the salt sea air

I never realized how much I missed the wind. Something so simple, but in Cairo, it is a luxury. And in Alexandria, there was a beautiful abundance that smelled like the sea.It is so interesting to see a city that is such a compilation of cultures and histories. The ruins there are made up of layers of former civilizations, from the Upper Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, to the Greek-Egyptian hybrid in the time of Alexander the Great, the Ptolemaic dynasty, the Roman invasion of Julius Cesar, the Mamluk dynasty, and the violent birth of Mohamed Ali's modern Egypt, and the last days of the Egyptian kingdom.

The library is beautiful, and meant to symbolize the rising sun out of the Mediterranean Sea, poring light and knowledge from the center of the ancient world.The Fortress of Qaitbay, built from the stones of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, houses the memory of the massacre that ended the Mamluk dynasty and held off the impending Ottoman oppression, creating Modern Egypt and the beginning of kings.
Now the city is the beacon of Egyptian relaxation, with the Mediterranean bringing in that beautiful wind over beaches and buildings, mixing the smell of sea salt and shisha.

the Pyramids.

note to self: cross that off my life To-Do list.

a consistent reminder of luck.

Thanks to James and some of his Silverkey cohorts, some girls and I ventured out to el Mojito, the rooftop bar of the Nile Hilton. We danced until it closed at 4am. On the cab ride home, we listened to the salah from the minarets in Gezira and Garden City.

Between the beauty of that and the incredulity that I was 20 floors above the city's streets, watching the Nile flow through Cairo, and dancing with amazing new friends - I continue to ask myself, how did I get so lucky?

Spreading the Dream in two days or less...

I have sold AIESEC to at least 10 wonderful women solely based on my ability to smoke hookah and rattle off an elevator speech like it was a description of the weather.

totally Boss.

first Egyptian days...

three days in Cairo. my findings:

1) awesome ladies. from AIESEC and from AUC/ALI. fantabulous.
2) haven't met very men of the AUC boys yet (segregated dorms and all that), but they look like promising cohorts.
3) Stella, the local brew, is not too shabby (much better than India's Kingfisher, for sure).
4) I apparently am a hookah "champ". I blame AIESEC and the gentlemen of the modern American hookah.
5) I love AIESEC. and all that comes with it. Especially the people.
6) Tamiyah = delicious. whoa jeez.
7) An incredible whirling dervish performance can simultaneously make you dizzy and lifted. more on that later.
8) I miss everyone at home. Just so you know.
9) I am so ready for school to start. Cairene life requires Arabic, and I have never wanted it more.
10) Internets work best after 1am. Anytime else it is slow as anything.
11) Cairo = breathtaking. Yellah.

I'm in Cairo...

...and I am alive. More than that.

I am living, living the Dream.