Still Trying To Find My Way Around This Place..

I have been ashamed to post this: I did not make it to my field trip on Saturday. I got lost. Twice. The class was supposed to meet at the old campus (downtown) at 10am and then we would go from there. I left the dorm at 9am and decided it was a nice day for a walk through Gazira. After about twenty minutes it became apparent that I did not know where I was going and ended up on the wrong side of the island. No worries, I will just take a cab!

I tell the cab driver that I want to go Tahrir Square (the old campus is a block or two south of it). He goes over a bridge- normal. Once over the river, we are still on an elevated highway- not normal. I just assume he is taking some local path. I become worried after several minutes pass- Tahrir Square is on the Nile, we should not be going this far away. I work up the courage to say something, "Tahrir, this way?" (in my poor Arabic). The cab driver responds, "safir?". Then we go back and forth- Tahrir.. Safir.. Tahrir.. Safir.. Finally he says ok. I belive 'safir' means something to do with traveling, so I thougt he was confirming my 'travel destination' or something along those lines.

He gets off the highway and I recognize where I am. Heliopolis (where that mall is), i.e. wrong part of the city. He points to something and says, "Midan Safir". I wanted Midan Tahrir! I tell him this and then he acts disappointed for me (I say 'act' because I am paranoid about getting ripped off by cab drivers)- "Tahrir? Tahrir! Oh, no." I get out angrily and get a new cab. By the time I get to the old campus it was 11am and there was no sign of the class.


Saturday was also Valentine's Day, though. Jessica and I went to Sabaya, a Lebanese restaurant in one of the hotels on Tahrir Square. I had heard good things about it and it did not disappoint! We had ridiculous amounts of food, among it all was breaded lamb brain. I ate it thinking it was some sort of fish-concoction. Jessica then remind me that lamb brain was the only breaded item. I would rather not describe the taste of lamb brain on here, but if you would like to know, email me. I will just say it has an interesting taste..

My awkward post-dinner smile:

Even the nicer restaurants use bottled water here..

This was their special Valentine's Day drink.. I think it was strawberry juice and vodka- delicious:

My class's field trip this weekend is supposed to go to the Mosque of al-Hakim and Bab al-Futuh, which are the two things that we randomly came across in Islamic Cairo a few weekends ago. I think we are going up in the minarets, though, so that will be fun!