oh boy

i've been lazy about this for a while. basically, everything's going pretty well. classes started this last sunday (the weekend here is friday and saturday, for some just friday...that'll take some mental adjustment). they're ok. the university is really disorganized, partially because they're in the process of moving between campuses (campi?). also, i'm under the impression that at it's best this school is not the most well-oiled of machines. for instance, today i went to the registrar to submit my passport and some money and stuff for my visa. they told me that they did not have proof of payment of tuition, so i need to scrounge that up somehow (it's in my email somewhere). that's happening to a lot of people. also, sunday night, my teacher didn't show for class. which was kind of nice, but still...

tonight was nice. a friend randomly called to see if i'd be down to go to a jazz club, which of course i was. it was less than a mile away, called the "sawwy cultural wheel". unfortunately, i do not know what sawwy means, but i'll work on it. we saw this eqyptian group play-- they had drums, singer, percussion, soprano sax, cello, bass, and guitar. wild instrumentation-- pretty awesome. the music was alright. it wasn't jazz-- a mix of rock, funk, jazz, and pop, but i was just really glad to taste some new music.

after that we hung out at this place next to the dorm where i got some mango juice and had some shisha. that stuff is bad-- supposedly not very healthy, but quite wonderful anyhow. we just talked and hung out for more than an hour there- good bonding time, which i love. most people probably do.

not a lost else to report. i'll put some pictures up from alexandria- i don't feel like writing about that. too much work.

salaam