Hey All,
I've arrived in Cairo. I got here four days ago and have been busy orienting myself and discovering various parts of Cairo. I love Cairo already; there are about 17 millions people in the city, so it's teeming with life at all hours of the day and night. Outside the hostel where I stayed, rush hour never seemed to stop. The first two days I spent downtown. The hostel was crammed between two mosques, so we heard the call to prayer VERY frequently. I moved into the dorms yesterday; they are very nice and I have a roommate from NJ. The neighborhood is called Zamalek, it's very suburban compared with the rest of the city, but still bustling.
It's extremely warm here, but it hasn't deterred me from exploring Cairo. There are lots of old black and white taxis around the city. Egyptians seem to have a single-minded disregard for the traffic laws and pedestrians, and my taxi rides have been crazy. I've been to the Citadel, an impressive fortress built by Salah al-Din, who built it to protect it from Richard III and the Crusaders. I've also seen Khan al-Khalili, a huge market. I went with friends to an area of the market that isn't frequented by tourists and sat in a cafe with locals who were drinking tea and smoking shisha. We also went to Al Azhar mosque, which is home to the world's oldest
surviving university.
Two guards at al Azhar mosque.
Claire and me at the Citadel. In the background is Cairo's infamous smog.
Last night at sunset, a lot of the study abroad kids went out on the Nile on felucca (large sail boat). The people here are nice and very friendly, always willing to give directions or help, but I've learned to avoid eye contact with men, as it's viewed as an invitation. My Arabic is improving by leaps and bounds as only the most educated people speak English fluently. I've also found Arabic indispensable to bargaining, which is a part of everyday life here. Everyone bargains for taxi rides, water, food, etc.
A bunch of us went horseback riding at the Giza pyramids. These other study abroads and I (far left) were the first to reach the camp where we rested before returning the stables. We hurdled through the desert at a breakneck pace and my saddle came undone, sending my flying into the soft sand. Two other people were bucked from their horses!
Today we went to the University campus for the first time and filled out forms for several hours. Classes don't start for about a week, so more adventures to come!
