Finally

So finally I am updating my blog....

Its crazy really how busy I've been and how much I've settled in all at the same time. When I was abroad last summer it seemed that I blogged nearly daily - but it feels different now. Then - I knew there was an end date in sight and I knew just how temporary the situation was and wanted to record every moment. Now - things feel different. I'm not here for six weeks. I'm here for two years. It feels so much more permanent and so blogging about it seems weird- because now I'm not blogging about an adventure abroad - but I'm blogging about life.
And at the same time - that feels more appropriate - so I think i'm going to start blogging more often.

Classes are amazing. Hard - and amazing. They aren't hard in the traditional sense that I have a lot of homework and its hard. Or even that the material is somehow hard to grasp or understand - it's hard because all I do is sleep, eat and READ. I read until I think my eyes are going to bleed sometimes. Thus the nature of law classes I suppose.
Most of the grad students take three classes - but I'm doing four. That's partly because I'm doing a Master's and a Grad Diploma so I have more classes to fit in. And partly because if I only did three I think I would be bored. It's honestly a lot - but just enough at the same time. I think because if I had less - I would be more tempted to hang out with friends and go out more and put it off. But the workload is such, that I know I can't afford to get behind - so it keeps me in the books and on my toes.

I have met a lot of friends here. And I think good friends that I'll keep for a long time. There's Kais - the German/Tunisian. We go out for koshry after class and play backgammon for a couple hours twice a week after our classes. Then there's the Lebanese crowd. I like Ramy and Sheeraz the most - we like to talk politics and world affairs in the commons. There is the Egyptian Hassan. My god, we start talking about whatever at 9pm and then crap! when did it become 3am! There's plenty of Americans I've gotten to know well too. The only unfortunate thing is that most of them are study abroad for a semester or year and so soon they shall be gone... the Arabs are here to stay longer term and so I really feel the opportunity to get to know them and build friendships is better.

The students here on campus are sooooo young. I've helped I think 5 students now learn how to do laundry for the first time. I was doing laundry by the time I was 10! They're 19 and don't know how... must be nice. They don't know how to cook or grocery shop for themselves. They don't know how to write papers / source them / notecarding research methods / how to use commas and semicolons... the list goes on and on. I help so many of them with so much, and the fact that I'm the second oldest in all the dorms - has earned me the nickname of Gdo. Gdo is Egyptian for grandpa. Its really funny to me - because I honestly do feel that way sometimes. LOL

So for now it's getting late and Gdo needs to go to bed.... see you all very soon.