Classes and new international friends

---

Since I last wrote many things have occured. So many it is difficult to keep tabs on. I think if I just relate the basic things, small little details will make their way in.

So I started classes about a month ago. The first 2 weeks we four Americans were shuffled around everywhere so that the teachers could gage our levels and so we could choice what teaching style we enjoy. I finally ended taking colloquiol (Amaya) at The Alexandria Center for Languages (the center) and classical arabic (fusa) at the University of Alexandria TAFL (TAFL). About a 25 minute walk is between both places and most of the time I have only 30 minutes to get there, but usually all of my classes start late because this is Egypt and everything happens late in Egypt.

In my Amaya class Zien (my teacher) teaches 3 of us, Leen, Zak, and I. Leen can only come to 2 of the 4 classes so half the time it is just Zak and I. However recently Zak hasn't been coming or has been exceedingly late or unprepared. The walk to the Center is the longest walk and the most hazerdous. Between having to cross multiple streets and teenage boys that have no idea how to deal with their sexual frustration it can be very dangerous. However after living in Egypt for a month I have learnt how to walk like an Egyptian for the most part and how to get by the nasty little boys. If ever anyone travels to Egypt and they want to cross the street, they should definately walk behind a local until they can get the hang of it because people drive crazy (driving is another entry). To evade boys, I have been told to evade eye contact in books because then they think you are interested. However I have learnt through personal experiance that if you look directly at them in the eye while clenching yoru fist and scowling at them they will back off. Basically when you see a group of younger boys in high school or middle school walk around them as much as you can and then dont act in anyway little or small. You have to give the air of defiance and anger and hatred. The other day I had someone start to approach me while I walking to class and I looked right at him, gave him the ugliest face, and got ready to swing if he bothered me. He backed right back to where he was and all the other boys harrassment died off.
When I finally get to class I can order a tea and they will bring it to my classroom. During class, we are constantly interrupted by questions beause when people in the class have a question that Zien cannot answer she doesnt wait until class is over, she goes to the window, pops her head out and yells for one of the secretaries to answer her question and then they will come back like 10 or 1 minutes later with the answer. Also the class is much more personal. Everyone exchanges cell phone numbers even Zien. She talks to us about our personal lives and tells us a little about hers. She enjoys comparing America to Egypt very much. She was also the first person I met in Egypt to wear sweatpants and really casual wear outside. Usually here people like to always be dressed nicely.

In my Fusa class, it gets bigger everyday. One class is actually Media and we learn how to read the newspaperand media using Fusa with Dina and the other 3 classes are with Nagua where we learn primarily grammer. I enjoy media very much. I like translating. It is like a big puzzle and I love puzzles. Dina is also very nice. She answers all of my questions and doesnt mind helping me outside of class (both of my other teachers are the same way and all three have offered to grade any extra homework). Fusa with Nagua is difficult. I think she could use a better teaching style or method. She likes to just all of a sudden give grammer rules. Like, "oh yah! and this is another rule that i just remembered." There isn't realy a structure. I think the best method for her class would be if she had each grammer rule listed because I think she decides during class which ones she wants to teach and then she expects us to know them, but we dont always understand because speaks very broken english. She has a great personality, but I dont agree with her teaching style at all.

studying:
very very difficult. it was easier when we had no tv or internet. but now it is more difficult to motivate myself to study. however the tv take away whatever emotional stress i feel. so modern conviences are a plus and a minus. i was having some trouble last week because i take meds for my thyroid and the level became lower i think so it made me less capable of motivating myself, but it is under servailence and is being taken care of. no worries.

international students:
they are all very nice and most of them are much older than me. if they are my age it is because they are half egyptian. I think most are in their late 20s or early 30s. I made friends with the Finnish, Germans, Swedes, British, Spanish, French, Belgian, Canadian (a nice surprise) and I dont remember the others, but those are the primary ones. Many of the students are half egyptian or middle eastern in some shape or form. many times i even mistaken for an egyptian, but then i am mistaken for many things. At TAFL the students are sorta laxidasical about studing. It is like college back home, but maybe even more relaxed. Classes can be interuppted at anytime by students entering class late, Magda, the coordinator, making a new announcement, the tea someone ordered being brought. Plus I havnt figured any sort of grading system besides the test at the end of the semester.

I like the center better because I have more freedom to choose a faster, slower, or a special class. And the people at the center are more serious about learning. They are there to learn,not to dick around. If I ever needed to find something to do I would ask friends from TAFL because they always have something going on. I mean interruptions are pretty much the same in either class, but the seriousness of the students are different. In TAFL, students come and go at their leasure for class and alot of time some just stop showing up, but at the center everyone always shows up escept if they have a good excuse.

---