Welcome to my blog. As you may already know or have figured out, I'm currently studying in Egypt. The Middle East Studies Program (MESP) is an opportunity to learn Arabic and study Middle East politics and religion. There are 28 students in the program.
Most of us only met for the first time at the airport. 
Spending 7 hours of layovers and 13 hours of plane time together is a great way to get to know a lot about someone else!
We live and study in Agouza, a decent neighborhood in Cairo (well, actually Giza). Our apartments (red dot) are quite close to the villa where we have our classes (blue dot). Even better, we are only five minutes away from the Nile. As they say here, 'Ishta' (cool). 
Our flats are quite roomy with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen.
Our door has a paper on it with the Arabic words to say to inform someone on the phone that there is a fire/emergency and that we only speak English. Sure to come in useful soon… 
Our program is directed by Dr David Holt. 
He met his wife a few semesters ago when she visited the program. They got married in December. Since for tax purposes he can't spend more than 30 days in the US each year, he flew back on the 16th, married on the 17th, and flew back to Egypt with her on the 19th. He keeps fidgeting with his ring during class and the interns say that he is acting much nicer than he used to.
He is assisted by Dr. Diaa Nashed. Diaa is trained as a physician, but he got bored with that and now manages our programs finances, healthcare, travel plans, and any other arrangements that need to be made. 
Oh, and he has a cute 1 year old named Grace.
Finally, we have two interns, Barret and Claire. They are both former students. We're still not sure, but it's beginning to look like they might know everything about Egypt. Anyway, they definitely know where to eat and how to get around.
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