*From the AUC Newsletter*

TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Rabbits at the DDC KioskThe DDC Kiosk will be selling rabbits for LE 20 per kilogram on the Main Campus in front of the Science Building starting Wednesday, February 27 through Thursday, March 1 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and 2:00 to 4:00 pm while supplies last.

-Ew.

*Sign of the Times*

An article appeared on BBC news today about an Egyptian blogger who was sentenced to four years in prison for 'insulting Islam and the president.'

The article reads:

'Abdel Kareem Nabil's trial was the first time that a blogger had been prosecuted in Egypt.
He had used his weblog to criticise the country's top Islamic institution, the al-Azhar university and President Hosni Mubarak, whom he called a dictator.
A human rights group called the verdict "very tough" and a "storng message" to Egypt's thousands of bloggers.
A former student at al-Azhar, Nabil, 22, called the institution "the university of terrorism" and accused it of suppressing free thought.
The university expelled him in 2006 and pressed prosecutors to put him on trial.
During the five-minute court session the judge said Nabil was guilty and would serve three years for insulting Islam and inciting sedition, and one year for insulting Mr. Mubarak.
"This is a strong message to all bloggers who are put under strong surveillance that the punishment will be very strong," Hafiz Abou Saada of the Egyptian Human Rights Organisation told the AP.'

-BBC news, 22 February 2007

This is interesting on so many levels....but I'm sure it won't be brought up the next time President Bush refers to Egypt as a democracy or as a country undergoing a 'democratic transition.'

*Al-Azhar*

As if life here wasn't confusing enough, I've gone through yet another change in the weekend. In Sharjah it was Thursday and Friday, in the States, Saturday and Sunday, and here in Egypt the weekend is Friday and Saturday. It still feels incredibly wrong to have classes on a Sunday, but I think we're all getting used to it...

So Friday John, Victoria and I decided to head over to Islamic Cairo and see the sights. The only problem? Islamic Cairo is huge and our trusty Lonely Planet guide recommends doing it in seven parts over several days. Because it was already 2pm when we finally got moving, we decided to take advantage of the absolutely beautiful weather and head over to Al-Azhar park in Islamic Cairo. Al-Azhar is one of the few green spaces in Cairo, and due to its location and height, it provides spectacular 360 degree views of the city. On a clear day you can see the Citadel, Cairo tower, and even the Pyramids! The park is built to reflect classical Islamic gardens, and there's a children's area, lake (in Cairo!), orchards, and lookout points. Below are a few pictures:





A view of the Citadel and the Mosque of Mohammed Ali.











Another shot of the Citadel...home to Egypt's rulers for 700 years and built by Saladin in 1176 to fortify against the Crusaders.






One of Cairo's poorer neighborhoods.








Another beautiful mosque on the horizon.










Proof that you can see the Pyramids and the end of an incredible sunset!








Just to prove that I was actually there....





After a relaxing day at Al-Azhar the three of us rushed home for Carolina's potluck dinner. Since I don't cook, I went in with Nawal (my roommate) on chocolate chip cookies and John and Victoria stopped at this amazing bakery on the way for some of the world's best baklava. At Carolina's Olan cooked chicken milanese, and there was veal parmesean, green beans, rice, and much more! For dessert, the sweets that we brought, mixed fruit, cake, and a yogurt concoction provided by Josh topped off a wonderful meal! Hopefully there will be more of these in the future.




The spread










Alex, Zach and Nawal dig into dessert.








Carolina's apartment is two floors of amazingness accented by this balcony which has a great view of Cairo. Maryclaire is clearly thrilled to be standing next to me.




Because we weren't ready to call it a night, several of us decided to head out on a falluca ride after wrapping up dinner. We brought along a bottle of wine (from a place aptly named Drinkie's) and the boatmaster provided some tunes as we sailed down the Nile on a beautiful, starry night. I can't imagine a better end to one of the more relaxing days since we've been here :)




A cold Carolina and John on our Nile cruise.








Me and my five layers of clothing, but it was worth it...






John, Elizabeth, Alex and I enjoy the ride.






A view of one of many falluca harbors along the Nile.

اهلا من القاهر

Alright, so I've finally stopped procrastinating and with the help of the lovely Olan have finally created the long awaited, much anticipated, phenomenal (we hope) second blog authored by moi. Now if I can only find time to catch up on the last four weeks as well as post on a semi-frequent basis, this thing might actually work...

Stay tuned for what I hope will be an incredible journey :)