Hello from Alexandria!!

The beginning of the trip actually started in Germany. I was so excited because we had a 9 hour layover there so a large group of us decided to go out and see the city. Despite our lack of sleep, the poor weather conditions and our attire being appropriate only for a summer in Egypt, we still enjoyed the city as much as possible.

Once we arrived in Alexandria we had orientation for three days. The first day we didn't do much except take our placement exams. In the evening of the first night a small group of us went to watch a world cup qualifying match between Egypt and Algeria in one of those street cafes where only men go. It was a lot of fun but unfortunately Egypt lost, so that was very sad news for the Egyptians.

The second day we continued with our placement exams and in the evening I went with two friends and sat on the beach. The beach was so nice but it was a public beach so I couldn't go in the Sea unless I wanted to go in fully dressed. After a relaxing afternoon on the beach we went to "Fish Market." Fish Market is a very expensive seafood place which I do not like because the prices are ridiculous. After eating seafood we went to smoke shisha in the cafe next door called the "Grand Cafe" It was very nice and they had really good Om Aly. Om Aly is an Egyptian dessert and everyone needs to try it when they come to Egypt. It is my favorite!

On the Third day we had a scavenger hunt throughout Alexandria. This was a lot of fun. First of all none of us knew anything about the city. Secondly, we only speak broken Arabic. This was very interesting to say the least. I think the hardest part about the scavenger hunt is that Egyptians love to help everyone out. So when asking for directions they will tell you where to go even if they don't know. It was very hard to know who actually knew and who didn't. I enjoyed talking with the Egyptians a lot because they are all so helpful and nice. However, I think my team began to hate me because for those of you who know me well, you know I get very competitive. During the competition I was walking very fast which made it hard for my team to keep up with me. Also I am not very nice when I am in competitive mode, so for that I apologize to my team.

After running circles around the city most of us went for a delicious meal at a restaurant called Belbaa. It was the best BBQ I have ever had in my life. Also it was the cheapest for a whole plate of mixed meats, a drink, and dessert I paid the equivalent to 8 dollars. The restaurant was extremely nice and all of that included salads such as hummus, baba ghanouch (I don't know how to spell that) some fish dips and different types of cheese. Also the bread was homemade there which made it even better. I will be going back there in the near future.

After dinner we went to another cafe. This cafe sits directly on the Mediterranean Sea. We smoke peach flavored shisha which was very tasty and drank lemonade and coffee. The price here was much cheaper then the last one. It was only $1.20 for a shisha and a $1 for a coffee or drink. It was a lot of fun and the setting was very nice. It was right across the street from the Library of Alexandria.

Once classes started I decided to stop spending money. So yesterday I went out with the Egyptian girls on my floor and we walked in the Sea a bit and ate some Tirmis and Fool which are different types of beans. It is very nice to be able to just go walking up and down the Corniche. The scenery is beautiful and the weather is very nice. It gets a little chilly at night but you don't really need a jacket ever or perhaps just a light one.

That is all for now but I will have a lot of things to write about soon. Today is the beginning of the weekend so I will be going around a lot more:)