Okay...so it's a sappy entry title, but it's the truth...anabahebic means "I Love you", not that I've been saying it to a lot of people, but you'd be surprised how many female heads it turns...especially from one cool crazy guy like`a me!

Egpyt is one of the most beautiful places I've been to yet...hearing the call for prayer right outside my apt is absolutely fabulous...going for prayer, is simply God like (no disrespect to God or Allah in any way).

Each day seems to offer us more and more, and each day I learn to bargain with people a little bit better....just yesterday, we were in the market place and i saw a man selling coconut slices. I asked how much? The younger man looks at me (can tell I'm a tourist - not only by saying "How much?" - but also from my clothes) and tells me 10 pounds (pounds is the currency in Egypt - once had british occupation) Now, 10 pounds is a lot for a slice of coconut...i walked away and the young man chased me down saying how much?, how much? i said 1 pound and we haggled for a minute or two...i didn't get the slice, but just the whole aspect or bargaining and not letting him try and stick me for my money impressed a lot of people. It's not so much as giving in to a price, or bidding low, but being able to walk away and be strong about that, knowing that you don't need it, or that you could get it from somewhere else for cheaper.

One thing I do know now about Egypt, for foreigners...bring Peptobismal...that was my biggest mistake...the water isn't always the cleanest, the food is somewhat greasy and heavy on the bowels, and their toilet paper is not two-ply...in fact, it's one-ply sandpaper with a grainy hard finish (remember when cutting or smoothing wood, don't go against the grain??? EXACTLY!!!).

We really have it good in the US, really, we do...I miss driving my car (because people out here do not know how to drive--remember, a non-systematic system of driving--it doesn't make sense yet, but i'll explain it when i get back). I miss seeing my family...i miss my mom's homecooking, my dad always asking me "Why are you going out?", and my sister always trying to piss me off....one thing i don't miss, is my cell phone ringing off the hook, high gas prices, and people afraid to talk to you becuase we're strangers....

....people here have helped us sooooo many times, and a few of those times, they asked us for a mere pound (25 US cents) but to them, it's big...really big. If you think the bums out in Chicago are bad, they are not...the beggars out here make the bums look like Custodial Engineers...and they do not stop showing you "real" Rolex's, "nice", handmade wallets, and ton's of stupid gimicks..all for a dollar!

the people out here are real slick too...they'll offer you a coke (like the guy on the donkey near the pyramids), as a gesture of friendship or out of pure sincerity...or you think it's sincere, then he's asking you for 2 or 3 Us dollars, which translates into 15 - 20 Egyptian Pounds!!! That's a great deal of money here...with 30 pounds, we bought 5 shwarmas, 4 spinach pies, 4 beef pies, 3 soft drinks, and a couple more goodies to eat...so that money is pretty big here...

But still, people will help you. They WILL go out of their way to show you the place you want to see. So thus far, we have been having a good time. In a day or two, I will take a train to see Alexandria, and will be there for a good two to three days. They say it is very beautiful there, and that there are a lot of Greeks or Egyptians who speak Greek. We;ll see how good my Grenglish will hold up (Thanks Toula my sister)..but so far, my "Greekness" has made me a great person here. They love the fact that Greece is in the final four...playing tonight against the Ckechs and hav showed us all nothing but love...except for the guy at the bazaar who Mazen seemed to piss off for not paying 5 pounds for a 10 cent key chain....go figure!

See ya'll soon! and remember, just because there aren't pictures now, doesn't mean i won't palce pictures on it when I get back. I will do that...tell my cousins i said hi!

love ya all,

Mishka! OPA!!!!!