what goes on

i know...it's been a while...but i’m back....after receiving many comments and emails anticipating the next post. i really had no excuse not to write...just laziness and stress from arabic. anyway, let me give an update on what’s been occurring in the past month.

1. our old roommate, nadiya has returned. she lived with us from november till january. bikey (former roommate) is in jordan. so now, it’s me, cow, naveed and nadiya living together. i share a room with cow.

2. a new supermarket (olaad ragab) opened up in place of the old supermarket (shoprite). but to tell you the truth, it’s nice buying grocery from the little shops because you interact and become friends with the locals.

3. since nadiya came back, i’ve been listening to her i-pod while i do aerobics at the gym. i do my own thing but i have an audience (i.e. big fat arab women who should be working out but instead just sit and blatantly watch me). but i guess i can understand why having seen their version of aerobics. you see, it’s not really aerobics. it just consists of dangerously jerky stretches.

4. my roommates and i decided to give each other haircuts. but it was nadiya who did most of the cutting. she’s never really cut hair but she gave the 3 of us very distinct hairstyles. i look like a member of a heavy metal band from the 80’s, cow looks like a prepubescent teenage (male) skateboarder and naveed looks like a little 6 year old girl who just needs to wear a frilly dress and run through the grass with a lollipop in her hand.

5. naveed, cow and i were planning on going to tunisia ‘cause nadiya had a fulbright scholarship presentation there and thought it would be nice to take a break from cairo. plus, i remembered during the african nations’ cup, tunisia’s soccer team consisted of VERY pleasant looking players . unfortunately though, tickets were a bit steep so the idea was nixed.

6. i've been wearing sandals everywhere i go which really isn't a good thing considering the dirt and sand and what it does to the soles of your feet. now, i don't think i really need to wear any sort of footwear 'cause my soles have become so hard and rough, it can withstand any sort of terrain.

7. dahab...my favorite and my roommates' favorite resort site was bombed a few weeks ago. alhamdulillah, one of our friends is alive and well since he worked far from the explosion. unfortunately, we do not know the fate of our other friends who worked in the very location of the explosion. i hope to go back one last time, insha'Allah before i leave egypt.

8. i bought my return ticket to the states. june 28th is when i’ll say good-bye to egypt, insha’Allah. i don’t wanna leave. i still have soooo much to learn. i’m just now getting into the meat of things. the only way i can stay longer is if i get engaged to a guy in cairo. perhaps i should hire someone to play my fiance....ahem, just joking, daddy...if you read this.