six days, six airports

So, the week before last, I went to America and back, by way of an impromptu overnight stay in Europe. I've been asked a million times since by my friends here in Cairo what it was like to be back in the States, and I always answer (truthfully) that I almost wish I hadn't gone, because it makes it so hard to be back here. Don't get me wrong; I have loved my experience here and will be especially sad to say goodbye to all my friends at the end of this month. But being in America and seeing my family was amazing, and as I battled my way through four different airports on the way back to Cairo, all I wanted was to go home to Atlanta. This wasn't helped by the fact that I borrowed my Canadian friend's copy of Gone with the Wind to read on the plane. I get something new out of that book every time I read it (I've been rereading it pretty frequently since second grade), but this is the first time it's ever made me homesick. After the close quarters and desert landscape of Egypt, I can't think of anything more beautiful than the red hills and magnolias of Georgia.

I left Egypt early on a Wednesday morning and connected through JFK in New York on my way to Reagan in D.C. There really is no better feeling than stepping off the plane into your home country! The airport was pretty deserted, since it was about 7 am, and the customs guy was really sweet (although his Knight Rider jokes about my last name were a little dated). To breathe clean air, be surrounded by diversity, and see actual traffic lights outside the airport windows was better than I can describe. I actually made a list of the places I wanted to make sure to eat and things I wanted to make sure to buy, so that I could get the most out of my four days stateside. I had my first Diet Cokes on the Delta flight I took out of Cairo; I think the flight attendant was a little shocked at how much I could drink in one sitting. Clearly, he didn't understand what it's like for a Diet Coke addict to go four months without a taste. Starbucks in JFK was next (we have Starbucks in Cairo, but it's just not the same). I spent my first afternoon in D.C. studying in a Panera Bread, which I've missed so much. Panera has been a staple for me ever since it was my friends' main bus-stop hangout in seventh grade, and it's been really hard to go without it for so long. Of course, some of the places I miss the most are unique to Atlanta and South Carolina: Taco Mac, Fox Brothers, Figo, Los Loros, Willy's, Tsunami, and, of course, Groucho's! I'll have to wait until June to get my fix of those. (Something I also miss and which most of my friends in Egypt have never heard of: Publix. And I won't have it this summer in D.C. either :( )

When I arrived at my hotel, the Westin in Arlington, the power was out, so I wasn't able to check in for over an hour. After 16+ hours of flying and waiting around, I was pretty out of it; all I wanted to do was pass out. I proceeded to do that in the amazing bed in my room (Westin beds are probably the most comfortable), although anything probably would have felt amazing compared to the mattress pad and wooden slats I sleep on in Cairo. I woke up to find that my interview program had accidentally assigned me a male roommate. Awkward! He said that this happens to him a lot, since his Polish first name apparently sounds feminine to many people. They quickly fixed the mistake, but he was really cool and I'm glad I got to meet him anyway. My dad's family is Polish, but he was the first person I've ever met who was fluent in the language.

Just walking around the Ballston area made for a great deal of culture shock. Somehow, I wasn't prepared to see anyone wearing shorts or tank tops; on the other hand, it was really comforting to hear everyone around me speaking English, and to not be the only blonde person in the vicinity. I was also excited to get to familiarize myself with D.C. in preparation for this summer. I rode the Washington Metro at least four or five times while I was there. It might be ten times more expensive than the Cairo underground, but it's worth it for the air conditioning, plentiful seats, electronic notification of train arrival times, and lack of molestation. Once my parents made it to Arlington on Thursday morning, we started exploring the city. I've been to D.C. twice or three times before, but it's mostly been in the context of college visits, so there wasn't much opportunity for me to see the sights. I feel like I could fill up all of my free time this summer just visiting the museums!

With my mom at the Washington Monument!

After my interview on Friday (which, sadly, I'm not allowed to write about here), my parents and I went to dinner at an amazing tapas place called Jaleo in downtown D.C. I was really excited to get to see my uncle Carl, who is finishing up his residency in Baltimore and just got back from working in an eye clinic in India last month! Also joining us was my aunt Liza, whom I'll be staying with this summer in D.C.

I spent my last afternoon in America making sure I had gotten all of the necessaries I had promised to bring back for my friends in Cairo. People had requested everything from eye drops to organic hair gel, and I successfully filled all of their orders! I was lucky to be able to eat my last meal before heading to the airport at my cousins Katie and Jerry's house in Oakton, Virginia. It was also my great-aunt and -uncle Olga and Doug's 55th wedding anniversary! Sadly, everything went downhill from there: a new plume of ash from the volcano in Iceland delayed my flight to Paris, meaning that I missed my connection to Cairo the next day. I was first given a new connection to Cairo through Frankfurt, but when I tried to board that flight five hours later, Air France officials told me I couldn't because, since it had also been delayed, I might again miss my connection. So I ended up staying overnight in Paris, but had to be back at Charles de Gaulle early enough that I wasn't even able to sightsee. My new connection in Prague was successful, and I finally got to Cairo two and a half days after I left D.C.

Since returning, I've been busy with two unpleasant activities: finals and saying goodbye. There are a lot of study abroad students who have already flown back to the U.S., finishing their finals early, and many more will be leaving this coming weekend, after finals are finished. (My last one is on Thursday!) There are a brave few of us who scheduled our flights for May 29 and 30, a good nine days after the end of school. I had planned to travel during that time, but it looks like I'll be staying in Cairo instead. I still have to do most of my souvenir shopping, so if you have any special requests, let me know!