Day 5...

It seems like month 5! I've done so much, and have seen so much. I'm working on uploading photos from our trips to the Citadel and Montazah palace and beach, but the blog upload thing doesn't seem to like my computer. I might try to put them on Facebook, so check that out.

OK, so not enough time for all of my stories, but here are a few, that are indicative of my time here so far.

First of all, traffic and driving here is absolutely insane. There are very few stop lights, and although there are lane lines on the larger roads, no one seems to pay any attention to them. Cars weave in and out of the lanes, and horns and hand signals replace blinkers. I think my favorite cab ride so far was when I was returning to my apartment one night with a girl in the program who lives near me. Our cab driver had the Arabic music blasting, and we were careening through the streets. You learn to put your trust in these cab drivers - I think it's well-placed, nothing bad has happened yet! Anyway, we looked up, and there was a car coming in the other direction headed right for us. Our cabbie flashed his lights, and we swerved out of the way before we hit. A ride like no other - better than Disney World, as the director of the program told us.

The prettiest place I've been in Alex so far is definitely Montazah. Montazah used to be King Farouk's palace and compound, before he escaped to Italy to live in exile after the revolution. Anyway, beautiful gardens, huuge palace, and most importantly, amazing beaches. Now, Montazah is open to the public (for the price of 5 Egptian pounds, or $1), and there are a couple of hotels, and private beaches. We all wanted to go swimming, but Nehad (the director of the program) told us we couldn't wear bathing suits except on private beaches (welcome to Egypt). Luckily, a couple of the Egyptian girls we know who are hosting people knew someone with a place on a private beach. So, we got to wear our bathing suits and swim on this gorgeous beach. We stayed for a couple of hours, and ordered dinner there are watched the sunset - it was absolutely beautiful.

Finally, the trip to the beach brings up the cultural issue of being a woman in Egypt. Most of the women here wear some form of hijab (hijab meaning both modest dress, and the scarf used to cover women's heads). In many ways, however, the hijab is more of a fashion statement than a part of the religion. It seems more cultural than religious, in other words. And some of these women dress so well - matching their hijab to their outfit, and carrying designer purses and wearing designer sunglasses. But for me, it means that I'm very identifiable as a foreigner, and that I have to think carefully each morning about what I wear. Right now, I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and while some Egyptian women wear similar clothes, I still feel like I'm showing a lot of skin on my arms. But I haven't faced any serious harrassment yet - just a few comments, and a LOT of stares.

OK, well that's it for now... salaamu aleykum min masr!