Adjustment

Hey guys,

Just realized it had been a while since I wrote. Okay, I thought I'd post you a couple of pictures of our new flat. However, our internet connection has been EXTREMELY sketchy here. I'm not sure why. I can get online, but then the connection dies after a minute or two. So, I'm going to shoot for one picture. If I can get that much uploaded, I'll be happy.  (It's up!  This one is of the kitchen-nook.  It's probably the part of the apartment I'm the proudest of.  Ok, picture 2 is of our sitting room.  No pink wall like the last place!  I'm so proud!  Okay, now I'm going to try for picture 3.  Got it!  Okay, picture 3 is my room.  Notice the guitar lying on top of the unmade bed.  I am such a rock star! )  Okay, I just realized that the pictures posted in the opposite order that I thought they would.  So, picture 1 is on the bottom, etc . . .

I also thought I'd clue you in to a couple of things here. The culture here is very nocturnal. Literally, nothing happens before ten in the morning, and almost nothing happens before noon. Only in Egypt can you call a friend at one in the afternoon and have to worry that you might be waking him up.

I've also made a couple of great friends here. It's funny. One of my friends is a guy that was helping us find an apartment when we first got here. But when he found out that I knew someone from his hometown . . . the doors of relationship flew right open. It was crazy! I'm still learning about the culture here, but I've started to notice another major difference. In the States, things are determined by how hard you work. If you work hard you advance. If you're lazy, you get nothing. But the culture here is based on relationships. If you know the right people, you can get almost anything you want. And, a friend of a friend gets an almost immediate welcome into relationship. It's fun. Almost any time I buy anything or do anything one of my friends tells me, "you should have talked to me first. I know someone who does that."

Okay, that's it for now. Peace . . .