It's Only the 2nd Day?

What to say? There’s so much going on inside my head and all around me all the time. Cats, for instance. Kittens run around the courtyard of our apartment complex, trying to squeeze past my legs every time I open a door, following me so closely I suspected rabies the first time I limped to my bedroom weighed down by all my luggage. But they’re just part of the friendly atmosphere here at the school’s accommodations. The outdoor corridors to our rooms are a beautiful chalky color, with palms and tiled floors guiding the way. My apartment has a spacious common room and a kitchen, bathroom, and 2 bedrooms. My apartment-mate from South Carolina (Justin Peterman’s cousin) has been great company. Before I left my family joked that having a long-haired blonde who dresses in cute Western clothing would take some stares off of me and the other white people in the group. I try not to make eye contact with people around me on the streets so I don’t know if it’s just paranoia that I still feel the stares. My skin does seem to shine ostentatiously, along with my uncovered hair. But there’s apparently some leeway for foreign women, even to sunbathe in bathing suits on the beaches bordering the city. Western tourists have made some of the beaches into upscale hotspots for swimming, scuba diving and sunbathing. I wouldn’t have said this before I came to Egypt, but it’s good to know there’s are nearby refuges where I can feel comfortable with my culture. I’ve been feeling kind of stifled by the norms here - feeling judged for showing an inch of neckline, not being able to give Ryan a hug, being careful not to smile too warmly at male strangers…but my classmates have been here a couple days more than me and I can tell how much progress I’ll make adjusting each day. It’s such a relief to be surrounded by other people my age from my country who speak my language, so that I don’t have to struggle to make sense of the newness on my own. One classmate is American but has lived in Egypt and Yemen and is fluent in Arabic. I can’t imagine going to restaurants or shops without him; he’s an absolute life-saver, and he hasn’t tired of babysitting or translating for us yet. I plan to buy him dinner or hookah (shisha) from time to time to emphasize our gratitude for his services.

Unfortunately the Arabic alphabet is all scribbles to me at this point, so using English letters to learn words is as good as creating a make-believe language. But it helps us learn vocabulary and pronunciation. New phrases I learned today are “Nice to meet you,” “What is your name?” “My name is Tori,” “Where are you from?” “I’m from America,” “Stop/No more,” “Of course,” and numbers 1-10 (but I’m still shaky on the details).