Things I wish you could see

So here are a few images from my last few days.

• Laying on cushions propped on the ground, being sprayed by the surf of the Red Sea, listening to Jack Johnson, looking across ridiculously clear turquoise water at Saudi Arabia, drinking iced coffee and eating a chocolate crepe.

• Defending the ongoing existence of my facial hair and chastity to my co-worker during an eight hour bus ride, in which my co-worker refused to believe that every American woman didn't have sex starting at age 14 with multiple people every night and that American woman were alright with having a little blond hair on their faces. As I've heard from a few people now in Egypt regarding my very blond, decidedly female sprinkling of hair on my upper lip, "Da wahish. Li ragala bas." / "this is ugly. For men only." But since last time I had it removed here (pulled out with a looped piece of thread), crying and wincing the whole while and afterwards feeling like my face's skin was grafted from a Seaworld manta ray, I will defend my ugly facial hair fiercely.

• watching the sunset over the mountains surrounding the Sinai peninsula

• being pinned down on a bed and force fed excessive amounts of thermus beans by a two year old and her grandmother, who thought my ability to have more and more of these in my mouth hilariously funny, while simultaneously feeling the need to yell habibti (beloved one) and slobber kiss me repetitively.
  

• making friends with random Korean girls. One who was making desperate gestures for me to trade seats with this man next to her and then when I obliged was very friendly out of some sort of deep gratitude and bond that came from saving us both from an overnight bus ride next to strange Egyptian men. The next, her friend, needed an English teacher and is coming to check out our school, its too bad I'm not paid on commission like the other guys. Unfortunately, these other guys, who were there, can't help but calling any Asian girl they see Eunice (in memory of our Korean American friend who was here earlier in the summer) or asking if she's related to Eunice or has the same last name. A little awkward.
  

• being chased by a galloping camel (that looks really funny) while shoved into the back of a jeep returning from our trip to the Blue Hole (one of the best snorkeling spots in the world) between four Egyptian men and my two roommates, conversing on the strangeness of camels' mouths in Arabic and American historical trivia in English.

• eating a Family Chicken Meal in Kentucky Fried Chicken in Cairo, commiserating as best as possible in Arabic with a sixteen year old Egyptian girl and her wishes and that her father would loosen up a little with this guy she likes, and can't help liking even though he's not quite the most respectable (i.e. he only calls her and leaves missed calls, never actually comes to talk to her parents or even talks to them on the phone AND his parents refused to let him get engaged).
  

So I was in Dahab this weekend where relaxing is everything, laying on cushions and the beach, dress code anything you want. Now I am back in Cairo and it is impossible to fathom these two places are in the same country. Relaxing is not really possible here, and so everyone has to be laid back just to stay at a tolerable level of sanity. Cairo Habibi. (my beloved). We have such a love hate relationship, but she's pretty deeply imbedded in my soul now it seems.