phateer, 2 concerts, and the beach

Hi everyone! This week has been filled with lots of fun adventures. But first, let me take you back a few weeks ago.
This segment is dedicated to Zoe Jick and Eli Terris (from whom I learned how to EAT!)
Egypt is famous for a dish called "phateer." It's basically stuffed filo dough. You can get it stuffed with anything, sweet or salty, desserty or mealy. We asked our academic coordination, Rasha, the best phateer place and she told us "Dahab's". We got there are there are 2 sections, a quick order-to-go and what looks like a sit down restaurant. So we choose the sit down and they take us up this back secret staircase to the 2nd floor. We order all kinds of phateer. I got a cheese a vegetables, some friends got mushroom, and some got meat. I was expecting phateer to be like Israeli Malawach, and I was INCORRECT.
It's more like a stuffed pizza but without sauce and extremely delicious. The cheese was really stringy and there was a decent amount of peppers, tomatoes, and other such vegetables thrown around in there.

Now, I was under the impression that my phateer was amazing and I was leaving the restaurant perfectly satisfied. That was until I had a bite of the sweet phateer. If the cheese phateer was a quaffle, the sweet phateer was the golden snitch (harry potter comes out so soon!!!!) It was absolutely dynamite. Filled with peanuts and pistachios, raisins, doused in a pound of powdered sugar, and then swimming in a vat of cream, the dessert phateer was the best dessert I've put in my mouth in Egypt. It was unreal. I was in heaven.

Next, the Wust-al-Balad concert. Robyn, our director, bought as all 2 tickets to a concert of the band "Wust-al-Balad" meaning "middle of the city" or "downtown." We were all supposed to invite friends. Sadly, I invited 3 different friends and they literally all turned me down. I asked my roommate, my language parter, and a girl on my floor and they all rejected me. I felt like the sad girl going to the prom alone. Luckily, Habiba found me a date, a girl Ayat who lives a few floors down. So I guess a set up is better than no date at all. The concert was at the big Alexandria library and was outdoors. We got there an hour and half early and I didn't understand why until they started to let people in. Basically, you push your way up to the front in 2 steps. The first is when they open the door and you fight to get inside. Once inside you stand around waiting until something happens that I didn't see or expect that acts something like the gun at the start of a race. For some reason, at the same moment, every person in the concert SPRINTED towards the stage. People were holding hands to stick together and running just to have a good spot to stand. Since I was caught a little off guard, I didn't find the best spot but it was definitely good enough. The band was awesome, and concerts with Egyptians are a blast, since they KNOW how to have fun. You give them music and they are happy. Everyone was clapping and singing and dancing ferociously throughout the concert and the band was actually really good. It was a cool mix of Arabic sounding music with a lot of Western and Spanish influences. And we ended the night at a stop at, my fav, Halowiat Masr.



Next: Friday. My Egyptian friend, Marwan, also nicknamed "Caesar" has a sick beach house in the North Coast of Alexandria. The North Coast, or Sahel al Shemaly, is the famous spot where all the Caireans crash for the summer, since Cairo is way too hot. It's known for mild weather and beautiful beaches. So a group of us piled into a bunch of different cars with a bunch of different Egyptians and drove about an hour and a half to Marina where we landed at Caesar's house. It was absolutely amazing. The water was bright blue and warm, and the best part was that there were awesome waves to play in. And, it was a private beach so we got to wear bathing suits without any problems. So we all romped and played in the ocean, built sand castles (or sand step pyramids) took beach naps, played cards, and attempted getting a little bit of color. We finished the day with ordering dinner from McDonald's where I officially started my 2 weeks of non-vegetarianism. In these 2 weeks, I will attempt to eat all of the delicious meats and fish that Egypt can throw at me. I'm aware a McChicken sandwich from McDonald's isn't exactly the way to start, but you do what you have to do. (Chicken's really good). Anyway, we ate our McDonald's and watched the sunset over the Mediterranean, played games, danced, and messed around. Then we drove back to Alex.





But, we wouldn't stay there for very long. Our friend, Hulee, works for a concert coordinator and gets tickets to concerts happening all over Egypt. He told us that he could get us cheap tickets to a DJ playing at a club about a half hour from Alex. So we washed the sand off quickly and went to the Tijuana night club (never thought I'd be in Tijuana in Egypt!) One cool thing about this experience was the it was definitely witnessing the secular underbelly of Egypt. You aren't allowed in the club if you're wearing a hijab (or if you're Saudi which is very odd and disturbing) (both rules actually). But I was told that the hijab rule is in place because if a woman is wearing a hijab in the club, other women don't feel comfortable wearing "dance club appropriate" clothes. And since non-muhajiba women are such a minority in Egypt, they are trying to create some safe havens where they can go and not feel the social pressure to cover up and put one on. I, personally, have really conflicting opinions on the matter, but it was an interesting insight into some of the social tension that exists in Egypt.
Besides the social commentary, the club was awesome. We danced all night long and definitely showed the the Egyptians a thing or too about getting down. For instance, when the DJ played "Jump Around," we instinctively started jumping around. The crowd was pleased and started clapping for us. Similarly, whenever the lyrics said "put your hands up" we would be the only ones to put our hands up. And I was pleased that they played a nice little tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson (Allah Yerhamu), as I am devastated about the news.

It was a pretty awesome weekend.

حفلتين موسيقة، والشاطىء
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اهلا بيكو! عملت مغامرات كثيرة الاسبوع دا. لكن، اولا، انا عيازة اتكلام عن حدث من بعض اسابيع.
الpost دا يكرس للزوي جيك وعلى تريس اللى درسوني ازاي اكل.
في اكل مشهور في مصر اسمه فطير وهو اصلا عيش ملئي مع حاجات كثيرة- ممكن ملحي، ممكن حلو، لحم او سكر. سالنا المديرة بتاعتنا، راشا، فين احسن فطير في اسكندرية وهي ردت "دهب". جينا هكاك وكان في محلتين، واحد لل "to go" واحد عشان نقعد. قررنا نقعد وهم جيبونا الى الدور الثاني. طلبنا انواع كثيرة من الفطير. انا طلبت جبنة وخضار، بعض اصحابي طلبوا عيش الغراب، وبعض طلب لحم. توقعت الملاواخ الاسرائيلي لكن كنت غلطانة. الفطير كان زاي بيزا من غير السوس وكان لذيذ جدا. الجبنة كان لذيذ وكان خضار كثيرة.
كنت بافكر ان الفطير بتاعي كان لذيذ وكنت امشي من المطعم شبعانة وفرحانة. لكن حست كدة حتى جربت الفطير الحلو. كان ممتاز! كان في فسدق، وزبيب، وكيلو سكر، وكريم، والفطير الحلو دا كان احسن حلوية خربتها في مصر. كنت في النعيمة!
بعدين، كان حفلة وسط البلد. المديرة بتاعتنا، روبين، اشتريت لنا تذاكر للحفلة موسيقية بتاعة القريق "وسط البلد." كانا مفروض نعازم اصحاب، لكن، انا عازمت ٣ اصحاب مختلفين وكلهم ردوا "لا." طلبت زميلتي في الاوضة، المشارك اللغاوي، وبنت في المدينة جماعية وكلهم رفضوا. كنت زعلانة! لحسن الحظ، حبيبة لقيت واحدة كانت عايزة تروح معايا. الحفلة كانت في المكتبة الكبيرة وكانت برة. جئنا ساعة ونص بدري وما فهمتش ليه حتى هم سمحوا لنا نحوش. اساسا، لازم تدفع العشان تدخل واول ما تدخل، بتواقف وبتستني حتى حصل حاجة ما شوفتهاش ولكن بعد كدة، كل الناس بداوا يجروا لاخشبة. كانا بنمسك ايد بعض وكنا بنجري عشان نلقي مكان كوايس. الفريق كان ممتاز والحفلات مع المصريين ممتعة جدا هم عارفين ازاي يستمتعوا. باديهم موسيقة وهم مبسوطين! كل الناس كانوا بيصفقوا ايدهم وبيغنوا وبيرقصوا والفريق فعلا كان ممتاز. كان موسيقة عربية مع ثاثير غربي واسباني. وفي الاخر، روحنا للحلويات مصر- المفضلي!
بعدين: يوم جمعة. صاحبي، مروان، بردو يسامي سيسر، عنده بيت جميل على البحر في الساحل الشمالي. الساحل الشمالي مشهور العشان كل الناس من القاهرة بيجوا هناك في الصيف عشان الجو في القاهرة حار قوي! الساحل معروف عن الشاطىء الجميل والجو المتعدل. ومجموعة منا حوشنا عربيات مع مصريين مختلفين، سوقنا حوالي ساعة ونص للمرينا ووصلنا في بين سيسر. كانت جميلة جدا! الماية كانت مشرق الزرقاء وحارة، وكانت في موجات ولعبنا فيها! والشاطىء كان خاص وكنا قادين نلبس مايو من غير مشاكل. ولعبنا في الماية وبنينا قصور رملية (او اهرام رملية)، نمنا شواية، لعبنا كوشينا وسمرت (او حاولت) اسمر! اليوم خلست مع طلب الاكل من مكدونادس حيث بدات بشكل رسمي اسبواعين باكل اللحمة. في الاسبوعين دول، انا هاحاول اجرب كل اللحمات والسمك اللذيذة في مصر. انا عارفة الفراخ في مصر مش احسن لحمة في مصر، ولكن، معلش! اكلنا المكدونلدس واتفرجنا المغرب على البحر، لعبنا لعبات، رقصنا، وانبسطنا. بعدين سوقنا للاسكندرية.
لكن، ما بقيناش هناك. صاحبنا، خولي، بيشتغل منشق للحفلات موسيقية وبتحصل على تذاكر للحفلات في كل مصر. هو قال لنا انه يمكن يحصل على تذاكر رخيصة للحفلة DJ في نادي في اسكندرية. استحمنا وروحنا تيجوانا. كان مثير ان اشاهد العالم العلماني في مصر. المحاجبات مش ممكن يخوشوا النادي (وكمان السعوديين ممنوع من الدخول- حاجة غريبة ومزعجة- الشروطين) ولكن سمعت ان شرط المحاجبات العشان اذا هم كانوا موجودين، الستات الاخرين لا يحسوا مريحات. وعشان الغير محاجبات ناذرين في مصر، هم بيحاولوا يخلقوا اماكن بس لهم حيث مش يحسوا الضغط الاجتماعي لللبس الحجاب. في رايي، عندي مشاعر غامضة عن الموضوع، لكن كان مثير.
لكن، بالاضافة الى التعليق الجتماعي، النادي كان ممتع! رقصنا طول الليل واورنا للمصريين ازاي يرقص بشكل امريكي! مثلا، الدي جي لعب الاغنيا "فقزة حول" واحنا قفزنا! الجمهور كان مبسوط وبدا يصفق ايدهم!