May 27: Apartment Hunting

I got up around 8:30 today, and got dressed to go to ILI at 10 with Amelia. We walked down the street, which was dirty and a little odd, just like the rest of Cairo. The traffic here is…unique… Stoplights are nothing but pretty colors, and there are lane markings that no one uses. Cars basically drive as fast or as slow as they can, space provided, constantly honking their horns, while pedestrian meander between cars, usually crossing the streets one lane at a time. Meanwhile all the roads are lined with cars, sticking out into the streets, sometimes double or triple parking.

We walked the 15 minutes to ILI and took all our placement stuff, and paid for classes. I met two girls, Jackie from Pennsylvania (who just finished her first year in law school) and Anna from Sweden (who is also a journalist). Jackie had found an apartment for 2,000 Egyptian pounds, which comes out to $400 a month. We decided to meet them later to go see it.

Amelia had to finish her placement test, so I went to eat at the little restaurant around the corner called Tasters. I had hot cheese toast. Because I’m still working out how to order other stuff. After lunch, we came back to ILI for orientation, and I learned why there is so many honking from the cars. Apparently, that’s how they determine who goes first, whoever honks first get to jump ahead. It just means that there is a lot of honking because everyone thinks they need to be first.

After orientation, Amelia and I walked back to our hotel, stopping at the ATM on the way back. We crashed in our rooms for a while then we went up to the roof to the pool. We sat for a while on the swing while I talked to Foster on IM, and we both watched this really cute Egyptian guy play with these two kids in the pool. He stared at me the entire time…and then came and told us that there was a sauna and hot tub upstairs. I got really awkward and nodded a lot. He went back to swimming until the kids left. Amelia decided to swim, and I learned that she was a synchronized swimmer for 5 years, in addition to graduating from Yale and being on the Yale rowing team. She also has been teaching English in Moscow for two years. I haven’t found something that Amelia can’t do yet…I fail at life compared to her. The Egyptian guy came back and asked what my name was, then asked what my room number was. His name is Gonan apparently. Gonan = very cute. We went back downstairs and changed before heading to the Swiss Hotel to meet Jackie and Anna to go see the apartment. One odd cab ride later we arrived, then hopped in another cab to the apartment, which was a little ways down the street.

The apartment was on the 9th floor of this sketchy looking building in a sketchy part of town. The apartment has a big living room with two bedrooms (each have two beds), a tiny kitchen, and a tiny bathroom. I’m only living there for a month, and it’s 100 bucks. That means if I have to get a more expensive apartment for July, I’ll have plenty of money in the budget…

We took a cab back to the room and Amelia moved her stuff into my room. We were living in two double rooms, and it seemed like a waste of money. We’ll stay here till Wednesday morning, then move over to the apartment.

We ordered room service, and watched Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind while I talked online. Long day, and tomorrow is the first day of class…