The First Week

We've seen a lot in the first week we've been in Alexandria!
view from outside a window in the dorm

I've taken a few walks along the Qurneesh- the 10 lane highway that runs along the beach along the sea. Traffic is a bit insane here, especially on the Qurneesh. There are 10 lanes, and I use the term lanes loosely, because no one really follows them. Traffic is maintained through lots of honking of the car horn and flashing of the lights. Some people actually try to cross this road, but we just use the tunnels that go under the road and are located along the sidewalk every half kilometer or so.
The Citadel
We did a scavanger hunt across the sitting in groups as part of our orientation. It was an exercise in asking for directions. I ended up in a group where no one was very well spoken in Egyptian Arabic and we got a little lost. But we ended up making it back ok.
What I didn't like about that trip was the attention I was getting. It's hard being a foreigner in Alex, you definitely stick out. Even though I was with three guys, I was still getting some cat calls. Luckily, they are pretty harmless. Guys just say things like "beautiful foreigner!" or "hottie" in Arabic, or "welcome!" in English. The whistle and hiss at you too. Kind of interesting.
View from the Citadel
Having to takes taxis has been a little hard too. No one uses the meters so you have to kind of just know how much the fair should cost. If you're a foreigner, of course they are going to try to over charge you because they think you don't know any better. I've been taking taxis in groups and hadn't really had any problems until today. The taxi driver got out of the car and followed me and the guy from the program I was with into the bank and demanded more money even though it was a short ride and he had to stop and ask for directions twice. He didn't even get us to the right spot, we just decided to get out the second time he got out of the taxi to ask for directions because we'd been driving a long time for what was supposed to be a short ride. It's something to get used to.

In Cairo there have been several cases of American students at American University of Cairo (AUC) with swine flu. One of the dorms is in quarantine. My friend from UofM, Rob, who has been interning at AUC for a year is stuck in the dorm. He was supposed to come to Alexandria for dinner on Tuesday, but no one was being let out.
At Alexandria University, one of the girls in our program went to the hospital with an ear infection this morning and because she had a temperature, apparently health officials are afraid there may be swine flu here too?? Actually the information as to why isn't that clear, but we are now required to have our temperatures taken twice a day by women in the dorm.
Flagship People!
One of my favorite things has been the Coffee house on the sea. We went there with a large group of students one night during the week and stayed and talked in Arabic and English, smoked shisha (hookah) and drank tea, coffee, and juice. It was a lot of fun and the weather is so beautiful at night, especially along the sea. There's a nice cool breeze!

Saturday we are going to a private beach with gardens near by to swim and socialize and realax. We can't swim on the public beaches, it would attract too much attention. Egyptian women who swim in the sea on the public beach go in fully clothed, which is kind of strange to see. There are people swimming day and night though. In a couple of weeks, 3-4 million people will be flocking to Alexandria to escape the heat from Cairo and other places in the Middle East. It's a popular tourist place because it's inexpensive.

Classes have started, but luckily I don't have too much homework yet so I should be able to enjoy the weekend and keep practicing my Egyptian Arabic!