I've decided that I like Northeastern because they make you practice your paper writing and research skills throughout the semester.  It becomes extremely difficult to write a 3000 word paper on a topic you haven't researched properly, in two days, with the flu, when you haven't written anything but stupid blog entries for 8 months.  Not to mention the ominous five page paper, the extremely important essay test on Wednesday (for which I haven't even picked up the readings), a probable take-home arabic final (Really really hard and really really long), and a two hour essay test when, again, haven't done readings. 

Not to mention the unthinkable premise that I have to say goodbye to some of my best friends in the world right now for a completely indefinite amount of time.  I feel that next week is going to be tear-ridden.

This is going to be an interesting December.  Despite Christmas and all the idiocy surrounding that holiday, I really love December.  With it comes a nice blanket of snow that is proud of its resiliance.  It gets cold, but generally not January/February cold.  It's winter!  You know?  But this December there is a good chance I won't see snow.  My favorite December things won't happen.  So I'm happy it's here.  But sad that it's not the same.

There is an astonishing amount of stupid Christmas stuff in Cairo, especially in Zamalek.  The Marriot has a parachuting santa and snow flakes, so many stores have christmas trees up, the toy store has a very western looking santa and stockings.  I went into Alfa Market the other day and was greated by one of those singing/dancing santas.  I hate it.

What a Thanksgiving!  I have yet to eat turkey, and don't think I will.

Steve and Joe and I had a crazy adventure today, though.  We went to the Giza Zoo.  It started out all right.  As expected, it is a cruel zoo, a lot like the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.  A lot of sickly looking animals living in horrid concrete "habitats" with no food and little water.  Soon we realized, though, that Giza Zoo is an alternate universe in which no one has ever seen a white person.  This is the only place I've been in Cairo where people are simply mezmerized by Americans.

It started with some girls, just sort of walking by and staring.  It moved to girls and boys asking our names, where we are from, if we speak arabic, etc.  Then we were swarmed a little.  At one point there was a good of boys around Steve and Joe and group of 18 (Joe counted) girls around me.  The teacher of the girls was taking pictures and they were all touching my hair.  We broke away from this crowd pretty easily.  Probably because the teacher was there.

But a new crowd came, this one mostly 11-16 year old boys.  We took pictures with them, too.  We tried to be on our way, but as we walked down the path we were followed by what grew to be probably 50 adolescents, there were maybe five of them with drums.  It really felt like a parade with us as the centerpiece, band and all.  This was still sort of cute.  Annoying, but charming.  Very Egyptian, very good.  But then when we stopped moving again, one of the kids grabbed my butt.  I probably would have just let it go, but it happened a few more times.  Then I grabbed the hand that was doing it and yelled at the kid.  In arabic I was all, "that's forbidden (Haraam), you are a donkey (serious arabic insult), where is your mother?!"  He sort of scampered off. 

Steve and I then told them all that we were married, in an effort to prevent this from happening again.  But this only made them want us to kiss.  That wasn't going to happen, so our lie fell through.  There was still a pretty big crowd and I felt the same thing again, so again I grabbed the hand.  It was the same kid, so I sort of twisted his arm and yelled at him some more.  When it happened one more time Steve like lunged at the kid, yelled something, and the kid disappeared.

As we made our way closer and closer to the exit, the crowd got smaller.  Soon we were without a crowd, but still a little ways from the exit.  Some totally innocent, normal looking like 22-25 year old guys started talking to us, just what are your names?  Where are you from?  Whatever.  It was fine, they seemed okay.  Then a different guy came up to them and was all, in arabic, "don't talk to the foreigners".  The main guy was talking to us first said something to the new guy and the new guy get aggressive.  The three of us distanced ourselves quite a bit, but watched as the shoving got more violent until it escalated to one of them throwing a punch.  At this point a cop about four inches shorter than either of them showed up and tried to break up the fight.  When he didn't get the result he was looking for, so pulled out a long red stick and started hitting one or both of them.  At this point, despite our distance, we sort of decided it was better if we left.

It was definately an experience different than most Cairo experiences I have had.  One for the books.  Notice how the first thing I did was come back here and write about it.  Haha.  It was all right, though, definately entertaining.  And all for ten pounds cab ride each way to Giza and 25 piastres to get into the zoo!!!  That's like 5 cents go to the zoo!  No wonder the animals are so...sick.

Right, then, so I suck at this again.  It's all basically just my ploy to give you all a taste of what Ramadan is really like.  At the beginning I was diligent and wrote a whole lot, then as the month progressed my love tapered off, there was a message right after Eid el-Fetr (should have been a couple of that weekend and a phone-line jamming amount of calls to you all), but alas, Ramadan is over and we all go back to being lazy about keeping in touch with everyone that we love.  We are sick of everyone post-Ramadan and just want time with our friends and ourselves which we neglected during the month. 

Or maybe I'm just lazy.

Anyway, thought I should write today because it is indeed my 21st birthday!  In EgYpT!!!  Thanks so much to everyone who sent happy wishes via facebook, email, snail mail (got you card, Fabian, keeping an eye out for Mom's!), in person, on the phone, via the file sharing on MyNEU (those videos SoOOOOOO made my day.  I went to campus after that and I was soooo happy, all my friends were a little freaked out...haha!), and any other methods I'm missing.  I love you all and appreciate your thinking of me on this day of days.

So the day started at about 12:05 'this morning', I was sitting on my bed, had been doing Arabic homework for once for about half an hour, getting a lot done.  My phone rings.  It's crazy Liathana and she's all 'Come to Versailles (awesomely comfortable sheesha/lounge/food/beer place like two doors down from the dorm) so I can buy you your first legal beer'...can't pass that up!  So I go...and soon after follows Sapar, Tamim, Ahmed, Azzan, and Ayah!!!  It turned into a great little party.  After Tamim and I walked all over Zamalek for awhile.  Then I came back and around 3 slept.  Got up sorta late (no Lit class today!) went to campus a little early, hung in the fountain area, went to really really boring class and got a weird mark on my test, need to take care of that later.  Then I go back to Main Campus to head to Arabic and am told class is cancelled!  So I eat something and go up to get my passport.  On my 21st birthday I became an official ex-pat Egyptian resident!!!  So cool.  Then I hung out a little more in the fountain area and headed back here.  In a little while I guess I'm going to City Stars (the huge mall) to get shoes, even though I was there yesterday...  I don't know what tonight holds, probably dinner out somewhere and maybe some happy chaos.  Tomorrow 10:00 is the huge group going to Sequoia (in pictures!!), really really relaxed chill and smoke and eat and drink place, outdoor.  It's so nice.  I'm really excited and hope that a whole lot of people make it.  We have reservations for 20...in shah allah!

Anyway, hope everyone else is doing well.  That's about it from Cairo for now.