The Cairo Gyro

Markaz Salam is a one month old Arabic Learning Center right across the street from King Fahad High School (very close to Masjid Bilal). I had heard very good things about this center and decided to take my cousin there to check it out. It was founded by Ustath Mahmoud Ziyadah, the founder of this website: http://welovearabic.com/

We received a warm welcome and I was very impressed from the moment I stepped in. The center itself is very nice and the curriculum seems excellent. All the books used were written by the founder himself. It seems like he took the best from Kitab al-Asaasi, Al-Arabiyyah Bayna Yadayk, and the Medinah Uni Arabic books combined, masha’Allah.

They put high priority to giving the student a custom class designed specifically to their needs…something I find lacking in most of the centers here even in those that offer private classes. After visiting other centers, my cousin decided to register for Salam Center on the spot! At the moment they are just starting off so they only have a small staff but I’m sure it will continue to grow insha’Allah. Private classes are 20 LE an hour. Classrooms have AC :)

The Akhir Kalam is that it looks like my cousin will start off with Salam Center and see how it goes, and then she may consider still taking one of the Summer Intensive programs with Fajr Center.

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Assalaamu `alaykum,

Alhamdulillah quite a few people have expressed their interest in coming to Egypt to study. Here is a list of my top suggested items for you to bring:

[Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the decrease in Eman or financial savings incurred upon acquiring/using/breaking/being robbed of/abusing the following items.]

The dust in Egypt comes out of nowhere and spreads like a plague. The picture above was taken only about a week after I had my balcony floor scrubbed clean. My mom sent me a Swiffer mop, yay!

Shoes:

Converse chucks are the best shoes to bring to Egypt. They are have strong, solid, rubber soles that can withstand the rugged city terrain. The canvas is durable and hasn’t frayed even the slightest. The best part about these shoes is they can be put into the washing machine. My Converse were dusty and filthy but after a spin in the washing machine they came out looking brand new. Good walking shoes are essential during your stay here.

Backpack:

Sure, you can buy a backpack once you’re here but you won’t find anything ergonomic for a decent price. The one I bought in the States is Kenneth Cole (like the one pictured above except slightly different style) has protective space for both your laptop and mp3 player on the inside. It also has plenty of handy pockets for extra storage. The outside is waterproof (yes, believe it or not it rained a lot during the winter) and stays clean. The straps are thick and cushiony.

White board:

I was all set to shove my white board into my suitcase before leaving until my mom prevented me. She thought it’d be too big and inconvenient to take. She was right, I had no space but now that I’m here I do wish I’d brought it. Alhamdulillah Sammer brought one with her! Arabic is mathematical. Very mathematical. Drawing charts and formulas really helps. But don’t stop there, you must then proceed to memorize them. Keeping lists of new vocabulary up where you can see it every day also helps.

Medicine:

Even if you’re not a big fan of meds, I recommend you bring some essential things that you won’t find here. Such as the remarkable headache remedy: Head-On. The heat over here gets so intense that the blood in your head feels as though it’s boiling. The result: A pounding headache with migraine potential. I am SO glad I brought this little tube of Head-On with me. It even feels cold once you’ve put it on and offers fast relief. Alhamdulillah!

Chap stick:

The desert climate dehydrates you and dries out your lips. Burt’s Bees or LIP VITAMINS chap stick work the best and last the longest. I also like Carmex.

Calendar / Agenda:

Your study plans will change a lot while you’re here. Keep a calendar and always write in pencil. You’ll find that seeing your level completion dates on paper in front of you is encouraging. We also purchased Arabic agendas over here and I highly recommend it. It has the Hijri and Gregorian dates, as well the days of the week in Arabic.

Books:

If you’re anything like we are, you’ll feel a strong urge to read. Of course it’s best to read Arabic books while you’re here but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to continue to educate yourself in your own language. It keeps you from getting overwhelmed and bored. I recommend bringing at least one informative book about Egypt…such as the Lonely Planet guide (they also sell an Egyptian phrase book - pictured above - that is extremely helpful in your daily interactions with the people here. Even if you speak in fus-ha with them 9/10 times they will reply to you in the local dialect so it’s extremely risky to be totally unfamiliar with it. You’ll get ripped off, cheated, proposed to, misunderstood etc.

It’s also a good idea to bring some books you’ve always wanted to read but never got around to. Of course there are many Islamic Texts, namely, the translation of the Qur’an and texts of Ahadith. There’s also benefit in reading fiction (The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini) or a political/historical work like The Great War for Civilization by Robert Fisk. I also recommend something that connects your native language and Arabic such as Arabic to English proverb books (my all time favorite ones are three by Primrose Arnander and Askhain Skipwith entitled: The Son of a Duck is a Floater, Apricots Tomorrow, and lastly Unload Your Own Donkey!) It has been said, “To understand a people, acquaint yourself with their proverbs.”

MP3 Player:

I know all of you iPod lovers will disagree but I prefer the Creative Zen 30 GB. It has an FM Tuner (unlike the iPod) so I can tune into local radio stations. They have awesome Qur’an stations, Arabic talk shows, and Islamic programs to listen to. There’s also BBC world and Nile FM is sometimes funny to listen to. Oh the best part about the Zen is that it has a built in microphone…so I can record Qur’an recitations live, khutbahs, classes, funny street noises etc. I can also record myself to evaluate my tajweed when reciting Qur’an. The Arabic books at Fajr Center come with audio CD’s. I uploaded all the audio onto my laptop and then to my MP3 player so I can listen to them while cooking, cleaning, studying, walking, riding to and from school. As was reported on CNN once, I - and others like me- are part of Generation M. Urban Dictionary defines us as, “Generation Multi-tasking, today’s teenagers who IM, do homework, watch TV and listen to/download music all at the same time.” Although I’m not a teen and I multi-task in different activities, the habit carries into adulthood, in case you didn’t know…

Bedside essentials:

Your Cellphone. Make sure it is unlocked and Quad-Band. This will also serve as your staple alarm clock and currency converter. I also suggest a book light so you don’t disturb your roommates while reading at night. I have my own bedroom and I still use a book light because most Egyptian apartments come with dreaded TUBE LIGHTING in the bedrooms. Those things belong in offices, not houses! It’s really not conducive to a calm reading atmosphere.

Lap desk:

Seriously if you disregard everything else on my list of suggested items, don’t disregard this one! Everywhere becomes study-zone when you have one of these. Many fully furnished apartments do not come with desks or work zones or even proper dining tables. You’ll find a lap desk extremely handy…you can literally sit on the floor, in bed, on the couch or the balcony and do your homework etc. Here is a picture of our sitting room. The black thing on the stool is my lap desk. See how it creates an instant, comfortable, study zone?

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Winter Clothes:

I survived the winter here without winter clothes. But why would I wish the same for you? Please bring layers of clothes you can wear in the winter, including socks, a nice thick coat, scarf and gloves. The apartments do not have central heating and believe me these stone structured buildings get very cold in the winter. The winter season lasted from November to February for us! Some nights were so cold we slept fully garbed in layers with our prayer garments over that plus hijabs wrapped on tightly…

Internet gadgets:

We purchased a wireless router over here for 400 LE (over $70 USD ) and it isn’t even a good one. It’s called AirLive and has a very short range. You’re better off bringing your own when you come.

Travel Mug:

You will need to stay awake in class. You may not always have time to drink coffee or tea before leaving for school. We make it and drink it on the go, usually in the taxi and then in class if our teacher permits us. The GOOD ones here are expensive. We bought the cheapest ones in the store for 25 LE but they leak.

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That’s all for now but if I think of more I’ll update this post so refer back to it before coming here. Insha’Allah.

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Several annoying advertisements, weeks of mentally debating over it, and one pleasant phone call later I sit here now in relief and happiness informing you that I have just become a satisfied Vonage customer.

For just $24.99 a month I wil have unlimited local and long distance. I’ve been assigned a local US phone number which means while I’m in Cairo my friends and family from the States won’t have to think twice about calling me :D. All I do is plug in a phone and a computer into my Vonage router, make sure I have high speed internet 90kbps or higher and………dial tone!
:::Lisa is advertising a free give-away of my number to potential prank-callers!:::

(*Cough* It’s a gimmick. You don’t qualify for eligibility unless you mention her in a blog post.)

Warning to Vonage: If I don’t receive my Vonage device by tomorrow as promised and paid for, then I take back everything I said about being a happy customer.

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Last night I was enjoying the peace and darkness of my room after a long family road trip home from Miami. I had just turned off my laptop and it felt good knowing that I’d finished setting up this blog. Another task crossed off the to-do list, I could finally reward myself with sleep. I picked up my cellphone to check the time and calculate the duration of sleep I’d be getting…when it hit me.

Someone once told me that before going to sleep is the best time to collect your thoughts on the day’s events and remember things you forgot to do. I’ve found this to be true, which is a little frustrating considering you can’t do much about it at that point. You can’t make those urgent phone calls at 1 AM or return that thing you borrowed from that person, so just as fast as you remember you have to get it done, you also have to jot it down somewhere to make sure you get to it first thing in the morning.

So there I was checking the time on my cellphone when I suddenly remembered a bill that was due!
I should have gone with my gut feeling to pay it in full right away rather than wait. With all this going out of town that I’ve been doing, packing for my trip, and family issues to address I didn’t remember that I had until the end of July to take care of it. I felt sick to my stomach going to sleep last night, disappointed in myself and annoyed that it was too late at night to do anything about it.

As part of our Islam, we are taught to be prompt when fulfilling promises and paying off debt. There’s a reason for this. Debt is something you can’t leave behind no matter where you go. If I leave on my travels without paying off a debt I’d return home to find myself facing the consequences for it. And if I didn’t reach home…? Think about it. If you die before fulfilling something you owe there is NO escaping it, you WILL have to pay for it in the next life.

It scares me to think after I leave I might think of something else I was supposed to do or something else I owe and by then it might be too late…

On the bright side, T-Mobile told me I can pause my account for 90 days for a fee of $10. It isn’t much but it means my bill won’t have to be paid for again until November and every little bit helps when you have to pay for something you won’t even use for almost a year.

I really have to make sure I fulfill my duties to others before I go such as replying to e-mails/phone calls and returning or giving them things I owe them. If you’re reading this and I owe you something: please let me know ASAP!

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My study buddy sent her cellphone to Travel Insider to get it unlocked so it would be ready to use overseas. I was under the impression I had to do the same thing until a Google search revealed to me otherwise. Apparently T-Mobile isn’t bad after all. Get this - they unlock your cellphone for FREE. That’s right all I had to do was call customer care and request the code to unlock my cellphone, they said it they’d e-mail it to me within 24 hours along with step-by-step instructions on how to do it.

It’s a huge relief that I don’t have to send it off, pay money unnecessarily, and get it back here in time before I leave in less than two weeks. Alhamdulillah!

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Bismillah,

Sure, everybody has room for improvement. You know the distance between here and the ex-planet Pluto? Yeah, that’s kind of the space my ‘room for improvement’ could take up. I’ve learned sometimes when you want to change your life you need to go somewhere where you can make it happen. Remember the story of the man who killed 100 people and then wanted to repent so he traveled out toward a new village where he hoped his repentance would be accepted? Notice how he left in hopes of improving himself somewhere new and different. Environment undoubtedly has a huge effect on who we allow ourselves to be and I think it’s about time I try a change of environment for a while.

This is the beginning of my journey to Egypt. Let’s hope by the end of it I’ll be a better person. Insha’Allah.

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