I've got a bit more time today to update you on Cairo thus far. It's been an amazing experience so far. I love it! Everything is crazy and dirty, but wonderful. Definitely a different experience than Upland, Indiana!!
The staff of my program are wonderful, so encouraging and helpful. The other students are great as well, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better.
This week has been orientation week, so we're learning how to get ourselves around and become more familiar with Cairo. We've done a lot already! We went for a mosque visit yesterday, which was definitely an interesting experience. As will be the case with a lot of things I experience here, I can't post sensitive material on the web, so you'll just have to wait 'til I see you in person. We also went on a felucca ride (a boat) down the Nile and walked around a touristy market place. That was definitely the worst harassment I've had here so far; its definitely going to be a challenge dealing with the stares and comments of men around here. Thankfully, its not the majority of men who are rude, but rather the few that are extremely forward.
On a positive note though, a few of us visited the zoo today and had an experience that is a highlight for me so far. A little girl came over to us to ask our names, and we ended up meeting the women taking care of a huge group of kids. Our Arabic is so limited we couldn't say much, but we laughed together and were able to sense that connection with these women. It makes me want to work really hard on my Arabic to be able to actually communicate other than very basic phrases.
Today we went on a scavenger hunt to be able to learn our way around a bit better, which was very helpful. I also took my first taxi ride, which are definitely frightening experiences!
Sorry I can't post pictures yet, I'll work on uploading them sometime soon. For now though, thank you for your prayers and interest.
No comments:
Post a Comment