beginning in Egypt

What has struck me most about being abroad is the amount of people that, upon finding out I am American, exclaim their joy about President Obama. 

I spoke with a woman from Norway who went on and on about how handsome and eloquent he is, saying, "Oh, and when he smiles, he lights up the room!" 

I also had a long conversation with a Czech man, who wanted to be sure I didn't vote for McCain - haha.

Every foreigner I've encountered has been quite friendly; I've gotten some mixed feelings from Egyptians, because most of them think I'm Egyptian as well. An Islamic woman hit me as I walked by, I'm assuming because I was with an American-looking male (which is disproved of, if I were indeed Egyptian). We had a good (stifled) laugh over that. Everyone else has been quite friendly, and I'm enjoying Egypt immensely.

Egyptian quirks:

• Mannequins. So many mannequins. In my exhaustion, I thought a children's clothing store was a doll shop. We got to our hostel at 4am, and I kept thinking, "GOOD GOD, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DOLLS?!"
• Everyone smokes. 
• It's green! The Nile provides certain areas with enough water to sustain beautiful plant-life.
• Street dividing lines are just for show. Our various taxi drivers preferr to use any method of getting ahead, nearly annihilating crowds of people at a time. It's actually quite fun...

Tomorrow I go to New Cairo. From there I'll get a bus tour and a horseback adventure; what a drag. Adieu!