Yes ladies and gentlemen… it’s the second official post on this blog. After days (weeks? months? how much time has it been?) with only a single, lonely blog post (and that other one that doesn’t really count) I’ve finally found it a companion.
What have I been doing with my time, instead of blogging you ask?
I finally moved into my permanent residence for the next few months; an apartment on Talaat Harb street in downtown Cairo. It has three bedrooms with balconies overlooking an alleyway (I know, it sounds gnarly but it actually helps with the noise from the street). One of my room mates is an American grad student studying Arabic at AUC. The other is British and his job, believe it or not, is as the narrator for movies/documentaries. So… when you watch that video documenting the annual migration of now-nearly-extinct migrating fish, he could be the guy telling you about it. He’s THAT British guy–I love it. At least that’s what I gather. He was here a day before going back to the UK for a month. Despite the hideous shades of pink and purple my room has been painted, it still has become “home” and will remain so for the next few months.
Classes started and for the first time in my life I can say I go to school in the middle of the desert. The campus is gorgeous and completely worth the two hours a day of commutes.
I ate pigeon–an Egyptian delicacy–and it was delicious. See my National Geographic Glimpse blog.
I went on a class trip to a town called Tanta, which is a couple hours outside of Cairo. Technically we were there for a ‘cultural awareness’ workshop but we found time to see a church and a mosque. Oh, and I almost forgot, we crashed an Egyptian wedding. [There are a couple of albums on Facebook. I'll get an album on Flickr soon for those who haven't sold their souls to the Facebook-gods yet.]
I finally saw the pyramids [during the day] (long story)!
We went to Giza and saw the sphinx and the pyramids everyone knows about. We also went to Saqarra to see the step pyramid and to Daushour to see the red and bent pyramids.
I’ve given some brief descriptions of what I’ve been up to. I’ll give some more detailed accounts and more photos in the days to come. Let me know which one you’d like to read in about in comments and I’ll do that one first!
Max! I’m so excited for all of your worldly adventures! It’s fun to think that we were on our road trip together talking about fun career paths only a few months ago and look at you now! I hope you keep blogging because I want to live vicariously through you!
Oh and I can’t believe that what’s considered a delicacy in Egypt is considered a flying city rat in the states! Yummy…
Oh tell me more about the wedding! Any dancing??
Pyramids! I’m dying to hear about/stare longingly at your photos of the pyramids, as touristy as you believe them to be. They weren’t named one of the Seven Wonders of the world for nothing you know!
Rae Ann why was your comment listed as spam?
I’m ready to see photos of Alexandria. Yes, and the pyramids and the Sphinx, I want to see those in your blog too. I know we could look them up in a book but why should we when you are there and you can show us on your blog. I like all the texture and depth in your photos. I know you are supposed to be taking all the photos but would it be a bad thing if “you” actually appeared in one of the photos?