Happy Birthday, Katye!

Today is Katye's birthday, so be sure to wish her a happy one.

Classes started yesterday and I've got homework already. Since I don't recall much from the course I took a year ago, I'm starting at the beginning. Right now I'm only doing Modern Standard Arabic. [Background: MSA is also known as fusha and is understood throughout the Arab/Muslim world, although typically only used by media, business, and governments. Each country or region then has its own dialect. Next month I may start studying Egyptian colloquial as well. Because Egyptian culture has spread widely, the dialect is understood fairly well outside of Egypt. In any case, it would be helpful when trying to negotiate with taxi drivers.]

I've ended up in a flat owned by the school and it's working out well. My flatmates are a Swede, a Brit, and two Germans. Whereas I've been walking everywhere, I've learned from them that most foreigners just take taxis. I’m reluctant to acquiesce to this because I actually like walking, but the constant staring and comments are a lot to take. Walking is also made more difficult by the fact that the sidewalks are usually blocked and so one must take to the streets... along with several lanes of traffic, double-parked cars, and the occasional horse or donkey.