Post Uno

Hey Guys! I made it here safely after two days of flying. I actually left a day earlier than I anticipated so it was fun on Monday night scrambling for last minute supplies and clothing. I am still trying to mentally and emotionally prepare myself to be here for the next four months, because I kept thinking I had more time and then realized that my plane was leaving and pretty much watched, as if from an out-of-body experience, myself board three different flights and emerge two days later here. (I still feel like I was cheated out of two days of my life- flying east steals time) We drove around the city twice already, once coming from the airport and then on a tour. We actually drove right next to the pyramids, which was very interesting to sit in a traffic jam with the pyramids right outside of the widow. This is truly where ancient meets modern. Last night, we took a boat trip down the Nile in incredibly sweet tourist trap of a boat that was decked out in blinking lights of all kinds. (The one with the flashing hearts and pink Chinese lanterns was my favorite, unfortunately not the one I rode in.) As if you were not jealous yet I was one of the few students who had the chance to walk around the oldest section of Cairo. We got to see (and touchJ) the wall from the old city, built in 996. We also walked in and on top of a mosque built in 1023. It was like patrolling the city walls. (I really wished that some pirates, or more likely Mongol invaders, would begin to fire arrows up onto the wall. But alas…) The authority figures here on the program fully embrace kicking the birds out of the nest. We were paired up and sent into the city to find various embassies, banks and markets and then given money to take a taxi back to our flats. So even though I cannot speak the language, I can at least find my way around. We start classes on Tuesday (it being Saturday here) so my jealousy inducing experiences may thin out. However, have no fears, as this whole study program is about going and seeing. Aight, I will certainly post photos as soon as I figure out how to dump them onto my computer. Peace for now my friends.