it's settled then.

i head home next week, and after spending over one month here in egypt, i have decided that it's where i will return for my 6 month span starting late october.

i've come to discover a completely new version of cairo that i never before knew existed. i cannot attribute any of these discoveries to the recent revolution here in egypt, given that i have no real-life experiences to compare to, both pre and post revolution. and plus, i'm told that the revolution didn't really change egypt all that much. it has removed the fear from the people to speak out and voice their opinions on the government, and it has also given the people the feeling that they matter; that they have an effect on their country. but the difference that i feel is the ability to manage here long term, and the intense curiosity and desire i have to explore the city.

i've started to make some friends here. one is an american (girl) journalist from seattle, who was introduced through another friend via facebook. she's gorgeous, smart, my age, and not only do we have a lot in common, but i really admire her drive and crazy desire to live in this crazy city. we meet in cafes and stare at the other expats, scheming up ways to go introduce ourselves to make new friends. it's awkward to approach someone in a cafe just because they are speaking your language... but we'll work on it. our favorite topic of discussion is understanding the cairo dating scene. how to behave; what to do; what not to do; etc.

just last weekend, we sat in my favorite cafe, left bank, in my favorite neighborhood, zamalek, with my cousin and her friends, asking them for advice about dating and living in cairo. the dating subject deserves an entire blog entry of its own, so i won't even get into it. but none of the highly-educated, english speaking, upper-crust egyptian friends could understand why career women like us would want to come and live in a city like cairo. sure, we come from great american cities, but we both had the same lack of response. we just like it here. it's new, it's different. it will be a whole new challenge. all that, and a shrug of the shoulders.

i've been spending a lot of time discovering my 2 new favorite neighborhoods: zamalek and maadi, while overloading on caffeine. scattered with trees, greenery, and beautiful villas and embassies, these neighborhoods have always been home to many expats. all the local cafes and restaurants have plenty of english-speaking patrons to make an expat feel at home. in addition to spending quality time with my family, i've spent 4 weeks frequenting these cafes, starting my book, updating my blogs, creating a cairo blog, and drinking several glasses of fresh juice and iced coffee. instead of having my own schedule to maintain, i've memorized the schedules of my cousins while i wake up late and contemplate how to leisurely spend the day. unemployment has been a really good look for me. but truth be told, i have been thinking about working. i need to find something.

happily, my arabic reading skills have improved tremendously and will continue to do so when i enroll in courses upon my return this fall. and i think i will look into teaching english part time to earn some sort of income in order to sustain my cafe-attending, wifi bumming, iced coffee drinking, habits. i really can't wait to come back and spend a lot of time here. i feel so much optimism that this will be best year of my life!

oh and by the way, maged, my 17 year old cousin, is za sexiest man in all za cairo, and all za girls should come and kiss him. just fyi.