I'm horrid, I know, I'm sorry!

BY POPULAR DEMAND I HAVE RETURNED TO THE BLOGOSPHERE!

I've been really terrible at this - I blame the fact that my life has been sublimely busy and full of adventure.

Tonight I will make a list of things I MUST tell you about, and over the next week (inshallah), I will write wonderful things about each of them.

- The ballet
- 2nd trip to Dahab - 4 day weekend
- Classes, midterms
Arabic is a real mix here. On the one hand, I'm learning far more than I do in a semester at home. On the other hand, I'm overwhelmed by the pace and I'm still not getting 100% (or even 95%) out of each lesson - I think I'm hovering somewhere around the 80% range, which is alright for now. My listening comprehension and vocab are still nowhere near what I'd like, though - I think 3 semesters of the Brandeis Arabic department and my own over-scheduling have caught up to me a little bit there. I feel like I'm creating a good base for future study, though. I will certainly not be done with this language when I graduate next year.
As far as my other classes go - art history of Cairo and a history of the Caliphate - those, too, have their ups and downs. I loved my art and architecture class to begin with, and I still enjoy the field trips and the intimate view of the city they provide, but it's much more challenging than I expected! Identifying the style of carving on the minaret of a mosque is no easy task, I've discovered. Still, I look forward to our final class project - an opportunity to explore a favorite building in depth. My history class drags a bit, as it is almost purely a lecture class, but the battles and rise and fall of dynasties are pretty fascinating, and when I'm engaged I find myself pretty wrapped up in the melodrama of it all. It has also added to my distaste for the arbitrariness of religion - I find myself writing "This is ridiculous!" in my notes with some regularity. Incidentally, this is also my easiest class - we've had two midterms and I got an A on both, huzzah!
Time for bed - I have a fusHa test in the morning and a presentation in amiyyah in the afternoon, and it has been a long day of class, rehearsal, and studying. Inshallah this weekend I will find an hour to set aside for more updates.

- Play: The Bussy Project
- Strike, protest, lack thereof
- Apartment adventures: flood, landlord
- My stray kitty
- Friends, lovely people all around
- Thoughts, general :)

Last night I learned how to make a niqab (read: veil, the kind that covers everything but the eyes). You can do it with any large scarf. Not only is this a fun party trick, it's somehow nice to know that if I ever felt like it (or felt it was necessary), I could go pretty incognito on the street or in a large gathering. There are definitely days when I wish I could walk down the street in a burkha to avoid all the hissing and staring.


Some of my favorite moments in Cairo are the days where I'm not traveling, not studying, just wandering and living. Sometimes I walk down the street and think to myself, "Oh my God! I live here. I live in this crazy, wild city, and I don't remember what it's like to not live here."

I'm already starting to have anxiety about leaving - I miss everyone at home a lot, and I'm excited to see you all, but I just can't imagine leaving. I content myself with the thought that I know I'll be back. Whether grad school or a work opportunity or just travel brings me back, I will come back to Cairo.