Arrival

The past few days, wallahi (I'll include one new Arabic phrase/word in every post), have been a bit crazy. After a weekend of reunions, the equivalent of a long weekend of graduations, I have finally arrived in Cairo - my home for the next 12 months. I am living in Mounira, a quiet area safely tucked away among scattered decrepit government building. Apparently that is a good thing since it means fewer blackouts, especially during the summer months. I also happen to be living about a 12 minute walk from Tahrir Square, but I will let those proficient in white text to figure that out. Hey friends!!
A brief synopsis of my living arrangements: 3/4 bedrooms (we have a makeshift room in the living room where a pretty cool Egyptian guy is living at the moment), 2 baths, a kitchen, a nice large living room with like 10 very regal-looking chairs. I have my own room with a queen size bed, a couple of chairs and a massive closet that will house my extensive wardrobe. If anyone is looking for some extra storage... The view from my room is kinda blah, but then again, the color scheme in Cairo ranges from fawn to sepia according to this brown/orange hue chart.

Living Room

Makeshift Room

A View from My Room

Truthfully on a whole it was a pretty slow first day. Started early with the CASA orientation in Zamalek, the small island in the middle of Cairo smack in the middle of the Nile. Due to certain security concerns as of two and a half years ago, the American University in Cairo campus that previously housed CASA is closed. So our classes are being held in the AUC dormitory in Zamalek where I lived exactly three years ago. Such fond memories. Out of the 29 students participating in the program this year, I knew five and had one degree of separation from about eight or nine more. I realized I am much better at Arabic geography than that other type. (Jewish)

After a delicious ful (fava beans) sandwich for lunch and a few mishaps in figuring out my phone situation (apparently Verizon will unlock your iPhone for free, who knew?) we headed out to Dokki (another neighborhood in Cairo where many CASA people live) where we dined at a Yemen(ite?) restaurant, apparently a must for all Americans coming to Cairo for the year. While the vegetarian cuisine was lacking, I had my first experience of the ongoing blackouts in Egypt when we first walked into the restaurant. Ahh, I was also mistaken for a Syrian today in the taxi ride over to the CASA facilities. Not sure how much that means to other people, but for me, it's why I'm here. It's gonna be a good year.