Yes, I officially suck at updating my blog. But I am seriously going to try to be better. So here is my attempt at blogging again... I went home at the beginning of July to enjoy 35 amazing days in Wisconsin and Las Vegas. But before I left Cairo, I first had to say goodbye to some of my best friends here.
My best friend Mary and I decided to drive across the desert to go to Dahab one last time. Our friend graciously lent us his car for the road trip, and we packed a knife and Raid just in case we were attacked by a Bedouin tribe on the way. We also had her dog, which we figured would also aid us in case of an attack! Luckily, we made the 8-hour trip with no hijackings. The most frustrating thing was stopping for checkpoints along the way. They seemed to be everywhere! We stopped, showed them our passport, and they always looked pleased to see us. Even if they were checking other people's trunks in front of us, they always let us go through with no problems. Egypt needs tourism and I guess they didn't want to piss us off. Some military men even told us how beautiful we were. Umm... thanks? We enjoyed blissful days in Dahab, drove back, and I left early the next morning for America! But it was extremely difficult to say goodbye to Mary. She had quickly become my best friend throughout the year. We spent most of our time together, and she now lives in Eastern Europe. Friends become your family when living abroad, so it's difficult being back now and not having her around. But a Christmas trip to Eastern Europe is planned!
Anyway, I flew home and found my parents waiting to pick me up. The day I arrived was the 4th of July, and I enjoyed the fireworks and seeing my friends. I went to La Crosse later that week to see my friends there. I drank A LOT of Red Bull to quickly get over jet lag!! The days went by super fast, unfortunately. I felt like I was going everywhere with everyone all at once.
Luckily, my parents and 2 of my friends snuck a week in to go to Las Vegas! We did everything there is to do there, including seeing Cirque du Soleil, the Thunder From Down Under (hilarious! and hot), gambling, going to old Vegas, etc. My friends and I also enjoyed Vegas nightlife. One of the highlights was going to a "real" nightclub, LAX. I quickly found a cutie in VIP, flirted, and got us into VIP for free! We enjoyed the high roller life for a night.
Coming back to Egypt was harder the 2nd time for some reason. The adventure of going somewhere new and exciting was gone. I knew where I was going. I knew what my apartment looked like. I knew (most) of my students and where I was teaching. I knew a little bit of the language. I knew where to get groceries. I knew where to go hang out. This should have been comforting. But it seemed... almost like I didn't know why I was coming back. What was the point? Had I suddenly become an adrenaline-junkie and couldn't be excited unless I was going into the great unkown? But alas, I came back. The hardest part is leaving my parent's house for the last time, and the drive to the airport. Well, obviously the hardest part is sitting on an airplane for 2 days... I guess I should say the most emotional part. I knew I was saying goodbye to everyone for a full year with no plans of coming back for Christmas. But I still have faith that I'm doing the right thing.
So I have been back since Aug. 8... in time for Ramadan! We haven't had students yet, but they are supposed to come on Tuesday. I am still teaching drama and ELS like last year. But there are still 2 more exciting stories:
1. I applied for a job for next year. I heard last Friday that my application was reviewed and that I have advanced directly to the final interview stage!! Now I have to fly back to the US at the end of Oct. (hopefully to New York) to attend the full-day interview and hopefully get a job for the next 2 years. This position will also allow/support my Master's Degree. I'm hopeful that I'll get a job somewhere in the US and get my Master's! I haven't decided if I'm going to get it in reading or ESL yet, or stick with something in drama and have a specialty.
2. I went to Sharm for a few days for our Eid vacation after Ramadan. Sharm el Sheikh is on the tip of the Sinai Peninsula and is basically the Las Vegas of Egypt. We had a beautiful hotel on Naama Bay on the Red Sea and spent our days lounging around, and our nights eating in restaurants and exploring clubs. One club, called Pacha, was really like a Las Vegas nightclub. One hilarious moment was being surrounded by a man on our right (Italian) wearing a tank top and sunglasses... weirdo! and a man on our left dancing with his shirt off. Umm... strange. Seriously like Vegas. Another fun moment, at the same club, is when I decided I would flirt with the DJ. (Sorry mom and dad, but how will I turn my blog entries into a travel book without fun stories?) I had had some liquid courage, and decided he was super cute mixing good songs. I told my friend that I was going to flirt with the DJ. So when he was done, I went up to him and said "Hi, my name is Sara. Will you dance with me?" And he did! But, he's Egyptian. If you don't know, I have sworn off Egyptian men. Anyway, we talked and then I said I would give him a break since he just got done but that I would be on the dance floor if he wanted to come find me. And later, he did! So my friend and I went and hung out with his friend. The funny thing is that I already told my friend that I would get us into VIP because that's what I did in Vegas. So the cutie DJ lives in Sharm but sometimes comes to Cairo. And who doesn't want a friend with a house in Sharm and hookups to good parties? So I've decided to ignore the fact that he's Egyptian, for now.
So... now I'm back to the real world. As in working and living in Cairo. Is that the real world? For now I guess. Oh yeah, and I'm almost 25. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Are there certain things you're supposed to accomplish by this age? Like marriage? Or at least having a boyfriend? No, I didn't think so.
