The last few days in Cairo.

Hi.
So I got back to Granada a few days ago from Cairo and Zurich. I had a really good time with Jake and his family. We went to the Pyramids, saw the Sphinx, went to the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and continued to explore the city little by little. Here are the pictures from the Citadel and the Khan el-Khalili market. Enjoy.

 I don't remember what this is, sorry. But it looks cool.

 The Citadel was built in the 12th century as an Islamic fortification. It also houses the Muhammed Ali mosque. 

 Outside the Citadel.

 This is where people would cleanse "prepare" themselves before prayer.

 The inside courtyard of the Citadel.

 The beautiful ceiling.

 Looking up at the huge crystal candelabra.

 Jake and I inside the Citadel.

 The carpet of the Citadel has this pattern to provide a space for people who come to pray to know in what direction to pray and to have their own space.

 View of Cairo from the Citadel.

 View of Cairo from the Citadel.

 I'm not sure what is out there but this was the view from one part of the Citadel.

 Hookahs Galore. 

Typical market stand.

I'm in Cairo

Hi Everyone. So I am in Cairo and it is definitely a different world. In reality if I didn't know about everything that was going on here a few weeks ago I wouldn't be able to tell based on how everyone has continued on with their lives. It is definitely not like Zurich but it has it's on nice qualities. I feel completely safe walking around with Jake and his family except for when we have to cross any kind of street. It feels like Frogger and I'm the frog. It is Not fun. But it is normal and everyone just walks across as though it is not a big deal of any kind.

We went to the Pyramids yesterday and they were pretty amazing. It is crazy to think that they were made so long ago and with such exact precision. And I mean they are Huge. The Sphinx is beautiful, even without its nose, but it was smaller than I was expecting.

Here are just a few pictures that I have taken.

I love and miss you all so much.

I've Posted Pictures

So I have posted all of my pictures since I went to the Alhambra on Shutterfly today. You should check them out when you get a chance. I posted little blurbs about what rings are and what I was doing/thinking at the time I took them. Enjoy.

Why is Paris so Wonderful?!

Hi Everyone. I just got back into Spain about an hour ago and I already miss Paris. I had such an amazing time, probably one of the best trips of my life, and by far one of the most wonderful places I have ever been. I will sit down on Thursday and upload pictures and write about everything that I did. But for now, know that if I could have stayed in Paris indefinitely, I probably would have.

XOXO.
Rachel

I'm going to France!

So tomorrow morning I leave at 7am on a bus headed for Madrid, where I will then catch a plane to Paris. Chelsea and I are going to be staying with one of her friends for the first few days and then we will be staying in a hostel. We are hoping and planning on doing all of the normal touristy kind of things but because we also have friends that are studying and living there we will also get to see certain parts of the city and country that the average tourist wouldn't necessarily find, such as good shopping spots or cheap yummy cafes. I will post pictures as soon as I have a strong enough internet connection in my apartment.

I love you all.
Rachel

I really miss you all and home!

Good Morning,

So I woke up this morning feeling completely homesick. It was really the first time that I actually wanted to come home for good. Nothing bad happened that made me feel this way it was just the realization that I am still going to be here for 5 months and that I am not going to see any of my family until then. Luckily, I get to go visit Jake in Egypt and then Katie, Greg, and Nic are coming for Christmas break! But still I miss my family. I miss being able to call any one of you to meet at the beach for a walk and planning what food to bring to one of our family gatherings when we are all together. I think that this all has come about, more or less because a lot of my friend's families are starting to visit and I don't get to see mine :( But I know that the next few months are going to fly by, I just wish that I could share more of my time with you guys.

Anyways, I just wanted to remind you all of how much I love you and that I am missing you a lot even if I don't say it all the time.

XOXOXO
Rachel

I love having guests. But I also love it when they leave.

This weekend was crazy. A bunch of our friends from Cádiz came to Granada to visit and celebrate our Dan's birthday. We had four friends from Barcelona, two from Madrid and then Allie all staying in our apartment. It was cozy to say the least. Originally we didn't really know how it was going to work out but we managed to find places or mats for everyone and they all got to see the cool and fun parts of Granada. But now I am ready to watch Glee and Grey's Anatomy and catch up on some sleep.

Tomorrow I start another week of trying out classes. I am hoping that I won't have to take an 8:30 am class but it is the history of Muslim art class that I really want to take so if the professor actually shows up and I like it I might have to. Other than that I have my grammar class, the history of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and then museology. All of them seem to be really cool but my history professor speaks really fast sometimes and I don't know any of the vocabulary that goes with the subject so I sit there struggling to stay focused. She did say though that she will start handing out/uploading study guides for us to fill out while she talks, which I think is going to be really helpful and will also make the class much more enjoyable. For my museology class we are learning all about the history of museums and how the first ones were created and what they were used for. Tia is in that class with me and we are both loving it. We are also super excited because later on in the semester we will go to a couple of the local museums and maybe even go to Sevilla to see a few. Our professor also said that later on we might have to opportunity to intern/get a job working at a local museum or for the department, which would be really cool. I think I am going to have a really good time in my classes but I still haven't figured out how the homework thing really works here. We have been given lists of books that are recommended to look at or read but then we are only really told to either buy one or two. Also, there is no real outline of homework assignments or anything like that so I have no idea if I am supposed to be doing anything or not. Hopefully the professors will go over it again tomorrow and if not I am just going to have to ask them or some of the other students so that I don't end up falling behind.

Other than school, and now that my friends are all out of my apartment I am ready to really set up a daily routine and start exploring the city a little more. My goal for the week is to go to a live music performance and find another coffee shop that I can go read in. I hope everything is going well with you all. I love you and miss you!

Rachel

P.S. Katie brought to my attention that my posts have been having some spelling and grammar mistakes and I'm sorry about that. I have changed all of my computer settings into Spanish and when I misspell something in English it will replace it with the word that it thinks is the closest, even if it is not. Hopefully when I have more time and when I am all caught up on sleep, I will be able to write in English above a third grade level. ;)