in Cairo

First allow me to explain the title of my blog. Ma'at is the Egyptian goddess of order and balance and justice; more of a concept than a goddess. but that is my goal for the semester. Plus, it's one of Ramses II's dozens of titles--
So here I am, after my first full day in Cairo. It has, as my school would say, an interesting introduction to "the land of the pharoahs". Nevermind that we managed to spend 20 minutes today harassing our academic advisor about the mockery they are making of themselves by saying that...
Yesterday, I arrived on Lufthansa after a relatively uneventful flight from JFK to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Cairo. Shan nearlly had a large-scale panic attack while on the plane, but we gave her chocolate and managed to survive plane travels, despite her utter terror and fear of planes...
Then just before landing, the plane made a 360 degree turn to approach Cairo International Airport from the south--as the left wing dipped down and the sun glinted off the wing into my eyes, I saw that site. Or, should I rephrase, those three sites. Sitting surrounded by urban sprawl on three sides was the Giza plateau and the three pyramids. For the first and only time, I tears welled into my eyes and I realized, before landing, that "this is it"!!! Cairo is worth it, if only for this reason. Later on, I would work hard to remind myself of this fact! They're huge and golden-brown, and even from 5000 feet they were the most impressive man-made structure I have ever seen from a plane.
And then we arrived in Cairo. Arrived in style, one might say... no customs emergencies (since they let all the AUC students go through the special "we don't check your luggage but we will check out your backsides" line). Shan got a marriage proposal, I just got all my luggage, and everyone got into a van with relative ease. We saw the scrawniest little dogs I have ever seen in the eternally long wait for the driver to have him smoking break--finally onboard and en route to Cairo itself, we were handed a manila envelope with a letter and a key... a key to apartment 18 at 24 Hussein Hegazi street, Garaden City, Cairo. A key that you, apparently have to force into turning 4.5 times and kick-box open. So, failing to realize this detail and with several bruised fingers, we found the doorman, he failed to open it, we used a random strangers mobile phone, it wouldn't let us call the phone number on the letter, and we finally we were wandering in front of the apartment building when the "Garden City apartment manager" miraculously appeared. Then disappeared for a couple hours, leaving us with an apartment, but no working phone, no idea how the heat works, a sketch elevator, a somewhat dirty bathroon, and no directions or room contracts. He reappeared for a matter of nanoseconds, enough to see his backside go down the stairs, before leaving for the evening again. (That orientation we were supposed to get didn't so much happen...) Anyhow, later that night we got a new roommate, Kari, who had lost her luggage in New York, and we all officially decided that we are going to create a reality tv program showcasing exactly what can happen to you if you go abroad.
So it's the end of day 2 and I can find campus, a fabulous bakery, the nearest coffee shop, the next 4 nearest coffee shops, the Radio Shack, a place to exchange travelers checks, a couple of great food stands, and I am suffering from mineral deficit due to lack of vegetable intake. Let's just hope this salad I am eating doesn't leave me on the floor.
I have two new roommates today, both of whom seem very nice, and Shannon and I cleaned the floor and de-cided the freezer, which had enough ice buildup to create an ingloo for one of the many mangy cats wandering the alleys and fire escapes of our apartment complex.
So, inshallah, the tour, etc. wil go well tomorrow, I won't get sick, and much love to all of you back home.