I have been in Egypt for a few weeks now. I am taking four classes in the Arabic Language Institute program at AUC: (1) Fusha (2) Writing (3) Colloquial (4) Spoken Colloquial. We also have the option to take extra curricular activities. I chose to take a calligraphy. The workload for class assignments is heavy for the program, but I am learning a lot. I am able to speak at a basic level, such as ordering at a restaurant, taking a taxi, and shopping at Khan al-Khalili.

In addition to our courses, we are taking trips on the weekends. This past weekend, we took a day trip to Saqqara and Memphis, which are located not that far from Cairo. We went inside a “mastaba” which is a building used for burial, which has a flat roof and numerous rooms. All the walls within the mastaba have highly detailed artwork, some with color, hieroglyphs, and there is a statue inside. We also went inside one of the smaller pyramids. The best known at Saqqara is the Step (Djoser’s) Pyramid, and there is a mortuary temple. There isn’t near as much to see at Memphis, which is located in the Nile River valley. Saqqara is in the desert, just beyond the valley, which provides an environment better suited to preserve the ancient pyramids and structures. In Memphis, there are a number of statues to Ramses II that survive.

The ride to/from Saqqara was also quite interesting, as we passed through more rural or agricultural areas of the Giza Province. We took a road that followed along an irrigation canal, and passed through a number of smaller towns and villages. Around Saqqara, there also happen to be numerous “carpet schools” where children learn the trades craft.