Back to the ivory tower

Second semester has finally started at the American University in Cairo.  I'm really excited with my courses.  Here they are:

-Second semester Egyptian Colloquial Arabic. 

-Government and Politics of Egypt

-International Relations of the Middle East

-Modern Movements of Islam

-Special Topics in International Relations

It's funny to be back at AUC.   I've resolved to not be perturbed by anything that bothered me last semester, like the hour to 1.5 hour commute each way, or the layers of bureaucracy that complicate the simplest tasks.  Instead, I'm completely placid about everything and rolling with the punches.  

In other news, my new apartment in Zamalek is quite nice.  It's so different from the old apartment on Sharia Sheik Raihan, downtown.  We live in a tall tower near the AUC dorms.  Our balcony overlooks the Nile and the neighborhood of Imbaba is just across the river.  Imbaba is where Napoleon fought the "Battle of the Pyriamids" (the Giza

Pyramids can be seen from our balcony on a clear day).  Four other people from Mount Holyoke are living here.  It's funny to be in an enclave of MHC, it feels like we're all on the same page.  Last night someone Google Earthed the MHC campus, and several of us stood grinning stupidly at the screen while reminiscing.  

That's all I have time for- I'm dashing off to class.

Masalaama,

Julia