Today was my first day living in my new apartment. I can already tell that I love the neighborhood and that choosing Zamalek was the right decision. For the first time since my flight here I woke up before 12 PM - quite an accomplishment for me! I'm not 100% sure if it was the melatonin I took at 10 PM or if it was the 3 hours of Fruit Ninja I played before falling asleep. Either way I woke up around 9:30 and was able to explore the area, including checking out the Fair Trade Egypt shop. I found a beautiful bracelet that says Egypt in Arabic on it with an imprint of the country.
I also had my first experience at "The Mall." In Egypt, when you say you're going to the mall it can only mean one thing: CityStars Mall in Nasr City. As soon as I arrived I could tell it was HUGE. I was completely blown away when I discovered it was 7 stories. It was so oddly arranged that I'm still not even sure which floors I even went on. Luckily I was able to make friends during Iftar, the breaking of the daily fast, at around 6:30 PM every day. The two guys were from the military academy and were gracious enough to follow me around while I shopped for new bed linens and towels. I am very pleased with my decision - a light tan with black accented sheet set with a matching black towel. Supposedly the sheets are 600 thread count Egyptian cotton but I still don't think the attendant understood my question. Tonight's sleep will be the real test (although I'm sure my skin isn't high maintenance enough to tell the difference). I think this will be the first night where I have zero (sifir) plans in the morning; I hope to keep practicing my Arabic and maybe take more cab rides. The taxi drivers are the best at teaching me phrases!
I also had my first experience at "The Mall." In Egypt, when you say you're going to the mall it can only mean one thing: CityStars Mall in Nasr City. As soon as I arrived I could tell it was HUGE. I was completely blown away when I discovered it was 7 stories. It was so oddly arranged that I'm still not even sure which floors I even went on. Luckily I was able to make friends during Iftar, the breaking of the daily fast, at around 6:30 PM every day. The two guys were from the military academy and were gracious enough to follow me around while I shopped for new bed linens and towels. I am very pleased with my decision - a light tan with black accented sheet set with a matching black towel. Supposedly the sheets are 600 thread count Egyptian cotton but I still don't think the attendant understood my question. Tonight's sleep will be the real test (although I'm sure my skin isn't high maintenance enough to tell the difference). I think this will be the first night where I have zero (sifir) plans in the morning; I hope to keep practicing my Arabic and maybe take more cab rides. The taxi drivers are the best at teaching me phrases!
