Alive and well

I know you were all on pins and needles to hear that. I made it without any trouble (if you don't count the fact that the drivers are insane. When I reached for the seatbelt and realized there was no clasp, the driver said "no problem"--the first of many times I will hear that phrase, I am sure, since "no problem" and "okay" are the two English phrases everyone knows and uses abundantly, whether or not they apply). As we ran yet another red light while simultaneously crossing several lanes of traffic, I sort of felt like it was a problem, but I guess my opinion didn't count.

Going to bed to the sound of the morning call to prayer from the ubiquitous minarets...

Ahsfar ila Misr!

I depart tomorrow, and after a short stay in Amsterdam (9 hours in the airport, to be exact) will arrive in Cairo in the wee hours of the morning on January 25th.  American University in Cairo (AUC) has helpfully arranged for a representative and car to meet me there so that all goes smoothly, inshallah.


Along with saying goodbye, changing my cell phone plan, and concluding my job at CenturyTel (see photo), my preparations for leaving have included brushing up on a little Arabic. When I said my farewell words to the Monroe Rotary Club, I mentioned that the origin of the word "Algebra" is the Arabic word for Mathematics, al-jabr.  Another common English word originates in Arabic.  The title of this post means "I travel to Egypt!" The root of the word for travel, safara, is s-f-r, which is where we get the word "safari."  So now you know two loan words from Arabic: algebra and safari.


I can't believe I am actually, finally going--I will be sure to post upon arrival as soon as I am able!