Wednesday, July 21, 2004
I'm finishing up the exams for the summer Arabic program at AUC today and tomorrow, and going to pick up Melanie Dixon (friend who studied Arabic with me in Amman and is coming to study at the ILI here in Cairo) at the airport this afternoon.
A couple notable birthdays this week: David celebrated his 21st birthday with an out-of-control, liquor-laced party attended by a number of belly dancers from this region, and my dad is scheduled to turn 60 on Friday in similar fashion.
As an aside, for next year, I'm currently leaning towards returning to the US to do a Master's in Arab or Middle Eastern Studies at NYU or Georgetown, which would mean coming back to America before mid-August 2005 for some adjusting time.
A couple notable birthdays this week: David celebrated his 21st birthday with an out-of-control, liquor-laced party attended by a number of belly dancers from this region, and my dad is scheduled to turn 60 on Friday in similar fashion.
As an aside, for next year, I'm currently leaning towards returning to the US to do a Master's in Arab or Middle Eastern Studies at NYU or Georgetown, which would mean coming back to America before mid-August 2005 for some adjusting time.
Monday, July 19, 2004
Good article on the recent cabinet change in Egypt.
I only have three days left in the Arabic summer program, then I'm off until September. John and Ryan will still be working part-time at the Weekly, but we'll take a lot of 4-5 day trips in August, to Dahab (Red Sea hippie backpacker town), Luxor/Aswan (the best Pharaonic ruins, in Upper Egypt), St. Catherine's (monastery atop Mt. Sinai)/Sharm El-Sheikh (overdeveloped Red Sea resort city), and Kharaga/Dakhla (oases deep in the Western Desert).
I only have three days left in the Arabic summer program, then I'm off until September. John and Ryan will still be working part-time at the Weekly, but we'll take a lot of 4-5 day trips in August, to Dahab (Red Sea hippie backpacker town), Luxor/Aswan (the best Pharaonic ruins, in Upper Egypt), St. Catherine's (monastery atop Mt. Sinai)/Sharm El-Sheikh (overdeveloped Red Sea resort city), and Kharaga/Dakhla (oases deep in the Western Desert).
Thursday, July 01, 2004
This is the third time tday I've tried t pst this. I'm nw n a cmpter which seems t be wrking fine except fr the stupid " " key, and "h" isn't responsive at all.
Happy birthday to Grandma, Katie, and Beth. Als, a frmal aplgy ges ut t Cllin P-Sng for frgetting his June 25 birthday while remebering everyne else's.
Yesterday I had tw dd variatins n the usual reactins to my freigness (Bitte Manni, Ich mchte das freigness). The first was in Tahrir, where an Abu Ahmad-type accsted me t try t cnvince me t buy papyrus r smething, using te bviusly rehearsed yet cmpletely nnsensical pickup line: "Hey Yankee, you from Denmark?".
And then when I was minding my wn business eating a delicius bwl f spaghetti at Baba Abdu's that evening, the kid at the next table cmmented less than three times n my uncanny resemblance t Jackie Chan. I mean, I can understand Lenard DiCapri, having heard that 4 r 5 times nw, but Jackie Chan's a bit f a stretch unless yu take my martial arts skills int accunt.
This is painful. I'll g back and add in sme "-s" later.
Happy birthday to Grandma, Katie, and Beth. Als, a frmal aplgy ges ut t Cllin P-Sng for frgetting his June 25 birthday while remebering everyne else's.
Yesterday I had tw dd variatins n the usual reactins to my freigness (Bitte Manni, Ich mchte das freigness). The first was in Tahrir, where an Abu Ahmad-type accsted me t try t cnvince me t buy papyrus r smething, using te bviusly rehearsed yet cmpletely nnsensical pickup line: "Hey Yankee, you from Denmark?".
And then when I was minding my wn business eating a delicius bwl f spaghetti at Baba Abdu's that evening, the kid at the next table cmmented less than three times n my uncanny resemblance t Jackie Chan. I mean, I can understand Lenard DiCapri, having heard that 4 r 5 times nw, but Jackie Chan's a bit f a stretch unless yu take my martial arts skills int accunt.
This is painful. I'll g back and add in sme "-s" later.
