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
٢٧/٦/٢٠٠٩
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!

Cairo!

If there is one thing I've learned in Egypt, it's that Egyptians don't sleep. If there are 2 things that I've learned, they are that Egyptians don't sleep and Egyptians are OBSESSED with soccer. I had already learned that Egyptians love soccer from watching the Egypt vs Brazil game (conveniently called a "match" in Arabic) last week and enduring the country's deep depression post a 4-3 last minute Brazilian victory. But, my arrival in Cairo had a very different feel.
But before I get to that, I'll go chronologically.
After a 7 hour bus ride (that was supposed to take 2 hours), and a stop at a pretty funny rest stop that had a zoo with all sorts of desert animals (but really sadly locked up in cages and looking malnourished) we got to Cairo and a boat was waiting for us on the Nile to have one of those cheesy and touristy (yet very fun) Nile-dinner-dancing-whirling Dervishes-cruise combo. Dinner was delicious and the entertainment was also really cool. I had never seen a whirling dervish before and it was pretty neat.

After dinner, we threw our stuff down at the hotel (in Giza by the way and right in plain view of the pyramids which was totally sick), a few friends and I decided to go out and see Cairo. Now, as we were leaving, it was around 11:30 and the Egyptians were just finishing their soccer game against Italy. It was tied 0-0. By the time we got to Muhandesen (an area downtown) the Egyptians had won. The city was a mad house. It was equivalent to the celebrations in Philly post Phillies winning the world series! There were fires in the street, dancing, singing, clapping, everyone was yelling out to us "Masr!!! Masr!! Go Egypt!" And the Egyptians even invented a special honk for when they win a game. 1 honk equals "get the hell out of my way" 2 honks mean "I'm right behind you so be warned" 5 honks- beep beep be be beep- means "Egypt just won!" People were selling and waving flags, the traffic was blocked for miles (it took us half an hour to get a cab at 2 in the morning because of all the traffic), the place was just a mad house. Everyone was freaking out and just super excited. There was even a car full of guys who drove by us literally 4 times saying "pizza, pasta, lasagne- they have all that and we still beat them!" We heard honking well into the night, probably until Fajr- the morning prayer at about 5 am. Now, tonight is the big game for us- Egypt vs. America. Everyone is pumped. We are asked left and right where our loyalties lie. Some Americans caved and said they're rooting for Egypt. I'm standing strong and patriotic. And am going to find a good hiding place if America wins!

Day 2: the moment we had all been waiting for- "Al-Ahram"- the pyramids. We woke up very early and our first stop was Seqqara- the HUGE necropolis that has tons and tons of tombs and also the Step Pyramid- the first pyramid ever build (Imhotep's idea). So first, we went into the tomb of Mere-Raka. He was a minister of King Zocer (buried in the Step pyramid) and it was the biggest tomb built for any non-king. The whole tomb had 27 rooms and was filled with the most amazing carving and art. I couldn't believe how well it was preserved and how detailed the whole thing was. Every room, every wall was COVERED in paintings depicting sacrifices and stories from his life. And we learned all about the different symbols and the development of the different styles of tombs and burying ceremonies and all that jazz. Unfortunately, to preserve the remains, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. But here's Jake outside.
Next, was the step pyramid. It's pretty big and pretty freaking sweet. It has 6 steps (we were told because the Ancient Egyptians believed that the gods had 6 vertebrae in their spines) but then Laura- an archeology major- told me that was false. But, she did tell me that it used to have 4 steps and then they added 2 later to make it more impressive.


Next was the Imhotep museum (we saw mummies and really ancient cheese that was kept in a jar from the time of Imhotep) lunch (we did not eat the ancient cheese), and then Giza! Giza was AWESOME. The pyramids there are extraordinary. I had no idea that they were that big! I mean, they're really big! There are 3 of them in a row, and they get progressively smaller because the sons didn't want to build their tombs bigger than their father's tombs. So we road camels (mine was named Mohammed Ali- I guessed for Mohammed Ali Basha, but apparantly it was for Mohammed Ali like Cassius Clay Mohammed Ali) and it was a blast.




Next, was the Sphinx. Because we were running late, we only got to take pictures, but I have to say, he's an intimidating creature.

The rest of the day was spent shopping at the Papyrus institute, taking a much needed shluff, going to Khan el-Khalili- the big market/ bizarre of Cairo, but we really only had a minute there because we hadn't eaten yet and there are no restaurants around there and I forget exactly why but we'll go back so no biggy.

Saturday:
Egyptian museum- Mathaf Masr. Awesome. Despite the 1000 degree heat and humidity, even inside of the museum, it was one of the most interested museums I've ever been to. The entire place is overflowing with remains for Ancient Egypt. We saw mummies, awesome statues, tombs, chariots, weapons, jewelry, papyrus paintings that looked as if they had been drawn yesterday, pots, silverware, everything. It's all so well preserved, there is the original colors on most everything. The eyes on most of the statues are made with a special stone that makes them look SO realistic, it's really eerie. We had 2 hours there and none of us were ready to leave since there was so much more to explore.
But we had to. So we had lunch on the Nile, and then went to the Salah-al-Din Citadel and Mosque. It was built during Mohammed Ali Basha's time and was modeled after the one in Turkey, but bigger because he obviously wanted it to be the biggest mosque in the Middle East. The mosque was beautiful and there was also and amazing view of Cairo behind it.



After that, we went to the Coptic area and were supposed to go to the synagogue and church, but it was 4 pm on a Saturday so I'm not sure why they thought the shul was going to be open for tourists. So we got in a big fight with the guard about it, gave up, and went to the Coptic Church.
After that, we had a stop at a perfume store and tried on all sorts of delicious smelling perfumes, had lunch, and had another 5 hour bus ride (still only supposed to take 2 hours) back to Alexandria.

I'm definitely going back to Cairo very soon!


٢١/٦/٢٠٠٩
لو اتعلمت حاجة واحدة في مصر، هي ان المصرين مش بيناموا خالص. لو اتعلمت حاجتين في مصر، هي ان المصرين مش بيناموا خالص وهم بيحبوا كرة القدم. اتعلمت من قبل ان المصرين بيحبوا كرة لما اتفرجت على ماتش بين مصر وبرازيل الاسبوع اللى فات ومصر حسرت وانا شوفت كل البلد حاس بالاكتئاب. لكن، المشاعر اختلفت في وصولي في مصر!
بعد رحلة طويلة في الاوتوبيس (٧ ساعات والرحلة كانت مفروض يخد ساعتين بس!)، وصلنا في مصر وكان في مركب بيستني لنا على النيل وخدنا كروز على المركب وكان في عشاء ورقص وكان لذيذ وممتع. اول مرة شوفت الدراويش دوراني. بعد العشاء، خطنا الشنط في الفنطق (في جيزاء على فكرة وقريب جدا من الاهرام)، وانا وبعض اصحابي قررنا نشوف مصر شوية. لما مشينا من الفندق، الساعة كانت ١١:٣٠ والماتش (مصر ضد ايتاليا) كان مرتبط ٠-٠. لما وصلنا في مهندسين، منطقة في دون تون، المصريين كسبوا! المدينة كانت مجنونة! كان زاي فلادلفيا بعد الفيليس كسبوا البطولة! كان في نار في الشواريع، رقص، اغاني، وكل الناس كانوا بيصرخوا "مصر! مصر!" والمصريين بيطلقوا ابواق عربياتهم بشكل خاص. جرس واحد بيقصد "تمشي باه!" وجرسين بيقصدوا "انا وراءك،" وخمس اجراس- بيب بيب بي بي بيب- بيقصدوا "مصر كسبت!" الناس كانوا بيبيعوا الاعلام وكانت في زحمة كثيرة في الشواريع (مر نص ساعة قبل ما شوفنا تكسي ودا كان في الساعة ٢ في الصبح!)، المدينة فعلا كانت مجنونة. كان في عربية امتلا مع رجالة بيقولوا "بيزا، بستا، لازانيا، عندهم كل دا واحنا لسة كسبوا!" سمعنا الاجراس طول الليل لغاية الفجر. النهاردة الماتش الكبير- مصر ضد امريكا. كلنا متحمسين وكل الناس بيسالنا "انتم بتشجعوا من؟" بعض الامريكان قال "مصر." لكن انا وطنية وبشاجع امريكا!
اليوم الثاني في مصر:
الاحظة الكبيرة- الاهرام! صحينا بدري وشوفنا اولا "سقارة،" مدينة الموتي الكبيرة وكان في مقابر كثيرة واول هرم- امحوتب بنا الهرم. اولا، روحنا مقبرة "مري راكا." هو كان وزير الملك زوسر اللى دفن في الهرم وكان اكبر مقبرة بنات للشخص اللى ما كانش الملك. كان في ٢٧ اوضة وفن ولوحات كثير. كل حاجة كانت حفظت بشكل كويس جدا وكان في تفاصيل كثيرة على كل لوحة. اتعلمنا عن كل الرموز وتطوير اسلوب المقابر والجنازات. للاسف، العشان حفظ المقابر، ما قادرناش نصور داخل المقابر. لكن هنا جيك برة! بعدين كان الهرم وهو كبير! في ٦ سلم، وفي الاول كان بس ٤ لكن هم اضيفوا ٢.
بعد كدة، روحنا متخف امحوتب (شوفنا المومياوات وجبنة قديمة)، اتغدنا، واخيرا جيزا! الاهرام مدهشة! هم فعلا كبيرة، ضخمة! هناك ٣ وبيبقوا اضغر العشان البناء ما كانوش عايزين يبنوا هرم اكبر من هرم ابوه. ركبنا جمال (الجمل اللى كان عندي اسمه محمد علي) وانبسطت قوي. بعدين، ابو الهول، ولكن اتاخرنا وبس قادروا نصور شوية. بقية اليون، عملنا شوينج في معهد البردي، نمت شوية، روحنا خان الخليلي ولكن ما كان في وقت كثير.
يوم السبت: متحف المصري. على رغم الجو الحار والرظوبة، كان احد المتاحف الاكثر اثارة للاهتمام. كان في اثار من مصر القديم في كل المتحف. شوفنا المومياوات، التماثيل، مراقب، العربات، الاسلحة، المجوهرات، لوحات، كل حاجة! شكل عيون التماثيل لسة واقعية جدا وكان عندنا بس ساعتين وما كنتش عايزة اروح! كنت عايزة اكتشف اكثر.
اتغدنا على النيل، روحنا قلعة ومسجد صلاح الدين بنا في حكم محمد على باشا وشكله زاي مسجد في توركيا، لكن اكبر. المسجد كان جميلة جدا وكان منظر جميل بردو.
بعد كدة، روحنا المنطقة القبطية وكنا مفروض نروح المبعد اليهودي بس كان مغلق وروحنا الكنيسة القبطية. بعد كدة، روحنا محلة العطور، اتغدنا، وكمان رحلة طويلة للاسكندرية!
انا اكيد هارجع مصر ثاني!

Omar wa Salma wa Montaza

Our first weekend in Alexandria was awesome. Friday night, a big group of us went to the cinema to see "Omar wa Salma 2." Now, none of us had seen "Omar wa Salma 1," but luckily, the first scene of the movie summed it up for us. Basically, Omar and Salma fell in love. Omar (played by Tomer Hosni who is a big deal singer in Egypt) used to be a player. Big time. With all the ladies. But then he met Salma. And now they're in love. And in Omar and Salma 1, they got married.
In the first scene of the movie, Salma's water breaks in a super market, so Omar takes her to the hospital in a shopping cart, hitting people along the way, running next to the crazy Egyptian traffic. Very slap stick. The audience was DYING of laughter. Literally, someone slipped on a banana peel and they were howling. It was hilarious. The rest of the movie, Omar ends up cheating on Salma, and they fight a lot, break up, get back together, and scattered throughout the movie are cheesy, self referential music videos. (There were also some parts when we Americans felt a little uneasy- like when a man slapped his wife across the face and the whole audience laughed, but Maalesh (Egyptian for "whatever, doesn't matter)). Although we only basically understood the jist of the movie and some words here and there, it was a great experience and I look forward to seeing several more Egyptian movies. And, most importantly, we ended the night at Halawiat Masr, a famous Egyptian dessert place. Laura, Jake, and I downed a banana split and the best Konafe I've ever had. They give you milk and powdered sugar to sprinkle on top and it's absolutely delicious.
The next day, we went on a trip to Montaza- a little beach a little ways down in the city with beautiful trees and gardens. Now, to give you a sense of Egyptian time, I will relay the days events. We were supposed to meet at the college and board the bus at 12:45. Keep in mind, we're supposed to leave the beach at 5:30, so we have limited time. We ended up boarding at 1:15. Then, we get to Montaza at about 1:30/ 1:45. We sit on the bus until 2:30, when Robyn, the director of the program, let us off to make some arrangements. So we (a mix of American and Egyptian (mostly men) (me and 2 other girls) played a game of monkey in the middle soccer, where 2-3 people are on the inside of the circle trying to steal the ball from the people kicking it around on the outside. Then we played dodgeball. At 3:00, we get back on the bus, drive 2 minutes, then stand around for another 15, then are finally let onto the beach area at about 3:30. We were told both that they rented cabins for us to change in and that it was a private beach so the girls could feel comfortable wearing bathing suits. Neither of these facts were true. But it ended up being quite beautiful and a lot of fun. We played taps in the ocean, went for lovely walks (with my friend, Habiba- the one in the picture),

and I took a great beach nap. Although we were photographed by creepy Egyptian men and gawked at frequently, we withstood all of the "you're so soft" "I want to kiss you" "welcome to egypt" "come here, honey" "you are beautiful" "you are fantastic" as usual and had a blast.
Today, after class, I went to a new (and now favorite) falafel joint, but I think it's because I placed the right order this time. I ordered falafel with a hardboiled egg cooked in the middle of it and made sure there was plenty of hummous and salata. And it was absolutely delicious! And the best news is that it is down the street from the university!
Side note- I made a MAJOR fopa (spelling? pho-pah?) today. MAJOR. So we all know that I am terrified of crossing the street. And so I like to grab on to whoever is next to me (their arm, anything, because I'm terrified). So today, as we were crossing the street (to get to falafel) I was walking next to Laura and a random Egyptian man, and I had just made the first frogger jump and was in between 2 speeding cars and everyone was honking at me, and I was really really flustered and terrified, so instead of grabbing Laura's arm, I grabbed the random Egyptian man's. Men and women do not touch in Egypt unless married or engaged or dating. And certainly not "scantily clad" American women. He was not pleased. So I made the most sorry face I could and ran across the street. Opps! Maalesh! Ana aasepha gidan gidan gidan!!! (I'm very sorry!)


عمر وسالمة ومنتازا
١٤/٦/٢٠٠٩
اول اجازة في اسكندرية كانت مدهشة. ليلة يوم الجمعة، مجمعة كبيرة مننا روحنا السينما وسمعنا "عمر وسالمة ٢." ما حدش سمع "عمر وسالمة ١،" لكن لحسن الحظ، اول مشهد في الفيلم لخص الفيلم. اسسا، عمر وسالمة احبوا بعض. عمر (وهو الممثل تامر حسني- يعني "بيج دييل" مغني في مصر) وفي الماضي، هو كان بيحب السيدات وكان عندة صديقات كثيرة. ولكن هو قابل سالمة. ودلوقتي هم بيحبوا بعض. وفي عمر وسالمة ١، هم اتجوزوا.
في اول مشهد، ماية سالمة كسرت في البقال، وعمر جابها للمستشفى في سلة التسوق، وضرب الناس مع السلة في الشواريع، وهو كانوا بيجري جنب المرور المصري. الجمهمر مات من الضحك. في الفيلم، واحد وقع على قشر الموز والجمهور كانوا بيضحكوا بصوت عالي! كان مضحك جدا! وفي بقية الفيلم، عمر خدع على سالمة، هم بيحاربوا كثير، بينفصلوا، وبيحبوا بعض مرة ثانية، وفي كل الفيلم، هناك فيديوهات موسيقى. (كمان كان في اجزاء اللى فيها احنا- الامريكان- حاسنا متضايقين- لما رجل ضرب مراته وكل الجمهور ضحك- لكن معلش). احنا بس فهموا اسس الفيلم وبعض الكلمات، كان تجربة ممتزة وانا عايزة اشوف اكثر افلام مصرية. واهم حاجة- احنا روحنا حلويات مصر- مطعم حلويات مشهورة ولذيذ. انا ولورة وجيك شاركنا بانانا سبليت واحسن كنافة جربها في حياتي. هم بيدينا لبن وسكر والكنافة لذيذة قوي!
يوم السبت، سفرنا مونتازا- ساطىء صغير في ضواحي المدينة وفيه اشجر وجنينات جميلة. كنا مفروض نتقابل عند الكلية ونطلع الاوتوبيس الساعة ١٢:٤٥ وعلى فكرة- كنا مفروض نمشي من الشاطىء الساعة ٥:٣٠ وعندنا وقت محدود. وطلعنا الاوتوبيس الساعة ١:١٥ ووصلنا في منتازا حوالي ١:٣٠/ ١:٤٥. قدنا في الاوتوبيس لغاية الساعة ٢:٣٠ لما روبن، مديرة البرنامج، سمحت لنا ننزل بينما هي عملت الترتيبات. احنا لعبنا كرة القدم مع المصريين، ولعبات ثانية، والساعة ٣، طلعنا الاوتوبيس، ساقنا ٢ دقايق، واقفنا ١٥ دقيقة، واخيرا روحنا الشاطىء الساعة ٣:٣٠. هم قالوا لنا هيكون في مكان لنغير هدومنا وكمان هيكون في شاطىء خاص كي البيات هنحس مريحة. لكن كل دا ما كان صحيح. ولكن انبسطنا والشاطىء كان جميل جدا. لعبنا في البحر، مشينا كثير (مع صاحبتي وهي في الصورة معايا) وانا نمت على شاطىء. لكن الرجالة المصريين كانوا بيصورونا وهم صاحوا "اهلا وسهلا في مصر!" و"انا عايز ابوسك!" و"ايه حلاوة دي!" و"انتي قمر!" الكلام دا عادي جدا.
النهاردة، بعد فصولي، روحت محلة فلافل جديدة وبردو المحلة المفضلة بتاعتي. انا طلبت الفلافل الضحيح وكان فيه بيضة وحمس، وسلطة وكان لذيذ قوي والمحلة قريبة من الجامعة!
على فكرة- عملت خطاء كبير! كلنا نعرف انني خيافة جدا من الشواريع. انا امسك ايد الشخص اللي جنبي. والنهاردة، لما عبرنا الشارع، كنت بامشي ولورة كانت على يميني ورجل مصري كان على شمالي، وانا كنت باعبر الشارع وكنت خايفة جدا وبدلا من المسك ايد لورة، مسكت ايد الرجل والرجالة والستات في مصر ما بيلمسوا بعض وخصوصا الامريكان وهو ما كانش مبسوط خالص! قلت "انا اسفة جدا جدا جدا!!"

Ibrahimiya

Meet Eman Moghazy. Eman is in her last year at Alexandria University studying al-tib, or medicine. She is also my wonderful, beautiful, and kind hearted roommate. Yesterday, to celebrate her finishing her finals (all of her medical tests are in English, by the way. I would fail miserably if any biology tests were in Arabic, but she manages to ace exams on the respiratory system in English. She's the shit). Anyway, to celebrate, we went shopping. We took the tram 2 stops down to a neighborhood called Ibrahamiya. First we went to the supermarket, which is always fun to do in other countries because they always have hilarious things like a giant statue of a Heinz ketchup bottle filled with tiny Heinz ketchup bottles. After that, we went to the suk (market). The suk was great. They were all selling lots of leather purses and shoes and lots of scarves and everyone's yelling at each other, and this suk was right on the street so you almost die every four seconds because a car is whizzing by (Egyptians have a totally different concept of crossing the street than we do. Eman literally held my hand to cross the street with me as if I were a child. The problem is that Egyptians cross the street in front of a car about 5 seconds earlier than any American would feel comfortable doing and walk about 3 feet closer to the cars than we would. The sidewalks are also extremely crowded, so everyone walks in the street, even during rush hour (which by the way, I was told was from 2-7 everyday, so really, all day is rush hour). Eman told me that I have to take control of my fate and trust that the cars arn't going to hit me. I'm completely in control of the situation and if I want to step out right in front of a speeding car, I can. I'm in control. I'm not so sure that's true. So it takes me about 5 minutes longer to cross the street than any Egyptian. And the Egyptians driving in the cars like to play a game with the foreigners and speed up as you're crossing the street to terrify you. It works really well.) Anyway, we hit up all the stores, and this is where Eman's amazing Egyptian hospitality kicked in. She literally would yell at me if I went near my wallet. She bought me a scarf, a necklace, and headband, and wanted me to try all the Egyptian food at the suk, so bought be about a billion food items, including Sugarcane juice (the machine for which is awesome- the have these long stalks of sugarcane and grind it up in this huge machine and juice comes out. I guess that wasn't really helpful at all. I have no idea how it's made but it looks really cool). And she bought me Kushari at the best place in Alexandria, Ana Mushi. Kushari is a mix of everything you can think of. There's rice, 4 different kinds of pasta, lentils, tomatoes, I think I saw a chickpea in there, and then they give you on the side SPICY SPICY sauce and garlic sauce, which you can mix in as you please. Eman also made me drink soda with it (she kept saying "lazem! lazem" which means "you must! you must" and then would shove more food in my face). All in all, a great experience. Then, when we got back, we played with my scarf and she showed me 3 different styles of wearing a Hijab. After that, Eman and her 2 friends Amira and Aaliya went for a walk on the Cornische and it was lovely.
That night, a group of Marylanders went to a new and beautiful coffee and hooka bar right on the beach. We got the VIP treatment (when we walked in, the owner went to a group of Egyptians sitting at the prime table and promptly kicked them out to give us the good table). So after a lovely night of chilling, we got some grilled corn that they grill all day along the Cornische. It tasted like popcorn.



لابراهيمية
١١/٦/٢٠٠٩
اتقابلوا ايمان مغازي. ايمان في اخر سنة في جامعة الاسكندرية بتدرس الطب. وهي بردو زميلتي الجميلة والطيفة. امبارح، كان عندها امتحانات كثيرة (كل الامتحانات بتاعتها بانجليزية على فكرة- وهي لسة بتنجح!! هي شاطرة قوي). وبعد الامتحانات، كننا عايزين نحتفل شوية وروحنا المحلات وعملنا "شوبينج." ركبنا الترام الى منطقة اسمها ابراهيمية. اولا، روحنا البقالة وكان ممتع قوي عشان البقالات في دول تانية ممتعة جدا العشان فيها حاجات مضحكة زي تمثيل "هاينز كتشوب" كبير فيه عزازات هاينز كتشوب. بعدين، روحنا السوق. الناس كانوا يبيعوا شنط وجزمة وطرحات وكل الناس بيزعقوا، والسوق دا كان في الشارع وانتي قريب من الموت كل ٤ ثنيات العشان في عربيات بيسوقوا بسرعة قريبن مناك. على فكرة، المصريين عندهم تقليد مختلف لما هم بيعبروا الشارع. ايمان كانت بتمسك ايدي زي طفلة لما عبرنا الشارع. المشكلة هي ان المصريين بيعبروا الشارع امام العربية ٥ ثنيات قبل ما يعبروا الامريكان وهم بيمشوا ٣ قدم اقرب من العربية. وفي زحمة كثيرة في الرصيف بردو وعشان كدة، كل الناس بيمشيوا في الشارع، وكمان في اوقات المرور (وايمان قالت لي ان ساعات المرور كل يوم من الساعة ٢ لغاية الساعة ٧، وفي الحقيقة، ساعات المرور طول اليوم!) ايمات كمان قالت لي انني لازم احد السيطرة على حياتي ومصيري واثق في السائقين اننهم مش هيضربني مع عربياتهم. انا عندي السيطرة ولو كنت عايزة امشي قدام عربية- اهلا وسهلا! عندي السيطرة! انا مش متاكدة ان دا صح ولا غلط. وعشان كدة، انا باحد ٥ دقايق زيادة لما باعبر الشارع. والمصريين اللي بيسوقوا بيلعبوا لعبة مع الاجانب وهم بيسوقوا بسرعة لما بيشوفوا اجانب وبيبصوا علينا لما احنا خيفين.
احنا روحنا لكل المحلات وانا شافت الضيافة المصرية عند ايمان. هي كانت بتزعق عليا لما لمست المحفظة بتاعتي. هي اشتريت لي طرحة وسلسلة وكانت عازة انني باجرب كل الاكل المصري في السوق واشتريت لي عصير قصب سكر وكوشاري في احسن مطعم في اسكندرية للكشاري، انا موشي. كوشاري هي خلط من المكرونة، العدس، الطماطم، الحموس، وفي سوس حار قوي وسوس الثوم. وهي كمان اشتريت لي سودة وقالت لي "لازم تشربي سودة مع الكوشاري! لازم!" كانت تجربة ممتازة. ولما رجعنا الي المدينة الجامعية، احنا لعبنا مع الطرحة وهي اورتلي ٣ اساليب من لبس الحجاب. وبعدين، ايمان وصاحبتين بتاعتها، اميرة واليا، وانا مشينا على الكورنيش.
في الليل، مجموع من الطالبة من مريلاند روحنا لقهوة جديدة على البحر وكمان اشترينا تورة وطعمة زي الفشار.

Alexandria

Hi Everyone!

So we are all unpacked and settled in Alexandria, and for the past 2 days, we've been touring and walking around like crazy. Alexandria's awesome. Even though I haven't been to Cairo, I feel like this is an apt comparison: Alexandria is to Cairo as Philadelphia is to New York. It's much less crowded and hectic but still has a ton of attitude, awesome places to go once you look hard enough, and is smaller and much more manageable. And I love both so it's great. 

The city is much longer than it is wide, as it is all built along the coast. There are a bunch of different neighborhoods and scattered throughout the city are a ton of Roman and Greek ruins, so they are fun to stumble upon when you least expect them. 

Yesterday, we had a group tour to the Citadel (also known as Fort Qaitbey). The citadel is right on the water and is surrounded by a dock and tons and tons of fishing boats and fisherman. It used to contain the "great lighthouse" which used to be one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, but it got destroyed. It's very beautiful and old and has lots of nooks and crannies, a really great place for a game of hide and go seek. 

After that we got ice cream (a super-cone to be exact) where they scoop every kind of ice cream and sorbet into a cone. It was lezeez awee (very delicious). and refreshing. It's very hot here!

After that, we went to the Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi  which is a big and beautiful mosque built in 1938 and honors the patron saint of local fisherman and sailors who was an Andalusian Shiekh in the 13th century. It was built to replace one that was built in the 1600s but then destroyed. Quite nice, and I wore a hijab for the first time. 

After this, the official tours ended and our unofficial tour began. 

First, and most importantly, Mohammed Achmed. Mohammed Achmed's is "the best falafel and full in Alexandria." Once falafel in hummous is 1.25 Egyptian pounds (Dad- you do that math again). It was quite delicious but very different than the Israeli falafel that I'm used to. It's way smaller, a lot less messy (bc it doesn't have all the awesome salatim and charif that Israeli falafel has) and the hummous is a lot drier. So, I have to say, I like Israeli falafel more. 

We also had some fresh squeezed juice (we had sugarcane and tamarind- both interesting), and just walked a ton and saw a ton. The day ended with a trip to the Corniche to watch the sunset over the Mediterrean and some shisha at my buddy, Chaled's. Then, the Egyptian girls through us a Hafla (party). They got a ton of food- falafel, full, pita, all kinds of Egyptian treats and we ate, sang, belly danced (even meet- very embarrassing, but some of these girls! They can shake it!) and we played spin the bottle, which in Egyptian means truth or truth. Very fun, very middle school slumber party, all in all, awesome.

Today, we had a scavenger hunt in the city to find different landmarks and just to help us get around. My team won. We saw Cinema Amir (big movie theater), French cultural centers, other cultural centers, women's clothing stores, statues, train stations. It was fun. Then we got a tour of the Biblotecha Alexandria which was also very big and very pretty. 

٩/٦/٢٠٠٩
الاسكندرية
اهلا بيكو! احنا كلنا مبسوطين هنا في اسكندرية، وفي اليومين دول، عملنا جولات كثيرة في المدينة ومشينا كثير. الاسكندرية مدينة جامدة جدا. ما كنتش في القاهرة، ولكن اعتقد ان الاسكندرية زاي فلادلفية والقاهرة زاي نيو يورك. مفيهاش زحمة كثيرة زاي القاهرة ولكن لسة فيها حاجات ممتعة وكمان هي اضغر من القاهرة وسهل تمشي فيها.
المدينة طويلة ومش واسعة وكلها جنب البحر. هناك مناطق كثيرة وفيها الاثار من الينانيين والرومان.
امبارح، كان عندنا جولة في قلعة قيتبي. القلعة على البحر وحولها قفص الاتهام ومراكب الصيد وصيادين. القلعة كانت فيها من زمان المنارة الكبيرة اللي كانت واحد من العجائب الدنيا السبع في العالم ولكن دمرت ودلوقتي هي تحت الماية. المكان جميل جدا وقديم. بعد كده، اكلنا ايس كرين لذيذ في "سوبر كون" وكان فيه كل انواع الايس كريم. كان لذيذ قوي! حار قوي هنا!!
بعد كده، روحنا جامع ابو الاياس المرسي وهو كبير وجميل وكان يبنى سنة ١٩٣٨ ويكرم قديس الصيد والبحارة وهو كان شيخ في اندلوسية في القرن الثالث عشر. انا اول مرة لبست الحجاب.
بعدين، جلست الجولة الرسمية وبدات الجولة الغير رسمية.
الولا، (واهم حاجة كامن) كان مطعم محمد احمد. محمد احمد هو "احسن فلافل وفول في اسكندرية." واحد فلافل بالحموس ١ وربع جنية. كان لذيذ جدا ولكن مختلف من الفلافل الاسرائيلي اللي انا متعودة له. كان اصغر، اقل فوضى (العشان مفيهش كل السلطة والخريف زاي الفلافل الاسرائيلي) والحموس انشف. ولازم اقول، انا افضل فلافل اسرائيلي. وكمان جربنا عصير قصب سكر وهندي والاثنين كانوا حلوين. وبس مشينا كثير حول المدينة. اليوم خلص مع رحلة الى الكورنيش واتفرجنا على المجرب على البحر وكمان شيشة في قهوة.
وبعدين ، البنات في المدينة عملوا لنا حفلة. هم اشتروا لنا اكل كثير- فلافل، فول، عيش، وحلويات، واكلنا، غنينا، رقصنا، ولعبنا لعبات.
النهارده، عملنا اكتشاف الكنز في المدينة ولقينا اماكن كثيرة. شوفنا سينيما امير، مركز الثقافة الفرنسا، مراكز ثقافة ثانية، محالات، تماثل، ومحطات القطر. كان ممتع. واخيرا عملنا جولة في مكتبة اسكندرية وهي بردو كبيرة وجميلة.

Ahlan wa Sahlan!

Hi everyone! So after a 2 plane rides, 9 hours in Frankfurt, Germany (beautiful by the way), and lots of airport naps, we landed in Alexandria at 2 am. In full Egyptian style, the airport was completely crowded, we waited in line for an hour to get our passport stamps and then were crowded in a little room to pick up the passports. A few of us got our temperatures checked to see if we had swine flu. None of us did. Elhamdullela. 

We got to our dorms at around 4 am, and also in full Egyptian style, all of the Egyptian girls (including my roommate, Iman)  who are living in the dorms stayed up to greet us, hug us, help us unpack, give us food, etc. They are pretty much the most warm, hospitable, and gracious people. They also love holding hands and hugging and kissing way more than Americans, so the first night, I held hands with half a dozen girls and was literally dragged around to see the views from all the different rooms. It was awesome. 

Dorms: we're all girls and the boys dorms are 20 min away. Boys aren't allowed to breathe near our dorms. The guard doesn't even have a key to the dorm so that he can't get in. So if we get locked out at night for some reason, the guard is literally useless. Egypt.

Alexandria is great. My room has a great view of the streets, and the beach and boardwalk (called the Corniche) is literally a block away. Egypt basically is hospitality. Tonight, a few girls and I (American from the program) were invited into a Shisha bar and we talked to the owner (Chaled who is soon going to be my best friend) and he then wouldn't let us pay 1 cent for any of the tea or juice that we ordered. This was on the condition that we come back often. He also loves Obama. And so do I. 

Speaking of money, Egypt is also mad cheap. The tram is also my new best friend. We rode today 15 min away on the tram and paid 25 Egyptian cents. 5 Egyptian pounds = 1 American dollar. You do the math, because I certainly can't. I just know it's mad cheap. So I will be on the tram often. 

Our classes officially start on Wednesday so we have a few more days of orientation and tours around the city. Which also means a lot of free time to explore. 

Love and miss you all.

Be well and in touch

اهلا وسهلا!
اهلا بيكو! بعد رحلتين في الطيارة، ٩ ساعات في فرنكفرد، المانيا، (جميل جدا على فكرة) ونوم كثير في المطار، وصلنا في اسكندرية في الساعة ٢ في الصبح. كان في ازدحام كثير في المطار، واستنانت في الطابور لساعة، واخيرا حصلت على ختم لجواز السفر. هم اخدوا دراجة الحرارة بطاع بعضنا لاعشانهم عوزوا يشافوا لو كان عندنا الانفلونزا الحنازير. كلنا كانوا صحيين الحمدالله.

وصلنا في المدينة الجماعية الساعة ٤ في الصبح وكل البنات اللى ساكنين هناك كانوا موجودين واستقبلنا (وزميلتي في الاوضة، ايمان، كمان كانت موجودة) وهم ساعدونا مع الشنط وادينا اكل. البنات المصريات الطف، اكثر مضايف، واكرم اشخاص في الدنيا. هم بيحبوا ان يمسكوا ايدنا وادينا بوسة اكثر من الامريكان، واول ليلة، انا مسكت الايد بطاعة ٦ بنات وهم اخدتني واورولي كل المناظر المختلفة في المدينة الجماعية. التجربة كانت جمدة جدا.

المدينة الجماعية: هناك بنات بس في المدينة جماعية والمدينة جماعية بطاعة الاولاد بعيد شواية منا. الاولاد ممنوع من المدينة بطاعتنا. الظابط قدام مدينتنا ما عندهش مفتاح العشان هو ممنوع من الدخول. ولو، لاي سبب، احنا مبعدون، هو ما قادرش يساعدنا. مصر.

الاسكندرية جميلة جدا. في منظر جميل من الشباك في اوضتي وانا قادرة اشوف كل الشواريع والكورنيش والشطاء القريبين من المدينة. مصر اصلا الضيافة. النهاردة، صاحب قهوة عازم بعض البنات من البرنامج الى قهوته واتكلامنا معاه (اسمه خالد وهو هيبقا صاحبي) وهو ما سمحش لنا ندفع على حسب احنا هنرجع. وهو بيحب اوباما. وانا كمان.

فلوس: مصر رخيسة جدا! الترام اقرب صاحبي. ركبنا الترام النهاردة ١٥ دقيقة ودفعنا ربع جنية بس! ٥ جنية= ١ دولار امريكي. رخيس قوي!!

فصولنا هيبتدوا يوم الارباع وعندنا كمان يومين من الترحيب وجولات في المدينة. قصدي: عندي وقت للاكتشاف!