Losing and Winning

Yesterday was our last day of orientation. After survival Arabic, we were divvied up into teams of two or three to participate in "Cairo Amazing Race"—y'know, like the TV show. This involved traveling to various places in the city and asking people questions, more or less. We went to Cairo University, where a Ph.D. history student showed us the auditorium in which Obama gave his speech this summer. We found the train station, the post office. We bought sweets and newspapers and huddled in the shadow of the Mugamm'a, in awe of the Soviet-inspired architecture of this Building of Bureaucratic Doom. We familiarized ourselves with the metro system and with Egyptian currency, got hooked by savvy storeowners looking to make a few pounds off the naive Americans, located the opera house, circled Tahrir square. We ate koshari and drank Fanta blackcurrant and learned how to say "swiss roll" in Arabic (hint: the answer is "sweeeees rooool").

Which is to say: a fun but incredibly tiring day. Our team, the second to make it back to AMIDEAST HQ in Dokki, did not end up winning. But there will be a next time inshallah. And then? Then we will triumph.

After the points were tallied and the game was over, exhaustion set in. Alas, Thursday night was not meant to be one of tranquility. 9:30ish saw the start of the Africa Cup semifinals, Egypt versus Algeria. We sat in a hotel and watched the game, the score slowly climbing to 4-0 Egypt, the passionate cries of "awya!" and "wallah!" growing in intensity each time something good happened. (As you can tell, my knowledge of soccer is super impressive.) Of course we got flags painted on our faces. Of course we wandered the streets afterwards, reveling in the processions of cars and two-wheelers and pedestrians with waving flags and blaring horns and occasional fireworks. So, you know, go Masr. Finals on Sunday against Ghana.

Today, I woke up in the afternoon and headed with two of the girls on the program to Khan El-Khalili, the enormous souq that's right across from old/Islamic Cairo. Took a taxi for the first time and overpaid but whatever. It took us a while to find the crowded/awesome part of the souq that sold everything from shishas to lingerie to enormous stuffed animals to tacky touristy t-shirts that had colorful hieroglyphics on them and were printed with your choice of either EGYPT or OBAMA. (I know, I know … but I couldn't help but buy one of the latter.) Also saw some sweet architecture there, lots of minarets etc., but wasn't quite sure what/where anything was. Regardless, I'm sure I'll go back.

After that, we grabbed a taxi back home. I chatted with the driver, Saeed, in Arabic a little (!) which made me suuuuper happy. It was just simple stuff—he asked my name, whether I was here as a tourist or a student; I asked him where we were at one point when we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and he explained that we were avoiding traffic (although I think we actually took a waaaay longer route than was necessary). He also said a few things I didn't understand, but still. It was nice. Exhilarating, even. I'm so happy I can actually use Arabic, even if it's only a little bit. It helps that I know more than the other kids, I think, because I'm forced to step up and be the Arabic-speaker of the group, if that makes sense. So yay. He had the Qur'an playing in the taxi and occasionally recited along with it. I paid him the same amount I had paid the first guy, too much, even though he didn't ask for it, because yaaaaaay Arabic. Dunno if that was his goal but who cares.

I am happy.