EGYPT ROCKS!!! YEH!!!
So this is my I'm so excited to be in Egypt face! So, directly after signing the lease for my beautiful apartment flat featured in the previous post "my journey to egypt," Rabiah's brother Qadir and boyfriend Nader drove us directly to Alexandria to stay at Qadir's house. We arrived in the middle of the night, and that 3 hour drive down a dark desert road was painful. Even after a tiring 25 hour flight ordeal, I couldn't sleep through that.
The people here drive like MANIACS. No seatbelts (in fact, they tuck them under the seat so they wont hurt your behind when 6 people are pilling into the back). Kids ride in trunks with their feet dangling out the back of the car, infant babies are wedged between mommy and daddy on speedy motorcycle rides, I mean literally, the motorcycle is the "family car." Insane!!! I even saw a 4 person family riding on one bike--like dirt bike! LOL. So, the ride was quite scary, but I was entertained by all of the things I observed on the road there.
So the morning after my arrival, the first spot I wanted to hit-up was a seafood restaurant.
This is a photo of Nader and Rabiah at the restaurant <3!!!
That's Qadir, Rabiah's brother in the back! LOL...Looking like Samuel Jackson! hahah. (I hope he's not following my blog) hehehe.
This is me with the lovely daughter of Qadir and his wife Heba--her name is Nadia, so cute! She's half African American and half Egyptian, and she speaks both languages very well for a 2 year old.
She took a liking to me on day 1, which is unusual for her. I braided her hair here.
Here's Heba and their son Adam, and Me and my little Nadia again!
Yes, this is a prayer rug in the restaurant. They even have them in restrooms in public malls. They have prayer spaces in work-places, and even the taxi drivers fit in their prayers throughout the day. I bet my mom and dad wish I was a prayerful as the people here. :) They literally pray like 5 times a day, on schedule...AND....Drumrolll.............The Adhan (call to prayer) is read over a loud PA system that you can hear throughout the city at every prayer time.
Being Silly with Rabiah. You see the water in the distance? Alexandria is on water, so it's a bit cooler than Cairo during the day, but the heat wave when you walk outside is a constant reminder that you are still in the desert. lol
Can't wait to go to this outdoor theater. This was in view from the restaurant. Isn't it amazing.
A view of the water.
Time to eat! Look at these traditional Egyptian salads that come out before our ordered dishes! I'm already happy!
A seafood soup. Looser than clam chowder, but still dairy based. It was great, and only like $3US . :) :)
I'll have one of those and one of those and that one too!
Fresh Lobster!!! Yum! They were still moving and alive!
Sprite! in Arabic! Gottah love it!
Mussells to remember!
Okay..............So here is where I had a problem. "Didn't I order a lemon and mint cocktail????"... "What???!!! You don't serve alcohol in your cocktails?"...."Well I'm sorry sir, then this is not a cocktail!!!" I soon realized that Egypt is a very very very dry country! Sure, they serve cocktails all over Egypt--just without liquor! So for those of you who enjoy only the sipping, this is the place to be. lol
Five crabs, just for me, let's go!!!! Wait, I know what you're thinking...I already signed up for a gym membership, a post on that coming soon. Lol
Rabiah's fancy seafood and creamy rice dish--in a mega-shell!
Rice...covered in cheese. It was alright, but I had plenty more interesting things to focus on. :)
Me and a satisfied Nadia in the back seat...Yes, I know she's not wearing a seatbelt or in a carseat. That's just how they do it here. There were 7 of us in the car. Lol
My First Day of Work:
The Egyptian Initiavtive for Personal Rights (EIPR)
So getting to work was a serious task. Rabiah had to report at 9am and I was instructed to report at 11am, so yes, this meant we had to ride seperate taxis. I was scared to death. I had a crazy experience with a male Brazilian taxi driver one night after my Porteguese speaking companion passed out drunk in the back seat. So knowing only "thank you" and "I need" in Arabic was not enough to make me feel comfortable catching a cab alone. But, I did it, and with help from a few generous English speaking Egyptian women walking along the streets, my taxi driver got me to my destination safely. Now I take a 15 minute taxi-ride every morning, for only $2US.
Once I got to work, I was shown to this lovely office, which I have to myself. I am supervised remotely by a Boalt alum, but I work in an office with 20 other people. I usually get a few knocks throughout the day of people wanting to say hello and have a little chit-chat in English.
Me situated at my desk and ready to go! Working hard...lol
See, I told you I was1 I busted my sandals working so hard on day one of work. Zoom in on my left foot! lol
Below are some pictures I captured as I left the office on day one.
The antique elevator. One of my office mates told me that this was once a prince's building, that's why it's so nice. Lol. My little travelguide book told me not to believe everything I hear because Egyptians are known for storytelling. LOL. But the thought was nice.
The internal stairway, which is often filled with cigarette buts since people smoke in office buildings here. Actually, I almost put a man out of my office for smoking, but I let him slide. Then he came back later to chat with another cigarette in his mouth. I still harnessed the lion that hates second-hand smoke. But truly, I'm in a minority here, many many people smoke, even kids, it's pretty sad.
The entrance to the building from the inside.
The entrance to the building from the outside. Aren't these doors beautiful.
The entrance to the property from the street.
In all, it was great moving in and getting situated in my home and at work. I only have complaints about the smoking and dirty streets. But I am completely in awe and hoping to really learn alot and grow through this experience. Now that I'm settled, the great stories will begin to roll.
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