Last Days in Jordan

On Sunday we went to Petra. Our guide showed us some bas-relief carvings of geometric shapes that were the pagans false gods because "they did not remember what the early prophets said and forgot what God looked like" while we hummed the Indiana Jones theme song. Eventually, we split off and Cynthia, Caitlin, Jackie and I climbed the High Point of Sacrifice. It was pretty epic. The view was great, the climb was excellent (barefoot of course), and we a great little rest at the top for 45 minutes. Oh yeah, we also sacrificed Caitlin.

We went to the Dead Sea on Monday and it was absolutely beautiful. It was the perfect, relaxing end to the trip. Floating in the Sea was absolutely surreal. Turns out everything people say about it is true, who knew? The "free mud" was also fun to play with. We stayed up until five in the morning reminiscing and such. The next morning consisted of relaxation, water slides, and the pool.

Saying good bye to everyone that night was sad. It's going to be weird not spending every waking moment with the people i've spent the last six weeks with, especially one or two of them (I'll stop now for fear of being too maudlin). This is my last post for this adventure. The rest of my week will be spent at Abdo's house with him, Katie, and Deryn.

Ma' sallama!

Heartfelt Reunions

I am currently sitting in the lobby of the hotel with everyone else while our bus situation is figured out. We were given a tiny little bus that won't fit all of us and our luggage. Right now Dennis is figuring everything out because that's just what he does. Listening to him talk to whoever these people are on the phone is like listening to a well played symphony.

Last night, Abdo and Louis came to the hotel and picked Katie, Miggy, Lauren, and I up to head over to Abdo's house. It is an absolutely amazing house and we discovered Deryn there (*insert heartfelt reunions here)! We all hung out in the hot tub for a while and chatted about life and then headed out to a chic little sports bar (Abdo's younger brother accompanied us, he's a cool kid). When we got in we were pleasantly surprised to find a large group of friends from the dialogue there too. It was nice to watch the game (0-0, but France played better) and the mix of people from home and new friends we've spent the last 6 weeks with was refreshing. Our group headed to the shisha bar afterwards and then back to Abdo's house for a well deserved sleep.

This morning we had an excellent breakfast and wished his mom and dad (who are the nicest people) goodbye. After some more heartfelt goodbyes until Tuesday we went our separate ways, which for us was the grocery store and monetary exchange place. The grocery store was a little touch of home and shocked us with all the food we're not used to having here and, Gasp!, efficiency at the registers. It was pretty beautiful. Now, we sit and wait for a bit. Seven days until home.

Welcome to Jordan

We went to some more interesting ruins yesterday morning (and of course climbed to the top of them and played Frisbee in the desert area. It’s cool to know we’re probably the only ones in Syria playing Frisbee. After a nice bus ride back and a stop at Baghdad Café 66, which sadly did not really sell food, we arrived back in Damascus (Nasr's jokes are now blatantly racist towards the Japanese). The day was spent doing some more shopping and playing some more cards. Rob and I won our mini tournament and then learned and somehow won at Euchre. The new hotel is nice and naturally Miggy and I have a room twice the size of everyone else’s. We’re not sure how this keeps happening but it’s nice to live like kings.

Today we left Syria and set off to Jordan. The border was a fun little experience. Getting out of Syria wasn't bad (Zack, Rob, and I got to fill out exit visa forms for everyone and then explore the border a bit). We had to wait a good amount of time at the Jordanian border just because, well, it's the Jordanian border. We bid Nasr a sad farewell and said hello to our new tour guide for Jordan. He is no substitute. I'm not quite sure what his name is still and when he talks it just fades into a dull buzz. Abduh, and even Nasr, will be missed.

We stopped along the way to Amman at Jaresh, where we saw some Roman ruins. Everyone was hot, tired, and not loving the whole Roman scene. It got a bit rough. Amman is nice though, much more Western than Syria. The South Africa vs. Mexico game is coming on and we'll be watching the France vs. Uruguay game later (Viva la France!). Best of all, we're about to go see Abdo's house and hang with him and Deryn and Louis!

Palmyra

(Written in Syria, posted in Jordan)

We left the hotel this morning (after feeding the ostrich some toast of course) and set off to Palmyra. Nasr was in full Saudi dress. Do we know why? Nope. He also had a knife in his belt. His explanation was, “Hahaha, we are going to Palmyra.” It was a nice area but without too much to do. We checked out some ruins (and managed to scale this one area and get to the top of something we weren’t supposed to be on top of). Also, we made friends with the cleanest looking cat we’ve seen yet that just jumped into Caitlin’s lap and napped there for half an hour. Interesting. Oh, and some of us tried camel meat. It’s a lot softer than expected but without much taste.

P.S. – Nasr’s jokes are becoming borderline racist, especially towards the Japanese.

Syria is Not Real Life

(Written in Syria, posted in Jordan)

Monday started off with a trip to the Golan Heights. Yes, the Golan Heights. The entire village right on the border that was destroyed as the Israelis pulled back is still kept in its destroyed state. We were talked to by the town’s Minister of Tourism (it was actually a lot more factual than I thought it was going to be) and were shown pancaked buildings, a destroyed church and hospital, and finally the border between the occupied territory and the Syrian side. We met some really friendly Czech UN peacekeepers and could see the Israeli side not more than 400 feet away. It was an experience I still haven’t fully digested yet. Everyone knows about it but seeing it is something very different.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing some more shopping in the market. A bunch of us picked up some (Arabic head things) at about 50 Syrian pounds each (yeah, that’s $1) and found an awesome falafel place. The night was spent playing hearts and this awesome Canadian card game with Rob, Conner, and Jimmy. Rob and I managed pull from behind win that cancelled out our loss the night before.

Today we packed up and left the hotel for a long bus ride to (wherever the hell we are). The view of the mountains and valley is spectacular. We went to some place with religious significance and were prayed at in Aramaic, which is Jesus’ natural tongue apparently. Then we went to an awesome canyon and got to climb things, epic!

Afterwards, we went to a castle built by crusaders. It was enormous, with a moat, outer walls, a huge inner fortress complete with some nice towers, and one of the best views we’ve seen in Syria. And while we were there, a reenactment TV series was being filmed so there were groups of men in full crusader dress and arms. At one point Caitlin and I were exploring and went into a seemingly empty room. I found an out of site, hidden passage and naturally went to investigate. While in the passage way I heard a mildly frantic calling of my name and came out to find a group of five men approaching with spears (I swear our time in Syria is not real life). After talking our way out of that one we went on to climbing to the highest points of the castle and then exploring semi-barred, off limits, pitch-black tunnels with Zack and Christine.

We eventually had to leave and found that our hotel was pretty much a miniature castle. Miguel and I naturally had a huge balcony and a group of us discovered that in the back, behind the pool there was a large expanse filled random bits of broken equipment. Oh yeah, and also an ostrich and some peacocks (once again, Syria is not real life).

Off to Syria

(Written in Syria, posted in Jordan)

The flight to Syria was rather uneventful Egypt security was easy enough to get through, but, oddly, it seemed more intensive than when we came into the country. Once we got to Syria however, we had to wait around for a while as they checked to make sure our group visa was legitimate (Syria stopped granting group visas to Americans not to long ago after Obama renewed the sanctions against the country so we didn’t know if ours would work out still. Dennis asked several higher up people in Egypt whether our plan would work and he got three out of five yes’s so we went for it.).

Anyway, we made it in to the country and were greeted by our new guide Nasr, a jolly fellow who is absolutely in love with his country. We were immediately given bananas and the best nut medley and unlimited water (a lot bigger of a deal than it seems) once we got on the bus and eventually reached our new hotel, which is absolutely awesome and is just filled with our group so far. (Miguel and I did not get a balcony but our beds are the only ones pushed together. Still I wonder why.)

Damascus is absolutely amazing. It’s like a little Italian or French town except the currency is 1:46 ish. No one hassles you on the streets, the haggling is much more laid back, and everyone is just as friendly. Plus, the streets are clean and the weather is beautiful and breezy. Readjusting to non-Egyptian dialect is rough though. We had dinner at this awesome little place next door that had the best chicken I’ve had in the Middle East and some spectacular dessert.

Today, we started off the day with a walking tour. We visited some nice mosques (the girls all had to wear these hooded robes that made them look like jawas) and churches (huge Christian population) but the best part was the markets. We got some shopping done and discovered the best little pizza place right around the corner from the hotel, 15 Syrian pounds for a small pizza. That’s about 33 cents. We’ve each had about five so far and I’m seeing many more in our future.

Step Pyramids & Pre-Syria

We went to the step pyramids this morning which was a fun little trip. It only ended up being nine of us plus Cynthia which was a nice little break from the usual. The coolest pyramid was the one we got to go in. Yes, we went in a pyramid. Shock and awe. It actually smelled really bad down there and going down the steps was treacherous, but we were inside a pyramid. One last time. In a pyramid.

The rest of the day was mostly just lounging around, packing up, and maybe doing a paper or two. We said goodbye to our friendly staff here at the hotel. Miggy and I gave Hyshem a Boston hat and Northeastern t-shirt and he got us these cute, little valentines day-esque mugs with "love" balloons. He's pretty much the coolest one here. Habibi!

So, we're flying to Syria tomorrow morning and our visas are almost definitely going to work. The internet however is done for until Jordan, but we get to see Deryn and Abdo in a week! Updates eventually, ma'sallama!

Birthdays and Haflas

So we had our final exam on Wednesday, last legitimate day of class. It was exciting but somewhat disheartening. We're all going to miss Hassnaa. "Meegul...Habibi....b'il Arabee...I will throw this at you..." Thankfully we had something to brighten up our day, Jackie's 21st birthday party. We got her cake and then all went out on a nice party boat ride down the Nile. There was dancing, singing, and most of the time the motor on the boat worked. After that there were some more birthday activities and then we called it a night. Great success.

Today we had a hafla in arabic class. We wished Hassnaa a fond farewell and reminisced and such. The Photo/fluids kids left too. There are a couple we're really going to miss (like the ones who inspire Munch and Bagel airport wrap ups). Eventually, we went to Bora Bora for dinner again and it was just as excellent. Caitlin and I managed to get two Penne Arabiatas this time. We met a bunch of Rob's Egyptian friends and made some great friends from a group of kids from Michigan. The Michigan kids were a ball to hang out with. it's really nice finding other english speakers going through the same thing you are. Overall, one of the best nights.

Bab Zweila

Nothing really happened on Monday. Class happened and then everyone's frantic reading of The Yacoubian Building and the usual trips to Munch and Bagel and Metro and the Fallafel man.

Today entailed an excellent trip to Bab Zweila. For you non-arabic speakers that just means the door of the Zweila (which was apparently a fearsome troop of Berber warriors or something like that, coolio). So it was this really cool looking giant gate, but, more impressive was the attached mosque and the view from its minarets. It felt like being on top of the world/these were the most terrifying, you will probably die stairs I've ever seen. Lighting was non existent in areas and handrails?, what handrails? It was completely worth it for the view though.

Also, we had a discussion about The Yacoubian Building inside the mosque. I had to use the WC and there didn't happen to be one in this particular mosque so I set out to find one in the back streets. I ended up wandering around for about twenty minutes in the most non-touristy of places asking, "Fayn al-Hamam?" and being given directions that would eventually lead to a closed down location or something complicated enough to get me lost. It all worked out eventually though, and a little boy claimed I was his best friend.

Islamic Cairo

Today we toured Islamic Cairo. We hit up the oldest, still standing, still original material mosque in Egypt, the Mosque/school of Sultan Hussan, and the epic house of Al-Suhaymi. The best part was climbing to the top of the first mosque. Later on, we finally convinced our teacher Hasnaa, who spent the day with us, to go to a shisha bar with us! Later on, we went to a giant park in the middle of Cairo. It was beautiful, and we watched the sun set. The vast amount of visible pollution was a bit of a mood killer, but all the green around us was worth it. Miggy and I just watched Lord of War, excellent movie. Five more days in Egypt and counting.

Alexandria, The Citadel, and The Cinema

On Thursday we had an arabic test and then the sexes separated. Girls got to go learn cooking secrets from Abdo's wife and the guys just got to do their own thing, which means bagel sandwiches and finding ourselves a soccer wahled and whatnot. Jimmy, Conner, and I bought musical instruments from a vendor for 5 pounds each. We made some nice music but got showed up by Katie who can somehow play raindrops on roses. Damn the musically talented. Also, the rice guy at Metro was wicked nice that night.

On Friday we got to go to Alexandria. It was a three hour bus ride and we stopped at this wicked weird food/hellish zoo area, which was a combination of these nice, giant pastries with honey and an odd collection of animals. There were cock fights on the paths, a large collection of dog breeds, lions, tigers, ostriches, and more. Frightening, but better condition than the Cairo zoo.

Seeing the Mediterranean Sea was spectacular. It makes me nostalgic for summer at home. Our first stop was at this awesome castle, that reminded me of exploring Fort Stark, which was an immense amount of fun to climb up and explore. We had lunch at a nice Sea Food place and I got an excellent sea bass. The Library of Alexandria was pretty cool too. It was giant but far too much museum packed into what should be a free area. The planetarium closed as we got there but the Sadat museum was open, got to see the uniform he was wearing when he was assassinated. We also made friends with a couple of wahleds and just soaked in the beautiful seaside sights. Alexandria beats Luxor in my book.

Today was a free day that Miggy, Zack, Nick, and I used to check out the Citadel, the largest mosque in the Arab world (and presumably all the world). On the cab ride there we learned a fun new football cheer, Wahad Wahad, Teta Teta, Zamelek Zamelek, Telata Telata. The architecture was breathtaking and the grounds were so expansive it took forever to explore. We had a great view of the entire city and I managed to acquire a nice Egyptian ashtray to give to someone as a souvenir (and I didn't even get my hand chopped off). The military museum was closed to us because there were important officials there, despite the bs time increments the guards kept telling us as we waited for 45 minutes, and the police museum was utterly odd. While trying to get a taxi back, we were ambushed by a old taxi driver with slicked back hair yelling, "Thirty! Thirty!" and then trying to take Miggy's and Zack's hats as payment. We ended up finding a different taxi.

After we got back, and a three hour nap later, Tori, Caitlin, and I managed to get some awesome Lentil soup at Cafe Noir and then headed to see Nightmare on Elm Street with a bunch of people. It started off with a blank screen and the musical accompaniment of a high school dance (some old Akon, Eminem, and Ludacris) and even through in a surprise Intermission right before someone almost died. It was nice to have popcorn though.

Zoos and Dancing and Men in Black Suits

So yesterday, after class, about ten of us had the unique pleasure of visiting the Cairo zoo. The most accurate way to describe the city's official zoo is decrepit and mildly horrifying. All the animals looked emaciated and even the paths we were walking on looked worse than some of the back alleys we've been through, but hey, it's Egypt. We had two of the guards go with us (oh yeah, we have guards go with our group in a lot of places, either to keep us safe or just keep an eye on us for the government) and I got to subtly shake their hands and palm them their bakshish for escorting us when we got back to the hotel. Feeling like a secret agent, check.

Today, we headed back to the giant market area to see some Sufi dancing which was absolutely mesmerizing. These guys managed to spin in circles for half an hour at a time and the music was excellent. Afterwards, we picked some things up for great prices with our mumtaz-tic haggling skills and later managed to end up in the seedy underbelly of Cairo by taking a wrong turn or two before finding a cab. There were fireworks being sold everywhere.

And the interesting-ish story of the day...Caitlin and I were buying rice and pita bread and such for lunch at the Metro mart and had just gotten up to the register. We happened to be at the one with the cashier who looks like she hates everyone and we ended up getting cut in front of by a large Egyptian man in a black suit (this isn't the most unusual occurrence). As we moved to re-enter the line behind him he told us "I pay for this too" and bought our stuff for us, offered no explanation, and peaced. Did we look like poor, penniless waifs? Did he feel bad for cutting in front of us? Are we somehow that charming? The world may never know.

Niiiiiiiiiick

Another day goes by in Egypt; trips to Metro Mart to buy rice and pita bread and some fruit, learning the F-bomb in arabic (it's actually a common name and happens to be someone in our class), and some van ride karaoke. We went to St. Andrews Refugee Center today and learned about a potential co-op providing legal counseling/semi-social working to refugees primarily from Sudan. It was an intriguing looking job, but I'm still leaning away from NGO (plus, Cairo is nice but I'm not sure sixth months works here for me). Just picked up my laundry and some groceries and now to do some legitimate work and then off exploring per usual.

P.S. - The fun word of the day is Niick.

Luxor and the Arab League

The overnight train to Luxor on Thursday was utterly sketchy. The food was less than mildly edible, mystery meat and rancid-ish tahina. The rice was good though and thankfully we brought a bit of a picnic. The ride was entertaining though. When we arrived in Luxor we went straight Karnak Temple and another one. The architecture was pretty awesome and most of it was still standing. Then we went to the hotel with a pool on the Nile and poolside bar. We wasted the day by poolside and on a nice boat ride (stopping at banana island of course). The restaurant we went to was easily the worst food and service combination yet and the people in Luxor just would not stop trying to sell you things, way worse than normal.

The next day we went to Habu Temple, Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple, Hatshepsut's Temple, and the Valley of the Kings. The temples were great to be at but after a while they all seem to look the same. The Valley of the Kings was a new experience. The tombs were great but, as with everything we've visited, its hard to tell how much was ancient Egyptian and how much was restoration. Also, napping by the pool/Nile is awesome and we're all somewhat sun burned. The security for the flight back was a joke. We walked through with water bottles, pointy objects, pretty much whatever, right onto the plane. Absolutely inspiring talks about religion and education with Cynthia on the flight. She is adorable.

Today, we went to the Arab League and got to talk with the Chief of Cabinet. He actually answered most of our questions, which was so nice after the BS we got at the American Embassy, and was one of the best speakers we've heard here. Since then, its been a day of napping and working. It's nice to back in Cairo.

Thursday Updates

Had a test today in arabic, then, lunch at a bagel place (so nice to have bagel sandwich) and a nice Nile walk with a big group. Now just packing up for Luxor. We're taking an overnight train tonight! Off to a nice group dinner somewhere good. Next updates on Saturday.

Bayt-na, fee al'nos al'sharia

The 18th was rather uneventful. It was unfortunately the day Miguel and I moved from the Flamenco to Longchamps. We wished our room a sad farewell only to discover we had somehow gotten an even more beautiful room at Longchamps. Once again with a nice balcony and its even bigger with a much nicer bathroom (the beds are still oddly pushed together). The Egyptian gods must favor Miggy and I or something. We also finally discovered this wonderful Falafel place right near us. 2 Egyptian Pounds for a falafel, less than twenty cents, and you can put fries in it too. Beautiful. A group of us went to an epic place called Bora Bora, right along the Nile. Cailtin and I shared Penne Arabiata and it was easily the best meal I'd had in Cairo. The live dj was a nice touch but the bathrooms were utterly sketchy.

Miguel, Caitlin, and I went to the Egyptian Museum today. It was nice to just walk through it and bask in the ancientness, plus, animal mummies. We took a cab for the first time which was fun. And then, at night, instead of Suffi dancers, because it got all sold out, we chilled in a cool marketplace area.

Phrase of the day - Bayte-na fee al'nos al'sharia - Our house in the middle the street

Yani Yani Yani

Saturday entailed a chance to meet students from Cairo University (the non-American one). The students here were actually Egyptian and we all had excellent discussions on politics, human rights, and pop culture. We managed to snag a thumb drive's worth of popular egyptian music including the best song here (which is only now starting to get tiring), Yani Yani Yani. The CU kids were so much friendlier and down to earth. They actually seemed to care about what they were doing and were generally excited to talk with us. Hopefully we'll see them again before they leave. Felucca Ride! We also went to that awesome hookah bar that night again. We learned some names and made friends.

Today we had an interesting class like usual and then went to an unimpressive restaurant to talk about stuff with Prof. Sullivan. For whatever reason, something from today or yesterday did not agree with me and I ended up missing the football game to get to know the toilet back at the hotel and then fall asleep for five and a half hours. It was all in due time, most everyone's gotten sick so far. Feeling better.

The song we all now know the words to - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=449tYWy277g

Coptic Cairo

Coptic Cairo was interesting. Seeing the ancient mosques and synagogues was cool. Apparently Jesus hid in one as a child or something like that. We took pictures of Zack doing various activities around the temple. NBD (cafe).

Walking through the big mosque we went to was an experience. The girls had to wear head scarves, we had to take our shoes off, etc. We also went to see where the Zabaleen, the largest group of coptic christians and some of the poorest people in Egypt, lived. There was the largest amount of trash I'd ever seen but the church in the mountain was cool, especially the "naturally and miraculously" formed virgin Mary in the roof of the cave. Caitlin and I got to ride back in Abduh's car with Dennis and Cynthia since the vans were filled up. Absolutely epic watching Abduh and Dennis talk back and forth since they've known each other so long, switching back between arabic and english.

When the group got to Abduh's house we were treated to a lavish feast of the biggest turkeys I have ever seen and tons of other food which we gorged ourselves on. We eventually left, after playing an egyptian game that seemed like violent seven-up with Abduh, and went on a sunset felucca ride. Nice way to end the day.

Lazy Friday

We slept in until Nada (Our TA from arabic class at NEU who lives in Cairo) called around one o'clock. Unfortunately, through some type of miscommunication she never showed up to bring us shopping in the markets, where she says we need her because our haggling skills in arabic are subpar. Instead, we just hung out and exchanged life stories and pictures on facebook and such. Went out to get Caitlin a head scarf (or Scarfek) for Coptic Cairo and a beautiful blue dress (which I picked out with my wonderful taste in clothing). Then went to an awesome hookah bar with everyone. Less than 60 cents per hookah, compared to $25 in Boston.

Fun things about Cairo, the driving is crazy. There are no rules, lanes are optional, stop signs don't seem to exist, and the honking is non-stop. It's beautiful and terrifying. Oh yeah, and cross walks aren't really a thing here either. You just walk into traffic wherever and people swerve or stop. There are also stray cats everywhere. Absolutely everywhere.