A little bit of Cairo... my first week.

I left Salt Lake last Friday, and the week between now and then has been overwhelming and absolutely insane. I arrived in Cairo with the same feeling in my stomach that I had when I first arrived in LA as a missionary. I stand out here like I did in downtown LA (even with my brown hair) and I sometimes just have to laugh as I look around at these hijab-clad women and mustache-bearing men… somehow I’m expected to talk to them. Not just talk to them, but engage in meaningful conversation with them. I’ll be able to do it by the end of these three months, and hopefully sooner, insha’allah. As I said, right now it’s all a little overwhelming.

This week, we’ve been staying at the Maadi Hotel with two roommates. They're awesome. We have a pretty crowded room... 3 beds in a room for 2.

Our main objectives for this week are to:

1. Get over jetlag

2. Get accustomed to walking, riding the metro and taking the taxis (not as simple or normal as they sound…) and in doing so, finding Arabs to speak with

3. Finding apartments

4. Getting used to the food

So far I’m doing okay… let me elaborate…

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Jetlag:

It’s not so bad really, besides the fact that I feel like it’s 3 am at every time of day. I can’t figure it out. I’m not the only one either. The other day I was studying in the hotel room with my two roommates. It was 11 am and we had only been up for two hours. One minute we were all studying, and the next thing I knew, it was 2 in the afternoon and we were all waking up. We had all managed to doze off and wake up really confused about three hours later. We have no problem getting to bed though either. We’re just always so sleepy no matter what. Hopefully we can get over that soon.

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Transportation:

The metro is awesome. Especially since we’re not supposed to talk to men (or even make eye-contact with them) this is a great place to talk to the women. They have a women’s car (thank goodness) and I plan on only using that car while here. There are rarely women out in the streets, or in shops. Even in women’s clothing and shoe stores, it’s men who work there. I don’t know exactly why this is, but I think it might have to do with having to wear the hijab (head scarf) in public. They don’t wear them at home. Seeing as it might be a bit of a hassle to put it all together (some are so elaborately worn) I can see why some women would stay in as much as possible. Anyway, I’m not sure why, but all I know is it’s always a party on the ladies car. They get such a kick out of us speaking Arabic. I’ve made a few friends and hopefully I can talk with them for practice in the future. One thing I didn’t anticipate was the level of skill that it takes to communicate with a woman in a full niqab (head scarf that covers everything but the eyes). I was talking this dear woman, Umu Ganna, and I couldn’t believe how hard it was. So many barriers to communication… the metro was noisy, I was a foot taller and had to keep bending down and putting my ear by her face, there were no facial expressions and there was no lip-reading. Let’s just say there was a lot of nodding and smiling, and asking her 9 year old twins what she was saying. Any ideas of how to find women and girls to talk to are more than welcome… so far I have the women’s car and ladies’ underwear shops.

The taxis are a more expensive option than the metro, but not by much. The metro is 20 cents to ride as long as you want, and taxis are about 20 cents/minute. The good thing about a taxi is despite how tiny they are, you can squish up to 6 students into one (not pleasant, but possible) and split the fare. Also, it’s quite like a roller coaster, but less safe. So if you like adventure, it’s the way to go for sure.

You wouldn’t think that walking here would require getting used to, but it’s possibly the most dangerous mode of transport. Sidewalks in Egypt aren’t used for walking. People park cars, set up tables for their ‘restaurants’ set out items for sale, or park their donkey. It’s much easier to walk on the road, and once you get used to it its not bad. The hardest thing is getting used to moving your eyes around fast enough. You need to be looking down to avoid stepping on or tripping over broken glass, stray (or dead) cats, random steps or concrete blocks, children, sewage filled puddles, pipes and tubes and trash in general. At the same time, you need to be cautious of cars, bikes, busses and animals. There are lanes drawn on the roads here (sometimes) but it’s just a big waste of paint. No one stays in lanes ever. It’s just a free-for-all. You honk to communicate anything. As a pedestrian, it’s important to note that the honking isn’t angry, it’s just a warning that you will be run over unless you move out of the way quickly. No one will stop for you when you go to cross the road, you just need to go and time it just right so you don’t get hit. It’s kind of fun actually. Maybe I’ll film it one day. That would get me a lot of honking I’m sure. Even if there’s only one car in sight, and you’re trying to cross the street, that single car will come as close to you as they possibly can before swerving at the last minute to avoid you. Once you get used to that you just don’t notice. I doubt they actually hit people very often.

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Food:

(Some take out we got - falafel with a side of fries... big mistake. That fry was stuck on the box... gross)

The food here is pretty good, but hard to handle. I’ve eaten more meat, cheese and white bread here in a week than I think I have in the last year in Provo. Fruit and veggies are scarce (on the street at least) and can be pretty sketchy. If you’re eating off the street, which hotel living merits, you’re better off with thoroughly cooked meat than a salad. I’ve had more than my fill of shawarma, falafel, fatira, and koshiri. I finally got sick of it and bought myself strawberry yogurt, guava juice and crackers. That’s my Sunday meal… (and by Sunday, I mean Friday. We do church on Friday here). Basically I can’t wait to get into my apartment and start buying actual groceries. Don’t get me wrong. This stuff is good, just too much of it can kill you.

Shawarma is like a pita full of yummy meat that’s cooked on a huge rotating spit thing. They usually throw some other random stuff in there. For example: I had a chicken one the other day that had mashed potatoes and pickles in it. These can also resemble burritos, all rolled up. They’re super tasty.

Falafel is ground up garbanzo beans, usually made into little lumps, and deep fried, thrown in a pita with tahini (sesame seed sauce) or other various sauces, with onions, lettuce, fries sometimes, and other things. Also good… and only about 20 cents.

Fatira is like a huge pizza, but the dough is like filo dough (the stuff they make baklava with) and everything is inside the dough. They stretch the dough out really thin, make a pizza in the middle or the dough, and then fold the extra dough up over the pizza. They cook it on both sides, slice it like a pizza, and throw it in a pizza box. It’s also delicious… they make desert fatirs as well with custard, nutella, butter and sugar, or whatever you want really. See? This stuff can kill you.

Koshiri is interesting. I’ve only had it once, but this is what it was like: They bring out this bowl of a variety of little pastas covered in very dry-looking spices and herbs, kind of reddish. No clue what they are. You pour some tomato sauce on top, and then there’s this ancient-looking bottle of vinegar with spices at the bottom on the table. You pour that over the top and moisten it all up, mix it up and enjoy. It’s so good, and really filling.

(my first koshiri!)

There are also fresh fruit juice stands all over the place. They’re really sketchy. Who knows if they wash the cups… probably not. But it’s worth the delicious juice if you ask me. You just have to shut your mind off completely to things like that when you’re here or you can’t possibly enjoy anything. If you’re looking for a cushy, luxurious trip, avoid Egypt like the disease it will give you. If you want chaos, heat, good food and a lot to laugh about…

Itfadalu! Ahlan w’sahlan fi Misr! (Please come! Welcome to Egypt!)

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Finding apartments

We did okay here… I have yet to move in, so I’ll just say what I know. I’ve been there, so I know the following is true too…

We’ll have 7 girls in our place (two bathrooms, 4 bedrooms… I get my own room too! Yeah, they’re angry at me, but someone had to take it, right?)

We’re on the 18^th floor, right on the Nile (incredible view or Cairo, the Nile and of the pyramids of Saqara… you can see the famous Giza pyramids on the horizon if you lean out a window). We have been blessed with brand new furniture, a microwave (very rare here…!), a washing machine, nice beds, hardwood floors, high speed internet, an awesome landlord, no TV (which I’m happy about), oh, and a hobbit doorknob. That’s right… a big brass round knob in the center of our awesomely old-looking front door. Don’t be too jealous… I move in tomorrow!

I start classes on Sunday… I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say about that along with pictures in the near future. Until then, Ma3sallama! (the 3 is the sound that is made when you constrict your throat and moan in a Gollum-ish sort of way. I’ll happy to demonstrate if you see me in person.)

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oh, and by the way... the pyramids were awesome.

Update:

As you have surely noticed, I just posted a ton of stuff about my most recent (well, not even most recent, but recent none the less) adventures. I blogged all about my time in Hong Kong so that I could continue blogging sequentially and continue on to blogging about being here in Cairo... Cairo, you ask...?

I arrived in Cairo a few days ago, and I’ll be here studying Arabic until the beginning of August. Subsequently, the next three or four month’s worth of posts will be revolving around my life here. Some posts may be lengthy and boring, while others, I’m certain will be full of dramatic pictures, funny surprises and other things that will keep you on the edge of your seat! We’ll see… but it should also be noted that this, for me, is a journal of sorts. I may include details that no one will care to read about but are important to me. May you experience a bit of Misr (Arabic for ‘Egypt’) through me.

Hong Kong – Day 8

I felt little numb for this whole last day. It was hard to hold back tears most of the day, and eventually I just gave in. We all went to church in the morning and came home and had lunch and got me all packed up and ready to go. Mason’s sweet parents loaded me up with provisions for the long journey home. I had LemSip, which I may have become addicted to... Kleenex, chocolate, dried mangos, and so much more. It was so kind of them, and it made my long flight so much more enjoyable.

Mason and I left for the airport, and the minute I stepped out of the apartment I just lost it. I think I cried/laughed at myself for being so ridiculous for about four hours straight. I know. Such a baby.

Mason waited with me in the airport until the very last moment, when I had to finally make myself go through security. I had to run all the way to the gate, and I came really close to missing the flight… I may have kind of wanted to just miss it and stay in Hong Kong...

The flight was long, and I got no sleep. I got back to Salt Lake feeling so sick and tired and totally worn out. My sisters informed me that they wanted to have a girl getaway the next weekend, which I initially said ‘no way’ to. Eventually I changed my mind, decided I could miss two more days of school, and I just went. You can read about it here on my sister’s blog.

Just a week and a half later I would be on my way to Cairo… details to follow... and pictures.

Hong Kong – day 7

My last full day in Hong Kong was just as amazing as the rest. We had lunch with Mason’s parents in celebration of Mason’s dad’s birthday. We went to a quaint little Middle Eastern restaurant, which got me all excited for Egypt. It was so tasty...

Mason and I just hung out around town and we got me a new wallet (since mine had been lost and/or stolen earlier in the week). We had a laid-back afternoon cause I had packing to do, and then we went with Mason’s parents to a dessert bar… It was incredible! I had a goal to try everything, but after my first round of treats I had to change my mind. It as funny, cause I was eating all of these amazing things and drinking bitter LemSip medicine on the side. It was pretty gross. My favorite thing here was the Mango ice cream, and also the white chocolate truffles... mmm, so tasty.

After a week of amazing eating I’m afraid Mason and I both felt that we’d gained a little weight… most of our pictures from this last day kind of show it too, it’s kind of pathetic.

It was a good last day, but it was also hard, cause the reality that I was leaving so soon was beginning to sink in. It was frustrating to see time disappearing so fast, but at the same time it was hard to complain because the week had been so amazing.

(pictures will come!)

Hong Kong – Day 6

We headed back up to China on this day, but not before stopping off to see the beautiful Hong Kong Temple!

We didn’t go in, merely passed by, but it was so cool. The temple was actually closed, so we just went and saw the mission office and sat outside in the rain for a bit. The rain was awesome. It was warm and more like a mist that like rain. We spent about twenty minutes in the metro station looking for hot water at every shop (for my blessed LemSip) but had no luck. Although, we did pass a vending machine which was selling umbrellas! Of course, we bought one. It was right next to another vending machine selling ink cartridges… pretty random. Upon arrival in China, we ate at McDonald’s yet again, and then headed to an art village. For some reason it took us about an hour to find a taxi, and then about another hour to get to the art village.

I should’ve taken more pictures here, but alas. (Once again... these will be posted later). There were countless little art shops, some really amazing and some, well, not so much. We got to witness a little mass-production, as these guys would go by about thirty canvases, painting the same detail on each and then moving on to another detail. Pretty funny. There were also tons of kids playing badminton in the streets, which struck me as funny, mainly because my childhood friend, Tammy, whose parents are from China, was obsessed with badminton. I think she was even the national champion for her age group for a while in Canada.

As we were leaving (for another super long taxi ride) we stumbled upon an old man with a one-armed monkey on a leash. That’s all. Oh no wait, there’s more.

After China, we met Mason’s friends for a very late Japanese dinner, which was amazing. So much good food on this trip… just incredible. Not to mention, Mason's friends were super cool. I was super sleepy at dinner, which made me sad, cause I wanted to get to know them better.

We eventually made our way back home on the bus. And I slept.

Hong Kong – Day 5

My Aunt and Uncle, Gale and Chris, just so happened to be in Hong Kong when I was there. They were picking up their recently adopted baby, Eve. Sadly, as I had been feeling under the weather, I didn’t even risk getting close to her, let alone holding her. She’s so precious and looked so cuddly! I wish I could’ve played with her, but alas.

It was so fun to meet up with them and spend most of the day with them and little Eve! We all had lunch (yummy Thai food) and then had some amazing gelato… oh my, I love that stuff! We strolled a little bit through the market, watching shrimp try to jump out of their little selling-bins, and seeing all sorts of fresh fish ready to be sold… my personal favorite was the fish that had been chopped in half, whose tail was nowhere to be seen, and yet somehow, he was still breathing. Very weird. A little disturbing. We all took a ferry – the famous Star Ferry – across the water and beheld the magnificent view of Hong Kong’s finest buildings.

Little Eve was ready for a nap, as were Gale and Chris, and they were kind enough to let us use their hotel pool… Mason and I swam a little, hot tubbed a little more (it wasn’t the warmest day ever…) and then reclined all, covered up in towels (trying to stay warm and dry off) by the side of the pool. It was so much fun! Especially because we were given these awesome white plastic slippers, which I wore proudly. I think it may have embarrassed Mason… (Thanks Gale and Chris for the use of the Marriot’s really nice pool!)

We met up with Gale, Chris and Eve and Mason’s parents at the Peak and ate dinner at Café Deco, which was awesome. Delicious food, incredible view, good company. Mason and I shared our meals – a pizza, and this lamb dish… both were amazing, as was dessert. We all took the cable car down the hillside and went home. So much fun!

(Pictures to follow within the week... I promise)

Hong Kong – Day 4

This day was also amazing. Mason and I went to see his mom’s quilting class (which was at this incredible mansion… it happens to be the largest home in Hong Kong… very big, and very fancy) and then headed over to Mason’s old high school. It was so fun to see, but I started feeling so sick. Luckily Mason took good care of me – bought me a Panini and made me some LemSip... this hot medicine drink akin to Neo Citron, for those of Canadian origin...

Seriously, LemSip saved me in Hong Kong. I was so sick with a horrible cold, but about every six hours I would drink a hot glass of this stuff and I would feel so much better. (Thank you Mason for being so on top of finding hot water for me every six hours!)

After the school, we went to Disneyland! That’s right, Disneyland. Hong Kong Disneyland isn’t as elaborate or as big as the one in California, but it does have Space Mountain. One of Mason’s friends got us in for free (thank you friend!) So it made it extra fun. There’s a train you take up there that’s all Disney-ed out. I love the fairytale-ish feel of Disney land. It’s just so charming. I love it. When we were done with rides and fireworks, we headed out and decided to get dinner at one of the hotels there. I don’t know why I thought this was so magical (probably because it was magical) but the walk up to the hotel was so awesome. It was still warm outside and it had just gotten dark. There was this really long, tree-lined road that was completely empty except for us, and they were playing all the romantic Disney songs they could muster. It all led to a heart-shaped archway and some fancy stairs up to the hotel. Dinner was good, and I enjoyed some more LemSip, naturally. After dinner, we went and saw out the window none other than a maze made entirely out of shrubbery! We raced around it (Mason won) and took some pictures, which I may add when I have a stable internet connection... not one from this sketchy Egyptian hotel...

All in all, another AMAZING day.

Day Three in Hong Kong

Oh what a great day!

We woke up late and kind of took our time getting out of the house. Mason made me a tasty breakfast, and we headed into town. We met up with Sunny and Jonathan again and had lunch together, at this place called Rice Paper, where I enjoyed duck yet again. It was so tasty, but not quite as tasty as their desserts! The banana thing was amazing! And that tiny scoop of ice cream in the back was served on a little leaf. So quaint!

(I stole this picture from Jonathan's FB page)

Mason and I said farewell, headed the MTR station and left for China!

It was about an hour on the train before we arrived at the border. We got me a visa, and tried to make sure I wasn't looking too sick (I had caught a cold by this point, and there's this guy at the border who stands there with this thermometer gun thing. He points it at your forehead to make sure you're healthy enough to come into China. Kind of funny.) I passed the temperature test, and we went into Shenzhen! Our first stop was a little shop where we tried to find a new squash racket for Mason. He was trying to exchange his recent purchase cause it wasn't quite good enough... too heavy. We couldn't find any that were good, so Mason exchanged it for a tennis racket instead. A funny little conversation followed:

Me: You play tennis?

Mason: Not really. Do you?

Me: Not really.

Mason: Do you want to?

Me: Yeah, I think I do.

Mason: Me too. Let's make it our sport!

Me: Okay!

So Mason bought a second racket for me. I can't wait for us to be able to try them out!

Our second stop was Mason's mom's tailor, Rosie. Such a funny lady, and such a sweetheart.

(Me and Rosie)

She measured me and told me how much fabric I would need for certain pieces of clothing that I liked from an Anthropology catalogue, and then Mason and I went fabric shopping! I wish I could have has a week and a half there or more. It was so overwhelming! Fabrics like you would not believe. Endless rows of silks, satins and wools. It was beautiful. Mason is so patient. I finally decided on some things and we brought them back to Rosie so she could copy the designs that I liked, and then we went back out and found some more fabric!

(Me and Mason in Rosie's shop. *Side note: Mason is so awesome. It was so fun to get his opinion on fabrics and stuff. He actually cares about these things, and has such good taste! I loved it.)

After all the shopping, we were hungry and tired. So we decided to have dinner and get massages. Such a great idea...

So, I really dislike McDonald's. I haven't eaten there since I saw the documentary, Super Size Me. That was maybe 7 years ago? I don't know. It's been a long time. Anyway, our options were McDonald's and this amazing Kung Fu fast food place. So funny. See below.

(Once again, these pics are from somewhere online. I don't know I just googled it)

Yes, that is Jackie Chan all over their stuff, and yes, they will likely be sued one day. I thought it was so funny, and I really wanted to eat there, until I looked at the menu... Instead of pictures of burgers and fries they had pictures of chicken feet and mysterious-looking soups. I think Mason sensed my queasiness, and he suggested we go to McDonald's instead. Good call Mase!

(For the record, China has chicken nuggets that are obviously actually chicken. They are very tasty).

(very happy to be eating fries and chicken meat, instead of chicken feet. The peace sign is in honor of being in China)

Next up was the massage... we walked into the building for our massages (after wandering through all these cool tea shops) and I seriously couldn't stop laughing. We walked in and all the ladies in the lobby said something to us in Chinese in unison. They were all wearing very professional-looking matching red outfits and looked so excited to see us. Mason talked to them for a long time in Chinese, while I just had this stupid look on my face, trying to act as though I understood what was going on. Kind of a half smile with big eyes and raised eyebrows. (You just tried to make the face huh? Haha, admit it...) Finally this lady walked us over to this room, where she handed us keys and asked a question. Mason looked at me and asked if we'd like to take showers before our massages. I just laughed so hard. All I could think of was me getting lost in the girls shower area, loosing my clothes and not being able to understand anything. I said that I was good, and we could go straight to the massage, at which they handed Mason and I matching white shirts and shorts and showed us to our room. Haha, oh man. This was my favorite part of the trip I think.

Mason and I went in the room, which just had two little massage beds and a little table. They told us to change and that they'd be back shortly. We just looked at each other and laughed. We took turns changing and just laughed so hard at our little outfits.

The two ladies that would give us our massages finally came in and kindly took a picture for us.

We were massaged for about an hour and a half (which was heaven... especially the head massage...) For the first hour or so we were on our tummies with our faces in the little hole in the bed. I was a little bit sick, and my nose was so runny. I kept sniffling, and it was rather uncomfortable. Mason was just chatting away with the ladies and every now and then he would translate what they were saying. It was so funny. They thought I was really young, and one of the girls was so intrigued by "the foreigner's" light complexion. That would be me. So funny.

After a while Mason asked if I needed a new paper towel for my face. I was a little confused... not really a question I get all the time. He said the my masseuse had asked if I needed one because, as she said, "your girlfriend's face is leaking." Haha, oh man, the laughter, just overwhelming, especially cause I was trying to hold it in. I sat up and she got me a kleenex. It was so funny to me. After a while they left and came back with watermelon and this delicious lemon, ginger tea. It was so amazing. It was super sweet and had the thinnest little slivers of ginger floating around in it. They said it would help me get better. So sweet of them.

We got home late and I finished some homework that had to be emailed in that night (I love technology by the way) and went to bed very content.