some brief updates

I am now back at work after an excellent weekend in Israel, which I spent in Tel Aviv with Sara (my cousin) and Jess, who was on her free weekend from USY Pilgrimage. We went shopping in Nachalat Benyamin and Shenkin St., had Aroma twice (seriously addictive), spent some time on the beach, saw The Dark Knight (really good!), and just overall had fun being back in Israel after two years. I am really enjoying Cairo, but after struggling with Arabic for a month it was nice to go speak Hebrew. Plus: renewed Labello supply and a new Michal Negrin necklace :) I flew back via Amman, arrived in Cairo Sunday afternoon, and now am back to reality. I like that Israel is close enough that I can just pop over for a weekend, and I am sure I will be doing it again.

Today I will be starting tutoring in Ameya (Egyptian colloquial), which I am really excited about. My tutor, E, lives nearby in Zamalek and came highly recommended. My flatmate M suggested him, and my friends N and H also use him. I will update on that later this week.

A few things other little things... Many people have been asking about photos. Don't worry, I hear you. I will try to load some more this week, hopefully of my neighborhood in Zamalek so you can all see where I live and all that good stuff.

Also, contacting me. Sadly I still have no internet at home, so Skype is not really an option right now. But at work I am usually logged into my Gmail and available for Gchat. So if you have Gmail, add me and we can talk! I am usually at work until around 6:30ish, which is 11:30 a.m. New York time, 10:30 a.m. Chicago time. So this works best if you are an early riser or can also log in from work. Just remember, I work Sun-Thurs, so don't try and find me on a Friday. That's the weekend, and hopefully I am asleep, tanning, traveling, or all three.

Last thing: comment on the blog! It makes me feel loved :)