who we will be able to meet up with and get tips on places to eat/go/what to do for fun/etc. Unfortunately I can't say I'm excited in Italian or Arabic because saying such a phrase in either language has a provocative connotation... but in English... I'm sooooo freakingg excited!!!!!!

And for those who care, I will be returning to Colorado on the afternoon of July 6th.

Learning languages is possibly one of the most frustrating, time consuming, and annoyingly fun things to do. I so so so so wish I could stay in Egypt longer than through July, because I feel like I am just now getting a footing on learning Egyptian Arabic - I can understand more of the random blurbs of speech I hear around me every day. Speaking of course is still kind of not happening..... but one of these days insha'allah that will change. :)

It was my birthday Tuesday! Last Friday night a bunch of friends and I went to a club called Purple here in Cairo to celebrate my birthday and another friend's birthday. It was a fun night - lots of dancing, friends, and not a lot of sleep!! Then Tuesday night, myself, Christina, Said, and a friend of Said's went ATV riding by the pyramids (same area we went horseback riding at previously), which was super fun!! One of the headlights on the ATV I was on kept flickering on and off - very convenient when you are racing through the barely moonlit desert trying to avoid things like random holes and huge sand dunes! Then we decided to go on a faluka (sailboat in the Nile) and have a drink, from which point on my night got wild - as a 21st birthday should. I blame Christina for being the instigator. Anyways.... upon my return to Colorado, I can't wait to go dancing with my ladies!! As Tess so poetically put it: "Bar-going men of the world... beware!"

Other than the birthday.... life has been as mundane as it can be in such a place like Egypt, where you are likely to see all sorts of strange things happening on a daily basis. I wonder how many skinny Egyptian men can fit on a moped going through heavy traffic? So far 4 is the most I've seen, but I'm betting that Egypt will best that soon.

April 5th (happy birthday Kayla Metheany) was AUC's international day, where students set up booths and do performances representing their countries. There was a lot of delicious food, and some fun performances too - my friend Hassan performed a song called Ba7ebek ya Masr (meaning I love you Egypt), the folklore troupe danced a couple of pieces, another girl I know did a dance for Cuba, and my friend Nancy did a folkloric dance with a large groups of people representing Palestine (I think). It was fun. Here is a picture of myself and my friend Mia (she's Moroccan, we like to bellydance together), Nancy's dance group, the folklore troupe, and my friend singing:

OK, I think that's all for now.... I'm going to go review some more Italian. :D Love you allll!!!!!!
~Kerry

Italia

I just spontaneously bought myself a plane ticket to Italy from April 16-30th!!!!!!!!!!! Another lifelong dream about to come true (insha'allah)!!!!!!

On my agenda will hopefully be: Rome, Venice, Tuscany, and the Amalfi coast. I'm flying into and out of Rome, but will be taking trains and stuff to places around Italy!

I'll post more details as I plan them!!

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO MEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I LOVE MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Italia, here I come...

Reporting in.

Hey guys!
Really not much news to report over the past couple of weeks.... I've been doing a lot of dancing and socializing, working, and actually a rare couple of hours of studying! :D

In case you care though, here is what an average Kerry-day in Cairo is like. The weeks since I last wrote have basically consisted of this:

On school days, I wake up earlier than desired to catch the bus. Sometimes I miraculously manage to leave my apartment 15 minutes before the bus is scheduled to leave so that I can stop by the grocery store downstairs and grab a water bottle and a candy bar for breakfast. Usually though, I am running late and leave approximately 7 minutes before the bus is scheduled to leave. More often than I should, I end up sleeping through my first class.
The bus ride takes anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour and a half to get to campus. I usually use this time to listen to music, catch up on emails (the bus has wireless internet, which is totally sweeet), and sometimes do the homework that I didn't do when I should have the night before. When I get to campus, I get a hot cup of green tea with mint and three spoonfuls of sugar and usually burn my tongue. If I wasn't able to go to the grocery store before the bus, I go to the convenience store on campus and get a muffin and a candy bar. Then I sit in the sun outside whatever classroom I'm going to, chat with friends, and wait for class to start.
Mondays and Thursdays, I have my developmental biology class from 8:30-9:45 (those are the worst days, since I have to wake up at 5:30am). The class is fun though, there are only about 6 students, and the teacher is really nice. We talk about detailed genetics and cell biology a lot, which is a lot of new material for me, since I am usually a "skin-out" biology person. Although I am usually only half awake, it is a really excellent class. The teacher and a couple of students are trying to do something where we can visit local high schools to try to encourage students to major in biology when they go to university.
Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, I have my two Arabic classes - Egyptian colloquial (Amaya), and formal Arabic. My Amaya professor is really great - she is really funny and good at making the class fun. Her son, who is our age, hangs out with us sometimes and helps us practice what we are learning in class. I recently gave her my dad's pizza recipe (modified to using ingredients available in Egypt). The formal Arabic class is a bit harder, but I still like it. The teacher is a bit stricter, but I think she has a great sense of humor. Mondays and Thursdays, I stop by the class that I TA for between my two Arabic classes to pass papers back and check in with the professor.

I finish class every day by 12:45. I usually go to the salad bar on campus and get a something that *almost* satisfies my cravings for the delicious salads at home. They are missing some key ingredients though, like spinach, avocado, manderine oranges, croutons, almonds and balsamic vinaigrette, but it still makes for a pretty good meal. Monday and Thursday, I go to folklore dance practice from approximately 1-5 (but I'm usually fashionably late and take lots of random breaks). Sunday and Wednesday I go to the gym (sometimes), where I run on the treadmill, do the bicycle thing, some ab stuff, and stretch. The gym has a great women's locker room, where I take a shower after working out, then try off in the sauna - very relaxing after a good workout. Monday evenings, I try to go to a Zumba class at the gym (latiny workout dance class - very fun!). The class is also offered on Sundays and Wednesdays, but I don't usually stay on campus long enough to go on those days. When I'm bored on campus, which happens a lot, I sit outside the food court in the sun with random friends and talk about nothing special. It's a very easy going lifestyle.

I don't have classes on Tuesdays, but come to campus for a few hours to work at my TA job. I attend the general lecture for the Scientific Thinking class and help the students with their worksheets if they need it. Then I help the teacher grade papers and input them into the online grade system for the students to see. Pretty boring, but I like the subject matter and I actually really like being a somewhat teachery role - a good sign since I someday want to be a professor!

Thursday evening, the weekend begins! My social life on the past couple of weekends has really taken place primarily at night, and I sleep through a lot of the days. It is a lot of fun, but it's starting to catch up with my immune system! ;)


Life is good.
I bought the most beautiful jacket in the entire world. It is red, leather, and smells like a saddle shop (for those of you who know the glory of this smell...) Here is a picture:

The dance costume that I have been having custom made for me is also finished, and I picked it up on Tuesday. it is SO SO SO SO SO gorgeous!!! If you want pictures, email me and I'll send them to you.

Also on Tuesday, while we were at Khan el Khalili getting my costume, we randomly ran into a guy we had met recently and had a very random experience. Apparently it was the birthday of this historical Sufi guy associated with one of the famous mosques near the marketplace, and there was a big feast/celebration going on. The guy we ran into wanted to show us how they were celebrating. We followed him inside a random building, where we sat with a bunch of Egyptians and listened to a group of men sing beautiful Arabic songs about Islam. Everyone, including us, was given delicious food (lamb, rice, potatoes, and dessert) and tea. It was a really wonderful cultural experience, and I'm really glad that it randomly happened! The singing was really incredible! I continue to be pleasantly surprised by all of the warmth and welcoming that I receive from Egyptians.

That's everything I can think of for now.... Love you all! <3