Etc, Etc

I've just got a few miscellaneous things to blog about and some pictures from a small class tour to add.

First-
We went to see Transformers 2 last week. Actually, we went to see some Arabic movie called the suspect but it was terrible, so we snuck into Transformers during the isteraha استراحة (the break). Every movie in Egypt has a break about half way through. It's brilliant. Inevitably when you go to the movies you either have to get up to a get refill on popcorn or another snack or use the bathroom and you always miss something. Not here- there is about a ten minute break. Fabulous. It was fun to see transformers with our Egyptian friends since part of the movie aka the huge crazy robot battle at the end, takes place in Egypt. But we all had a few complaints. First- Egypt is not all desert and camels as they would have it seem in the movie. Second- the pyramids are not on the Sinai penininsula or anywhere close to Petra, which is located in Jordan. Petra is the large temple in the side of the mountain they go to. Yeah, not close to the pyramids, which are in Cairo. Third- the Pyramids are not all by themselves in the middle of the desert, they are right next to the city.
When one of the robots was climbing up and smashing one of the pyramids, our friend was yelling at us in the theater- حرام عليك! الاهرام بطعنا! haram alek! alahram bitana! Shame on you! The pyramids belong to us! It was entertaining. We actually saw the last few remants of movie gear from the filming when we were at the pyramids a month ago.

Second-
One of the girls in our program, Laura, got accepted to Oxford for graduate school. How cool is that!!?? So we went out with our Egyptian friends to celebrate on Monday night. We ate dinner and played some pool and then went to the bar. One of only two I'm pretty sure exist in Alexandria. It's maybe the greatest dive bar I've ever seen. It usually plays English music too. Our beer of choice: Stella of course, Egypt's national beer. We ended up playing Egyptian spin the bottle. Don't worry, it doesn't involve any kissing. It's like truth or dare, without the dare. You spin the bottle and whoever it lands on, you get to ask them a question. It was very interesting. We didn't have any idea of what the boundaries are of what is and isn't appropriate to ask. We learned quickly that anything past the PG-13 point is مش مناسب mish munasib! (inappropriate). The Egyptians kept asking us who we thought were the cutest boys in the Flagship program or the rotary club (the club they all belong to). We would ask them who they thought the cutest girls were and they would immediately conference all together and whisper at the end of the table and giggle. It was cute.

Third-
We took a tour as a class of sharia Fouad, a street that is part of old Alexandria, together as a class this week. That is where all of the pictures on this blog post are from, just wondering around. We stopped at this delicious bakery called Pumpkin and had some amazing cake! We also stopped at an Italian restaurant and some people stayed and had pizza for lunch. I opted to run back to the dorm so I could eat quickly and get to the Dar to do homework and blog where the internet is faster.

Fourth-
Speaking of the internet in the Dar, facebook and all "social networking/dating" sites have been banned on the college campus. Luckily not yet in the dorms. The faculty at the college banned the sites. We're not sure exactly why. But we're bummed.

Fifth-
I though I'd post a picture of myself up close since I've done some changes since I've been in Egypt. I got my nose pierced. Maybe not the best idea here, but the place was clean and legit, I promise. I also colored my hair with Henna. It made it a brown/red color. The henna will wash out in a few months and I'll be blonde again. Until then, I'm just enjoying the ride as it lightens and changes colors on me. It's a lovely shade of auburn this week!

Sixth-
We are now seme-famous in Egypt. A picture of five of us from the Program made it into the magazine- Nus adunia or "Half the World" which is a woman's magazine. The picture is from when we attended the Tamer Hosny concert. I'm trying to get my hands on a copy buy haven't been successful yet. Inshallah I will find one soon.

Trip to Sinai and Sharm elSheikh

اهلا وسهلا!!

This weekend we took a trip to Sinai and Sharm elSheikh as a program. It was definitely awesome!!

(picture- sunrise on top of Sinai)

We left on Thursday afternoon and arrived at St. Katherine's Monastery close to Mount Sinai around 1am. The bus ride was long and uncomfortable as bus rides usually are and we didn't get much sleep on the bus. We did however watch Omar wa Selma part 1. This film involves Tamer Hosny, montages of Tamer and his girlfriend having real or imagined conversations over the phone while he is shirtless on the couch under a blanket with a bunch of lit candles, lots of drama, and in the end- a marriage proposal and a wedding. In between there are strange parts were Selma smells her hand that Omar shook, Omar throws a woman out a window, and Omar slashes Selma's tires so he can be creepy and stalker like and offer to fix them for her. Definitely my favorite Egyptian film thus far.

(picture- me on the top of Mount Sinai, in my Michigan gear!! GO BLUE!!)

We slept 1 hour and then left for the climb at 2am. I didn't realize how hard the climb was going to be!!! It took us a total of about 2 hours and it was 2 hours of climbing steep paths with no break. You can to climb and try to avoid the camels on the path. You have the option of riding a camel up or down, but most of us opted to climb on our own strength. They strategically place the camels along the climb- staggering the groups. At first you're like. "I dont need a camel!" and then you climb for 20 minutes and decide maybe a camel isn't such a bad idea. They are located all along the path, up to the very final part of the climb.

The final ascent is made on what are called "the steps of repentance" which are large, crude stone steps leading up the mountain. They were super hard and it was difficult to see in only the moon light. They are called the steps of repentance because they are so hard to climb. If you want to repent for something- you climb the steps. Or, my theory is that while you are climbing the steps, you says things that later you must repent for.
(picture- view from the top!)
I was climbing with 3 other people and we had to stop several times to rest. Then while we were climbing up, there was several little old women with canes being helped down by guides. We figured if they could do it, we could do it. It was difficult because we really hadn't eaten much in about 9 hours and hadn't gotten any sleep. Plus once the oxygen started getting just a little thinner at the top, it really made things interest.

It was definitely worth it once we got to the top. We arrived probably half an hour before sunrise and climbed the tallest spot on the peak and huddled together. After sweating like crazy from the climb, it was really cold on top of the mountain. On the top there is a temple and a mosque. In the temple is supposedly the exact spot Moses received the ten commandments. We watched the sun come up and more and more people began arriving. We stayed for a while and then went back down. On the way back down we had to stop and use a bathroom. It was a small straw hut on the edge of a cliff. Probably the worst bathroom I've ever seen, but it was an experience. The trek down was MUCH faster.

(picture- the steps of repentance)
We were super tired after that. We stopped by to have breakfast at the hotel which was really disappointing. We were all starving but about the only good thing there was some bread. and it was hard.

Then there was an optional trip to the Monastery. I opted to stay behind (most of us did) and sleep for about 2 hours before we got back on the bus and drove to Sharm elSheikh.

(picture- the moon was still out while we were hiking down!!)
Sharm is like a completely different country. It's definitely a tourist spot. There are foreigners everywhere. It's like the Cancun of Egypt, but much tamer. Still, it was strange to see so many women in so little clothing! Bikinis everywhere!!!

The first day, Friday, we took a glass bottom boat ride and got to see all kinds of fish. We stopped at one point and were able to jump in the sea and swim for about 20 minutes. The water was perfect! So clear and warm. We came back for dinner and just kind of hung out for the evening. I went to bed early b/c I was tired from the climb and have been fighting a cold all week (that is still lingering! UGH!)
Satruday we woke up early, had an awesome breakfast at the hotel. There were pancakes. ahamdilliah الحمدلله(praise be to God) there were pancakes!!!!!! and coco puffs and pastry and omelets. Very nice!!!

Then we spent all Saturday on a boat called the Wassila (Sarah Palin anyone??) snorkeling and diving at Ras Muhammad, which is a nature preserve. It is supposedly the second best place for snorkeling and diving in the world after the Great Barrier Reaf. We had the boat to ourselves and it was great!! We went out into the water in 3 different places and snorkeled. I got to see lots of fish and coral up close. It was beautiful. We also stopped at one point and got to jump off first the lower deck, and then the top deck of the boat into the water and just do some swimming.

(picture- the harbor at Sharm)

We also hooked up someone's ipod to the speakers on the boat and listened to all kinds of music and danced. At one point we played the "I'm on a boat" song from SNL. Very fitting. T-payne anyone?? I had my flippy floppies, and the only thing missing was my nautical themed pashimna afghan. (For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, it's an SNL thing- please see this webaddress: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4964402)

After the boat ride we came back and went to dinner. I was all excited because I thought that I didn't get any sunburn all day, but I must have forgotten to reapply the sunscreen to the back of my legs and lower back because i definitely got some wicked sunburn. It still hurts. I've been applying aloe like crazy!!!

(picture- Hira, Mae, Valerie, Laura, Tom)
That night we walked around a little and ended up just chilling on someones balcony, talking. We were all too tired and it's too expensive to go to the bar or club in Sharm. Sunday we woke up and hopped back on the bus (2 hours late) and drove home.

It was such an awesome trip!!

(Picture- crystal clear water!!)
(last picture- our gangsta faces while listening to "I'm on a boat" while, in fact, on a boat)

ليلة الحناء Henna Party, Tamer Hosny, The 4th of July

مرحبا بكم!
Marhaban bikum!
(picture- all dressed up for the Henna Party: Valerie, Nour, Monica, Madeline, Hannah, Jake)

This weekend was a super busy one! On Thursday we had a program wide party to celebrate the fourth of July. We got together and had an American v. Egyptian soccer game كرة القدم "qurat akadam" and there was some food too. I was going to play because we were going to a concert afterward and I didn't think I'd have time to shower, but I was assured that there would be time, so I changed and jumped in. Sadly, the Egyptians beat us 9-3, but I had some good defensive plays!!

After the game, of course, I there wasn't much time. We took a taxi back to the dorm and I showered and changed in record time so we could leave for the concert. We went to see Tamer Hosny, who is like the Justin Timberlake of Egypt. Literally- he even tries to dress like him. We waited a long time for him to come on, apparently there was a fight backstage. Finally, he came out and everyone went nuts! Guys, girls, old, young. It was craziness. I'm not a huge fan of Tamer Hosny, but it was definitely an experience worth seeing!! We didn't stay until the very end of the concert because it was super long and we stopped by a cafe for some food afterwards which was nice.

Friday I went to the University Stadium and went swimming with a couple of girls from my program. Our program reserves us 2 lanes for 2 hours on Friday mornings which is really nice. It's a large, clear outdoor pool. It was nice to get in the water and swim some laps and just relax too.

(picture- arriving at the Henna Party, waiting for dinner)

Friday night a group of us went to a Henna Party, or the party the night before a wedding, for one of the Egyptian girls in the dorm. It was way out in the country side and that is the first time I've seen this other aspect of Egypt. We drove by lots of small villages and farms. We thought that we were a spectacle in the city- well it was even more so out in the country since not a lot of foreigners make the trip out there. People would stare into the bus as we drove by out of curiosity.

We arrived and had an amazing, delicious dinner prepared for us by the bride's family. Then we went up onto the roof of their house and socialized and did some dancing! Dancing is an appropriate celebration activity all the time!! It's amazing to see so many people dancing. In the States, we often tend to be shy about dancing unless maybe at a wedding after we've had a few. Not the case here at all, which I absolutely love about Egypt!

After dancing, we walked down the road to the village pavillion which was lit up and decorated. The entire village was there! The bride came out and sat on stage while people went up and congratulated her and a band played music and called out the names of people who had donated money to the new couple.
(picture- the village at dusk)
Then our group was invited up on stage to dance with the bride. I would have gone, but there was a large group of men who whipped out their cell phones and started filming, and I decided I'd rather not end up on youtube (though I probably already have somewhere anyway). After the dancing, we headed back to the bus to go home.

Two of the American girls in our dorm were invited to spend the night and attend the wedding the next day, but our police escorts refused, citing the fact that they didn't have a male escort to stay with them and they would have to leave an officer behind. The girls were really frustrated because instead of talking to them about it, they sat in a corner while the men "sorted it out." In the end, the girls had to come back with us.
(picture- dinner as one big group. yummy food!)

The Henna Party was truly a great experience. It was so neat to see how much goes into a wedding celebration. Literally the entire village was in attendance!! It was also interesting to get a glimpse of a village in the countryside. Life in the country is much different than life in the city as you can imagine. The living conditions were much more basic. People have much less contact with foreigners. But everyone was really sweet, especially the bride's family and we all had a great time.

Saturday, I went to the "women's market" زهمة الستات zahamat al-sitat: literally- crowd of women- to do some shopping with my language partner. I bought some make up and a new pair of earrings. There are some great deals in the market- everything women are looking for- clothes, accessories, jewelry, make up, etc. The market is very very narrow and crowded, thus the name.

After shopping, I went with a group of students to the beach house of a friend of a friend of the program. Don't ask- you seem to develop very random and crazy connections to things here, but it's very useful. We went to celebrate the Fourth of July! We listened to music and danced and gave one very loud, very bad, rousing rendition of the National Anthem, after which the Egyptians felt the need to sing their national anthem as well. We hung out until pretty late and arrived back in the dorm at 4am, with the dorm women angry as usual and just enough time for about 4 hours of sleep before class.
(picture-night view from the roof of the bride's house as the village sprays gas to chase away mosquitoes)

Sunday, we got up and went to class (ugh!!) then afterwards departed for Cairo to go and watch the soccer match between Egypt and Rowanda as Egypt's first match in the African Cup. This trip to Cairo was much faster than our last one on the bus!! When we arrived, the stadium was already crowded- people where red, white, and black everywhere, waving Egyptian flags and cheering. It reminded me a lot of the student section at UofM football games- only it was the entire stadium.
(picture- dancing!!!!!!!!)

When we arrived, a few girls had to use the bathroom, so we left our seats to go find one. But, nothing is ever simple in Egypt. There wasn't a bathroom in our section so we had to go outside the gate, which is hard to get back in. We walked a section over and there was a bathroom, but it wasn't working, so we would have to walk all the way to the other side of the stadium and they were going to close the gates shortly. We decided to tough it out and just wait. When we went to go back into our gate, there was some trouble. People were pushing and shoving trying to get in and a guard was arguing with a few men. People started to try to rush in and they had to close the gate. After a few minutes, things calmed down and we were able to re-enter.

There were guards and police everywhere at the game!! They were definitely ready for a riot if one were to happen. The Rowanda fans (the few that there were) were completely surrounded by riot police with shields and helmets.
(picture- the pavilion decorated with lots of lights!)

The game was fun to watch! Egypt won 3-0. Everytime Egypt scored, everyone went crazy!! There was hugging and clapping and cheering, and of course- more dancing. I think I will be very sad when I go back to the States and there aren't people dancing at every event!!
(picture- the Bride, Gihad)

Afterwards we drove home, stopped for some dinner along the way, and made it back to the dorm at 4am, once again in time to check in with the angry dorm women and get about 4 hours of sleep before class. Needless to say- I took a long nap this afternoon!!

This weekend we are taking a trip to climb Mount Sinai and to Sharm elsheikh on the Red sea for some swimming and probably some clubbing. I'm super excited and hope to rest up before we leave on Thursday!
(Picture- filming the foreigners dancing)