a new world, a new life

So I am officially living in Cairo, Egypt! After a two-day journey through the airports of Atlanta, Amsterdam, and, finally, Cairo, I have arrived at my dormitory in Zamalek, an island in the middle of the Nile right in the center of Cairo. This is the old campus of the American University in Cairo; there are no classes taught here, now that the new campus building has been built about 45 minutes away in New Cairo, but most of the study abroad students have chosen to live here, since it is the best way to get an immersive "city" experience during our stay. There are about 300 international students at AUC this semester, and I feel like I must have met at least 100 today.

My journey here was hard, mostly because I was traveling completely alone and there were 12-15 hour stretches where I wouldn't have a conversation with anyone. For anyone who knows me and knows how talkative and extroverted I am, you understand why that was tough. Starting on my plane to Cairo, though, that changed; I think everyone must be right about how friendly the Egyptians are, because I met several people just on the plane who wanted to tell me all the places I should visit and how much I would love it here. It was cloudy (and snowing!) in Amsterdam, but the clouds cleared out over the Mediterranean, and as we flew in over Cairo, the city was spread out below me like a glittering treasure chest. All of the streets here use these diffuse, round lights, and they are so soft that from above they make it seem as though you're looking down into the sky, at dense galaxies of orange and blue stars.

Thankfully, in the airport I met Mekal, a really friendly and outgoing girl from upstate New York who heard me speaking English and asked if I was going to AUC, too. Along with Phil, who is from Minnesota and had never set foot on a plane before his trip to Cairo, we took the AUC taxi into the city (only about fifteen minutes from the airport). The dorm was quiet, since it was 4:30 am by the time we arrived, but there was plenty of security, and we each got a little briefcase filled with AUC orientation materials. The dorm is beautiful, traditional Islamic arches and glass doorways hollowed out around courtyard filled with lush palm trees and greenery. And my room is huge-- twice as big as the one I lived in at USC! I felt so bad for my roommate, Lea, since I was moving in to the room at 5:00 am. But she's awesome, so she wasn't upset at all.

This is the gorgeous courtyard in my dormitory!

Last night, I went to bed feeling so lucky and excited to be here safely and already meeting amazing people. I fell asleep at dawn to the sound of the Zamalek muezzin calling the city to prayer.

it must be fate

As the clock on my Delta itinerary page ticks down day-by-day (only 15 to go!), my attitude about the next semester seems to change hourly. One minute I can't be more thankful to be taking a break from USC this semester and I'm picking up my Egypt travel guide to read it over for the hundredth time; the next, I'm scared out of my mind and all I want to do is cling to Atlanta and my friends here and never let go. The fact that I'm currently having to make appointments for rabies shots (seriously??) doesn't help the latter. So imagine my excitement when I opened the New York Times Travel section this past Sunday to find a full above-the-fold spread on my destination city: Cairo.

(all photos courtesy of the New York Times)

Well, that doesn't look too bad at all, does it? Author Jennifer Conlin visited during Ramadan in the fall of 2009, so she experienced a somewhat different Cairo than I will-- during that holy month, the city is quiet during the day as the 90% Muslim population fasts; after sundown, the streets erupt in parties, celebration and lots of eating. My favorite anecdote of Conlin's was this:

"One drawback of visiting Egypt at this time of year is that regulations against alcohol consumption are more stringent. As a result, nearly every restaurant and cafe becomes temporarily dry. When I stopped by the Sequoia restaurant to make a reservation for iftar, the headwaiter interrupted me before I could even give my name. “Are you aware, madame, that no alcohol is served during this period?” he asked, looking nearly as forlorn to deliver the news as I was to receive it."

This is the best part: the restaurant Conlin mentions, Sequoia, is the famed Egyptian sushi hot spot I've heard so much about. Located on the same island in the middle of the Nile, Zamalek, as my dormitory on the old AUC campus, Conlin calls Sequoia "a place to visit as much for the people-watching as for the view of the Nile." And it looks amazing!

In conclusion... I fly to Cairo in 15 days, and I couldn't be more excited!