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Mt Dew
Faites le Dew 2301 (GMT +3)
Giza, Egypt
In an effort to lead with my mistakes, I must confess that I've been posting on the wrong time zone. I've been noting the time zone as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) +2, when in fact it is now, and has been since my arrival, GMT +3. Not that it really matters for any practical purposes, but Cairo went into daylight savings time the night before I arrived, thus changing from +2 to +3. So, in the interest of accuracy, I shall begin noting the correct time.
Today marked the end of the first week of classes, and thus far things are going well. Looking at it now, I think I did just the appropriate amount of preparation in Arabic before I arrived. I studied just enough to be used to the new alphabet and form of writing, as well as some of the different linguistical quirks, but not so much that I'm now having to go back and correct erroneous habits. As it stands I think I am in a good place when it comes to my studies.
Aside from class I'm also finding some opportunity to use the language in my daily activites. I am able to get through many of the basic greetings and pleasantries, as well as conduct basic commercial transactions, such as buying a bottle of water or a can of Mt. Dew from the local shop. It is comforting to know that wherever I go,
The Dew is close by. Plus, most Egyptians speak at least a little bit of English, and so far have seemed happy to correct me when I say something wrong. They seem pleasantly surprised that I am making an effort to learn their language.
Yesterday I moved out of my hotel, and took up residence at an apartment much closer to the school. The flat is shared by two other students who are attending classes, a Swedish guy who is in my class, and a German girl who is in the next level above us. Aside from a small issue with the hot water (which has since been resolved), the apartment is fairly nice. We have air conditioning - a necessity in Cairo, wireless internet, and satellite tv. The interior is actually very nice, although you would never be able to tell from the outside. Based on what I've seen so far, it seems as though most places look dirty and run down from the outside. On the inside, though, many places are done up very nicely.
Another thing I've noticed is the prevalence of stray cats. Although, as I think about it, I suppose
stray is not the correct word to use, as that would imply that they once had a home but have since "gone astray," but that does not seem to be the case. They are everywhere. I've eaten at a few outdoor restaurants/cafes in the last week and they're always nearby, waiting hopefully for someone to drop some food. I even saw one local man tossing them pieces of meat. It seems to me that this only encourages them. I understand that in ancient Egyptian mythology that there was some special connection with cats, but it appears that the feline has lost its place on the pedestal, and is now fated to wander the streets looking for scraps.
Eating here has actually been pretty good, and I've been lucky enough thus far to avoid any serious stomach sickness. Of course, some amount of caution and good judgement goes into this, as there are certain foods that one should avoid altogether. I will go into more depth on this later, but for now, stick to the bottled water. It's cheap and readily available.
Speaking of cheap, the exchange rate definately works in my favor here. The current exchange rate is 5.482 EGP (Egyptian Pounds) per dollar. This is something else I will delve into later, but as an example, tonight at one of those outdoor cafes, I had a dinner of skirt steak in a rich picatta sauce, white rice, tea, and a bottle of water. The total cost, including the tip, was 66 EGP, or just over $12 USD. More on this later.
In the meantime, as midnight closes in, I'll probably head to bed and start thinking about what I want to do this weekend. Some of the people in class who are here less time that I are planning on seeing some of the tourist sights this weekend, but I'll probably pace myself and save that for later. No, I'm not going to the pyramids.
Not yet anyway. I'm still holding out.
-MG
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