Life after Swine flu break

I know it has been awhile since I wrote last, so here are some updates from life in Cairo. Swine flu break is obviously over and now professors were given the chance to make up their missed classes on Tuesdays (which we once had off). Some professors decided to make up their classes on other days, which is fine with me since I’m already used to having class 5 days a week. Things are finally picking up speed with midterms, papers, presentations and other exams already scheduled for this week and the next. Midterms when we only had a few weeks of classes! It’s alright. I’ll get over it.

I accidentally called my parents 6 am for them (while it was 12pm for me) a few days ago. It was funny because they returned my phone call later in the evening with my mom asking me if everything was alright. She sounded concerned and all I kept thinking was, even if it was an emergency, they decided to return my phone call 7 hours later? The conversation continued with my dad asking how I liked my campus, classes, the food, etc as if I’ve just arrived to Cairo. It was very weird.

Last weekend my friends and I went to the FIFA Final U-20 World Cup at the Cairo International Stadium with Ghana vs. Brazil. It was my first football match. My friends made me wear the colors to support Brazil, so I assumed most of Egypt supported Brazil as well. We were wrong. There was a good mix of supporters for both countries. Midway through the game, I realized that I actually liked Ghana better. All Brazil was doing was keep passing the ball when many of the players had clean shots to goal. Getting a cab back was nearly impossible!

There’s a “Gucci corner” or rather entire area of students on campus that replicate scenes from high school in the States, even more adverse. There are many rich Egyptians that very well look like they’re dressed for some sort of fashion show with all their designer clothes, bags, sunglasses, etc. It’s more serious than the States. But what’s worse is the awkward and random English phrases blobbed on the shirts. For example, “I don’t have a big Ego, I just love you too much.” Why would you even wear something like that?

Some American students decided to make a Facebook event, “Americans Liberate Gucci Corner” where we shall dress like “trashy Europeans” and “end” segregation. It’s happening tomorrow. I’m really not sure how that will turn out.

On another note, my friends and I definitely want to try and live in an apartment next semester just because these AUC dorms are seriously lacking in major areas.

1) The internet is slow and constantly drops. We didn’t have internet in our dorms for about a week!

Incident: I needed some information from a bank of mine, yet I couldn’t have called them toll-free without using Skype. I was afraid that once I called them using Skype, it would get dropped. I tried anyway. It was about 16 minutes straight that I was put on hold and the call didn’t get dropped. I was getting pretty nervous. A lady then came on the phone asking me what I needed assistance with. I quickly told her that I was calling from Egypt and using Skype and to call me back on my cell phone. She was a bit confused, but took down my number anyway. So I waited for her phone call. About 10 minutes passed by when I realized she was never calling me back. I called the bank again. I got through much quicker this time and as soon I asked for the information, she was halfway done giving me the numbers I needed when I didn’t her voice anymore. I put my head down on the table thinking to myself how close I was to getting what I needed. As my head was down, I heard a voice ask, “Did you get that?” I optimistically yelled back, “No! Can you repeat that?” Once I got the information, she tried to sway me into opening a savings account with them. Since I was so happy I got the information I needed, I told her, “Sure.” As soon as she was done reading me some of the information the call dropped.

2) There are about 2-3 working washers and dryers for about 100 girls. And clothes plus other types of clothes (hint-hint: why would you ever steal these?) are getting stolen.

Incident: Some of the girls had their clothes stolen and one of our RA’s recommended us to “sit” by the machines while our clothes were getting washed. That shouldn’t be a “recommendation!” They just need more dryers and washers so strangers aren’t coming in to use machines on other floors.

3) The elevator doors’ sensors are broken meaning that it closes and opens about 4 times before it finally closes and takes us down to the first floor where we have to WALK down more stairs before reaching to the lobby.

Incident: Running to catch a bus that only comes every couple hours when the elevator doors don’t want to close, sucks. And you can’t run down 6 flights of stairs in a minute. Maybe it’s possible, but you don’t want to early in the morning. My roommate had to climb those 6 flights one time because the elevator doors weren’t closing.

4) I have to take about 75 steps before reaching to the communal bathroom (because we’re at the end of the hallway). This causes my roommate and I to pre-plan our bathroom trips.

Incident: Just today, my roommate washed her hands with some bottled water in a bowl in our room.

5) The receptionist likes to choose or rather “screen” our calls.

Incident: The receptionist wasn’t picking up the phone for a good half hour so we had to get dressed to go downstairs to order food! I know. It sounds a bit spoiled, that’s the way things get done here.