You're so skinny, have some more.

Guys, food is important, and much as we wish to deny our inner fatty and pretend like it doesn't have a significant effect on our lives, it totally does. The other day I was having a particularly hard time with my host family and I found a packet of American candy that I hadn't realized my Dad brought when he visited me in December and I literally cried, I was so happy. Food is important, especially when you don't have the food you're used to to remind you of home. So this post is dedicated to everything I've learned about how to eat well in Alex, and how you too can do this if and when you come here.

Egyptian food is known for being terrible, whereas food from Jordan/Syria/Lebanon/Palestine is known for being great. However, in the words of an excellent article I just read, "Unlike the food in places like Lebanon and Syria, where a meal is composed of dozens of dainty dishes to slowly sample as you sip Œaraq, the local firewater, Egyptian cuisine is strictly working class."

So yeah, our food isn't bad, it's just fashionably plebeian, ok? Egyptians are the type of people that love meat and beans and potatoes and who would never touch dainty Œaraq, if they drank they'd drink beer and that beer would be PBR, except before it became the hipster beer. We don't have time for your bourgeois delicious appetizers, all right, some people have to work for a living and that means we need something fast and filling aka variations on bean paste slapped in between some baladi bread with an occasional tomato, and that's what we'll eat until capitalist blood flows in the streets of Cairo. Solidarity forever.

Sorry, what I mean is that Egyptian food is actually incredibly hearty and surprisingly delicious, but more than this it's unpretentious and efficient. Branch out from foul and falafel and try shakshouka(egg delicious) and hawawshi and especially egyptian moussaqa, which is vegetarian and way better than anyone else's version. Try the kind with apples if you can find it, it’s delicious! All of the above can be purchased from Abu Rabie3, the college eatery, for less than 50 cents American. For a good sit-down place for Egyptian staples, try Mohammed Ahmed in Mahatat Raml, and Safwani which serves excellent kebabs (try stuffed pigeon) and more substantial mains. Good Egyptian mains include Macarona bil Bechamel/Negresco, a penne, cheese and beef/chicken casserole, various tagines and anything mahshi (stuffed vegetables).

Also, as Valerie said previously, Egypt is very season-oriented as far as produce goes, which makes for some of the best tasting fruits and vegetables in the world. You know how you go to farmers markets and what not at home and wrestle over whether you should spend the 6 dollars on those delicious looking tomatoes in the summer, well all of Egypt has those 6 dollar tomatoes and here they cost 35 cents a kilo.
Look out for guavas starting in September, pomegranates in the fall and winter, oranges in December through April, strawberry season peaks in March, mangoes, apricots, and grapes are everywhere in the summer, and peach season just began a couple of weeks ago. I made a delicious peach cobbler just now.

But this means vegetables too! In the early spring you'll see cabbages the size of small planets in the markets, and everyone will be making stuffed cabbage, my Egyptian host-grandma's greatest contribution to society. Take advantage of the gorgeous cauliflower and zucchini that is so cheap and so readily available and just cook as much as possible. Also, interested in local, organic meat? Go down to your local butcher and pick the chicken or rabbit you want to eat tonight. Rob even got to slaughter his own once. Seriously, just ask, they’ll let you do anything in this country.

Alexandria is also the bride of the Mediterranean, and the sea is catering its incredibly delicious wedding, so go to restaurants like Qadoura (both in Ras-El-Tin and in Bahary on the corniche) for delicious fish, calamari and shrimp. I recommend having some roasted sea-bass and fried shrimp. There is also usually a guy in every neighborhood who fries up calamari for people and grills whole fish. Our guy is a genius. Look out for flat fish Samak Musa and tiny shrimp that you can fry and eat whole with rice and salad. Delicious. Fish are also seasonal, but I haven’t figured that out yet.

Here are some places where you can get American food when you need it:

China House (next to San Stefano, on top of Cecil Hotel) has good (but a bit pricey) chinese and thai food, including glorious chicken coconut soup. if you order delivery, they give you 12% off!

Coffee Roastery in Kafr Abdoh is like the cheesecake factory of Egypt, and has some delicious and relatively authentic chicken nachos. If they don’t give you guacamole, ask for it. They have it, they’re just lazy.

Café Ole, also in Kafr Abdoh has this thing called a chicken quiche which is actually just an incredibly delicious chicken pot pie. It’s also 13 guinea. You’re welcome. They also have really good tomato soup.

For pizza, go to the local places on your street that serve pizza and fatir, a delicious sweet or savory calzone/crepe rather than ordering from pizza hut or pizza queen, which will inevitably be really expensive and not worth it. Egyptian pizza is usually pretty amazing despite being lacking in sauce. For the best pizza and fatir in Alex, go to Dahab between the big and little Sporting tram stops. Great Italian food can be found at Chez Gaby off Nabi Daniel street near the opera.

Metro is the place to go for American groceries (proper peanut butter, good cheese, etc) if you have a craving that simply cannot be contained, but check out Fathallah, where the middle class Egyptians go for most stuff, it’s much cheaper and the selection is usually pretty extensive. They even have good lunchmeat—I recommend getting the smoked chicken kind and not the beef—and dark chocolate—Corona is delicious! They also have a toy section where you can inevitably find something written in terrible English. It’s a fun place.

General advice on food: don’t eat too many raw vegetables your first couple weeks here, and if you get sick of your host-family’s food, cook for them. They will be amused and interested in your kitchen adventures and you will get to eat a meal you want to eat. It also gives your host-mom a well deserved night off. Also, be firm early on in your host family experience about the quantity that you are going to eat. If they pile on the food, politely spoon whatever you don't want back into the dish and talk about how it's a sin to waste food and you'd never want to throw something so delicious away. They have to learn early that you are not to be trifled with.

And so, dear friends, I wish you full (but not overly so) and contented stomachs. Sorry this post was so long. Hope some of it was helpful.

pushmi pullyu

Ever read that story about Dr. Dolittle?  Remember that strange creature, the pushmi pullyu?  That's how I feel about Egypt: sometimes it pushes me away, sometimes it pulls me in.  Especially in the last couple of months in Alexandria, I am trying to evaluate my experience here, and in my mind I have drawn up a list of pros and cons to spending a year in Alexandria as a foreigner studying Arabic.  There are two sides to every coin: often we can see particular situations in a positive light or a negative light, and both viewpoints have equal validity. 

Here are some things I like about my experience:

1. Being by the sea.  Alexandria has a road called the Corniche, which runs along the sea shore.  Not only is it a nice place to take a solitary walk, it is a place to see the sea's changing colors and moods.
2. You always know what fruit is in season.  At Aseer Mecca, a juice place at the Sporting tram stop, they only make juice from what is in season at the moment.  In the summer you have to try the mango juice, apricot juice, and plum juice.  And if you're feeling adventurous, asab or sugar cane.
3. The comforting sound of the adhan, or call to prayer.  It punctuates my day, and at noon on Fridays I know to expect the khutba or sermon being broadcast from the mosque near my apartment.
4. Egyptian Arabic is awesome, in my opinion.  It's fairly easy to pick up if you listen carefully, and they have tons of colorful expressions and great slang.  Plus, it's much nicer to listen to the music of Abdel Halim Hafez if you can understand his beautiful lyrics!

And there are some things that I don't like so much.  Mainly, it's really stressful to be a foreigner, at least at first.  (It feels a bit like when I first moved to America, but at least then I could speak the language even if I didn't know all the lyrics to the songs that everybody had known since they were in their diapers.)  People tend to think we're tourists, even when you're in a dodgy part of town buying groceries-- clearly not a tourist activity!  did you see me arrive in a tour bus?-- and most people are bewildered to hear a foreigner speak Arabic.  They don't really get why someone from America, the dream destination of many Egyptians, would come to Egypt to live there and learn Arabic... doesn't really make much sense.  It's discouraging, and you really have to love Arabic in order to keep having these conversations, justifying your presence in Egypt and the nature of your occupation as a student of the language. 

But on the bright side, no matter how awful your experiences are, you can always be certain that, after the initial shock has worn off, you will have a very interesting story to tell. 

The 'Abu Rabi'a Run

'Abu Rabi'a, hereafter to be referred to as Abu Rabiyya since I'm lazy and slur the 'ain into a yaa, is a restaurant chain in Alexandria. You can get falafel, beans, shwarma (meat sandwiches), egg sandwiches, and awesome awesome sausage and bean sandwiches. They also have burgers, egg burgers, cheese burgers, and cheese egg burgers. None of these burgers resemble an American burger, it's the Egyptian style and worth trying. Also, try the sandwich named "The Abu Rabiyya", because it will change your life. It's not a sit-down restaurant, and it's a bit of a walk.

Why the info? Because pretty much every school day we send one or two volunteers with a list of food and a handful of money to the Abu Rabiyya by the campus to get us our lunch. The guys there recognize us and sometimes let us cut in "line", and generally give us the reciept if we ask for it (giving the reciept is not an Egyptian-restaurant thing to do). I recommend this for those that won't be staying in the dorms and thus won't be eating there either. Sometimes the staff messes up the order or gives someone a hard time, but in general it's a good system.

Also, it's kind of a family thing to do. Saba had a translation class yesterday, so I made the run for her. I had translation class today, so she made the run for me. You'll take turns and help out everybody in the program, and in turn will be helped out when you need it. It's nice. Also, non-students like Robyn and Karima participate, so don't forget to ask them if they want anything when you go get food.

If I could leave you any words of wisdom, just one thing that would help you the most while you are here in Egypt, this would not be it. But it's what I got right now.

The Ship Has Sailed

So we actually make quite a few jokes about our name here in the Flagship program.  We make a lot of references to ships and flags and such, and we have officially named our resident director the Captain of the Flagship.

We really have embarked on a journey of learning, and one out of the ordinary.  How many Americans get to say that they spent a year in Alexandria studying Arabic?  More importantly, however, how many Americans would want to?  Clearly, we are unusual, trying to avoid monolingualism.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, many of our fellow Americans (except for first- and second-generation immigrants and people who like learning languages) just learn English and sail through three years of mediocre high-school Spanish only to forget everything they ever learned.  But they don't need to learn anything other than English.  It's anyone's guess whether the USA has reached the peak of its influence and the focus of the world will soon move to another locus such as China, but seriously, we have an easy barometer: which language are people learning worldwide?  ENGLISH!!!  Why?  Because it is an easy language to learn, because people seem to love American things.  So they learn English.

This leads me to think of two points.  First of all, why should any American learn any language other than English (and learn it well)?  Second, if an American were to learn a foreign language, why would they want to study Arabic?

Well in response to the first question, there really is no good answer.  Everyone learns English so they can come to us, so why is there any need to meet them halfway?  To cross a river you need only one bridge, not two.  But I know why I learn foreign languages and why the U.S.G. is paying for us Flagship students to learn a foreign language well.  It is not just that the gesture counts-- although the gesture does count, as I can attest because of the number of times people have expressed how amazed and touched they are that I am here in Alexandria to study Arabic.   Learning foreign language teaches you to think about communication in different ways and opens up other worlds for you, and rich ones at that. 

So why Arabic?  The man who owns the stationary shop across the street from my apartment building in Rushdy told me that Arabic is not useful to an American, for the reasons I just elucidated above.  I laughed, but he was right, sort of, if only in a very general sort of way.  I could have learned Chinese instead, and I am not denying that, had I studied Chinese, I probably would have loved it just as much as I love learning Arabic.  But I see a big picture here.

There is something very strange about the way Egyptians approach the English language and the American culture.  As a friend of mine said to me recently, they "wear the culture" (i.e. clothes and music) very well but do not necessarily understand it.  And have no doubt that many Americans of non-Arab descent, and specifically foreign policymakers, are really lacking in education about Arab culture and all of the subcultures that constitute it, so there is a potential for making HUGE mistakes when dealing with the Arab world!  I am not saying that I understand Egyptian culture in its entirety, by any stretch of the imagination.  What I am saying is that I am trying to gain enough of a baseline comprehension of what Egyptian attitudes are toward everything that I can deal with them in the most respectful way possible.  Plus, Arabic culture is a goldmine, especially for me, the self-proclaimed music aficionado.  Each person has their reasons for learning Arabic, and it is important to be able to explain those reasons, so we can make learning and being functional in Arabic a worthwhile goal.

The Ship has sailed.

الحياة في مصر يا شباب!!!

Hey everyone! Well, firstly welcome in Egypt!!! You'll probably hear this about 1000 times per day around here from people who might think theyre being funny or ironically think their oh so smart and nice for welcoming a Foreigner with 3 words of broken English... Some are really just tryin to be nice, and yet the majority and I do mean the majority are just playing and being annoying!!! Dont mind them!!! I SHOULD be taking my own Advice, however I do not... I take it personally EVERY SINGLE TIME... I was born in America, yet being of Syrian origin, and having spoken the language for a long time, makes me feel annoyed that they think im a foreigner, its just weird to me.. Anyway, I am a foreigner and its not a bad thing at all, but again its just weird to me, I've never experienced being a foreigner anywhere before. Also the Egyptian dialect SO DIFFERENT than the Shami Dialect; so different in fact that I sometimes get very pissed or embaressed when I say something wrong that I KNOW IS WRONG but I dont know the word in Masri. So, whats the point? Well, being a foreigner has its advantages... U'll see when you get here... Maybe not immediately but you will eventually... And ALWAYS BE OPEN MINDED AND FLEXIBLE...

Aso, you'll reach a time in the middle of the year and be like "Oh, this Language is too hard and too much work" Or maybe not those words exactly, it varies from person to another, but yeah you'll have a moment where you'll evaluate why you even came here in the first place. If not, PERFECT!!!If yes then dont worry, that's VERY normal. You'll prob hear this at Orientation(the W curve) but Im hoping that youll take it to heart when its from a fellow student whos experienced it first hand. But stay focused, and beleive me when I say "You are so strong for doing this" Think about it for a minute, coming over from your home country where you are so used to everything going one way and coming half way across the world to learn a whole other language and interact with a whole other culture... You should ALWAYS keep your head up high and be proud of what your doing here. I am. Also, remember people would do anything to even have half the opporunity that you got. Think about it!!!

Also, there's this mini train, its called a TRAM, that takes you to the many stations in Alex. Its 25 piastres which is 1/4 of a Gine (Literally Nothing!!!). So, we use it to hop from place to place, its pretty CONVINIENT. It not the cleanest of places, and you might not find a seat 95% of the time, but its ok, you'll get used to it...

Ok... so after the summer in the dorms youll get to choose between a) staying there b) being in a host family, or c) renting an apartment. Whatever you choose is gonna give you a TOTAL DIFFERENT EXPERIECE. Me, I am renting an apartment with two other girls, and personally being the first time renting any apartment, its taught me alot.

Last thing, get to know one another... Pretty soon, you'll be like brothers and sisters and help each other through the hard times.

Yalla, Good Luck ya Shabab! ;)

BTW, I am very Happy to be sharing this info with you, because frankly we WISH there was somebody to tell us practical detailed things like this, SO hope you'll benefit from it...

Ma3lesh

Although I am of Egyptian descent and have been exposed to Egyptian culture my whole life, I can’t count how many times I’ve found something to be absolutely ridiculous. Let me explain…
It was late August when I was returning to Alexandria from my vacation in Dubai. Naturally, I flew Egypt Air because it is the cheapest and most efficient when your destination is, indeed, a city in Egypt. WRONG. Just as I drift into a light nap when I’m on the plane, the pilot makes an urgent announcement. He said the airport was CLOSED. Egypt Air has somehow failed to communicate with Alexandria airport and confirm that a flight would be arriving at 9:00AM. So, mid-flight the news is that we are no longer landing in Alexandria; we’re going to Cairo! I was a little disappointed…

The Egyptians on the flight were not very happy as well, so there was lots of yelling. Of course, there was a passenger who knew a guy, who knew a guy, who worked at the airport. He pulled some strings and got someone to open the airport just for our ONE flight. Passengers, again, were upset because they “informed family/friends/their rides” (in mid-air, yeah…okay) that they will no longer be landing in Alexandria, but in Cairo. The mood never quite shifted back to happy and loud, like Egyptians normally sustain. They were so anxious to get off the plane that they couldn’t wait until the pilot directed us to remove our seatbelts and begin exiting. Nobody listened. It was a bit hectic. So, what’s the solution? Hmm, well since nobody was cooperating, the pilot decided to turn off the engine (in the middle of the runway) and threatened to not move the plane until everyone was in their seats. I couldn’t help but laugh. Not only did we change our destination TWICE, but we were being treated like five year-olds because of our non-cooperative behavior.

Anyway, so what’s the moral of the story? Follow instructions on an aircraft. No, but seriously, don’t be surprised if anything’s “off”/unorganized/delayed, even if it may seem like the most miniscule thing. Don’t get upset or frustrated over it, because chances are, something even more ridiculous will most likely happen again. With all of that being said, living in Alexandria adds a bit of excitement and adventure to my life everyday and I find it quite amusing.
For prospect students: Just remember, it will be okay. Sit back and relax, or as the Egyptians would say, “ma3lesh/معلش.”

Chris here...

Alright. So it’s my turn to blog. Unfortunately I was not blessed with the creativity of some of my colleagues, so I’m just going to tell you, dear reader, a little story that many are familiar with but that I think reveals some helpful information regarding life in our lovely city of Alexandria. So, here we go.

The other day, maybe a couple of weeks ago, we’re sitting in the ‘dar’—our conference/study/sleep/computer room on campus—and a female colleague mentions that she isn’t feeling well. Being the chivalrous lad that I am, I head out onto the streets of Alexandria in search of Excedrin. Now, we’ve been here for several months, so trips to the pharmacy are pretty normal by now; today, however, was not because, well, sometimes I’m stupid.

Here we go, getting some Excedrin. I’m on the street, check the wallet, of course, no money. Lesson One: carry cash. Very few places in the city will accept credit/debit cards, and even those that do are unreliable. “No worries,” I think, I’ll just use the ATM that is conveniently located at the door to the School of Business—I’ll be back at the dar with plenty of time to spare before my next class.

I walk the short distance to the gate only to find the ATM is out of order. Ok, I know for a fact that across the street, in front of the gorgeous library of Alexandria, there are a couple of ATM’s. So I head that way, dodging taxis and Germans with fanny-packs (God bless ‘em). Naturally one is out of order and the other will not recognize my card. Lesson Two: if you find an ATM that works, use it and remember its location.

I decide to walk to a bank that I know has a working ATM. After a short walk, I arrive and notice a gentleman in a suit smoking a cigarette who waits until after I’ve made a fool of myself trying to open a locked door to inform me that the bank is in fact “clues-ed.” I ask him in Arabic which I’m sure makes his English sound like the Queen’s Own when the bank will be opened again because I need to use the ATM. Thankfully he is a bank employee so he understands the term ATM (do you know how stupid you sound when you try to explain this particular banking innovation in a foreign language???) and informs me it will be some time(lesson 2.5: banks/post offices/anything that you might think should hold convenient hours often close in the middle of the day). Does he know where another ATM might be? Of course he does. And its not far either—only 5 blocks down, on the left.

Gather round kids, here comes Lesson Three: after receiving directions, confirm, confirm, confirm. Ask as many people as you want, that won’t be a problem. It seems that, aside from soccer, there is no Egyptian past time more favored than direction-giving. People love to help here. I’ve seen arguments over who has earned the right to be the direction-giver. It is extremely helpful…if they actually know what they’re talking about. I’m not sure where this desire comes from, but rather than saying they simply don’t know, some people will just guess… Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I myself am not entirely innocent of this crime. Anyway, 30 mins and I don’t know how many blocks later I am still without cash or medicine.

I end up walking to an area known as Sporting, and along the way I get a lot of stares. Now, as a foreigner, you’re going to stick out—whether it’s your clothes, the way you cross the street, whatever, you’re different. There are some in the program who are constantly confused with Egyptians. I am not one of them (Think Jim Gaffigan, more hair, just as pale). For the melanin-challenged out there, take heart, you’ll get used to it.

Finally I found an ATM, and I’m off to the nearest pharmacy. I walk in and ask the nice young lady for something for a headache “you know, Excedrin, acetaminophen, whatever.” Blank stare. Not unusual, people don’t expect a white (seriously, really white) guy to speak Arabic (or what somewhat resembles it), so I get this a lot. I repeat…so does she. Then she slowly lifts her hand and points to an older gentleman sitting behind the counter. I walk over and I’ve barely begun repeating my request when he reaches into a drawer, tosses me some pills and says “15 pounds.” Now this is way too much to pay, but I’ve had a long afternoon and, for whatever reason, this guy does not seem like he wants me in his store, much less like he’s in the mood to haggle. So I leave with a cheery goodbye and I’m on my way.

A few blocks down I can’t shake the feeling that something was weird about that encounter. He seemed to not understand my speech at all, but somehow knew what I wanted—things are rarely ever that easy here… So I check the medicine packet… I don’t recognize the generic name, no surprise there. Then I notice some fine print on the packaging, reading “do not use without advice of psychiatrist…” ok that’s weird for Advil ….”or Urologist”…what the… I should buy something else.

Lesson Four: if a situation feels weird, whether its getting into a particular taxi, a bill that doesn’t seem to add up, or someone asking for your number, it probably is. Go with your instincts, and you should be fine. That’s what I did. I followed my instincts to the internet and looked up this mystery drug that a grumpy pharmacist was sure I needed.

Lesson Five: apparently, Viagra is really easy to buy in Egypt.