taxi drivers - taxi drivers seem to be my best bet at practicing and learning arabic. its a hit or miss game. yesterday I debated taking a taxi for $1 or walking the 6 kilometers in the heat of the day. I refused the first taxi drivers overpriced offer and convinced the second one to allow me, the "rich american tourist" to pay the normal price. we started to talk about different things and he, of course, made a kind offer for us to have a relationshi...

Yesterday, I thought I knew all the tricks of the egyptian sweet talkers, but, today, I learned a new one. One of my favorite parts of the arabic language is the unspoken language, the language of hand gestures. Measurements are demonstrated on the arm, you can use your hands and gesture "where are you going" and reply with the hand as well. They, the sweet talkers, say "have you tried an egyptian yet," "you know arab men have hot blood," "we are big like t...

Cairo, Wandering the streets of cairo. Stumbling upon random mosques, endless tea and shisha cafes, and talking with the people. 10 days in a village where there is no phones, only a few people have mobiles, there isn't even a felafel stand. I learned many things about small village life. Again I decided not to marry a local and stay in the village. I had a great time, but I couldn't stay there forever. I am happy to be on my own discovering new p...