Ping Pong!

So I found something to distract me from learnig arabic...ping pong! One of my roommates bought a set we set up on the kitchen table and our syrian roommate who is a very serious student turns out to be a competitive monster! Well, the good kind of monster but he is totally addicted to ping pong and the ball hitting the table can be heard late into the night. We also have a rice or grean bean in play rule...if the ball hits a grain of rice or a green bean it is still in play! Quite frustrating if your side of the table had the messy eaters for dinner.

We've also been getting out of the nieghborhood for friday prayers and that has been enjoyable as well. I bought a camera last week and so I'm looking forward to getting back to taking pics again.

Still having a bit of anxiety about continuing the trip but I have gone into planning mode and and am preparing to push off in a month or so...looking forward to India and malasia espically! But Thursday nights help with the anxiety because all of the american brothers get together and eat together and then play basketball. It is a nice touch of home. But I have made a lot of good friends here and at the language center so I am not looking forward to breaking away from them but...the show must go on. But a few more thursdays first!

Stuck between a rock and a loud place

So I have some decsion making to do. I'n trying to decide if I want to go to Jerusalem next weekend and risk the Isralie stamp which would block me from visiting other places in the Middle East. I'm also trying to decide whether or not to go to Yemen next or later in the summer when there is a gathering which includes a lot of western Muslims learnig about sufism. But it is a forty day deal and that would put me into august...Ramadaan will be starting up in the end of August and it is really hard to travel and fast. So...I'm not sure. I'm looking forward to seeing India and the rest of the east but it is a bit intimidating because of the language thing once again and I'll have to go back to my akwardness of calling strangers for help and...well I'm just tired of that. But once again, the benifits of seeing these places while I am so close is winning right now. I'm in the middle now and I have to go one way or the other to get home....might as well see some new stuff is my thinking!

I had an experience in the cab the other night that reinstated my faith in people and the reasons for visiting places like this. The driver was an old man...hard of hearing. I bargined hard but felt bad because he didn't seem like he was hustling but needed the money more. When he found out that me and my friend were American Muslims he almost crashed the car in delight! ok...that was a bit scary but the beam in his grin was all worth it. He wished on me 10 babies! Wow...what a gift! ha ha ha. But he was so nice and sweet I gave him some extra money and left the cab feeling really good about meeting him as he drove off hanging out of the window (not watching in front of him) yelling his salaams and well wishes half way down the road. He would have givin us the ride for free I am quite sure...but I insited he took more than the fare.

My Egyptian friend Muhammed has invited me back to his home as well to visit with his kids who call me uncle! Home cooked meals and good family fun...I need to get married soon ha ha ha. But not with 10 babies.

So admist the horns honking, stomach ills, sinus issues, arabic struggles and planning anxiety I find myself still enjoying the whole experience so far...that's a good sign.

The stomach chronicles

Well folks, I have officially turned 32 in Cairo the other day. I went to watch a movie and get a burger from "Fudruckers" in reemberence of the day. It was nice. There is a really big, craziely over the top mall here called city stars. It really puts most of the US malls to shame if you are into the over the top materielest thing. But still it is a sniff of home and I couldn't help enjoy the familiarity of it all even if the clothes are way more expensive than our US ccounterparts. I have been pretty busy with school and extra curricular classes that I have even been to tired to focus on planning the next part of the trip. I still have doubts about continuing on but moreso because of the unfamiliarity of the eastern half of the world. And I will have to go back to calling people I don't know and being in unfamilar places everyday....but i do know the benifit of this so...

But first thing first...I have to heal my stomach. It has been messed up for about a month now...which I am glad in a way, that it waited until I am settled a bit. But yeah uncomfortable. I went to the doctors the other night but nto with out pulling a popular Thomas move and going all the way in just to turn around and leave because I just didn't want to go to the doctor. But it was al good and I have some meds...so I hope this clears up soon. I have to stay away from junk food though : (