Friday, January 22, 2010 at 4:30pm
So, I have been in Cairo for a full week. I am here to learn Arabic (foss-ha or classical). Believe me when I tell you that it feels like I have been here for a month. When I first got off the plane I knew this was different from the other countries (only 2-USA and UAE) that I have lived in/visted. The guy puffing smoke in my face at the money exchange/visa window was a clear indication of one big difference. As soon as we crossed through passport control someone was trying to hustle us. One guy was trying to get us to go along with some tourist package and as soon as we bypassed him another guy was "offering" to help us get our bags off of the conveyor belt.
My father and I managed to ignore all of this get our bags and proceeded to exit the airport. Keep in mind that our plane was over an hour late and it took us some time to find our luggage and someone that I had never met or seen before was supposed to come pick us up. A friend from home who is Egyptian arranged for me to stay with her cousins and they were going to come meet us at the airport. I was very worried that they got tired of waiting and just left but as soon as we came out of from the luggage retrieval area I saw this girl in a red coat smiling and waving very hard at me. I felt so relieved. She looked like she could be related to my friend from home so I felt confident that was her. She was there waiting with her fiancé. They were patient and waited over an hour for us. As soon as we got in the car my new host, Marwa had cold juice boxes waiting for me and my father. This was just the beginning of several generous offerings to come.
My father was only staying 2 days and one night in Cairo. This was his first trip to Egypt too so he wanted to tour. Marwa went out with us and we went to see the Pyramids. We also went to the Muhammad Ali (not the boxer) mosque in Egypt. Of course, the hustle was in full effect when were out. That's what happens when you look like a tourist. All of the sites were very nice. I managed to have a long overdue emotional break down while walking up to see the Muhammad Ali Mosque. The combination of being tired, hungry, sick, and annoyed with all of the hustling put me over the top and I just burst into tears when my father asked me if I wanted to take a picture of the masjid. I managed to snap out of it though when we entered the prayer area of the masjid and I realized that the masjid was in the movie Malcolm X! There is also a famous picture of Malcolm X praying in the masjid. Of course I had to try to recreate the photo. I wasn't going to let a little funk make me pass up that moment. After that we ended the day. We ate dinner and then my father left for Dubai.
Since then, I have been adjusting to life in Cairo. My hosts live in the Time Square of their neighborhood. It is literally action and noise all night long. It doesn't stop at all. There are donkeys making noises, there is music, and there is lots of honking of horns. One night it was so noisy I asked if we could close the balcony door and I was told that it was already closed. I have learned to sleep with earplugs. I brought the earplugs for the plane and had no use for them. Now I am on my second pair of earplugs.
I have visited Al-Fajr Center where I will be studying Arabic (Inshallah-God Willing). The place seems decent. I took the entrance exam and will be starting on Level 3. I have no clue about what I will do once I finish. The plan is to play it by ear. My next big challenge is finding a place to live. So much can be said about my search from seeing the bad to the worse but this is all for now. Inshallah, I will have another update next week!
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