Arabian Nights

---

For my first full day in Egypt I signed up for some trips (Pyramids, Old Cairo, Islamic Cairo, Alexandria, and Fayoum) and spent the better part of the morning and afternoon going to the last day of lectures for orientation. The lectures dealt with topics like security in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt and how to combat homesickness. Afterwards they gave us food, Koshary, a famous Egyptian dish. I personally think it's delicious! It consists of pasta, rice, lentils, chick peas, garlic, and chili sauce, all in one bowl. I've heard you cannot go to Egypt and not eat Koshary, so, mission succeeded!

During the later part of the afternoon I skyped one of my best friends from college and she gave me a tour of the new apartment buildings on our campus. They are extremely nice, can't wait until senior year! Afterwards I got ready for my first trip through Res Life, Bedouin Night.

Now, having camped out in Wadi Rum in Jordan with Bedouins I had an idea of what to expect, but in Egypt expect the unexpected. Since it's Ramadan (the month of fasting for Muslims) it's hard to find what you're used to, and AUC seemed to have this problem. In reality I would have called it an Arabian night more than a Bedouin night. As we arrived to the camp area it was blasting techno music. While it wasn't what I expected, I made the best out of the situation as did everyone else. I got my first glimpse of the pyramids as we were driving and was so excited to see them the very next day! Plus, I love dancing and the music was good, so the Americans danced the night away with the Egyptians who were there as locals. We also sipped mango juice, watched belly dancers, and I got called up on stage to spin like a whirling dervish in a skirt during the show. We then were fed dinner of pita, humus, potatoes, and lamb shish kabobs. It was definitely a memorable night for my first full day in Egypt.

---

Photos

Campout Area
Our Small Table Group

Camp Out Area
AUC Group

Pyramids
View From Far Away at Night

Campout Area
Hookah Pipe

Campout Area
Dinner Table

Campout Area
Dancer

Campout Area
Sitting on the Floor

Campout Area
Seats on the Edge

Campout Area
Dancing!

Comments

[International backpacker]

Whats going on in the background?
Is that lady getting arrested? :) Nice blog, brings back some nice memories of a trip I did their also.

[thetravelingpole]

haha, i don't believe anyone got arrested that night. The aisles were very small though, so she probably almost fell into a table. Thanks for reading, glad you like it!

[katie]

Great blog. Love the pictures, really bring the whole thing to life. Thanks for posting