my face hurts from smiling so much.

I'm not kidding-- I have been laughing and smiling pretty much non-stop since arriving here. It's a combination of how amazing, smart and hilarious my friends are and the constant humor that Cairo provides. Around every corner is something exciting, ridiculous or endearing. Maybe the novelty will wear off eventually, but I think I'm still in the "honeymoon" period of my stay here.

For example: My friend Chelsea, who is from New Jersey and goes to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and I went to dinner at an awesome restaurant called Euro Deli last night. (I actually ended up going again with a different group of people tonight-- it's close to the dorm in Zamalek and has a huge variety of food, so we love it). Euro Deli advertises its European-ness by boasting of the cities that influenced its cuisine: Montreal, Beirut, Tokyo... none of which are in Europe. Go figure. (This is just one instance of the general attitude I feel like Egyptians have; everything is in Allah's hands, so it doesn't really matter if those cities are actually in Europe, or if you show up for class on time, or if you even bothered to bring a pen or notebook to class, or if the internet crashes, or if the change you get at a store is correct... you get the point. Insha' Allah is one of the most frequently used phrases here: if Allah wills it.)

Anyway, so Chelsea and I were walking home from Euro Deli when an adorable kitten ran up to us and started following us. Chelsea loved him and named him Fred. Look how precious he was.

So cute that she didn't care that he might have rabies.

Then, all of a sudden, a man came up behind us and picked up Fred by the head-- he literally just grabbed this little kitten's head-- and walked away with him. Chelsea and I were just staring at each other, and then we burst out laughing. Where was he going with this kitten?? Who knows?? Only in Cairo, right?

Every time I have a meal with any of my friends or just have a conversation with them, we have so many new stories of the general novelty and hilarity of this city to tell each other. I really wish I could just write them all down to share with anyone reading my blog, but there are far too many. For example, my friends Toby and Nick, who go to Washington University in St. Louis, went on an AUC-sponsored trip to Alexandria this weekend. Alexandria is about two hours away and definitely a must-see while I'm in Egypt; I and some other friends are planning to go when it's a little warmer. For some reason, while in this beautiful historic city, the trip organizers decided to make the dinner event for their one night in Cairo be a trip to an American-style mall. In the mall, there was an H&M, and there was an actual DJ playing extremely loud music in the store-- so loud that there was no way anyone could actually talk in the store. You might think he would play cool Middle Eastern music; there are so many popular music stars in Egypt and their music is really fun to listen to. But no, he was playing the Akon song "Sexy Chick" (that's the censored title) OVER AND OVER again. Why?? Who knows. It's Egypt.

This was just a great weekend in general. After my first full week of classes, which was pretty stressful (I changed my schedule about 5 times, and was so tired on Wednesday after having four classes in a row and an hour-and-a-half commute that I passed out at 7:00 pm), it was great to just hang out with my friends and enjoy Cairo. On Thursday night (that's like Friday night here, since Fridays are holidays), my friend Rosie, who goes to Bowdoin in Maine, invited me on a cruise party on the Nile with her British friends who also live in Zamalek. I didn't think my time in Cairo would include a boat party surrounded by British people, but I am so glad that it did! In fact, I don't think I've ever been around so many Brits at one time. Rosie and I were definitely the most conservatively dressed people at the party-- we were wearing dresses with leggings and tights, as well as long-sleeved sweaters, which is considered appropriate attire in most of Cairo-- and most of the British girls were wearing clothes that you might see at a club in the U.S. I guess it's a testament to how well I'm acclimating to the Egyptian culture that I was shocked to see their outfits. I have the same reaction now to seeing people holding hands or, heaven forbid, kissing in public. It was definitely nice to take a night off from that, and I had such a great time and met a ton of interesting people-- Oxford graduates, that kind of thing. Two guys were stopping through Cairo on a trip from Istanbul all the way south through Africa to be in South Africa in time for the football World Cup in June. (Speaking of football-- the American kind-- I'm planning to stay up until 3 am on Sunday night to watch the Super Bowl here!)

Rosie and I with the beautiful lights of the Nile behind us!

Last night, there was a huge party in a nice part of Cairo called Maadi, hosted by some other AUC study abroad students to help everyone get to know each other better. Even though the cab ride was about 40 minutes (and with 5 people squished in a small taxi together to get there, it was not super enjoyable), it was so worth it! I already feel like I know everyone so well, and it's a great feeling to look around at a party like that and already feel that I am surrounded by friends.

As much fun as I'm having (and I really am having so much fun), it's not all play and no work-- today has been pretty filled with homework, although I had time for lunch with my friends Ben (from Notre Dame) and Patrick (from George Washington) and dinner with my roommate Lea and Rosie, Nick, Toby, and some of our other friends. I love being in such a pedestrian-oriented city; while we were at Euro Deli, my friend Frank, another AUC student, who goes to American University in D.C., wandered by and decided to join us! That would never happen in Columbia or Atlanta, since no one walks anywhere.

But I don't want to give anyone the impression that Cairo is perfect. It's definitely dirty, although Zamalek is pretty clean, and poverty is present here in a way I've never experienced before or in the U.S. And although I am very understanding and respectful of the conservative culture, it is inconvenient, to say the least. First, I am a very independent person and I'm accustomed to being able to go where I want when I want to go there. This is not possible in Cairo, because I'm a young woman (especially because I'm an obviously American woman). The only places it's really safe for me to go alone are those that are within walking distance in Zamalek, and when I'm alone I feel very uncomfortable because of the looks and catcalls I get. I even feel weird walking to and from class alone at AUC, because I am so obviously out of place. It's really unpleasant. I definitely can't take a taxi anywhere by myself, so anywhere off the island of Zamalek is out of the question unless I have a male escort or a big group of girls. Thankfully, the guys in my study abroad program are very sweet and understanding, and will offer to walk girls places or accompany us anywhere if we need to go. But I can't help being jealous of them.

Second, I'm still trying to figure out all the subtleties of the protocol for women's clothing here. Dark, opaque tights under a skirt can apparently "give people the wrong impression" (this from another AUC student who is from Tunisia) even though there is no skin showing. Short sleeves are taboo as well for women; my roommate was actually scoffed at in the supermarket for wearing a t-shirt. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when it gets hot here (highs have been around 60 degrees since I arrived). But I'm trying to learn, and trying to be respectful; that's what living in a new culture is all about!

I'll end this post with a few more pictures-- uploading to Facebook takes forever here, so I'm sorry I haven't been able to put up a Facebook album yet. I also want to encourage people to comment; I was so excited to hear from so many people that they had read my blog! Please let me know what you think, and it's just great to hear from my friends and family at all. I miss you all so much and your support through this experience is really meaningful to me!

Toby, Rosie and I at a Thai restaurant (it was delicious, actually!)... with a giant sparkly light-up snowman?? Who knows. It's Egypt.

A beautiful street in Zamalek! This is right near my dorm. It's so leafy and green.

A house and garden in Zamalek. (I take pictures all the time on the street here and I don't care about looking like a tourist-- it's gorgeous here!)

Me and my friend Kelsey from UVA at Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. This is a huge center of activity. You can see the Egyptian Museum across the square behind us!