c-c-c-c-cairo, my introduction

I rode a plane to Cairo and saw many things. The first of such are these....

My first impression of the city was from 10,000 ft. It seemed like any other city at midnight-lots of lights and quiet. Then I stepped off the plane. Immigration and customs were fine and as we walked off the plane we were greeted by men shouting out egyptian names of those on the flight trying to meet up with them. I cannot tell you how glad I was to have a ride come pick me up. When getting out of baggage pick up, men just appear out of nowwhere to ask you, I thought somewhat ominously in a low voice, "Do you need a taxi?" or "Taxi" and when you say no they disapear just as fast.

We (myself and three other students going to AUC of which I have seen only one again in passing) got into a van with our driver and took off to our hotels. I then received my first dose of Cairo's traffic and a lesson in the use of the horn. Since no one follows any road lines or such, the horn is the means of communication while traveling. You beep when you are close to a car, when a car cuts you off, when you cut off a car in response to their horn, when a pedestrian gets out of his taxi on the highway because their is a jam and he is holding up traffic, and when a pedistrian on the street crosses in front of you missing your car by inches. It doesn't matter the time nor the place, the horn is the cure all for traffic. I still have trouble falling asleep because I am not used to the noise. As we drove to the hotel, we passed somewhat deserted streets. There were men walking around, yelling, I guess preparing for the next day's work, a man taking a pee on the sidewalk, and our driver frequently got out and asked for directions. All in all we arrived at the hotels with very little problems.

My hotel was the Windsor Hotel in downtown. It is very old, has a used feel, but everyone who works there is very nice. There is an old fashioned elevator run someone who works the elevator (I don't know what they are called but it was cool to have that done.) I went to my room and it was pleasant. It was a small room maybe 10 by 8 with 15ft high ceilings as least. There was a comfortable bed and a small shower in the room. My watercloset was up the hall (totally different but equally as awesome). At two in the morning I arrived and spent a good while trying to call my parents knowing that they would be freaking out until I talked to them. I couldn't so I sent them a text message, prayed they got it and went to sleep.

I woke up real early and then couldn't go back to sleep because of the traffic so I got up showered and ate breakfast. My first meal in cairo consisted of three pieces of toast, a roll, butter, fig jam, glass of orange juice, and three cups of tea. I then used their wireless interent in their famous barrel bar resturant to assure my parents that I was not dead and had made it to my hotel.

Venturing out into cairo tested my mettle and overwhelmed me to the point where that night I retreated to my hotel room after dark and did not dare venture out until daybreak. I wandered around until I found my university (about a twenty minute walk) and then armed myself with some tasks to do in order to begin my semester here in cairo.

Walking the streets of cairo is an ordeal. I guess it will become a function of habit but not yet. I have already mentioned the traffic but their are shops everywhere. Where they aren't bursting out of the seams in the buildings they are spilled over into the alleys and side streets. Everything so far has been very cheap. My hotel was thrity dollars a night and included breakfast. The streets are covered with people going every which way, dressed from western styles of suits and such to traditional jalibayas for men and for women everything from very very conservative to women with western clothing with the veil riding way back on their head.

I don't know if this happens often to other people in cairo, but I have people come up and talk to me as I am walking on the street. So far the people I have talked to have mostly been trying to show me apartments or hotels. Their english varies in fluency and my arabic is basically nonexistent so the conversations are fun. One man helped me find my way then gave me a card to contact him for finding an apartment, his english was very good. Another who also offered me help to find an apartment was about my age spoke okay english. And then there was an old man today who I was walking behind. He turned around at looked at me a couple of times and then started talking to me. I had no idea what he was saying so we walked together for about 30 seconds and then I told him I was going to the university and then said goodbye. Communication is fun here in cairo. It really is. For those people who speak english, their accents can be hard to understand and mine is hard for others to understand.

After finding AUC and getting stuff done, I walked back to my hotel and checked out, not because it was bad but because I found out that I had been assigned university housing about a block from where I was currently at in the Windsor. This place is called the Cairo Khan and I am staying in a suite with three bedrooms, seven beds, two bathrooms, kitchenette, and large living and dining room. I have met two of my seven roommates and they and some of their friends from the university stayed up talking to the wee hours of the morning. They put my and my school friends late nights to shame as I think they do that every night, and we only do that every once in a while.

Suffering from jet lag forced me into a comatose state for six hours in the afternoon and then when I woke up it was dark. I then ate my second meal in Egypt which consisted of a fried chicken sandwhich, french fries, and some sort of white juice (very good and very sweet). I then, to my technological joy, found out that my suite was wireless and talked to both my parents and brother for a while. Reassuring them that I was okay and alive and having a good time.

One more thing before I go. I sill don't know my way around yet and know even less about ordering food so I live from meal to meal waiting until I get hungry before I go and try to order something again. I think I am going to lose wait because I am doing a lot of walking and not eating like I do at school with their all you can eat buffet.

Off for more adventures...till then, live long and prosper.