It's three in the morning and I just got back from Hurghada...
My sleep schedule is all confused; I don't think I will make much of an effort to fix it for the next three weeks...
Any who, Hurghada...a tourist magnet on the Red Sea where there are fewer Egyptians than topless Europeans and old men in Speedos...soooo awkward. We got there by taking a microbus. Let me just say that the only way I survived that trip without dying of a heart attack was attempting to sleep the whole way there. I woke up, several times, only to notice that we were driving into oncoming traffic...but we made it, which is good. This was not the typical Sadek family vacation, which usually consists of waking up somewhere between noon and two and bumming around on the beach...everyone was surprisingly ready to actually DO something, which I found amazing.
The first day we were up by seven...SEVEN! The day consisted of banana boating and windsurfing and such...Adam and Trent, this windsurfing instructor was determined to prove that he was a better teacher than hoofers...he wasn't by any means, and would say odd phrases like "do macarena macarena," expecting us to understand what that meant.... Another odd thing...When we started the whole windsurfing ordeal, they asked us if we were Egyptian (Egyptians get better deals apparently)...now my Egyptian cousins are the ones dealing with this, so they of course say yes, but then my cousins and I start babbling in English and the guy feels like he has been cheated. Throughout the lesson, he proceeds to tell me how much he hates America and Americans, and I found myself constantly feeling like I had to prove to him that I was more Egyptian than American...which is ridiculous, especially since I identify more with being American than Egyptian. The good thing is, I was able to hold my own, express myself in Arabic, and basically make him feel like an ass...which I couldn't really do a week ago...which is good.
Now the fun stuff...I went scuba diving for the first time. At first it felt panicky and claustrophobic, because breathing under water defies any sense of logic...but, then I got the hang of the whole breathing in and out business (which is tricky, let me tell you!). Saw three huge eels, one which was probably within 10 feet, and a shark off in the distance (which I tried to run away from, but the instructor wouldn't let me...damn him)...
Overall, this has probably been one of the most productive trips to Egypt I've had...and I've been here less than a week...Thursday, off to Siwa with the AIESEC crew...
More later
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