A weekend Cairo update

Yes, I know it's Friday, but remember--this is a Muslim country we're talking about. The weekend is Friday and Saturday. So having walked Zamalek and taken some pictures of my new neighborhood (they're up on my Photobucket site. You should check them out) I thought I'd take some time to fill everyone in on what's been going in this week.

First of all, a word of caution--should you find yourself in Cairo, please resist the urge to go on a Nile cruise. They're pretty overrated, in my opinion. However, there is plenty of other truly fun stuff to do around here. On Sunday, we did a scavenger hunt through Zamalek to get to know the neighborhood a little better. It was a lot of fun, and I definitely feel like I can get myself found a whole lot easier now. Of course, it helps that my team won and we get free dinner. That's always a plus. The rest of the week until yesterday was actually pretty boring. Most of the orientation stuff was directed at the undergrad study abroad kids, so I got to chill out a little bit.

Speaking of undergrads, having spent this much time surrounded by them, I have discovered that I lacked an appreciation for how different our priorities are. They seem determined not to let class get in the way of a good time, but I've got work to do while I'm here. A whole bunch of it, to be exact. Yesterday was ALI (Arabic Language Institute) orientation, so I finally had something to do. 12 credits of intensive Arabic, plus all of the homework that goes along with it. My head might explode this semester, especially when you consider that I have plenty of dissertation-like fun to take care of as well. Yeesh. However, the ALI folks are incredibly nice and friendly and seem very willing to help keep us from losing our minds.

The new campus is beautiful. Not quite done...but beautiful nevertheless. But it gives new meaning to being out in the middle of nowhere. Outside of Cairo, there is nothing but desert...NOTHING. Then all of the sudden, you see this construction literally taking place all around you. Most of it's residential--lots of houses and apartment building with a very Mediterranean villa feel to them. In the midst of all of this construction, most of which is nowhere near done, is this huge, beautiful campus. I'm not sure it will seem quite so beautiful when the spring sandstorms hit as the main thoroughfare is really a big wind tunnel. In a couple of months, it might be a big sandy wind tunnel. That won't be fun for anybody.

As for the construction in New Cairo, they do things backwards of what we do in the States. They build most of the interior structure first, then put on the facade, whereas we generally build the outside then move to the inside. It's very disconcerting to see at first, but I suppose that given the climate it makes sense. Who wants to work on the inside of a building in the desert in the summer before the A/C has been installed any longer than they have to, right?

As for Zamalek, everyone says it doesn't have quite the same feel as the rest of Cairo, and I can certainly understand why. It still has a bit of a European flair to it. And because of the embassies on nearly every corner, there are a lot of expatriates around as well. As far as I can tell, there's only mosque in Zamalek, and two churches--one, the Coptic church across the street from the AUC dorm and the other, a Roman Catholic church further south. If I was afraid that my itty bitty little cross necklace would make me feel out of place, I was sorely mistaken. The Coptic priests walk around with crosses big enough to classify as bling. Perhaps because of its demographic makeup, Zamalek also seems less prone to harassment of women on the street. I've been out several times by myself this week, just exploring and wandering around and I have yet to be heckled, leered at, or whistled at. Of course, that could all change tomorrow, so stay tuned.

When at all possible, I've stayed away from the American restaurants around Zamalek (most of which I don't like anyhow) and opted for some local favorites. I'm quickly becoming addicted to koushary, which is kind of the Egyptian equivalent of a mix between ramen and spaghetti. It's rice, pasta, lentils, sometimes chickpeas, and topped with a tomato sauce. A pretty good size bowl of it is around 5 Egyptian pounds (L.E.), or a little less than one dollar. And it will fill you up for quite a while. I'm already working out how I can replicate it once I get home.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for another installment of the adventures of Dr. Strangelove. I'm going to the pyramids next Friday, so I should have lots of fun pictures afterwards.