Living It...

I am trying to make up for a couple things:1. That I have been horrible at posting, and 2. That I have not yet found the patience, nor the place, to upload pictures. But I am tryin to find somewhere that has decent internet because I really want to share a couple pictures! I am working on it.
A couple new happenings: So I thought it was going to be a normal day of class, and our first day of Islamic Thought and Practice. We were scheduled for an introductory course to Islam, and instead of going in the classroom we boarded the bus and went on a tour of 3 mosques in Cairo. The first is probably the oldest surviving original mosque in the world. It was built in in 879 AD, and has been realtively well preserved, to the point where it is still being used as a mosque. The second was built by the Abbassids in 1362, and the last was built by the Turks in 1869. They were all so gorgeous and breathtaking. But the whole time I could only think: wholly crap. I am in Cairo studying Islam, touring mosques. I am not just reading about it or looking at pictures, but I am living and breathing it. I continue to be amazed....
Last night we had our first Hafla, or party. The school I am with set up a cultural exchange program where each student is set up with a nice Egyptian friend. My friends name is Igny, and her sister is Rihab. We had so much fun getting to know eachother, and making fun of my Arabic (which, if I haven't mentionede it yet, has really gotten me into some trouble. Egyptian Arabic is very different from the Classical Arabic I studied. So I sound like I am speaking Shakespearean Arabic. Basically, I get laughed at A LOT). I already have duture plans with my assigned Egyptian friend and her sister. She promised to show me her favorite places in Cairo....which I am pumped for becuase I want to get an insiders view!
Well, not to brag, but I am headed to hte Red Sea tomorrow (Dahab...google it), so I should be getting to sleep!
Salaam.