Halas

Halas (pronounced more like Khalass) - that means, finished, that's enough, done! With the first term at least. Today was the last day, class party, and dressing up as a famous person from history.



I was Caesar.. and by coincidence so was one of my students.. None of the other children dressed up, but they were all happy to come out of uniform and bring savory egyptian sweets, along with pizza, burgers, milkshakes, juice, and ipod speakers to add to the party.

This last month has been durable, counting the days until the end of the term, continuing to learn Arabic, many nights spent playing domino, chess or backgammon with a shisha taba3an (of course) in one of the nearby coffee shops. And then there is always the occasional horseback ride by the pyramids. Since it's winter we can go during the day and don't have to wait for the full moon, but galloping in the sand while noticing these enormous structures built 5000 years ago has not lost its appeal.

The other day I was in Old Islamic Cairo with David and a friend who decided to go shop, so I went inside one of the old mosques there between prayer times. Al Azhar mosque, built in the 10th century, is a haven of peace from the hagglers in this area, beautifully intricate with design, and contains an aura of reverence and prayer. It's nice to imagine travelers who came 1000 years ago, and could sit in the exact same spot as I was and watch the birds fly high circles around the minarets. While sitting, someone approached me and offered me a free book about Mohammed, (admittedly Islam propoganda) and we had a great talk about religion, Obama, and Arabic. When he gave me the book he wrote in the inside cover, his address, his cellphone number, his phone number, and his email address, telling me that if I ever needed anything to call him. This wasn't so much of a move to convert me, but something decidedly Egyptian, and expression of over-generosity.


Yes, Egypt has grown on me, and is continuing to do so, but I will not miss it one bit. I'm leaving tomorrow for two weeks to Paris and then Morocco...